Montana? New Owner Questions

[denvercx]

Hello! This is my first post in the forum. I love this community and eagerly await taking delivery of my Limestone R1T soon.

My wife and I are moving to southwest Montana in July and will take delivery there.

I have a few questions:
1. Who here lives in Montana and where?
2. How should I feel or think about there being no service center anywhere near Montana? Has this been a problem for other owners in Montana or other states where there is no service center?
3. What wheels/tires would you recommend for Montana?

Thanks everyone, excited!

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[genepopemt]

Trout Creek, MT. Still stuck in "Processing Estimate". I'm not too worried about routine service since we are on a small farm and pretty much do all the tire changes, rotations, lube, oil changes, etc. on everything we own anyway. Recalls and stuff that only Rivian can do will be an issue. That will mean shipping it to Bellevue, WA (or in your case probably the Boise service center once it opens). Odds are pretty good that it will be decades before a service center shows up in Montana. Such are the tribulations of being an early adopter. I am going with the 21" for range and figuring it is a 3 season vehicle. If I wanted winter ability then probably the 20" with all terrain. There are good winter tires for the 20" wheels, nothing yet for a 21" wheel. Like most EV owners we have multiple vehicles, most of which are ICE so those become our winter/long trip vehicles. If you are in the trout creek area and are in need of a charge give a shout. I have a Rivian level 2 charger already installed. Very few chargers in Montana (very few EVs in Montana!) The nearest one to me is 120 miles away.

 

[denvercx]

Thanks, nice to meet you! We will be in/near Butte, and there is an EA level 3 about 5 miles west of town. This would be a 4 season vehicle for us, and we'll have our 2022 4Runner for long-distance trips. We're going to trade-in/sell our Polestar 2 (just don't think the clearance would be good for those long Montana snowy winters).

I do worry most about a service center being so far away, but Boise won't be bad I suppose, if they flatbed the truck there and back on their dime if something needs done there. I currently have it configured with the 21" for range, but maybe I should get the 20" all terrain setup.

Trout Creek, MT. Still stuck in "Processing Estimate".

 

[genepopemt]

Just an FYI, from listening to others on this forum the trucking to their service center will probably not be on their dime but rather you will have to get it there one way or the other and may for transporting it.

 

[denvercx]

OOF! That sounds expensive and a poor solution to the problem.

Just an FYI, from listening to others on this forum the trucking to their service center will probably not be on their dime but rather you will have to get it there one way or the other and may for transporting it.

 

[genepopemt]

You can tell the pioneers by all the arrows in their backs ;-)

 

[Riviot]

We frequent Kalispell and have a trip up to Waterton, over to Fort Benton, everything between to Butte then home this summer. We've never had issues and the 20 AT's have been perfect. I'm trying some 20 AS's next.

If my wife decides to take a Model Y this winter for her new vehicle, my father-in-law in MT keeps asking about getting a truck with my pre-order. We'd deliver to Washington and take it to him there. Service on the other hand...

 

[denvercx]

We frequent Kalispell and have a trip up to Waterton, over to Fort Benton, everything between to Butte then home this summer. We've never had issues and the 20 AT's have been perfect. I'm trying some 20 AS's next.

If my wife decides to take a Model Y this winter for her new vehicle, my father-in-law in MT keeps asking about getting a truck with my pre-order. We'd deliver to Washington and take it to him there. Service on the other hand...

Thank you, I think 20 AT is the way to go for those in cold/snowy climates, plus the off-road options are just so much greater. Service is the issue! Struggling with this one, to be perfectly honest.

 

[Riviot]

Thank you, I think 20 AT is the way to go for those in cold/snowy climates, plus the off-road options are just so much greater. Service is the issue! Struggling with this one, to be perfectly honest.

 

[96-ramair]

Hello! This is my first post in the forum. I love this community and eagerly await taking delivery of my Limestone R1T soon.

My wife and I are moving to southwest Montana in July and will take delivery there.

I have a few questions:
1. Who here lives in Montana and where?
2. How should I feel or think about there being no service center anywhere near Montana? Has this been a problem for other owners in Montana or other states where there is no service center?
3. What wheels/tires would you recommend for Montana?

Thanks everyone, excited!

Hi @denvercx . I just joined the forum as my R1T reservation fulfillment gets closer. I'm in Missoula, and have driven a Mustang Mach-E for 18 months now. The Rivian services thing is a concern as noted by @genepopemt. Bellvue vs. SLC - it's about a wash to drive to one vs. the other. A bricked Rivian could be a big issue. I have taken our Mach-E in twice in 30,000 miles. Once for an OTA that wouldn't install right (for BlueCruise), and we wanted it for a road trip to CO, and once for a mangled ABS/speed sensor on a rear wheel.

As for wheels/tires and winter driving, it has been a learning experience. First, your PoleStar would probably be fine on paved roads. I saw my first Polestar last week at an EA charger, BTW. EV's are great if they're AWD. But two things you need to really learn for winter driving: weight and 1-pedal. EV's are HEAVY. Great for traction, not for stopping. Adjust accordingly, and you're fine. 1-pedal I initially thought was going to kill me. The car would slow down faster than traction allowed. A deer jumps out on your snowy road, and you lift the throttle? The car slows too quick and is now in a skid. But I learned that's a function of your tires. In short, the OEM tires on my Mach-E sucked for winter. Once I got a set of studded snows, 1-pedal driving was perfect for conditions, and the car went from zero to hero. In summary, learn your 1-pedal driving early in slick conditions. And get a set of "3 peak" snow tires for winter driving. I agree with @genepopemt on tires - get 20's if you want to get good winter tire choices. I mean, you can get 21" rims, but you'll need a 2nd set of 20" rims if you want winter tires worth a darn. With those and AWD, I'm pretty sure the Rivian will be a beast.

 

[96-ramair]

Trout Creek, MT. Still stuck in "Processing Estimate". I'm not too worried about routine service since we are on a small farm and pretty much do all the tire changes, rotations, lube, oil changes, etc. on everything we own anyway. Recalls and stuff that only Rivian can do will be an issue. That will mean shipping it to Bellevue, WA (or in your case probably the Boise service center once it opens). Odds are pretty good that it will be decades before a service center shows up in Montana. Such are the tribulations of being an early adopter. I am going with the 21" for range and figuring it is a 3 season vehicle. If I wanted winter ability then probably the 20" with all terrain. There are good winter tires for the 20" wheels, nothing yet for a 21" wheel. Like most EV owners we have multiple vehicles, most of which are ICE so those become our winter/long trip vehicles. If you are in the trout creek area and are in need of a charge give a shout. I have a Rivian level 2 charger already installed. Very few chargers in Montana (very few EVs in Montana!) The nearest one to me is 120 miles away.

@genepopemt , you're in Trout Creek? I'm a reservation holder in Missoula, and have a friend in T Falls getting his R1T (via Denver) next week. Small world. We drive our Mach-E to Trout Creek almost every weekend to stay on our property there (my wife was raised in TC and my in-laws still live there). I use my mobile charger on a pedestal to charge the car while we're there. But I may have to see how your Rivian charger works if I ever get my R1T

 

[genepopemt]

Sounds good.

 

[denvercx]

Hi @denvercx . I just joined the forum as my R1T reservation fulfillment gets closer. I'm in Missoula, and have driven a Mustang Mach-E for 18 months now. The Rivian services thing is a concern as noted by @genepopemt. Bellvue vs. SLC - it's about a wash to drive to one vs. the other. A bricked Rivian could be a big issue. I have taken our Mach-E in twice in 30,000 miles. Once for an OTA that wouldn't install right (for BlueCruise), and we wanted it for a road trip to CO, and once for a mangled ABS/speed sensor on a rear wheel.

As for wheels/tires and winter driving, it has been a learning experience. First, your PoleStar would probably be fine on paved roads. I saw my first Polestar last week at an EA charger, BTW. EV's are great if they're AWD. But two things you need to really learn for winter driving: weight and 1-pedal. EV's are HEAVY. Great for traction, not for stopping. Adjust accordingly, and you're fine. 1-pedal I initially thought was going to kill me. The car would slow down faster than traction allowed. A deer jumps out on your snowy road, and you lift the throttle? The car slows too quick and is now in a skid. But I learned that's a function of your tires. In short, the OEM tires on my Mach-E sucked for winter. Once I got a set of studded snows, 1-pedal driving was perfect for conditions, and the car went from zero to hero. In summary, learn your 1-pedal driving early in slick conditions. And get a set of "3 peak" snow tires for winter driving. I agree with @genepopemt on tires - get 20's if you want to get good winter tire choices. I mean, you can get 21" rims, but you'll need a 2nd set of 20" rims if you want winter tires worth a darn. With those and AWD, I'm pretty sure the Rivian will be a beast.

@96-ramair Welcome to the fora. I've got a Rivian handler, and we're working on the final order, but I won't take delivery until July when I arrive in Montana (sales tax is an issue here in Colorado!). We'll probably trade-in our Polestar 2 for the Rivian. I agree with you on the 1 pedal driving - we just turn ours on "light" or "off" in the winter here in Colorado if snowing. Roads are much better maintained in Colorado than Montana.

Yes, I've decided on the 20AT tires. I love the ATs on my new 4 Runner. The real issue for me is the service, and I would hope that whatever comes up could be done by a technician or OTA.

Looking forward to the next adventure! Is there a good off-roading website/community for Montana backroads?

 

[SonomaDriver]

Greetings Denvercx! We close escrow on a place west of Missoula next month. We won't live there full-time at first but will spend as much time as we can up there.

I can already tell the 22" tire set up won't work though I see there are 3-peak options available for that size. Unlike Teslas, you can't switch wheel sizes and make a selection on the screen, you apparently have to go to a service center for "reprogramming," which seems dumb.

The lack of a service center closer than SLC isn't great either but we kinda have to suck it up given this is a newer company.

I'm likely to sell my Model Y and get a diesel truck. Towing in Montana would be a real challenge given the lack of DC fast chargers. Even opening up the Tesla ones won't help much given they are few in number and are not suitable for towing set-ups. Just driving the truck though shouldn't be an issue.

Welcome aboard!

 

[denvercx]

Greetings Denvercx! We close escrow on a place west of Missoula next month. We won't live there full-time at first but will spend as much time as we can up there.

I can already tell the 22" tire set up won't work though I see there are 3-peak options available for that size. Unlike Teslas, you can't switch wheel sizes and make a selection on the screen, you apparently have to go to a service center for "reprogramming," which seems dumb.

The lack of a service center closer than SLC isn't great either but we kinda have to suck it up given this is a newer company.

I'm likely to sell my Model Y and get a diesel truck. Towing in Montana would be a real challenge given the lack of DC fast chargers. Even opening up the Tesla ones won't help much given they are few in number and are not suitable for towing set-ups. Just driving the truck though shouldn't be an issue.

Welcome aboard!

Thank you! We've moved to Bozeman, and I see a few around town, a green in my neighborhood, in fact.

How are you all doing with your Rivians and the winters? Any issues? I'm ready to pull the trigger on a leased R1T on pre 2022 pricing. I have to take delivery before September.

Are you all still loving your Rivians? Not sure it would be worth trying to wiggle into the 2025 refresh model, but I'll ask my sales rep.

Thanks for everyone's help!!

Peder

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