How much/what kind of off-roading can you do with the 22” wheels?

[Dizman7]

TL;DR - Wondering if the 22” wheels/tires are “capable enough” for a novice to do light off-roading once or twice a month or if I should wait till I can get 20” wheels with options I want before even attempting any light off-roaring?

I ask because I’m looking to lease an R1T here soon and atm the color options I want are only available with 22” wheels.

I’ll also state that I’ve never been off-roading before because I’ve never had a capable vehicle for it. With a R1T I’d like to get into it a bit, but nothing crazy like rock crawler or stuff like that.

I live in PHX and a little over an hour to Sedona and know there’s a lot of trails for views and such around both. And my neighbor/friend has a new Bronco and he’s new to it too, so we’d probably plan some little half day/day trips together.

I know Out of Spec Reviews on YT does off-roading in his R1T with 22” wheels but he seems like an expert, I’m a super novice so I didn’t think it was Apple to Apple comparison.

thanks for any advice!

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[HopefullyR1S]

IMO for light off roading the 22” wheels will be ok. The biggest concerns are rocks striking/damaging the wheels and the 22” tires cannot not be deflated as much so less traction.
The main thing; again in my novice opinion is going slow and really scouting any rocky areas. Make sure you always go with a buddy and have proper tow straps just in case.

 

[sacramentoelectric]

TL;DR - Wondering if the 22” wheels/tires are “capable enough” for a novice to do light off-roading once or twice a month or if I should wait till I can get 20” wheels with options I want before even attempting any light off-roaring?

I ask because I’m looking to lease an R1T here soon and atm the color options I want are only available with 22” wheels.

I’ll also state that I’ve never been off-roading before because I’ve never had a capable vehicle for it. With a R1T I’d like to get into it a bit, but nothing crazy like rock crawler or stuff like that.

I live in PHX and a little over an hour to Sedona and know there’s a lot of trails for views and such around both. And my neighbor/friend has a new Bronco and he’s new to it too, so we’d probably plan some little half day/day trips together.

I know Out of Spec Reviews on YT does off-roading in his R1T with 22” wheels but he seems like an expert, I’m a super novice so I didn’t think it was Apple to Apple comparison.

thanks for any advice!

You'll be fine. Stick to forest roads and beginner terrain and don't worry too much about a few small scratches on your rims. Since you're leasing, you probably aren't going to want to go on anything too gnarly anyway that might do real damage. Stay out of mud and wet terrain. Go slow and when in doubt, stop, get out, and walk the trail. Maybe look to see if anyone teaches an off-road course in your area so you can get more experience with what you can do with your Rivian. There are so many places you can safely go off road with your 22's, it will be a long time before you think, "man, I really need to get new wheels and tires so I can go on a specific adventure."

 

[mikehmb]

TL;DR - if you’re doing mostly gravel roads, minimal water crossings, etc, then an all-season is probably perfect for your needs. I would also recommend joining an off-roading club, and taking a course. There are really standard techniques to keep you out of trouble - the kind of stuff YouTube is famous for.

Also - I’m excluding snow performance. That’s a very different discussion.

There are two primary drivers for tire choice in off-roading: traction and durability.

If your off-road adventures include a lot of sharp rocks that could easily slice your sidewall or contact patch, you may want to consider chunkier tires (chunkier than the stock 20” ATs, btw).

If your off-road adventures are slippery, involve a lot of mud, or really steep climbs/descents where you really want more traction, you might be able to find adequate 22” ATs to do the trick, but may also be better served going with something with more sidewall (20” again).

I used to go off-road extensively when it was more accessible to me, and can say confidently that whenever I went with a really serious off-road tire, I was usually over-tire’d. Meaning, I could easily have gotten away with something considerably less meaty. But in those times where it was needed, it was quite welcome.

 

[pnwr1s]

“Should work” and “probably fine” for a heavy vehicle without a full performance spare and driver with limited off-road experience should be reason enough for you to get the 20” ATs on. The 21s and 22s are the wrong compound, have a weak thin sidewall, and can’t really be aired down making it more likely that you’ll get a puncture or pinch the sidewall.

Changing a tired off-road sucks hard. This flat didn’t happen rock crawling, it was on basically a wagon trail.

 

[sacramentoelectric]

“Should work” and “probably fine” for a heavy vehicle without a full performance spare and driver with limited off-road experience should be reason enough for you to get the 20” ATs on. The 21s and 22s are the wrong compound, have a weak thin sidewall, and can’t really be aired down making it more likely that you’ll get a puncture or pinch the sidewall.

Changing a tired off-road sucks hard. This flat didn’t happen rock crawling, it was on basically a wagon trail.

Wrong compound? What are you talking about? He's talking about doing light off-roading. Let's not do any unnecessary gatekeeping here. 22's can be aired down just fine. He's buying an R1T. Who said he didn't have a spare? You don't need A/T tires to avoid flats. Carry this and this and you'll take care of almost every flat without needing to change a wheel. Take a course if you don't know what you're doing but have fun, be prepared, and don't worry too much. A R1T with 22's is still an immensely capable vehicle.

 

[pnwr1s]

Wrong compound? What are you talking about? He's talking about doing light off-roading. Let's not do any unnecessary gatekeeping here. 22's can be aired down just fine. He's buying an R1T. Who said he didn't have a spare? You don't need A/T tires to avoid flats. Carry this and this and you'll take care of almost every flat without needing to change a wheel. Take a course if you don't know what you're doing but have fun, be prepared, and don't worry too much. A R1T with 22's is still an immensely capable vehicle.

gatekeeping? Alright. Agree to disagree. But OPs backyard is Sedona and his friend has a bronco.

by all means get out there OP 🫡

+1 on gluetread

 

[White Shadow]

The problem with 22" wheels is the sidewall is pretty small. That means you're more likely to blow a tire if you're on any rocky trails. It also doesn't help that 22" tires don't have "extra" protection like Kevlar or anything.

 

[Erikbecker]

The R1T truck with 22-inch wheels can handle easy off-road driving, like on Sedona's trails. Even though bigger wheels might slightly affect off-road performance by having less sidewall, Rivian designed the R1T with fancy suspension and traction control systems to make up for it.

 

[HaveBlue]

I've done a fair amount of bad dirt roads on the 22s and haven't yet bothered to air them down. The biggest issue is that the beautiful wheels are not protected at all. Running 33s on 16" or 17" wheels leaves lots of protection and will only rock rash in severe rock crawling. The 22 wheels would be completely torn up and I'm sure the a/s tires missing chunks. However they are ok on what I would deem bad or poor dirt roads if you are a bit careful and perfectly fine on any normal forest road. I have had no traction issues.

I've got to say even bfg ko's aren't immune to punctures despite their reputation for being an awesome AT tire.

 

[hikerneil]

I frequently drive to Southern Utah and drive dirt roads and small back roads with deep sand. I am currently shopping for a R1S and am trying to decide if I need the offroad version with 20" tires for these trips. I would love to not buy those 20" wheels and tires, but will go that route if I need them for deep sand.

Have others on this forum driven deep sand with 21" or 22" wheels? Or should I proceed with the 20" offroad package?

Thanks from a total rookie that can't wait to car camp in a new R1S. (I have been driving an Audi Q7 AWD for years, and am ready to make the plunge.)

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