R1S Dune with Michelin Defender LTX M/2 Tires (275/60/R20)

[TexasBob]

My wife was not loving the noise or ride on the Pirelli AT’s of her new Dune so we swapped out to Defender LTX M/S2. Went with the 275/60/R20s to bring wheel diameter down to 33” same as 22’s and gain some additional range. Planning to do a software wheel swap as soon as new software lands this week. Keeping the Pirellis in the garage for adventure trips.

Original

Michelin Defender LTX M/2 Tires (275/60/R20)

It loses a little something in styling but gains a lot of practical benefits on daily commute.

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[anthonysfl]

Perfect setup! You gained the most efficient wheel and tire combo Rivian offers. Smaller wheels are more efficient.

I have those tires on my 20 OEM brights and it’s 8% more efficient mi/kwh than my R1T was on 21’s. I have a feeling those might be even more efficient than mine with the flatter surface.

 

[Jonger1150]

Perfect setup! You gained the most efficient wheel and tire combo Rivian offers. Smaller wheels are more efficient.

I have those tires on my 20 OEM brights and it’s 8% more efficient mi/kwh than my R1T was on 21’s. I have a feeling those might be even more efficient than mine with the flatter surface.

8% more efficient than 21's and Pirellis?

 

[Donald Stanfield]

I like those wheels. They look like old school Defender wheels.

 

[anthonysfl]

8% more efficient than 21's and Pirellis?

My R1T, quad large pack on oem 21’s over 5,500 miles averaged 2.31mi/kwh with average speed of 32mph.
My R1S, quad large pack, on 20 AT brights on 275/60/20 pirelli AS plus 3 tires (non ev tire), over 6k miles averaged 2.5mi/kWh with average speed of 36mph.

 

[TexasBob]

I like those wheels. They look like old school Defender wheels.

I agree, I really like the wheels. They are a nice combination of old-school coupled with modern aero.

As an aside, I've see some chatter online that these are plastic covers. For the record, they are not. They look to me to be forged but they are solid metal fully coated on all side.

 

[anthonysfl]

I agree, I really like the wheels. They are a nice combination of old-school coupled with modern aero.

As an aside, I've see some chatter online that these are plastic covers. For the record, they are not. They look to me to be forged but they are solid metal fully coated on all side.

Yes, they are forged. I’d be curious about the weight of them. Did you happen to get the wheel weight when you changed the tires?

 

[TexasBob]

Yes, they are forged. I’d be curious about the weight of them. Did you happen to get the wheel weight when you changed the tires?

I did not even think to try. The Michelins are 9 lbs lighter each than the Pirellis according to Tire Rack web site, but I do not weigh the wheels.

 

[iansriv]

I agree, I really like the wheels. They are a nice combination of old-school coupled with modern aero.

As an aside, I've see some chatter online that these are plastic covers. For the record, they are not. They look to me to be forged but they are solid metal fully coated on all side.

I was about to make the defender comment. They look smart.

 

[SkiLizardHead2]

My wife was not loving the noise or ride on the Pirelli AT’s of her new Dune so we swapped out to Defender LTX M/2. Went with the 275/60/R20s to bring wheel diameter down to 33” same as 22’s and gain some additional range. Planning to do a software wheel swap as soon as new software lands this week. Keeping the Pirellis in the garage for adventure trips.

Original

Michelin Defender LTX M/2 Tires (275/60/R20)

It loses a little something in styling but gains a lot of practical benefits on daily commute.

I like the Defenders as well on some of my other vehicles. Where you able to get the Defenders with the Rivian weight rating of 116?

 

[David M]

My wife was not loving the noise or ride on the Pirelli AT’s of her new Dune so we swapped out to Defender LTX M/2. Went with the 275/60/R20s to bring wheel diameter down to 33” same as 22’s and gain some additional range. Planning to do a software wheel swap as soon as new software lands this week. Keeping the Pirellis in the garage for adventure trips.

Original

Michelin Defender LTX M/2 Tires (275/60/R20)

It loses a little something in styling but gains a lot of practical benefits on daily commute.

You should’ve went with the platinum instead it’s so much better and maintain an off-road ability but great on road huge mistake

 

[racekarl]

You should’ve went with the platinum instead it’s so much better and maintain an off-road ability but great on road huge mistake

The Platinums are much heavier than these and reports are they have worse rain and snow performance. Different strokes for different folks, not a huge mistake at all.

 

[TexasBob]

I like the Defenders as well on some of my other vehicles. Where you able to get the Defenders with the Rivian weight rating of 116?

Yes they are 116H

 

[windblowlc]

You should’ve went with the platinum instead it’s so much better and maintain an off-road ability but great on road huge mistake

There are plenty of reviews and comparisons on this forum on the onroad and offroad performance of these tires. Hugh mistake? NOT.

 

[TexasBob]

You should’ve went with the platinum instead it’s so much better and maintain an off-road ability but great on road huge mistake

This is the data on the two tires from Treadwell on discount tire. The other reason (aside from numerous reviews on this site and a recommendation from the guy at Rivian) that I went with the M/S2s is that they are available in a 33" tire an the Platinums only came in 34" (65s) which I knew would give us a range hit.

(re-uploaded to correct small typo)

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