Tire noise comparison - Pirelli 20" All Terrain + vs. 22" Zero A/S

[Drlangley]

Just dropped off my '23 R1T w/22" Scorpion Zero's at the Tempe, AZ service center and picked up a '23 R1S with brand new 20" Scorpion All Terrain Plus. I must say that I was shocked at the difference in road noise. The All Terrains were substantially louder at highway speeds than my Scorpion Zeros. I know these are not apples to apples in size comparison, but for those of us considering new tires for our R1T's, I would stick to the "22 road tires over the mild "off-road" variants unless your use-case demanded the beefier off-road tire. I will definitely consider other options than the current Scorpion Zeros, but I'll make sure they are a streetable tire and the road noise is acceptable. Just an honest opinion.

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[VSG]

Just dropped off my '23 R1T w/22" Scorpion Zero's at the Tempe, AZ service center and picked up a '23 R1S with brand new 20" Scorpion All Terrain Plus. I must say that I was shocked at the difference in road noise. The All Terrains were substantially louder at highway speeds than my Scorpion Zero's. I know these are not apples to apples in size comparison, but for those of us considering new tires for our R1T's I would stick to the "22 road tires over the mild "off-road" variants unless your use-case demanded the beefier offroad tire. I will definitely consider other options than the current Scorpion Zero's, but I'll make sure they are a streetable tire and the rode noise is acceptable. Just an honest opinion.

I personally would *never* get the 22" - the short sidewall really serves no purpose except for looks (if you like that sort of thing), and the increased handling performance really only matters if you're pushing the limits on-road. But the 22" are far less practical than the 20". Why buy an "adventure vehicle" then put "sports car" tires on it, unless you're more focused on appearance than ability?

And yeah, no duh, AT tires are going to be noisier. And slicks are going to be quieter, but I wouldn't get those either.

If you're concerned about noise and don't plan on ever getting your shoes muddy, then go with the 20" AS, which is far more practical than the 22" and far less poser than a full-on AT tire.

Just an honest opinion.

 

[iansriv]

The Goodyear 20s are a Rivian designed option that apparently is much quieter. There's a thread on here with loads of detail.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Just dropped off my '23 R1T w/22" Scorpion Zero's at the Tempe, AZ service center and picked up a '23 R1S with brand new 20" Scorpion All Terrain Plus. I must say that I was shocked at the difference in road noise. The All Terrains were substantially louder at highway speeds than my Scorpion Zeros. I know these are not apples to apples in size comparison, but for those of us considering new tires for our R1T's, I would stick to the "22 road tires over the mild "off-road" variants unless your use-case demanded the beefier off-road tire. I will definitely consider other options than the current Scorpion Zeros, but I'll make sure they are a streetable tire and the road noise is acceptable. Just an honest opinion.

For those who know tires, none of this is unexpected?

Size of tire is more associated with ride feel and how much road shock is soaked up by the larger or smaller air volumes and then transmitted up your spine.

ATs, with their tread design and larger gaps between tread blocks, are inherently louder than smoother rolling pavement oriented tires. The tread and gaps in between produce a certain harmonic frequency, which is then amplified by the [larger] volume of air in the tire... like an acoustic guitar and its resonance chamber in the body. The way sound is produced by tread gaps is similar to how the singing roads work:

 

[Drlangley]

For those who know tires, none of this is unexpected?

Size of tire is more associated with ride feel and how much road shock is soaked up by the larger or smaller air volumes and then transmitted up your spine.

ATs, with their tread design and larger gaps between tread blocks, are inherently louder than smoother rolling pavement oriented tires. The tread and gaps in between produce a certain harmonic frequency, which is then amplified by the [larger] volume of air in the tire... like an acoustic guitar and its resonance chamber in the body. The way sound is produced by tread gaps is similar to how the singing roads work:

All understood. This was not supposed to be a science experiment on tire design, just an observation on the stark contrast between the two different tires when it comes to hwy noise.

 

[marcesq]

Just dropped off my '23 R1T w/22" Scorpion Zero's at the Tempe, AZ service center and picked up a '23 R1S with brand new 20" Scorpion All Terrain Plus. I must say that I was shocked at the difference in road noise. The All Terrains were substantially louder at highway speeds than my Scorpion Zeros. I know these are not apples to apples in size comparison, but for those of us considering new tires for our R1T's, I would stick to the "22 road tires over the mild "off-road" variants unless your use-case demanded the beefier off-road tire. I will definitely consider other options than the current Scorpion Zeros, but I'll make sure they are a streetable tire and the road noise is acceptable. Just an honest opinion.

I have a ‘25 R1T tri with the 20” all terrains (and all terrain package) and a ‘24 R1S quad with the 22” zeros. The all terrains are definitely noisier.

I picked up a set of 22” sport brights with the pirelli ms with decent tread left (~7) as they were a good deal ($1600). I will swap them over once I get them vinyl wrapped for daily driving and keep the all terrains for adventuring.

The noise isn’t bad but it’s definitely noticeable when switching between cars, and definitely more pronounced at 70+ mph.

 

[Drlangley]

That's a great "real world" comparison. In the end, it's all about the needs and use cases of each person. It's just good to hear from someone who has experienced both options. Even though I have the R1T Quad, the comparison is valid. Thanks for sharing!

 

[rhumbliner]

I replaced the 20” Pirelli AT+’s on my 2023 DM Max R1T with the Nokian One HT. The difference in noise level was remarkable — as one would expect moving from a snow/all terrain tire to a tire designed for the highway. My range also jumped about 10%.

 

[SkiDoc]

I had 22AS originally. Bought a set of 20AT that were lightly used. Didn’t like the 10% drop in range and the excess noise. Swapped to the Goodyear 20” Territory AT tires. Range returned and nearly as quiet compared to the 22AS

I wanted more sidewall to avoid curbing the wheels as easily off-road and the 3pms rating for California mountain drives. Bought the R1S used, so wheel/tire choice wasn’t as simple

 

[Budman]

I will second what the OP mentioned. I just got my first set of All Terrain tires after decades of standard all seasons. I find them pretty unpleasant. If, like us, you are thinking of giving them a go beware of the downsides. I have two sets of wheels and tires. I will put the All Terrain on only when needed and use all seasons most of the time.

my full review
https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/...-review-big-efficiency-hit.51658/#post-884987

 

[Nixapatfan]

There is a place for both. It's best to have 2 sets of rims, 20" off road tires for fun in the dirt, and 22" with sport tires for the other 99% of the drive. Really depends on your personal use cases but me personally I wouldn't be able to stand having 20" AT's year round as I like pushing the limits on road and having a quiet ride, unfortunately there are only 3 choices of tires that fit that I'd consider sporty.

 

[Drlangley]

There is a place for both. It's best to have 2 sets of rims, 20" off road tires for fun in the dirt, and 22" with sport tires for the other 99% of the drive. Really depends on your personal use cases but me personally I wouldn't be able to stand having 20" AT's year round as I like pushing the limits on road and having a quiet ride, unfortunately there are only 3 choices of tires that fit that I'd consider sporty.

I'm interested in what 3 choices of tires you consider "sporty?"

 

[Nixapatfan]

I'm interested in what 3 choices of tires you consider "sporty?"

I'm currently shopping for tires and only thing remotely sporty are Stock Pirelli Scorpion zero, Michelin PS5(summer only, but as good as it will get) and Toyo Proxes ST III everything else is all touring, highway, ice or offroad class.

 

[Eeyore]

I'm currently shopping for tires and only thing remotely sporty are Stock Pirelli Scorpion zero, Michelin PS5(summer only, but as good as it will get) and Toyo Proxes ST III everything else is all touring, highway, ice or offroad class.

Those are the tires that came to mind as well.

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