NavigatorPro
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- My Lincoln
- 2018 and 2021 Lincoln Navigator L
I just did the conversion from stock 22s to 20 inch Costco wheels
I went with Michelin Defender LTX M/S 275/60R20. This particular tire might be a little stiff for some here, but its perfect for the NYC area that I am in. Its a durable long lasting tire with excellent all weather abilities and resistance against nails. For the best smoothest ride possible you might want to look for a different tire, but this excels in most every other aspect. Nail resistance is a concern. The Defender was originally designed for off road vehicles such as the Jeep Wrangler which are mostly operated on-road with occasional off-roading.
The tire PSI used is 36 psi as that is the same tire pressure as on the Ford Expedition Max Active with 20 inch wheels.
Results:
Bumps are still there but muted and less intense versus the 22s. There is a little more dive, squat and sway, but not that much to where its a deal breaker. There was no change in the size of the tire patch which was 275 stock and its still 275 on the new wheels. What did change was the sidewall height and the pressure in the tires. In the stock 22s its 39 psi but on the 20s its 36 psi allowing for a softer cushion.
Why the switch? The electronic suspension does a great job with the 22s at muting the road but in the NYC area its filled with all kinds of imperfections challenging even the best suspension system. The electronic suspension works a lot better with the 20s at muting the ride. There is also another concern which is potholes and nails. As for potholes I have replaced entire wheels on past owned Navigators as a result of damage from falling into them. There is always a generous amount of construction going on here and things like nails fall from those trucks. The 20 inch Michelin Defender LTX will handle the potholes and on road objects a lot better than the 22s. If your area is more rural and/or has a lot more imperfections than the NYC area or maybe you encounter more off/road/winter style weather you will want to look at the 18 inch wheels/tires that are on the Expedition. The 20s seem like a good compromise.
Costco always sells excellent quality items and it was chosen as a vendor for the wheels. The wheels are actually designed for off-road and more heavy duty than typical street wheels. This is a long term investment and these wheels will be used on the 2028 Lincoln Navigator Cobra.
You will want to buy a 19 inch thin wall socket from TireRack and put that in the glove compartment.
For aftermarket wheels of this type you will want to buy this from TireRack and put it in the vehicle. I used a Gorilla wheel-lock as well which seem to be high quality. The tire installer saw my wheel-locks and told me to throw them in the garbage because of problems he had in the past. I told him I just wanted to do the right thing. When he looked at the wheel locks he told me these are of better quality than he saw in the past.
I went with Michelin Defender LTX M/S 275/60R20. This particular tire might be a little stiff for some here, but its perfect for the NYC area that I am in. Its a durable long lasting tire with excellent all weather abilities and resistance against nails. For the best smoothest ride possible you might want to look for a different tire, but this excels in most every other aspect. Nail resistance is a concern. The Defender was originally designed for off road vehicles such as the Jeep Wrangler which are mostly operated on-road with occasional off-roading.
The tire PSI used is 36 psi as that is the same tire pressure as on the Ford Expedition Max Active with 20 inch wheels.
Results:
Bumps are still there but muted and less intense versus the 22s. There is a little more dive, squat and sway, but not that much to where its a deal breaker. There was no change in the size of the tire patch which was 275 stock and its still 275 on the new wheels. What did change was the sidewall height and the pressure in the tires. In the stock 22s its 39 psi but on the 20s its 36 psi allowing for a softer cushion.
Why the switch? The electronic suspension does a great job with the 22s at muting the road but in the NYC area its filled with all kinds of imperfections challenging even the best suspension system. The electronic suspension works a lot better with the 20s at muting the ride. There is also another concern which is potholes and nails. As for potholes I have replaced entire wheels on past owned Navigators as a result of damage from falling into them. There is always a generous amount of construction going on here and things like nails fall from those trucks. The 20 inch Michelin Defender LTX will handle the potholes and on road objects a lot better than the 22s. If your area is more rural and/or has a lot more imperfections than the NYC area or maybe you encounter more off/road/winter style weather you will want to look at the 18 inch wheels/tires that are on the Expedition. The 20s seem like a good compromise.
Costco always sells excellent quality items and it was chosen as a vendor for the wheels. The wheels are actually designed for off-road and more heavy duty than typical street wheels. This is a long term investment and these wheels will be used on the 2028 Lincoln Navigator Cobra.
You will want to buy a 19 inch thin wall socket from TireRack and put that in the glove compartment.
For aftermarket wheels of this type you will want to buy this from TireRack and put it in the vehicle. I used a Gorilla wheel-lock as well which seem to be high quality. The tire installer saw my wheel-locks and told me to throw them in the garbage because of problems he had in the past. I told him I just wanted to do the right thing. When he looked at the wheel locks he told me these are of better quality than he saw in the past.
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