Ride quality of 20 in. SL tires vs 18 in. E rated

I currently have 275/7018's in E rating and Billstein 5100's with 1.6 up front. Would 20 inch rims with an SL tire ride better or about the same? I would be giving up the heavy sidewall but also loosing some of the cushion from 18 to 20.

 

My P rated tires on 20s ride significantly softer than my Dad’s truck on E rated 18s. He does a lot of towing on gravel roads and that’s the only way to stop from getting flats all the time. The extra preload on the 5100s for the lift will also makes things considerably stiffer.

 

I’ll say this I went from sl tires on my wife’s 4Runner to e rated 10 play BFG All terrains and I literally cannot tell the difference! Didn’t even lose any MPGs. Matter of fact gas mileage is even a little better.

 

Buy a lottery ticket if those tires are the same size as the SL set. Your results are the opposite of anyone else that has reported, as well as physics.

Just busting your balls. Ride quality is subjective, so that could go either way.

 

I get better MPG with 35x13 E rated ATs than the crap Bridgestones that Toyota put on my truck. I always get a lot of grief when I mention that...

Tires with a lower load rating and lighter construction should ride better and get better MPG (all else being equal), but construction details and rubber compounds can make a bigger difference. My ATs do not ride softer, FWIW... but I prefer how they feel.

Lower profile tires will not ride rougher in general, but you have a greater chance of rim strike. MPGs aren't hurt by lower profile either, actually there is a small benefit.