How Truck Rims & Tires Differ from SUV's

If you go to any work site and look at the trucks driving through the chances are very good that you will discover that truck rims and tires on work trucks are much different than those you’ll find on an SUV. The reason, simply, is that work trucks have to be able to go places that your average SUV driver doesn’t even consider. Imagine driving down a 30-degree incline to a rutted, gravelly bottom and then having to dodge holes that would swallow a Ford Focus.

Truck Tire and Rims

From this you can see the truck tire rims has to be thicker at the bead edge – where the tire and rim meet – and it has to have more metal in the center to absorb the hits that it will take. In general, then, you will find the truck tire rim is a full steel wheel that may have a recessed hub and is thick.

SUV Rims and Tires

On the other hand, SUV rims are more decorative and much more like car tire rims than truck rims. For example, an SUV usually runs on brushed aluminum alloy tires that are up to highway driving, what one would call normal driving as they have a standard amount of metal along the bead edge and roughly “standard” metal in the hub. In other words, they can’t handle the work. Further, you can purchase chromed slotted wheels that would be ruined at a work site. The bottom line is truck tires are thicker and aimed at commercial venues, while SUV tires are much more about show than go.