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Should 20" Wheels be the standard wheel included

Gamma rays

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FYI. Tire Rack finally has a price on the 21".

275/55R21

$383.75
I have never bought any vehicle over $40K, so I have never paid over $250 each on any tire. Is that a reasonable price to pay for tires for expensive vehicles? How much would a comparable 20" or 22" cost (I couldn't find Rivian on Tire Rack)?

GR
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It’s also crazy how opaque this is! Totally unclear when selecting wheels. I bet a HUGE majority of preorders 1) have 21s optioned because they’re included and 2) have no idea of the custom tire size idiocy.
It’s a shame. I’m fully aware and live on an unpaved road, but will change my configuration from 20’s to 21’s because I have a use case where mileage matters and I’d like to keep my Launch Edition placeholder.
 

redantpile

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I have never bought any vehicle over $40K, so I have never paid over $250 each on any tire. Is that a reasonable price to pay for tires for expensive vehicles? How much would a comparable 20" or 22" cost (I couldn't find Rivian on Tire Rack)?

GR
They are not on there yet. I went to Pirelli's site to look up that exclusive 21" and it links you directly to Tire Rack. Similar situation for me. We paid 34k & 36k for our last two vehicles. The last tire I put on my Tundra are $202 on Discount Tire right now, so a fair amount less. They are Pirelli Scorpion Verde, so a decent tire, but not a true comparison on the specs. I'm still waffling between the 20" or 21" wheels.

Here is what the three sizes are supposed to be if it has not changed, and a helpfull site for comparing size.

Hopefully soon the tire retailers will have Rivian loaded in their systems to make comparisons easier.

https://rivianstories.com/rivian-wheel-and-tire-options-revealed/
https://www.tacomaworld.com/tirecalc?tires=265-60r20-275-55r21
 

Smithery

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I have never bought any vehicle over $40K, so I have never paid over $250 each on any tire. Is that a reasonable price to pay for tires for expensive vehicles? How much would a comparable 20" or 22" cost (I couldn't find Rivian on Tire Rack)?
The 20" OEM tire for my Model X is Continental Crosscontact LX Sport
265/45 R20 for the front at $349 a pop
275/45 R20 for the rear at $336 a pop

The OEM tire for the 22" wheel option is Scorpion Zero ASIMMETRICO
265/35 R22 for the front at $353 a pop
285/35 R22 for the rear at $332 a pop

So yes it's kinda in the OEM ballpark for "big heavy high performance BEV truck/SUV"

But here's another reason we won't even consider the 21" with it's custom size...
We just got new tires on our Model X which has plenty of options for the size and decided to NOT get the OEM tires.
265/45 R20 Pirelli Scorpion Zero A/S Plus on the front, $260 each.
275/45 R20 Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season Plus II on the rear, $238 each.

---

At a higher meta level about more expensive tires...

Here's the thing to remember about tires for the Rivian that *probably* weren't relevant for these sub-$40k cars...

Their speed rating is much higher than many are used to because these trucks can go way faster, and their load rating is much much higher because these trucks are HEAVY.

High speed an high load tires have a high price compared to "normal" tires.
 

Gamma rays

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The 20" OEM tire for my Model X is Continental Crosscontact LX Sport
265/45 R20 for the front at $349 a pop
275/45 R20 for the rear at $336 a pop

The OEM tire for the 22" wheel option is Scorpion Zero ASIMMETRICO
265/35 R22 for the front at $353 a pop
285/35 R22 for the rear at $332 a pop

So yes it's kinda in the OEM ballpark for "big heavy high performance BEV truck/SUV"

But here's another reason we won't even consider the 21" with it's custom size...
We just got new tires on our Model X which has plenty of options for the size and decided to NOT get the OEM tires.
265/45 R20 Pirelli Scorpion Zero A/S Plus on the front, $260 each.
275/45 R20 Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season Plus II on the rear, $238 each.

---

At a higher meta level about more expensive tires...

Here's the thing to remember about tires for the Rivian that *probably* weren't relevant for these sub-$40k cars...

Their speed rating is much higher than many are used to because these trucks can go way faster, and their load rating is much much higher because these trucks are HEAVY.

High speed an high load tires have a high price compared to "normal" tires.
Thanks. If the 20" and 22" are similar in price to the 21", I supposed that's just the cost of owning a Rivian. But I am still not comfortable with just 1 option for the 21". I honestly don't need the off-roading capability of the 20" and would rather not take the range penalty, too. Perhaps this will become less of an issue by the time I take delivery, which is likely well into 2022.

GR
 

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StuartR

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I live in Iceland, so I still have a long time to wait for a Rivian (probably years...so hopefully this will be sorted by then), but I have a hard time believing that they will have the 21" tire standard here. We are legally required to have certified winter tires on for half the year. I run a Discovery 4 with studded tires as I live in the countryside and my driveway is on a hill that often turns into a complete sheet of ice if we get snow and then a thaw/freeze cycle. We have an arctic maritime climate, so if the wind blows from the South it is usually above freezing, and from the North quite a bit below freezing, so these cycles are very common. I think to sell a car as standard with only one tire option is quite a bad idea. "All season" tires are a compromise. Neither season is optimized, and in winter in particular you suffer as the rubber compound is too hard in cold temperatures and the tread pattern and siping are not optimized for slush, ice and snow. The best thing you can do for safety in your car is have a high end tire that is suited for the conditions you drive in. In places like the midwest and Northeast where that can go from far below freezing and blizzards to 100 degree summer days, relying on only a single tire is not a good idea.

Aside from not having any choice in winter tires, I know they are going to have to rely heavily on their own network to provide these special tires, as I find it hard to believe that small tire shops around the country/world are going to stock a totally oddball size on the off chance that a very rare EV in stock configuration has a flat somewhere in their service area.
 

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Thanks. If the 20" and 22" are similar in price to the 21", I supposed that's just the cost of owning a Rivian. But I am still not comfortable with just 1 option for the 21". I honestly don't need the off-roading capability of the 20" and would rather not take the range penalty, too. Perhaps this will become less of an issue by the time I take delivery, which is likely well into 2022.

GR
By the time I need new tires, it is likely that there will be other options on all the wheel sizes.
Even if not, tire changes are infrequent and the ~$100 per tire surcharge for the tire designed for the vehicle is fine with me.

If I had to pay $1800 (non LE customer) to get the 20s and was not doing a bunch of off-roading, it would take over 4 sets of tires at +$400/set before you broke even. Even if there were other options, I would be likely to stick with the OEMs. YMMV
 

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At first it didn't bother me much but the more I think about it the more it kinda gnaws at me. Currently the configurator has the included wheel as the 21" Road. And you have to pay extra for the 22" Sport or 20" All-Terrain option. I know this is not that uncommon in the industry to charge more for different wheel options, but don't you think the included (standard) wheel should be the 20" All-Terrain? This is advertised as an adventure, off-road vehicle so you'd think the 20s would be the included wheel. Anyone else think they should change this?
As a LE reservation holder this does not really affect me, however, I agree with your thinking of an "adventure vehicle" my complaint with the wheels is how much you have to pay for the dark wheels.
 

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FWIW to those who are considering going with the 20” wheels but might want an all season tire in the future:

Pirelli’s website lists a Scorpion Verde AS Plus II in 275/60R20. That should be a pretty close match to the standard 21” OEM but with a 20” wheel instead of 21”. Tire diameter should be pretty close—which means you’ll have to make an adjustment vs the OEM 20” AT tire. It’s not on Tire Rack yet, so the price isn’t available for comparison. I’m sure it will be before most of us will have to make a decision though.
 

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FWIW to those who are considering going with the 20” wheels but might want an all season tire in the future:

Pirelli’s website lists a Scorpion Verde AS Plus II in 275/60R20. That should be a pretty close match to the standard 21” OEM but with a 20” wheel instead of 21”. Tire diameter should be pretty close—which means you’ll have to make an adjustment vs the OEM 20” AT tire. It’s not on Tire Rack yet, so the price isn’t available for comparison. I’m sure it will be before most of us will have to make a decision though.
The stock 20" tires - Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus in 275/65 - have a load rating of 116.

Your proposed 20" alternative - Pirelli Scorpion Verde AS Plus II in 275/60 - has a load rating of 115.

That's 2679lbs per tire instead of 2756lbs per tire.

Is 77lbs per tire a big deal? Maybe not.

But remember, these trucks are *HEAVY*.

And if any accident/damage occurs due to unexpected tire failure *and* you are found to be running a tire that doesn't at least meet the OEM tire specifications, you'll be screwed.

When shopping for alternatives, always meet or exceed the speed and load ratings of the OEM tire.

*Edit: In the OEM size, Pirelli actually sells both a 116H and a 126S variant. The load rating different between 115 and 126 would be MASSIVE, but I doubt the OEM tire is the 126S variant because that's only good for 110mph. So I'm assuming 116H is the OEM tire.
 
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I live in Iceland, so I still have a long time to wait for a Rivian (probably years...so hopefully this will be sorted by then), but I have a hard time believing that they will have the 21" tire standard here. We are legally required to have certified winter tires on for half the year. I run a Discovery 4 with studded tires as I live in the countryside and my driveway is on a hill that often turns into a complete sheet of ice if we get snow and then a thaw/freeze cycle. We have an arctic maritime climate, so if the wind blows from the South it is usually above freezing, and from the North quite a bit below freezing, so these cycles are very common. I think to sell a car as standard with only one tire option is quite a bad idea. "All season" tires are a compromise. Neither season is optimized, and in winter in particular you suffer as the rubber compound is too hard in cold temperatures and the tread pattern and siping are not optimized for slush, ice and snow. The best thing you can do for safety in your car is have a high end tire that is suited for the conditions you drive in. In places like the midwest and Northeast where that can go from far below freezing and blizzards to 100 degree summer days, relying on only a single tire is not a good idea.

Aside from not having any choice in winter tires, I know they are going to have to rely heavily on their own network to provide these special tires, as I find it hard to believe that small tire shops around the country/world are going to stock a totally oddball size on the off chance that a very rare EV in stock configuration has a flat somewhere in their service area.
I suspect they will eventually offer a dedicated winter tire package, although in North America the all terrain tire option counts as a winter tire.
It would not be much surprise to see pirelli doing a winter tire in rivian’s proprietary 21” size later on. I’d expect any Pirelli dealer to have no issues getting the Rivian specific tires…from their distributor. Certainly most will not have them on the shelf however. presumably rivian’s mobile service people will carry tires in each size.

Being in Iceland though, you could just go to Arctic Trucks for some of their 38”OD high floatation tires. ?
 

Autolycus

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The stock 20" tires - Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus in 275/65 - have a load rating of 116.

Your proposed 20" alternative - Pirelli Scorpion Verde AS Plus II in 275/60 - has a load rating of 115.

That's 2679lbs per tire instead of 2756lbs per tire.

Is 77lbs per tire a big deal? Maybe not.

But remember, these trucks are *HEAVY*.

And if any accident/damage occurs due to unexpected tire failure *and* you are found to be running a tire that doesn't at least meet the OEM tire specifications, you'll be screwed.

When shopping for alternatives, always meet or exceed the speed and load ratings of the OEM tire.

*Edit: In the OEM size, Pirelli actually sells both a 116H and a 126S variant. The load rating different between 115 and 126 would be MASSIVE, but I doubt the OEM tire is the 126S variant because that's only good for 110mph. So I'm assuming 116H is the OEM tire.
115 load rating is well above the GVWR for the truck. We know GVWR is <9,000 pounds from the VIN filings. 115 load rating would handle 10,716 pounds, which is plenty of buffer. I don’t see how they could claim any sort of issue from using a tire with a load rating that’s at least 1700 lb over the GVWR—and it could easily be 2,000 lbs extra.

We also don’t really know what rating the OEM tires will have, or what documentation they’ll give on what’s an acceptable rating for replacement tires.
 

Gamma rays

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I suspect they will eventually offer a dedicated winter tire package, although in North America the all terrain tire option counts as a winter tire.
It would not be much surprise to see pirelli doing a winter tire in rivian’s proprietary 21” size later on. I’d expect any Pirelli dealer to have no issues getting the Rivian specific tires…from their distributor. Certainly most will not have them on the shelf however. presumably rivian’s mobile service people will carry tires in each size.

Being in Iceland though, you could just go to Arctic Trucks for some of their 38”OD high floatation tires. ?
The bolded is another of my concerns if there are limited options on the 21". I supposed a spare (I plan to get one) can tide me over until the custom tire gets shipped.

GR
 

DucRider

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The bolded is another of my concerns if there are limited options on the 21". I supposed a spare (I plan to get one) can tide me over until the custom tire gets shipped.

GR
I suspect that any of the Rivian tire options are not going to be commonly stocked. You may or may not be able to find an appropriate substitute in the appropriate size, load rating & speed rating in stock locally and will still be waiting for it to be shipped. And do you buy four at that point to have a matched set (recommended).
 

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I suspect that any of the Rivian tire options are not going to be commonly stocked. You may or may not be able to find an appropriate substitute in the appropriate size, load rating & speed rating in stock locally and will still be waiting for it to be shipped. And do you buy four at that point to have a matched set (recommended).
And what if you get a flat tire and can’t replace it due to lack of availability? Just had this issue with our new Merc.
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