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Driving on wet roads in conserve mode

eddybarckx

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Have had the R1S now for a few months and overall, amazing. As our roads here in PNW are now in wet mode for the next 5 months, I've learned that you need to completely change how you accelerate and rely on hard regen braking IF you want to continue to use the conserve mode. I find that I need to baby things as I accelerate, and when going downhill, the high regenerative braking causes a bit of slippage b/c it's such an aggressive brake.

Maybe this is just whining and you all who actually know how to drive well are rolling your eyes. But I guess my point is, when it's cold and range becomes an issue, conserve mode is more valuable. But even simple accelerations in this (conserve mode) on wet roads is tricky and I'm very nervous when I need to rely on decent acceleration when merging. Maybe it's also b/c I have the 22" tires (wanted the 21s but we all know that issue) as well, but still, just wondering if this is frustrating for others. I really don't have a point here other than seeing if I'm not alone and wondering if 'wet road' could be an option where regen drops to low and it can toggle quickly between 2 and 4 wheel drive modes.
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Dark-Fx

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IMO Conserve is really only meant for highway use. It causes excessive wear if you have to stop a lot, you won't save money on energy because tires are more expensive.
 
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eddybarckx

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That's really helpful- thanks. Do you mean that high regen when in all wheel drive would have less impact on tire wear?
 

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IMO Conserve is really only meant for highway use. It causes excessive wear if you have to stop a lot, you won't save money on energy because tires are more expensive.
Would it be a correct statement to say the most expensive ongoing maintenance cost of the Rivian is going to be the tires? Or is it all the toys your going to buy to go with the Rivian...
 

crashmtb

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Would it be a correct statement to say the most expensive ongoing maintenance cost of the Rivian is going to be the tires? Or is it all the toys your going to buy to go with the Rivian...
Yes
 

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rosspa2

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IMO conserve mode needs work. If I am in all purpose I can accelerate hard without tie spin, but in conserve the tires just spin and they keep on spinning. It feels like traction control is only really effective if you are driving all 4 wheels. It means that in wet conditions the truck is quite unpredictable and I generally avoid it in the wet given this lack of refinement.
 
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eddybarckx

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IMO conserve mode needs work. If I am in all purpose I can accelerate hard without tie spin, but in conserve the tires just spin and they keep on spinning. It feels like traction control is only really effective if you are driving all 4 wheels. It means that in wet conditions the truck is quite unpredictable and I generally avoid it in the wet given this lack of refinement.
Glad I'm not alone on that. I've noticed too that doing a 0-60 punch in conserve can be sketchy (car has a wobble or shimmy?) and that I'm putting it in all-purpose when getting on the highway, and then putting it back into conserve once going. Maybe the ask is to Rivian- can you they put a 'function' button like on a Nikon DSLR? For example, there are two function buttons- one always turns on the camera and the other toggles between conserve and all purpose?
 

jebinc

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Have had the R1S now for a few months and overall, amazing. As our roads here in PNW are now in wet mode for the next 5 months, I've learned that you need to completely change how you accelerate and rely on hard regen braking IF you want to continue to use the conserve mode. I find that I need to baby things as I accelerate, and when going downhill, the high regenerative braking causes a bit of slippage b/c it's such an aggressive brake.

Maybe this is just whining and you all who actually know how to drive well are rolling your eyes. But I guess my point is, when it's cold and range becomes an issue, conserve mode is more valuable. But even simple accelerations in this (conserve mode) on wet roads is tricky and I'm very nervous when I need to rely on decent acceleration when merging. Maybe it's also b/c I have the 22" tires (wanted the 21s but we all know that issue) as well, but still, just wondering if this is frustrating for others. I really don't have a point here other than seeing if I'm not alone and wondering if 'wet road' could be an option where regen drops to low and it can toggle quickly between 2 and 4 wheel drive modes.
Fellow PNW owner here as well... Yep, the rains will soon be upon us again... Curious, what was the 21s issue that "all know" but me? I just purchased a set of 21's from a member and they are shipping today. Currently running with the 20" AT black for the winter and plan to use the 21" "Road" tires for the drier/warmer/traveling months (June - Oct).
 
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eddybarckx

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Fellow PNW owner here as well... Yep, the rains will soon be upon us again... Curious, what was the 21s issue that "all know" but me? I just purchased a set of 21's from a member and they are shipping today. Currently running with the 20" AT black for the winter and plan to use the 21" "Road" tires for the drier/warmer/traveling months (June - Oct).
From what I read, it was a performance issue at least with R1S.
 

godfodder0901

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Fellow PNW owner here as well... Yep, the rains will soon be upon us again... Curious, what was the 21s issue that "all know" but me? I just purchased a set of 21's from a member and they are shipping today. Currently running with the 20" AT black for the winter and plan to use the 21" "Road" tires for the drier/warmer/traveling months (June - Oct).
From my perspective, it's mainly about availability of non-OEM options.
 

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VSG

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Yes, Conserve drives noticeably different than All Purpose. I don't think wet roads are much of a factor. I like the All Purpose mode better because it feels more stable and controlled when maneuvering, and I'm finding that I get similar or maybe even better mileage from All Purpose when driving around town - I think because with the higher regen potential when using four motors, more energy is being recaptured. But I don't get any tire slippage at all in either mode, even with wet roads.

(wanted the 21s but we all know that issue)
No, we don't know what you're implying. Please say it explicitly.
From what I read, it was a performance issue at least with R1S.
A "performance" issue? Maybe you can provide links to that - first I've heard. Certainly not something that we "all know" about.
From my perspective, it's mainly about availability of non-OEM options.
Yes, that is the thing some people are concerned about, although there ARE some options now (if you really don't want the OEM tires) and there are likely to be more in the future since other manufacturers are now also using 21" rims.

...Conserve is really only meant for highway use. It causes excessive wear if you have to stop a lot
Lots of people repeat this without attribution, but what's the reasoning and what's the proof? Conserve only uses the front motors, but most cars are front-wheel drive only and I've never ever heard that most cars have excessive wear of the front tires. Why would it be any different for the Rivian?
 
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eddybarckx

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What kind of performance issue?
I read that deep in a different Rivian forum. The context for not having 21s for me was basically my guide saying 'if you want an R1S with 21" tires, you're basically going to wait for 9 months at least' (this was in mid-September 2022). I assumed it was supply chain but went forum digging for more answers, given the that I had zero desire to lose range with 22s, but after waiting 3 years, I decided having an R1S was better than waiting another year.
 

Lurksalot

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Fellow PNW owner here- I haven't experienced the problem you describe driving on wet roads. I am in conserve mode 90% of the time. Maybe just driving technique, as I drive to be efficient. I only lost traction with my 21" tires slightly once when I did a launch in sport mode on dry pavement. I also question the reasoning on the claims of excessive tire wear in conserve mode.
 

Dark-Fx

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Lots of people repeat this without attribution, but what's the reasoning and what's the proof? Conserve only uses the front motors, but most cars are front-wheel drive only and I've never ever heard that most cars have excessive wear of the front tires. Why would it be any different for the Rivian?
Rivian is replacing my front tires at 8500 miles and the rears still have a lot of tread left. The reasoning is you are asking a lot out of the tires, especially when they get unweighted under acceleration and cornering. Any time they skip or skid, that's a lot of extra wear.

You've honestly never had a FWD that had the front tires wear out far faster than the rears? My RWD vehicles were the opposite.
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