2004 Escalade 22" - ride and alignment???

Just got my standard 17" wheels taken off my 2004 escalade and switched them for some nice 22" wheels and rims. This work was done by my Cadillac dealership that happens to have an aftermarket tire department. They told me ahead of time that the ride would be noticeably different on 22s. It is....much less smooth and steering wheel a lot less sensitive. I have also noticed that now I am constantly driving with a correction to the right because the car is pulling to the left. I assume this is an alignment issue that the dealer needs to recheck, I am hoping this is not something I have to live with because I have 22s now. They look great, just wish I could have the same ride as I had on the 17s. Let me know your input. Thanks.

Unfortunately the ride is compromised when you increase the size of the wheels and tires. I have 20's for about for over a year. I am used to the stiffer ride. Due to the increased width of the tire the car will follow the rutts in the road jerking one way or the other. I have had the front end alignment twice over the last year due to the change in wheel and tire size. Maybe there is a better steering stabalizer that may improve the ride.

griegjo1,
So your saying you have 20 in your escalade and your having problems with it??

Mannnnn.... I just both 20 and if this will change the ride and give problem do you think it worth it?? any tips you can give me??

In the original e-mail I wanted to share my experience with the larger wheels and tires. I have 20x10 inch wheels and love them. There are some disadvantages you need to consider. These are some of the differences I have noted:

1. The larger tires follow uneven road surfaces causing the vehicle to jerk into these surfaces.

2. The ride is a little rougher.

3. I have aligned the vehicle twice over the last year.

4. I live in Colorado and these things do not do well in the snow.

Do not get me wrong, I love the look of the 20's which turn alot of heads. I have considered upgrading to 22's and will not do to the fact that the reduced tire side wall will roughen the ride more and it is recommended that you upgrade your brakes.

I don't have an Escalade--I have a Denali instead--but I can relate to the larger wheels/tires issue. FWIW--yes my truck rides a bit rougher on 305-40-22 tires than with the stockers, but it's tolerable; I also had alignment issues with the 22's, but in my case the vehicle would track to the right. Alignment has corrected it a bit but it's still not perfect. As far as tire performance in snow--I'm riding on Toyo Proxes S/T tires; these are M+S rated. On a trip to Oregon this past February, they held up pretty well under road conditions where the roads were either covered in an inch or two of snow or a combo of snow and mud. They (the Toyos) may very well not perform well if the road was covered in more than a few inches of snow, but as noted, they didn't give me any traction-related problems during my trip.

OTOH--I did have to spend a bit more time than usual cleaning my rims after the trip... :banghead:

Just got my standard 17" wheels taken off my 2004 escalade and switched them for some nice 22" wheels and rims. This work was done by my Cadillac dealership that happens to have an aftermarket tire department. They told me ahead of time that the ride would be noticeably different on 22s. It is....much less smooth and steering wheel a lot less sensitive. I have also noticed that now I am constantly driving with a correction to the right because the car is pulling to the left. I assume this is an alignment issue that the dealer needs to recheck, I am hoping this is not something I have to live with because I have 22s now. They look great, just wish I could have the same ride as I had on the 17s. Let me know your input. Thanks.

There should not be an alignment problem because of the new 22's. You should be able to put whatever size you want and not have it pulling to the side. Take it into the dealer or a shop and just get an alignment. Maybe it needed an alignment before you got your rims and you're just noticing now. However, you also say you want the same ride that you had before the rims... sorry, its not gonna happen. The tire is not as big as the stock tires therefore there's less absorption of bumps, dips, and potholes. The ride will be bumpier and stiffer, but you should get used to it. Hope thats of some help!

I have 22 inch rims and tires on my Escalade and my vehicle rides the same way I was told by my dealership that it is not the alignment it is the road surface. When I travel on a nice and even highway I have no pulling of the wheel to the right or left. When I am driving in town my escalade constantly pulls to the right or left and that is due to the construction of the roads the roads have to be made so that water can drain off of them so all reads surfaces are not just flat some have slight inclines in them. I hope this helps


kb

A rough ride is a sacrifice you're making for bigger rims. Allignment problems aren't caused by bigger wheels, but they do make an existing problem worse. Bigger wheels will also hurt your performance, but should increase steering response. I would say that 20" is allready stretching it. In my opinion, a nice set of 18's or 19's looks best. A big suv is supposed to have some rubber. I'm trying to get some white walls, which I think would look pretty nice.

I too have a denali like tonytone with 22's on 305/45/22 toyo proxies. I honestly didnt really tell that much of a difference between the stock rims and tires and the new ones, I have however had my alignment done twice in the past 6 months (both times the day before going on a trip, for obvious reasons). I wouldnt say that my alignment was off but i figured better safe than sorry when traveling 1,000+ miles on tires that cost so much with so little tread by design.

My only problem i have had (well actually not yet had this problem, knock on wood) is that since i went with 45's instead of 40's on the tires they are not direct matches to the oem size tires and with the Denali being AWD my spare tire is basically useless.

I couldnt be happier with the rims and tires i chose to go with, sure it was a bit of a costly investment in the beginning but i am so happy i did it. Ive said it before and i'll say it again, a good set of rims and tires make a vehicle look soooo much better.

I couldnt be happier with the rims and tires i chose to go with, sure it was a bit of a costly investment in the beginning but i am so happy i did it. Ive said it before and i'll say it again, a good set of rims and tires make a vehicle look soooo much better.
Definitely agree with you there! With such a nice looking truck like the Denali, why not make it look even better with some fancy--large ones, if they're your cup of tea--rims! One would be hard-pressed to find anyone who can objectively claim that the plain (IMHO) factory 17" rims look way better than any 20"+ aftermarket ones.

20" is a nice compromise between looks and ride quality, but more than a few who've gone the 20" regret not going with at least a 22" wheel...

My girlfriend has 24" wheels on her Lincoln Navigator. The ride was a bit bumpier but honestly, it is very minimal. She has 305/35/24 tires and we both love the look. I guess it's a small price to pay for upgrading the stock wheels. Kronen Autosports in Artesia, CA helped me find my wheels for my car and my girlfriend's car and were very knowledgeable with wheels and tires.