Factory OEM Wheels & Tires Specs

[AZFox]

What I want to know are the specifications of the tires and, more importantly, the wheels.

Tires:

• 17" Standard Tire
• 17" All-Terrain Tire
• 20" Standard Tire
• 20" All-Terrain Tire
• 20" Low-Profile Tire

Wheels:

• 17" Steel Wheel
• 17" Alloy Wheel
• 20" Alloy Wheel

Wheel specifications should be whatever you'd need to know for aftermarket wheel shopping.

• Width
• Bolt Pattern
• Backspacing / Offset
• Center Bore Diameter
• Lug Nut Specs (seat style, thread pitch, ???)
• ???

Knowing the wheels' weights would be helpful.

 

[cvollers]

What I want to know are the specifications of the tires and, more importantly, the wheels.

Tires:

• 17" Standard Tire
• 17" All-Terrain Tire
• 20" Standard Tire
• 20" All-Terrain Tire
• 20" Low-Profile Tire

Wheels:

• 17" Steel Wheel
• 17" Alloy Wheel
• 20" Alloy Wheel

Wheel specifications should be whatever you'd need to know for aftermarket wheel shopping.

• Width
• Bolt Pattern
• Backspacing / Offset
• Center Bore Diameter
• Lug Nut Specs (seat style, thread pitch, ???)
• ???

Knowing the wheels' weights would be helpful.

I think a 245/65R17 (maybe 70R17?) will fit with the lift.

 

[metroshot]

I would love 17" wheels & tires - best uneven terrain absorber.

Can even upsize +1 or +2 on the tire to get more cushion.

20" might look better, but is not good for pothole strewn streets.

 

[AZFox]

The configurator claims it's possible to "include 32 tires" with the Lift Kit option. I have my doubts about how that would work out. Anyone who tries that is likely to be disappointed what effects that will have on performance, range, suspension wear, etc. due to heavy unsprung weight and lots of extra rotational mass (bigger, heavier "flywheel" on all four corners).

 

[AZFox]

I would love 17" wheels & tires - best uneven terrain absorber.

I did some investigating and determined 16" wheels would be even better. I intend to start a thread about what I discovered.

I submitted a question to Slate and will include that in the new thread. (The reply said fitting 16" wheels is possible.)

 

[AZFox]

I think a 145/65R17 (maybe 70R17?) will fit with the lift.

145? could that be a typo?

According to the configurator's rendering 245/65R17 is the default tire size.

That's a 29.5" x 9.6" tire.

 

[Swinefuzz]

Question(s) for those with experience w/ EVs: how much does wheel weight/size really affect range or general performance? Does the EV vs ICE difference really matter in this area at all? Am I overthinking this?

For those who are not informed:
Steel: much heavier, can be nearly double the weight of aluminum (hurts range), but cheaper and much more durable (just $marter).
Aluminum: lighter, about half the weight of steel (improves range), but prone to damage (dents, cracks if used roughly), but also generally more aesthetically ornate styles available (trivial, but fun).

Choosing btwn steel and aluminum can be a challenge. It really depends on your unique needs. I wonder if the 17" steel wheel would nearly equal the weight of the 20" aluminum wheel. I also wonder how much it even matters.

FWIW: Opinions are like a**holes, everyone has them and they all stink! That being said, my opinion is that aluminum rims kinda suck. I would not recommend alloy (aluminum) wheels to anyone. I had them many yrs ago and one cracked despite the fact I wasn't doing any heavy off-roading (in fact I was about 99.9% on pavement) and I had a persistent air leak which worsened over time and had me airing up that one tire 2-3X/per week. I was forced into an expensive upgrade to steel (not because steel is more expensive, but because I just did not want that bill at that time). But just because this happened to me doesn't mean it would happen to you.

I like bigger wheels. I just do. But, Slate's only 20" wheels are aluminum (I think the industry chooses to use the word "alloy" because it sounds less cheap and crappy than "aluminum"), and they're lighter and they're more rad lookin', but they simply are not the wiser option when durability is your main concern. I live in Calilfornia. There are lots of benefits to living in CA, but the roads here are absolute SH!T. After the experience I had with aluminum rims (which happened when I lived in Las Vegas, which has far better roads in general), I would never use aluminum rims in CA.

If I do pull the trigger and get a Slate down the road, as their options sit now, I would go with the 17" steel w/ All Terrain tires (ATs get you more rubber, so more weight, but also get you more tread life) and maybe upgrade to a larger steel wheel later on. I do like the larger, rugged wheel look. Smaller size wheels are more appropriate in terms of vehicle engineering (suspension, handling, fuel economy, etc), but just look "wrong" to me, even on cars. My personal compromise in this area, truck wheels, is large, steel rims w/ AT tires (more durability), that gets me lower fuel economy and potentially more bills down the road on the suspension wear and tear.

This raises ANOTHER question: SA has said their only factory option is the larger battery set. So, if that's true, what are they doing offering the option of 20" wheels? Are 20" rims+tires a post-factory option shipped separately for the customer to upgrade or are they actually installing a 20" wheelset at the factory? Are they just showing the more rad-looking 20" aluminum rims because it's fun to look at and swoon while using their configurator? Is there official word from SA on this? The idea of getting a truck shipped with 17" stock rims+tires and then receiving a shipment of 20" rims+tires just sounds like an astronomical waste of money. So, of course, some people would do that.

Sorry for the long post.

 

[metroshot]

Owned 3 EVs and all do require heavy load rated tires as a minimum.
You can't just get sale or cheap tires at your local shop as the load rating must equal or exceed which causes the choices to restrict and prices go up.

As to size, the larger the wheel size, the less rubber between the pavement and your EV which relates to comfort.

Tire wear is much more pronounced than ICE due to the instant torque provided by the DC motors.

Changing tires to anything other than EV / LRR (low rolling resistance) rated tires will cause a range decrease.

If range decreases are not a concern then you can put on KO 35" and have fun.

For my safety and those in my family, I always choose to switch over to RFT (Run Flat Tires) when it comes time to replace the OEM tires.

Sacrificing range for added security (driving with no air) instead of pulling over on a side of road and not knowing what might happen to you, it's a small price to pay.

 

[Swinefuzz]

Owned 3 EVs and all do require heavy load rated tires as a minimum.
You can't just get sale or cheap tires at your local shop as the load rating must equal or exceed which causes the choices to restrict and prices go up.

As to size, the larger the wheel size, the less rubber between the pavement and your EV which relates to comfort.

Tire wear is much more pronounced than ICE due to the instant torque provided by the DC motors.

Changing tires to anything other than EV / LRR (low rolling resistance) rated tires will cause a range decrease.

If range decreases are not a concern then you can put on KO 35" and have fun.

For my safety and those in my family, I always choose to switch over to RFT (Run Flat Tires) when it comes time to replace the OEM tires.

Sacrificing range for added security (driving with no air) instead of pulling over on a side of road and not knowing what might happen to you, it's a small price to pay.

I couldn't have asked for a better reply, Metro. Fantastic post. Thanks for sharing your experience. And I do love my BFG KO2s!

 

[AZFox]

Question(s) for those with experience w/ EVs: how much does wheel weight/size really affect range or general performance? Does the EV vs ICE difference really matter in this area at all? Am I overthinking this?

I'm overthinking it too. I'm about to start a separate thread on this very topic, but specifically for 17" tires. TL;DR: Bigger, heavier tires contribute to unsprung weight, increase rotational mass (they're harder to spin up and slow down), and change effective gearing by reducing revolutions per mile. I wonder how much all of that matters...

Aluminum: lighter, about half the weight of steel (improves range), but prone to damage (dents, cracks if used roughly), but also generally more aesthetically ornate styles available (trivial, but fun).

Avid Off-Roaders I know use steel wheels only.

I submitted a question to an AI about the weight difference.

Question:

As a general rule, how much lighter are alloy car wheels compared to steel car wheels?​

Answer:

Alloy car wheels are generally lighter than steel car wheels. While specific weight differences can vary, alloy wheels are often several pounds lighter per wheel compared to steel wheels. This weight reduction can range from about 10% to 30% lighter, depending on the design and materials used in the alloy wheels.​

When I've shopped for alloy wheels in the past I've noticed that weights vary widely for similar-sized wheels. Lightweight forged alloy wheels cost considerably more than typical cast wheels. There are some heavy alloy wheels out there.

 

[cvollers]

I'm overthinking it too. I'm about to start a separate thread on this very topic, but specifically for 17" tires. TL;DR: Bigger, heavier tires contribute to unsprung weight, increase rotational mass (they're harder to spin up and slow down), and change effective gearing by reducing revolutions per mile. I wonder how much all of that matters...



Avid Off-Roaders I know use steel wheels only.

I submitted a question to an AI about the weight difference.

Question:

As a general rule, how much lighter are alloy car wheels compared to steel car wheels?​

Answer:

Alloy car wheels are generally lighter than steel car wheels. While specific weight differences can vary, alloy wheels are often several pounds lighter per wheel compared to steel wheels. This weight reduction can range from about 10% to 30% lighter, depending on the design and materials used in the alloy wheels.​

When I've shopped for alloy wheels in the past I've noticed that weights vary widely for similar-sized wheels. Lightweight forged alloy wheels cost considerably more than typical cast wheels. There are some heavy alloy wheels out there.

Thinking steelies all the way (I have them now) with the Slate steelies looking like they might be fairly aerodynamic, but some of those other wheel options look pretty nice. Most likely will do a matte paint job on them.

 

[cvollers]

145? could that be a typo?

According to the configurator's rendering 245/65R17 is the default tire size.

That's a 29.5" x 9.6" tire.

Definitely a typo…fixed.

 

[cadblu]

Question(s) for those with experience w/ EVs: how much does wheel weight/size really affect range or general performance? Does the EV vs ICE difference really matter in this area at all? Am I overthinking this?

Using Tesla as an example, and all other things being equal, going from 18" to 19" tires will result in a 5.5% loss of range. Going from 19" to 21" tires will result in a - 7% loss of range. This is directly from the manufacturer. You can confirm this using their configurator for different models.