20” AT vs 21” standard tires.

[Gavinmcc]

So I’ll be driving 80% city roads. 15% highway. Last 5% would be back mountain roads at 8000 feet above sea level.
Now the 21” tires would work for 95% of my driving, and maybe even those last 5 in summer and fall. But winter (snow) and spring (soooo much mud) would be ok maybe?
Truthfully I like the look of the 20s better and I can live with a 15% cut in range (the mountain off grid Shabin-shed converted to cabin-is 134 miles round trip), so I guess I should go that route. But part of me also says save a few bucks and go for more range.

the road today: luckily a couple live up there full time and he plows the road a bit.

Plowed nicely, but all this will be mud come March

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[sub]

I will be buying real winter tires. As in tires with soft rubber that don't loose all of their gip in the cold. And I am strong believer that everyone who lives in a place with a real winter should do the same.

Based on the pictures you posted, even if you get the AT 20's you would be better off with winter tires(mounted on a 2nd set of wheels). If you take that advice, you can ignore the winter, and select whichever wheels/tires fit your needs best the rest of the year for the OEM set.

I've updated my config to change the wheel selection more than a few times. My current thinking is that if you plan to have multiple sets of tires/wheels, the 21's are the best option for the OEM set. Not only will $$ saved will go a long way toward a 2nd set of wheels, but they are also the hardest to find an aftermarket alternative to. There are plenty of aftermarket choices for wheels you could mount 20"AT or winter tires on, but there are 0 alternatives to the OEM 21's for aerodynamically efficient designs.

 

[JayinNJ]

I will be buying real winter tires. As in tires with soft rubber that don't loose all of their gip in the cold. And I am strong believer that everyone who lives in a place with a real winter should do the same.

Based on the pictures you posted, even if you get the AT 20's you would be better off with winter tires(mounted on a 2nd set of wheels). If you take that advice, you can ignore the winter, and select whichever wheels/tires fit your needs best the rest of the year for the OEM set.

I've updated my config to change the wheel selection more than a few times. My current thinking is that if you plan to have multiple sets of tires/wheels, the 21's are the best option for the OEM set. Not only will $$ saved will go a long way toward a 2nd set of wheels, but they are also the hardest to find an aftermarket alternative too. There are plenty of aftermarket choices for wheels you could mount 20"AT or winter tires on, but there are 0 alternatives to the OEM 21's for aerodynamically efficient designs.

Just need to find winter tires that fit the 21". I am sure they will come eventually, but last I heard currently there are no plethora of choices for the 21".

 

[sub]

Just need to find winter tires that fit the 21". I am sure they will come eventually, but last I heard currently there are no plethora of choices for the 21".

No need to have the same size wheels for your winter tires. You can do 21 in the summer, and 20 (or 22) in the winter.

 

[ironpig]

Why get tires for the 5% situation when there is a tire that suits your 95% situation?

 

[C.R. Rivian]

Just need to find winter tires that fit the 21". I am sure they will come eventually, but last I heard currently there are no plethora of choices for the 21".

Look at TireRack: Sizes To Fit Your Vehicle (tirerack.com) There is exactly one 21" tire for the Rivian. 8 for the 22", 3 for the 20". I wouldn't assume that there will ever be more 21" choices.

 

[BigE]

Look at TireRack: Sizes To Fit Your Vehicle (tirerack.com) There is exactly one 21" tire for the Rivian. 8 for the 22", 3 for the 20". I wouldn't assume that there will ever be more 21" choices.

If you drop the 20" down to a 275/60/20 that are numerous options, many with possibly better range than the standard tire.

 

[Laurent]

If you drop the 20" down to a 275/60/20 that are numerous options, many with possibly better range than the standard tire.

Tire size table from another thread:

 

[sierraskier]

So I’ll be driving 80% city roads. 15% highway. Last 5% would be back mountain roads at 8000 feet above sea level.
Now the 21” tires would work for 95% of my driving, and maybe even those last 5 in summer and fall. But winter (snow) and spring (soooo much mud) would be ok maybe?
Truthfully I like the look of the 20s better and I can live with a 15% cut in range (the mountain off grid Shabin-shed converted to cabin-is 134 miles round trip), so I guess I should go that route. But part of me also says save a few bucks and go for more range.

the road today: luckily a couple live up there full time and he plows the road a bit.

Plowed nicely, but all this will be mud come March

If I was driving on those roads I would stick with the 20" AT tires. The only measurable benefit you would get with dedicated snows would be on ice and that doesn't look like ice, that looks like plowed/packed snow on dirt. And if you don't like the range hit with AT's, you're really not gonna like the range hit with snows.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Why get tires for the 5% situation when there is a tire that suits your 95% situation?

I've used winter tires through an entire summer before. They work just fine in 100+ degree temps. Reason I did it was because I was going to need to replace them before the next winter season but decided to wear them out further in the summer since they were still above the legal minimum.

 

[ironpig]

I've used winter tires through an entire summer before. They work just fine in 100+ degree temps. Reason I did it was because I was going to need to replace them before the next winter season but decided to wear them out further in the summer since they were still above the legal minimum.

There have been so many posts by people who want AT tires because they like the rugged look of them and might drive in snow or dirt a few times a year but they are concerned about range.

it’s clear there are a lot of Rivian buyers that may be buying their first off-road vehicle and they think they “need” AT tires when the reality is that unless they need that deeper tread for mud or the grippy sidewall for crawling in Moab, They would be much better served by the 21inch road tires that’s give them 15-20% more range. And they will be fine on those tires if they hit a little dirt once in a while.

when I was broke in college in Colorado I couldn’t afford a set of BFG KOs for my 4Runner. I still drove dirt back roads and drove in all kinds of heavy snow and ice with no problem. And I had friends with Subarus on street tires that could get through damn near anything. Because we learned how to drive the conditions properly. (And we had chains if we hit Heavy snow)

 

[sierraskier]

Why get tires for the 5% situation when there is a tire that suits your 95% situation?

Spoken like a true Los Angelean When that 5% means you could:

- end up rolled into the ditch, off the embankment, into the oncoming lane, etc.
- stuck/stranded somewhere without cell service and well beyond where most tow trucks would go (like the road in his pic)
- not have the stopping power you need in an emergency and end up rear ending whoever is in front of you

Beyond the personal risk of injury in a crash, add in the financial risk of totaling whatever car you're driving plus liability.

Spend a winter or 2 in a cold, snowy, mountain climate and it will quickly become apparent why planning for the 5% situations makes sense.

 

[ironpig]

Spoken like a true Los Angelean When that 5% means you could:

- end up rolled into the ditch, off the embankment, into the oncoming lane, etc.
- stuck/stranded somewhere without cell service and well beyond where most tow trucks would go (like the road in his pic)
- not have the stopping power you need in an emergency and end up rear ending whoever is in front of you

Beyond the personal risk of injury in a crash, add in the financial risk of totaling whatever car you're driving plus liability.

Spend a winter or 2 in a cold, snowy, mountain climate and it will quickly become apparent why planning for the 5% situations makes sense.

Ha. Way to jump to conclusions but You couldn’t be more wrong. I lived in Ohio and Boulder Colorado for decades before moving here for work.

I have years of off road experience in all kinds of 4x4s including still going out in my 1975 FJ55 - 4 speed, no power steering, no lift kit, etc. If you want to experience real back country preparedness, go for adventure in an almost 50 year old truck. Carrying the right tools, belts, hoses and knowledge are the key to getting back home.

If you think just adding basic AT tires are suddenly going to make you an off-road rock star in your Rivian you are not well prepared.

 

[sierraskier]

Ha. Way to jump to conclusions but You couldn’t be more wrong. I lived in Ohio and Boulder Colorado for decades before moving here for work.

I have years of off road experience in all kinds of 4x4s including still going out in my 1975 FJ55 - 4 speed, no power steering, no lift kit, etc. If you want to experience real back country preparedness, go for adventure in an almost 50 year old truck. Carrying the right tools, belts, hoses and knowledge are the key to getting back home.

If you think just adding basic AT tires are suddenly going to make you an off-road rock star in your Rivian you are not well prepared.

Fair enough, I'm not questioning your off-road experience and obviously no tire is going to make up for poor driving skill. My point was that making a tire choice for 95% of the time can get someone in a lot of trouble.

 

[Gavinmcc]

Not meaning to start a fight....which is so hard to do on the internet

I think we all are different and have different desires and needs.

I was born and raised till 10 in Santa Monica, but I learned to drive in Pennsylvania. Lots of snow, and crappy roads. I'm not worried about my driving in snow (but damn the people here are bad at it.)

I live at 5500 feet, my shabins at 8000 feet, but this is Albuquerque, NM, so not a bunch of snow and it melts by noon most times thanks to our elevation and bright sun. The "Shabin" is in the Jemez mountains on the rim of a supervolcano (Valles Caldera), and that gets a lot more snow than Burque, but I'm only up there a few weekends when it snows. Hell, I was up there the other day in my Chevy Bolt and skinny tires.

But I do think the 20's fit the framing of the car better, and there will be times I am semi off roading. I don't think I "need" winter tires for the few times I'm hitting the snow. But I could be wrong.

Truthfully the 21" would be fine. I just don't love the look and the ATs would be better the few times I'm hitting the snow (truthfully the mud is much worse than the snow. The mud gets deep during spring thaw, and there are places where the road turns to pure clay that are slippery as snot sliding of an armadillos back.

As for getting the 21's and putting on 20's for the winter/spring, that sounds great. Sadly my garage is barely room for this truck. Part of the reason I'm not getting the Lightning as it's too long for my garage.

Could keep the truck outside, but Albuquerque sun is killer on paint, and while we don't get a bunch of rain, when we do have summer monsoons, they often have hail.

Think Rivian can convert this truck to an EV?

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