If you feel as though the broader automotive industry is shifting towards larger and larger wheel diameters with every new vehicle design, you’re right. The debut of the refreshed 2025 Chevy Tahoe and refreshed 2025 Chevy Suburban is certainly a good indication of that, with both full-size SUVs offering 24-inch wheel options. Of course, it’s unlikely that regular readers are surprised, given GM Authority was the first to report that The General’s refreshed SUVs would offer 24-inch rollers way back in March of the 2023 calendar year. That said, GM has been hinting at this design trend for much longer than that, with the vice president of GM Design, Michael Simcoe, indicating as much way back in 2019.
For those readers who may have missed it, GM design chief Michael Simcoe stated during a podcast in September of 2019 that these days, “an 18-inch wheel is a small wheel.”
“We’re headed toward 24- and 26-inch wheels,” Simcoe said at the time.
Fast forward to today, and the refreshed 2025 Chevy Tahoe and refreshed 2025 Chevy Suburban both offer wheel sizing up to 24 inches in diameter on RST and High Country trim levels. That’s pretty massive, even for a full-size SUV, but the big wheel trend extends through a variety of segments – the all-new 2024 Chevy Trax, for example, which serves as Chevy’s entry-level subcompact crossover, offers wheel sizing up to 19 inches in diameter.
And it’s not just the GM designers, either. Ford is also jumping on the plus-sized wheel bandwagon, with plans to offer 24-inch wheels on the upcoming Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator full-size SUVs, per a report from our sister publication, Ford Authority, which caught a refreshed 2025 Ford Expedition prototype rolling on 24s.
While the trend towards larger wheels is definitely driven by aesthetics, there are some tangible benefits as well, such as a stiffer tire sidewall and crisper handling, as well as potentially more grip thanks to a wider tire. There are downsides as well, likely the biggest of which is increased cost.
Nevertheless, the trend is clear – bigger is better, at least as far as the majority of the consumer public is concerned.
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Comments
I just downsized my yukon denali wheels from 22s to 18s. Even adding larger AT tires, I saved 17lbs per wheel, and the ride is SO much better. Magnaride gets killed by the big wheels, and curb rash becomes more of an issue…
I had a 2021 Sierra with 22’s. Lease was up, and my one requirement was not 22’s again, they suck, bad traction, wear out a lot faster and don’t absorb shock well.
Got a 2023 Sierra with 20’s and bigger (stock) tires, and man what a better ride then the 2021.
It seems like here in my Northeast state spending tax money on road maintenance is a low priority. I have seen many cases where wheels/tires have been damaged from poor road conditions, especially during Spring pothole season. For a daily driver in this area a little sidewall height is a good thing. I have no problem with large diameter wheels on my summer only late model Camaro.
Sounds like ur from Michigan ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜
The larger wheels look good, but my personal experience tells me that anything above 22 inches has an uncomfortable ride. I even went from 22s down to 20s on my Suburban. I guess it’s a personal choice for everyone.
Definitely a personal choice for sure.
The “short” explanation of an “uncomfortable ride”, is simply due to the technical aspect of the weight of the tire and wheel assemblies.
I ordered my 2018 Yukon XL with the 18 inch wheels (instead of the available 20 or 22 inch), not because I thought they looked the best, but because I wanted a tire sidewall that would absorb all the road noise and give a comfortable ride. I was not disappointed. As GM moves to larger and larger wheels w/ no smaller diameter choices, the ride quality suffers. Buyers spend big money on these vehicles to get a good riding vehicle through their body on frame construction. If GM continues to compromise ride quality here, buyers might as well get a unibodied vehicle, which will open up the choices to MANY other manufacturers as well as save consumers a lot of money on their purchases.
Agree with the comments on rough ride and curb rash with bigger wheels. Of course they look great but they cost lots more and one thing to consider is changing tires, whether from a flat or putting on snow tires. My wife got a SUV with 20″ wheels and they were a bear getting snow tires on and off.
This has to be the dumbest automotive design trend ever, even worse than the ever-shrinking greenhouse.
As stated above, larger wheels and tires cost more, are heavier, offer less cushion for potholes/curbs, are more easily damaged, ride worse, and take up more space which could be better used to increase passenger and cargo capacity.
And for what purpose? So the driver can look like a wrapper [sic]?
Yes, I remember when wheels came in three sizes: Small / Medium / Large = 13″ / 14″ /15″, and I’m not arguing for a return to those days just that wheels and tires be rationally sized based on the vehicle and its use case. Over and out.