Guess I need some snow tires... my R1T hood now has a nice dent (on factory 20" A/T)

[jbronkoR1T]

After seeing this post, I immediately ordered a set of Nokians based on recs in this forum. Local guy will install them even though he's not selling them. I got them from Simple Tire, hopefully they are a good choice.

Nokian Hakkapeliitta LT 3 LT275/65R20
Size: LT275/65R-20
Part#: T430961

they received great reviews and have a load limit of 3748lbs.

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[Ralph]

Yeah, loose snow on top of ice is the worst to drive on.

Shuffleboard.....

 

[obfuscurity]

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned this already, but Kyle reported similar problems with the R1T on slippery downhill conditions. Below 6-7mph the rear would lock up and the truck would slide.

 

[AllInev]

Feels like the traction logic programming. Next time I'll kick it into neutral down the hill.

Yes, seems possible. I'm fortunate to live where it hasn't snowed in 40+ years. However, I have felt my R1T do some pretty weird things on a wet road covered with wet tree leaves. Seems like an issue that could be mitigated with some clever software updates.

 

[skigramps]

I always take time the first snowfall to get to know how a new vehicle is going to behave in situations that aren't perilous. I'm probably in a minority here but it's super important to know these things and learn how to control the vehicle to avoid unwanted situations.

Yep, I couldn’t agree more. Took the S out today in first significant snow of the season. There is no better place than an empty church parking lot to test breaking, accelerating and turning. This thing is a beast on 22’s. Very surprised as this is my first EV. I’m going to be on a long learning curve after 50 years of upper Midwest snow driving.

 

[CharonPDX]

I had been hoping the M+S rated stock 20” AT tires would be sufficient for the few weeks of snow we get each year.

This thread convinced me to buy AutoSox

 

[Sgt Beavis]

I had been hoping the M+S rated stock 20” AT tires would be sufficient for the few weeks of snow we get each year.

This thread convinced me to buy AutoSox

Even worse, they’re 3 peak and snowflake rated. The tires just aren’t that good on snow. They clog up too easy. Falken Wildpeaks will eject snow from the tire as you drive.

Ad the Pirelli deficencies with the high weight and regen braking of the R1T and you’ve got a problem.

 

[NineElectrics]

Yep. Acceleration does pretty well, not impressed with control under braking, turning.

Well, since there's no ABS with regen enabled, I'm not surprised to see this. Rivian's lack of ABS during regen is a huge fail. and I can' belief they missed it. Snow mode won't fully compensate for this error; it changes braking behavior, which is just as dangerous.

 

[COdogman]

What I’m wondering is if the biggest issue isn’t the tires. Since most who have switched to snow tires say they aren’t having issues anymore, including studless snow tires like Blizzaks.

I wonder if a better rated AT all weather tire like the Toyo Open Country AT3 or Nitto EXO Grappler AWT that you can leave on all year would work.

 

[bjcleaver]

I had been hoping the M+S rated stock 20” AT tires would be sufficient for the few weeks of snow we get each year.

This thread convinced me to buy AutoSox

Even worse, they’re 3 peak and snowflake rated. The tires just aren’t that good on snow. They clog up too easy. Falken Wildpeaks will eject snow from the tire as you drive.

Ad the Pirelli deficencies with the high weight and regen braking of the R1T and you’ve got a problem.

I ordered the Nokian Hakka LT3s and I'm having them installed in a few days. If I lived in an area where we only had occasional snow or just a few weeks a year, I would probably roll with the OEM Pirelli ATs. We've had some significant storms so far and overall they were pretty good once I got used to them and feathering the throttle, even on some steep descents. But we have a long winter and I'll feel better with the dedicated snows.

I think the upcoming snow mode with lower regen and softer throttle will help. A sock when you need it will probably get you through. It just comes down to your comfort level, how you drive, the type of weather you have, temperatures, etc. Of the handful of folks I know with R1Ts that live in my town it's probably 50/50 as to who is getting snow tires. A guy I see a few times a week is still running the stock 21s - and we're in a ski town at 7000' feet.

 

[moosehead]

Did you hear about Adoph, the brown-nosed reindeer?

He was as fast as Rudoph, but couldn’t stop as well.

 

[Dwalk]

And there are others who believe otherwise without actual experience themselves that Rivian is going to sprinkle the magic pixie dust of snow mode over the truck and no one will ever hit a tree coming out of there driveway ever again. I jest! I look forward to seeing how the coming snow mode works. It doesn't sound like there will be a No Regen option...which is kinda a bummer.

If I understand correctly, the pedal setup in Rivian is much like tesla where 1 pedal is default but can't be turned off, and the brake pedal just does friction brakes? My Bolt does well in the snow with the standard drive mode that uses minimal regen and friction brakes. Sounds like rivian needs something similar. What if you keep your foot barely on acceleration pedal and left foot on friction brakes with left foot like a race car driver?

 

[bjcleaver]

Yeah, that's what I was wondering because Nokian mentioned that they don't offer the OEM tire size in non-studded winter tires but Rivian owners could use 275/60 R20 instead?

What's not on that list for the Nokians are the 275/65 R20 Hakka LT3s. I think that list is just passenger car tires and the LT3 are light truck tires. Those are the ones I bought for my R1T. I got them at Amazon but here they are on Simple Tire: https://simpletire.com/brands/nokian-tires/hakkapeliitta-lt-3#v=1&tireSize=lt275-65r-20&mpn=t430961

I don't know enough about this to give good advice. The width of the 275/60 is the same, the difference is that the 275/60 is a little shorter than the OEM 275/65. It's not like going in the opposite direction where you might be worried about something rubbing. Just wonder what that height/rolling diameter difference means for calculating speed, efficiency, etc.

 

[the long way downunder]

Have taken this turn out of my driveway for 10 years with a Tundra, Tacoma, Xterra, WRX STI and am used to it. The Rivian, even with feathering the throttle just kept sliding. The tree was the only thing stopping it from going over the edge. Unfortunately now my hood has a nice dent in it. Had a hand winch to a tree and tensioned it, was able to back the truck up. It wouldn't let me go into offroad mode as the ground wasn't flat enough (odd since if you get stuck while in all purpose...you can't get into better modes for extraction.)

Very sorry to see you take that hit. Could have happened to anyone; and probably will.
Experimenting with the R1T, I had the same thing a dozen (hundred) times (deliberately, away from all obstacles) … gravity is not prone to leniency.
Rivian says to use the accelerator to reduce regen and recover steering control.
There's clearly too much front wheel regen bias and the stability system is too slow to adapt to slip.
Until Snow Mode, I'm afraid you might not be the last.
btw. The combination of strap, chain and come-along is a potential disaster. I imagine it didn't take much to move the vehicle back up the hill 10 feet. I've taken to carrying a kinetic rope and two synthetic shackles. Bulky, but effective. The last mile to my cabin is a place to meet the neighbors … and help them out of the ditch (or vice versa … : )
Snow tires are backordered in some regions. The only place I found with stock was a tire shop listing the Nokian LT3 in 275/65R20 on Amazon.
Also, "textile" snow chains are legal and effective (also cheap insurance, take 1 minute to install, and take up no space.) That's what I'm using, along with chains on the rears, till the snow tires are mounted.

 

[the long way downunder]

What's not on that list for the Nokians are the 275/65 R20 Hakka LT3s. I think that list is just passenger car tires and the LT3 are light truck tires. Those are the ones I bought for my R1T. I got them at Amazon but here they are on Simple Tire: https://simpletire.com/brands/nokian-tires/hakkapeliitta-lt-3#v=1&tireSize=lt275-65r-20&mpn=t430961

I don't know enough about this to give good advice. The width of the 275/60 is the same, the difference is that the 275/60 is a little shorter than the OEM 275/65. It's not like going in the opposite direction where you might be worried about something rubbing. Just wonder what that height/rolling diameter difference means for calculating speed, efficiency, etc.

I chose the same tire, the LT3 on Amazon.
A smaller diameter will reduce range/efficiency. A larger overall diameter (fewer "rotations per mile") will increase efficiency.
Sites like tiresize.com can calculate theoretical change in overall diameter. https://tiresize.com/comparison/
Tirerack.com and some of the other online sites include the overall diameter manfucturer's specifications, which are a more accurate way since the width, aspect ratio and wheel diameter do are not exact and do not account for tread thickness or construction specifics.
Dropping from 65 to 60 on a 275 on a 20 inch wheel is less of an impact than if it were on the 22s. I'd guesstimate around 1-2 mph indicated speed discrepancy at 65 mph.
As long as the tires on the same axle, front or rear, are the same (including the same degree of wear) the stability and traction control systems are unaffected.

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