Why don’t people like the OEM tires/wheels?

[Wark]

People usually upgrade for looks or for capability, especially when they want to run harder trails or have met their limit. They grow into their off road experience, or already having that experience, choose to upgrade their vehicle to be more capable.

Everyone has different use and expectations for what they do. Off road capability and cost are diametrically opposed to road noise and fuel economy.

Stock / low trim $
tire range 30"-33"
wheels - stock
"P" tire, less weight
Mild off road
Normal road noise in cabin 72 dBA at 75 mph - hardtop
fuel economy around 20 mpg

Mild / upgraded trim $$
tire range 34"-35"
wheels - badlands/ black diamond/ sasquatch or replaced
"LT" tire, more weight
Capable off road
Louder road noise in cabin
fuel economy around 16 mpg

Built $$$
tire range 37"++
wheels - pricey
"LT" tire or better
upgraded suspension components
Extreme off road
Hear them coming down the road
fuel economy -- let's not talk about it

Sponsored

 

[kodiakisland]

Don’t care about wheels. All I expect is they be round and hold air. The only time I change from OEM is for a performance upgrade.

OEM tires however rarely fit my needs. I’m quite particular about my tires. It amazes me how many give tires no thought at all when all the upgrades in the world won’t matter with a poor tire choice.

 

[RagnarKon]

I think all of the wheel/tire selections on all of the trims make perfect sense EXCEPT the Goodyear Territory MTs—the Sasquatch tire.

The Goodyear Territory MTs are an All-Terrain tire (marketed by Ford as a Mud-Terrain) that do not have a 3-Peak rating. So they’re a bad All-Terrain and a bad Mud-Terrain tire. I don’t know why I would want that, and it was a big reason why I passed up the Sasquatch pkg.

They are extremely light though… which is probably why Ford picked them, but that’s their only redeeming quality.

 

[Haelous]

I think all of the wheel/tire selections on all of the trims make perfect sense EXCEPT the Goodyear Territory MTs—the Sasquatch tire.

The Goodyear Territory MTs are an All-Terrain tire (marketed by Ford as a Mud-Terrain) that do not have a 3-Peak rating. So they’re a bad All-Terrain and a bad Mud-Terrain tire. I don’t know why anyone would want that.

They are extremely light though… which is probably why Ford picked them, but that’s their only redeeming quality.

I agree. They should've just slapped KO2s on the SAS package too. They were already buying them in difference sizes for the Badlands and Raptor.

 

[Taltyman]

I think they just need to match the era of the car. My first car was a 59 ford and It had chrome reverse rims. My 80's Bronco had white rims with wheel covers so you couldn't even see the rims. My 67 Scout (in avatar) had white rims. for our Jeep we switched to 35's with Buckshot rims when we lifted it. My Braptor has OEM rims, Personally I'm not a fan of solid black rims but likely not spending money to switch them out like we did with our Jeep. In fact our Jeep take offs are still resting comfortably outside as the market for them is pretty soft.

 

[prospectfour]

Love my stock Badlands wheels. Maybe better black. But everyone else has those SAS wheels. So those would have to go. Wheels are an easy upgrade to look different.

Agree - We bought vehicles that beg you to modify them, why leave it stock and look like everyone else?

 

[Tacanta14]

Since I never see my wheels when I'm driving, and my stock tires have gotten me everywhere I needed to go, I'm happy with the 2022 BD stock wheels/tires!

 

[ChrisD]

I was an early order and I knew Sasquatch was going to be constrained, so I went with the stock Badlands since it had the features I needed. I put on a leveling kit, then wanted to go to 35" tires.

The stock Badlands wheels are 8" wide and are really stuffed into the wheel well, so I wanted something that would have a bit better clearance for the rest of the stuff under there and went with TRD wheels for a while, along with Goodyear Duratracs.

Then I found a guy on the local classifieds who had a set of Sasquatch wheels for a super cheap price and pounced on them. They put the tires right where I want them in the wheel well, and I'm happy with the outcome.

Three photos - OEM, with TRD, and now... It just kind of changed over time to suit what I like.

 

[peterh]

I just think the OEM wheels look too modern for a retro designed body. Give me some mag polished wheels!

 

[lwilliams34]

I think all of the wheel/tire selections on all of the trims make perfect sense EXCEPT the Goodyear Territory MTs—the Sasquatch tire.

The Goodyear Territory MTs are an All-Terrain tire (marketed by Ford as a Mud-Terrain) that do not have a 3-Peak rating. So they’re a bad All-Terrain and a bad Mud-Terrain tire. I don’t know why I would want that, and it was a big reason why I passed up the Sasquatch pkg.

They are extremely light though… which is probably why Ford picked them, but that’s their only redeeming quality.

Saw this the other day...

 

[lwilliams34]

I ordered a Big Bend and plan on running with the stock tires for now. I'll be primarily on civilized roads. If I decide I want something more aggressive I may pick up a set of the 33 badlands that everyone is talking about....

 

[Hemisfear]

I believe it is mainly because a little knowledge gives confidence for those who know little to become an expert in their mind.
I've learned that about 50% of the advise on this forum is just bad information, reader beware!
It always amazes me that people almost proudly display their ignorance with their advise/comments and then get really testy when exposed...

 

[dadjoke]

I didn‘t want my bronco lifted as it’s an everyday driver and I needed max gas mileage… so I actually like the look of the tires it came with. That being said I see tons of posts of people wanting to sell the oem and not being able to get much for them because none of you want them.

Questions - why don’t people like them?

When I need new tires I should probably look to buy some from all of you that want to ditch them rather than pay $1,200 at a tire store, correct?

Thank you for input.

Besides a bunch of people likely mentioning preference, there's also a TON of folks who never got their order/etc and had to get something other than what they wanted from the factory. Ford puked out a bunch of big bends last year (not talking S, my big bend is a '22...), but that doesn't mean anybody wanted the bigbend wheels/tires.

 

[Blackcat]

To each his own. I had intentions of upgrading my Base wheels/tires, but I just love the way my Bronco rides, so I'm holding off for now. When I do 'upgrade' I'll keep my OEM steelies and just go up to 32's for a tiny bit of a lift.

 

[indio22]

It's called a beauty ring since the wheel is beadlock-ready but Ford is not allowed to include a real beadlock ring with bolts all the way around (since they're not DOT), and it would be ugly to just leave it off. They put a faux (metal) ring that takes it's place with not enough bolts to allow it to be used as a beadlock ring. Painting it is an upgrade (WT), or take it off and paint it yourself. Seems pretty logical to me, but what do I know.

Well beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There are quite a few of those silver hula-hoop wheel Broncos on the streets in my area, probably not many having a use for upgrading to real beadlocks. But for those who will it's good to have the option.

Sponsored