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cwinters

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Yeah lame that it's still an $1800 upcharge to choose the R1T 20 wheels. They look awesome on the launch green, as do the 20 all-blacks. 20s in general work best on it. Forest Green looks way better with the blingy 22s. Still haven't made up my mind on that Launch Green. We need to see it in person already.

Launch Green/Forest Edge AT20s (black aftermkt powder?) vs Forest Green/Ocean 22s.

And I haven't crossed flipping to the R1T camp yet either. This is going to be HARD!
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Rivian R1T R1S 20" R1T All-Terrain wheels now an option for the R1S E6DC6B91-7A0A-48D0-95E0-1D956AE3A1FD
So maybe this has already been answered somewhere, but Iā€™ve noticed that the configurator now has the tire sizes listed below each wheel choice.

275/65R20 x 8.5

I know what all of that means except for the ā€œx 8.5ā€
Anybody know the significance of that bit?
 

electruck

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E6DC6B91-7A0A-48D0-95E0-1D956AE3A1FD.jpeg
So maybe this has already been answered somewhere, but Iā€™ve noticed that the configurator now has the tire sizes listed below each wheel choice.

275/65R20 x 8.5

I know what all of that means except for the ā€œx 8.5ā€
Anybody know the significance of that bit?
Rim width
 

RIV206

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This is great news. Now if they would only make that wheel in dark/black version
 

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photontorque

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Any more news about whether both 20" wheels are forged? Another thread passed along info from customer service that says both versions of the 20" are forged (https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/forged-vs-cast-wheels-weight-strength-longevity.943/), however, I know there has been some conflicting info from customer service on other topics, and was wondering if this is one area of consistency.

I also think the upcharge is perplexing. I like the R1T 20" better than the original R1S 20", but why charge $1800?


This is great news. Now if they would only make that wheel in dark/black version
I too think a dark/black version of these wheels would look really really sharp. But I also choke on the upcharge for the color change. I have no experience with powder coating -- anyone have experience to suggest that one of the 20" wheel types would be better for powder coating, or would it be a wash between them?
 

Trandall

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Totally agree with cwinters up charging LE customers for different wheel configurations is LAME! This seems like a petty decision considering upgraded wheel choice was announced as a free perk to LE customers. NOT Cool Rivian.
Rivian opted to forego $1 million dollar tax incentive from the town of Normal in light of economic hardships to the community and donated another half million for covid testing. This is there prerogative as it's private investment money. When you start collecting money from consumers it changes the dynamic slightly.
Maybe if some of us question the upcharge Rivian will take a closer look to see if this relatively small amount of revenue is worth the image it puts forth. Rivian could probably drop the original R1S 20" design all together come out money ahead and nobody get upset.
 

CommodoreAmiga

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Maybe if some of us question the upcharge Rivian will take a closer look to see if this relatively small amount of revenue is worth the image it puts forth. Rivian could probably drop the original R1S 20" design all together come out money ahead and nobody get upset.
If Rivian wants to be a premium "lifestyle" brand (think Apple, Patagonia, lululemon) then they set their prices. Period. It doesn't hurt their image to have a few expensive/exclusive options. In fact, it helps that image. Desire through exclusivity achieved through artificial scarcity due to high price is a common strategy for premium/luxury lifestyle brands.

There's also the activist/eco angle to consider. You mentioned Rivian foregoing a $1MM tax incentive. They can easily argue that is them being a good corporate citizen and they can say they want all customers (of course) but they hope customers will understand and support them "doing the right thing". In the end, I bet it brings them more love than it does hate -- even if a sale or two drops out.
 

R1S Maineiac

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Kinda hoping for a 20" Dark Road setup to maximize range for the Max pack
 

Trandall

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If Rivian wants to be a premium "lifestyle" brand (think Apple, Patagonia, lululemon) then they set their prices. Period. It doesn't hurt their image to have a few expensive/exclusive options. In fact, it helps that image. Desire through exclusivity achieved through artificial scarcity due to high price is a common strategy for premium/luxury lifestyle brands.

There's also the activist/eco angle to consider. You mentioned Rivian foregoing a $1MM tax incentive. They can easily argue that is them being a good corporate citizen and they can say they want all customers (of course) but they hope customers will understand and support them "doing the right thing". In the end, I bet it brings them more love than it does hate -- even if a sale or two drops out.
I agree completely. I am hoping Rivian maintains positive corporate citizenship, I'll even pay a little more for it. Likewise I would cringe if Rivian held an "End Of Summer Inventory Sales Bananza" in summer 2022. I still think Rivian can step up and allow LE R1S customers to get the same wheels at the same cost as LE R1T customers.
The tone of my earlier post was not intended. I love what Rivian is doing. I hope they crush GM, Volkswagen, Stellantis, Toyota.
 

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Rhidan

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Maybe if some of us question the upcharge Rivian will take a closer look to see if this relatively small amount of revenue is worth the image it puts forth. Rivian could probably drop the original R1S 20" design all together come out money ahead and nobody get upset
This is just not how auto supply contracts typically work. Typically, a car company will issue an RFP to multiple part suppliers for a specific part. The part suppliers will each make competitive bids to supply the part over the model cycle (or at least the mid-model cycle). This means the car company is usually entering into a contract with the supplier for a 3-5 year supply contract. The contract would specify how many parts the supplier needs to be able to supply each year. I donā€™t think Rivian could just drop one wheel style this close to production without facing a larger financial penalty.

Because supplier contracts are competitive, and a supplier wants to secure a multi-year contract, they often will include discounts or concessions. A supplier might agree to provide an initial quantity of the part at a lower initial price, or agree to pricing for each year of supply that gradually increases the supply price over the life of the contract.

It also would not be surprising if different suppliers are being used to supply the wheels, or at least the different version of the wheels. Typically you want redundant suppliers when manufacturing a vehicle. Otherwise you risk having to shut down vehicle production if only one supplier messes up or goes out of business. In other words, it may not be as simple as telling one supplier to make more of X wheel instead of Y wheel.

Rivianā€™s business could of course differ from the traditional car companies, but Rivian appears to be taking a more traditional approach to manufacturing
 

Trandall

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This is just not how auto supply contracts typically work. Typically, a car company will issue an RFP to multiple part suppliers for a specific part. The part suppliers will each make competitive bids to supply the part over the model cycle (or at least the mid-model cycle). This means the car company is usually entering into a contract with the supplier for a 3-5 year supply contract. The contract would specify how many parts the supplier needs to be able to supply each year. I donā€™t think Rivian could just drop one wheel style this close to production without facing a larger financial penalty.

Because supplier contracts are competitive, and a supplier wants to secure a multi-year contract, they often will include discounts or concessions. A supplier might agree to provide an initial quantity of the part at a lower initial price, or agree to pricing for each year of supply that gradually increases the supply price over the life of the contract.

It also would not be surprising if different suppliers are being used to supply the wheels, or at least the different version of the wheels. Typically you want redundant suppliers when manufacturing a vehicle. Otherwise you risk having to shut down vehicle production if only one supplier messes up or goes out of business. In other words, it may not be as simple as telling one supplier to make more of X wheel instead of Y wheel.

Rivianā€™s business could of course differ from the traditional car companies, but Rivian appears to be taking a more traditional approach to manufacturing
This makes since but I don't know how to rectify it with the fact that nobody has locked in their wheel configuration. I personally originally configured 22" sport wheels in November but am almost certainly changing to the 20" AT (LE R1T preorder) am just waiting to do any changes one time with assistance from my guide. What happens if literally 2 people opt for the 20" R1S wheel? This is why it is hard for me (I think many of us) to understand how they can still be making design changes to production vehicles this late in the game.

As I write this it occurred to me that maybe this is exactly why they opted for the upcharge... They already ordered 1000 sets of 20" R1S wheels and don't want them to sit around, only allow the change for customers that can prove they really want the alternate by ponying up some cash.
To that I still say not cool Rivian. Still seams like LE R1S customers are being punished with ugly wheels. I believe we collectively agree they are ugly or at least not as desirable as the R1T wheels.
 

Khaneric

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There are other changes for sure... some things i've noticed:

Black headliner seems standard on Black interior now. It used to be limited to the launch edition only and was gray if you picked a non launch edition previously. Adventure package only.

With the ocean coast interior i thought the whole wheel used to be white, now it seems like the outer part of the wheel is black (which it should be).

R1S Wheels are available for the R1T now.
 

SANZC02

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This makes since but I don't know how to rectify it with the fact that nobody has locked in their wheel configuration. I personally originally configured 22" sport wheels in November but am almost certainly changing to the 20" AT (LE R1T preorder) am just waiting to do any changes one time with assistance from my guide. What happens if literally 2 people opt for the 20" R1S wheel? This is why it is hard for me (I think many of us) to understand how they can still be making design changes to production vehicles this late in the game.

As I write this it occurred to me that maybe this is exactly why they opted for the upcharge... They already ordered 1000 sets of 20" R1S wheels and don't want them to sit around, only allow the change for customers that can prove they really want the alternate by ponying up some cash.
To that I still say not cool Rivian. Still seams like LE R1S customers are being punished with ugly wheels. I believe we collectively agree they are ugly or at least not as desirable as the R1T wheels.
I've actually locked in my configuration (in my head at least).

R1S LE, El Cap Granite, Black Forest, 22" Sport Wheels.

Been like this since November and have no plans to change before delivery.
 

godfodder0901

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Black headliner seems standard on Black interior now. It used to be limited to the launch edition only and was gray if you picked a non launch edition previously. Adventure package only.
No, the Black Mountain interior always had the black headliner in the LE and Adventure trims, and the light colored liner for the Explore. I talked with CS the day the configurator was released to see if getting the light colored headliner would be possible in the LE or Adventure trim (I like the contrast) and was told that it would not be an option.
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