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the long way downunder

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Is the snow performance really that bad? Why? Is it the factory tires?
Seems to be a combination of excessive regen that doesn't cooperate with traction and stability controls (and abs pertains to the brakes, but should cooperate with preventing regen from causing a wheel to stop rotating) and tires that get cold at freezing temps (not okay for even a 3PMSF tire.)
There's three modes that help
Off-Road->Rock-Crawl
Drift
Sand

I've not been too adventurous with "Drift" but Rock Crawl with regen on "reduced" was a distinct improvement, especially when climbing steep terrain, it lessens the tendency of the system to slow to a halt rather than allow some wheel spin to let the tires fine grip under the surface (not ideal in all case.)

Rivian also recommends 31psi for the 20s. I've not tried this, but it's on my check-list of experiments for next time.
 

pc500

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That's unfortunate. Hopefully they allow advanced settings in the future (like one wheel drive only) -- the equivalent of turning off the selectable locker in a Jeep wrangler for off-camber slippery stuff.
 

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I chose the same tire, the LT3 on Amazon.
...
Some people may be aware of this, but for those that do not, LT tires have more plys in the sidewall, anywhere from 6 to 10. It increases the load rating but also makes the ride sometimes signficantly rougher. You might feel and hear every bump, and a washboard road might make your teeth rattle. Buyer beware. I found out the hard way on a Suburban that I owned years ago and got LTs for loaded towing.
 

State11

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Found 20’s to be pretty weak on ice, slides way more than my KO2’s on my Ram. Installed Nokian LT3 after feeling like a newbie on the ice rink. Sorry about your hood, think we all cringe if anything happens to our trucks
I've done the same and am thus far very happy with the Nokians, how about you?
 

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You guys scared me enough to order a set of the Blizzaks. I usually buy snow tires for the vehicle we take skiing (Rivian in this case). I was hoping the A/T tires would be good enough, but I'm not going to risk it. I have driven it in light snow and it seemed okay, but I don't want to slide off the road on Hoosier Pass or similar this winter.

If anything by rotating between the A/T tires and the Blizzaks, you basically double the time (time not miles) the A/T tires will last. I probably won't need another set of tires for 3-4 years now.
 

the long way downunder

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Some people may be aware of this, but for those that do not, LT tires have more plys in the sidewall, anywhere from 6 to 10. It increases the load rating but also makes the ride sometimes significantly rougher. You might feel and hear every bump, and a washboard road might make your teeth rattle. Buyer beware. I found out the hard way on a Suburban that I owned years ago and got LTs for loaded towing.
Correct. An important point for everyone reading along to consider.

While the load rating is about the same as the factory All Terrains, I'm sure they're a bit tougher in the sidewall, though I think the Finnish preference is for more compliance for handling in the snow. The towing I do is lightweight (an enclosed snowmobile trailer for a few miles at low speeds.) This will be our first season with the R1T instead of the Model X.

On EVs, given the curb weight, the ride quality tends to be ok running Light Truck load ratings. The problem is noise. I had another type of Nokian on the Model X and found it much noisier than the humble Blizzaks (even though I've previously run studded Hakkas.)

I find far better handling from the Scandinavian stuff. I also think Blizzaks have improved a lot in the last 10 years. I had them years ago on a Cayenne and didn't like the handling … part of it was probably the vehicle being too heavy and too powerful for the tire. We travel more by road in the winter than in summer, so we burn through snow tires every 2-3 years and a snow tire is not like an all season that you can run down to the wear indicators. I've got some threadbare snows from the Model X that show how the tread compound was very much biased towards snow and not durable on dry asphalt.

Anyway, for me, I usually get studded snows that go on for Nov-May and usually on a second set of wheels that I can swap at home on a hoist in the garage from weekend to weekend; depending. The last couple of years, I've foregone studs because they're a bit of a compromise on environmental impact and the newer tread compounds are so good on ice, by the time there's a question of grip, I put on chains.
This year, no second set of wheels available yet … and the hoist isn't rated for the R1T : )
 

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is the wheels locking on regen and likely not unlocking in like ABS would.

I switched from the 20s specifically because my truck was sliding laterally and not stopping in a *parking lot* and stopping from less than 5 mph in a situation I've never experienced.
Exactly this! I'm actually shocked that the Rivian performs SO poorly in lower traction situations on DECEL. Acceleration is fantastic! But deceleration can be downright scary. Have experienced the tires locking up on slick road during a fresh drizzle. Obviously the regen should have known to reduce and that I wasn't instantly stopped, but it didn't. Instead it just slid to a stop from about 5 mph, wasn't full regen either, well not until the slide started and I intuitively let off the accelerator. In hindsight the only thing I could have done was step on the accelerator to stop faster...good luck training people's brains to do that!

Somehow they are going to need to dial in a software style ABS for regen on these things. I'm not sure all 4 wheels locked up in my case, and if they did I'm sure it wasn't all instantaneous. So some sort of regen reduction when it senses one motor stop turning while the others are still in motion, even if for just .1 sec.
 

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That stinks. I am sorry about your truck. I was so tempted to order the Nokian LT3 prior to getting the truck. However, I have been very surprised with the trucks performance on snow and ice. So far, the 20" A/T seem great so far for traction while going and stopping.
 

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That sucks man. Sorry to hear this... I have 20" with AT's as well. I have noticed a bit of slippage as well. I had a 2018 Tacoma Off RD with all the crawl control features. I think the R1T has much of the same off road features; however, I think the truck being 8400 pounds is a major difference for me. My Tacoma was light; this thing is a tank!
 

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If the issue it won't let the wheels free spin so you slide? Otherwise forwards (while accelerating) traction is fine?

If they had a two-pedal driving mode, snow performance would be fine?
Was wondering the same thing — with regen as strong as it is typically, would feathering the accelerator be equivalent to braking, contributing to loss of traction? Wonder if this means the upcoming Snow Mode would reduce regen by default?

Gotta say I’m a little nervous to visit snow in my R1T with factory ATs based on the posts I see here, in a way I never was with my FJ Cruiser.
 

achanster

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I live in Boulder Colorado and have an active winter sports family. R1T came with the 21”s.
Picked up the EV Sportline wheel set in gloss black:
Precision Forged R500 Directional Aero Wheel
Wheel Size: 20x9
Wheel Offset: +38mm
PCD: 5x5.5"
Lug Bolt: 14mm x 1.5mm [22mm socket]
Lug Bolt Torque Spec: 140 ft-lbs / 190 Nm
Centerbore: 64.1 mm
Weight: ~ 35 lbs
Price: Starting at $5,800
Load Rating:
1,125 kg/2,475 lbs

Then added the nokian happa LT3’s
LT265/60 R 20 121/118Q
max load 3200 lb, up to 100 mph

Trip notes:
first trip from Boulder up to Copper mountain and back with 2 days of small trips in the middle and was able to do on one 100% charge. Total trip 206 miles. Returned with 19% charge remaining. Temp low near zero high near 25. Elevation gain about 4700’. Rode mainly in conserve mode. Skis and board on rack over bed. Was fairly windy most of trip.

Handling notes:
Tires seemed quiet. No noticeable difference over the street 21”s. Acceleration has big difference. Don’t get that balls to the wall launch feeling. On hard pack gripped like a champ, noticeably better than 21”s. Did not get into deep snow or ice yet.

so far so good. Pricey but hey… only live once and I feel this combo wheel/tire may prevent an accident.

Picture notes:
Shows 1 on sport mode, 3 in all purpose, 1 in highest off road setting.

Rivian R1T R1S Guess I need some snow tires... my R1T hood now has a nice dent (on factory 20" A/T) DECED9ED-1DB1-4430-81BF-CF9A92207906


Rivian R1T R1S Guess I need some snow tires... my R1T hood now has a nice dent (on factory 20" A/T) D83E0358-348C-48DA-9B7C-DB8441539F06


Rivian R1T R1S Guess I need some snow tires... my R1T hood now has a nice dent (on factory 20" A/T) 907E4F22-76FC-4AE4-AE48-30828E4C2EA9


Rivian R1T R1S Guess I need some snow tires... my R1T hood now has a nice dent (on factory 20" A/T) E98B28AC-9690-4E6B-A38B-729191F2DFAF


Rivian R1T R1S Guess I need some snow tires... my R1T hood now has a nice dent (on factory 20" A/T) 3943434B-6944-4C0F-BCAF-6E5F94C1EA9D
 

sgec

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Feels like the traction logic programming. Next time I'll kick it into neutral down the hill.
Yes! I find putting it in neutral and modulating the brakes is the only way to control the R1T on a super-slippery surface. The regen is just too strong, locks the wheels so you can't steer and the whole vehicle slides depending on the camber of the road. I wish there was a way to just turn regen off. I'll wait and see what 'snow mode' brings. (20" A/Ts)
 

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So sorry to see that happened to you. I've done a couple of ski trips so far. The 20" tires on the Rivian remind me of the stock tires on my old Tacoma, just okay in the snow. Getting Blizzaks installed today. Hope they perform as well on the Rivian as they did on my old Taco because they were great snow tires.

Would like to see a comparison with the Nokians Hakas to see if the extra price from the Blizzaks is worth it.
 

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It's not the brakes. the ATs are not good at stopping or turning when they are cold in packed snow or slippery surfaces.

This. I'm going to continue to sit on my soap box on this. The 20s are not good at stopping and turning, at least with a vehicle with the weight of the R1T at the tire pressures Rivian recommends.
Last night was super-slippery here in Bend. I spent some time experimenting, driving around slowly on hilly side streets. Coming to a stop using regen was uncontrollable. The wheels locked up so the vehicle couldn't be steered and the whole vehicle would slide depending on the camber of the road. Adding some power to defeat the regen helped bring the vehicle back under control but I found putting it in neutral and modulating the brakes was much better. I wish there was a way to turn regen off. We'll see what 'snow mode' brings. (20" A/Ts)
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