[Dave Marshall]

Hello,
I have a 1996 impala all stock. I’m getting a set of 20” replicas made but was thinking to go up to a 22”. Will there be a big difference in the ride, more problems? I do live in Louisiana where the roads are pretty bad.

I welcome your comments.

-Dave

 

[Marky Dissod]

I’m getting a set of 20” replicas made but was thinking to go up to 22”.
Will there be a big difference in the ride, more problems?
I do live in Louisiana where the roads are pretty bad.

OF COURSE the ride will get worse. How much worse depends on several variables.
The taller the tire, the better the ride will be.
Note: Impalas SS use 27" tall tires. Caprices use 28" tall tires. Fleetwood limos use 29" tall tires.
28" or 29" tall tires ride better than 27", and more tire sidewall better protects against schidty roads.

The lighter the wheel, the better the ride will be. The heavier the wheel, the worse the ride will be.
Most 20" wheels are lighter than most 22" wheels. (Also, wider wheels are heavier than thinner wheels.)

The better the spring and shock upgrade controls the [email protected] wheels, the better the ride will be.
The worse the spring and shock upgrade controls the [email protected] wheels, the worse the ride will be.

In other words, 285/40R20 is safer than 305/30R22 - unless you want to shake an Impala SS apart ... ?

 

[Dave Marshall]

Ok thank you and I appreciate the feedback. Was super undecided on the rim size, but everything you stated makes sense. The recommended tire size from the rim builder is 255/35-20 in front and 295/30-20 in rear.

 

[Marky Dissod]

The recommended tire size from the rim builder is 255/35R20 in front (27.02" tall), and 295/30R20 in rear (26.98" tall).

Your rim builder is apparently UNaware that your Impala SS is very closely related to Caprices, RoadMasters, and Fleetwoods, including Fleetwood limos (see my previous post).
That would explain why he aimed for 27" tall, instead of something taller.

If your Impala SS has been lowered under OE ride height, you may be stuck with 27" tall tire sizes.
(255/35R20)
If your SS is at OE ride height, it should be no problem to aim for 28" tall tire sizes.
(255/40R20)
If you've chosen springs and shocks with slightly taller ride height, select a 29" tall tire size.
(255/45R20)
The taller the tire, the better the ride quality, and the better defense against schidty roads.
Re-select your tire size accordingly.

Also, rear wheels that are wider than the fronts will be heavier, which will adversely affect ride.
You're better off with the same wheel size and width for all four wheels.
You may still be able to use wider TIRES in back, but try to keep the WHEELS the same size & width.

 

[MWP]

Welcome to the forum. Tell us more about your car. "Stock" as in all-original parts or maintained with stock parts? Daily driver? Why the giant rims?

www.wheel-size.com -- great fitment calculator.
www.tirerack.com -- great to see how many choices there are for a particular tire size. Fewer choices = higher price and higher chance of that size being discontinued. Btw, staggered tire sizes = no rotation = voided tire mileage warranties.

In addition to his point about tire height, Marky Dissod is hinting strongly above that the springs/shocks can't be ignored if you want tolerable results.

 

[Marky Dissod]

In addition to his point about tire height, Marky Dissod is hinting very strongly above that the springs AND shocks canNOT be ignored if you want tolerable results.

I've no personal experience with 'upgrading' to heavier wheels, but I've seen so many Caprices rolling on 3 dubbadubs (22") and one 15" spare wheel.
Also personally witnessed quite a few 22" and larger aftermarket wheels destroyed by potholes and / or badly maintained bumpy roads. (They usually stop being round, which is painful to watch.)
Whole lotta NY / NJ / CT / PA roads have a vendetta against aftermarket wheels.
If the wheels are too heavy
If the sidewalls are too scrawny
If the springs & shocks are not up to the task of properly controlling the wheels
Or any combo of the above, sooner or later ...

Even if it is the asphalt, it's also still YOUR fault.

I could not be PAID to own any vehicle with wheels over 18".
(Only vehicle I ever drove with wheels over 18" was a Maybach S650 with 20" wheels.
Even on a Maybach with an active air suspension, Virginie & Karl preferred the ride on 19" wheels.)

On any Caprice / RoadMaster / Fleetwood, bigger than 18" wheels sacrifices ride, handling, and performance (among other things) to aesthetics. No thanks.

 

[Dave Marshall]

Your rim builder is apparently UNaware that your Impala SS is very closely related to Caprices, RoadMasters, and Fleetwoods, including Fleetwood limos (see my previous post).
That would explain why he aimed for 27" tall, instead of something taller.

If your Impala SS has been lowered under OE ride height, you may be stuck with 27" tall tire sizes.
(255/35R20)
If your SS is at OE ride height, it should be no problem to aim for 28" tall tire sizes.
(255/40R20)
If you've chosen springs and shocks with slightly taller ride height, select a 29" tall tire size.
(255/45R20)
The taller the tire, the better the ride quality, and the better defense against schidty roads.
Re-select your tire size accordingly.

Also, rear wheels that are wider than the fronts will be heavier, which will adversely affect ride.
You're better off with the same wheel size and width for all four wheels.
You may still be able to use wider TIRES in back, but try to keep the WHEELS the same size & width.

 

[Dave Marshall]

My 1996 impala ss is completely stock and the 17" are just too small for me. I am not a fan of super large wheels either. I honestly choose to keep the car stock, as it only has 26k originally miles on it. However, I figured a 20" is not bad. Cars are coming off the lot with 20" now. I totally understand this vehicle is heavy, etc.

I believe my rim builder is just afraid that a 40in tire will rub possibly, although I personally am not an expert at these things. The rims are in fact staggered. 9s in the front and 10.5s in the rear.

 

[Dave Marshall]

Here are the specs for my impala 20" replicas. Tell me what you think.
Front:
20x9
Backspace: 5.5
MTG PAD: 1.375

Rear:
20x10.5
Backspace:6.25
MTG PAD: 0.25

 

[MWP]

As you have seen there are tons of threads in the wheels+tires section on all sorts of combos that have tech data on what fitted and what didn't. I copied 96 Black's Fleetwood choice--18" CTS wheels, adapters, Continental tires. Added a Schrader aftermarket TPS kit and am as happy as can be. Whatever you go with, I really recommend that Schrader kit for low profile tires/expensive rims.

 

[Dave Marshall]

As you have seen there are tons of threads in the wheels+tires section on all sorts of combos that have tech data on what fitted and what didn't. I copied 96 Black's Fleetwood choice--18" CTS wheels, adapters, Continental tires. Added a Schrader aftermarket TPS kit and am as happy as can be. Whatever you go with, I really recommend that Schrader kit for low profile tires/expensive rims.

Thank you very much. I will look into it now.