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Tire advice - 20AT - options for onroad / all weather tires

DB-EV

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Hey all!

I am excited with what I saw in Rivian's S-1, and while the company has not communicated well since RJ's summer letter, I feel confident I will get a LE R1s by June. My question for this group relates to how to think about a second set of tires that would be road friendly, roughly like the 21s if I get the 'free' 20 upgrade available to LE holders.

Question: If I get the 20 wheels with the AT tires (which are so beastly and awesome in person but I guess will get around 280 miles, or 300 in conserve) but then want to buy road/all weather tires for that 20 inch wheel, is that relatively easy to do? Is it just a matter of either switching the tires onto the wheel or paying a mechanic to do it?

Thanks in advance.

Facts:

In the summer I would love to have the ATs, and in the winter all weathers that are more mileage friendly.

I am a tire novice. I have a CRV where all i have to do is buy tires every 5 years, and a second car that largely sits in the drive way so tires never get changed.

I'll be driving the R1s 240mi shots in the winter one way many weekends to ski/get to the mountains from metro NY, vast majority on Interstates.
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The 20-inch tires are very common size. It will be easy to find All season tire to fit. From that perspective your plan is fine.

But It feels like you have it backwards. If I had a set of all season and a set of all terrain tires, it's not the all-season tires that I would choose for the ski trip. For the ski trip I would definitely want the all-terrain or even better real snow tires. While some extra range would be nice, your range in the winter is probably going to suck either way and traction in the snow (safety) seems more important then range (convenience) for a ski trip.

Also it's not just the tires that make the 21's more efficient. The more aerodynamic wheel design probably accounts for around 10-15 miles of the range difference.
 

Jehorton

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And to answer that question of switching;

not really practical unless you don’t mind constantly taking to a mechanic to have them switch on and off, and then rebalance the wheels. Would be more costly than just getting a second set of wheels and tires if you planned to do that often. Also some mechanics won’t put used tires on a vehicle.
 

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And to answer that question of switching;

not really practical unless you don’t mind constantly taking to a mechanic to have them switch on and off, and then rebalance the wheels. Would be more costly than just getting a second set of wheels and tires if you planned to do that often. Also some mechanics won’t put used tires on a vehicle.
I can imagine that in regions that don't really have a winter things could be different but I do not think the OP in NY would get any push back from tire shops not wanting to swap out their summer / winter setup.

Where I live seasonal tire swaps costs $100 and it is such a common thing it probably accounts for >90% of a tire shops business this time of year. And many shops will even store your off-season tires for you (for a fee).

The cost effectiveness of buying a second set of wheels to avoid remount / balance fees twice a year depends on how long you plan to keep the vehicle and how cheap of wheel you are thinking about. I certainly wouldn't be wanting to mount $100 wheels on an $80,000 vehicle. Assuming your 2nd set of wheels is at least as high quality as the OEM wheels you are probably looking at 10+ years to break even.

If you're planning to swap back and forth more than twice a year the math quickly shifts towards buying another set of wheels.
 
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Whmorken

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Hey all!

I am excited with what I saw in Rivian's S-1, and while the company has not communicated well since RJ's summer letter, I feel confident I will get a LE R1s by June. My question for this group relates to how to think about a second set of tires that would be road friendly, roughly like the 21s if I get the 'free' 20 upgrade available to LE holders.

Question: If I get the 20 wheels with the AT tires (which are so beastly and awesome in person but I guess will get around 280 miles, or 300 in conserve) but then want to buy road/all weather tires for that 20 inch wheel, is that relatively easy to do? Is it just a matter of either switching the tires onto the wheel or paying a mechanic to do it?

Thanks in advance.

Facts:

In the summer I would love to have the ATs, and in the winter all weathers that are more mileage friendly.

I am a tire novice. I have a CRV where all i have to do is buy tires every 5 years, and a second car that largely sits in the drive way so tires never get changed.

I'll be driving the R1s 240mi shots in the winter one way many weekends to ski/get to the mountains from metro NY, vast majority on Interstates.
When you opt for summer/winter tires, I have done it both ways, one set and two sets of wheels. Currently using two sets of wheels and plan to do that with Rivian, possibly buying two sets of Rivian size 20’s, to accommodate ATs in the summer and studded winter tires in the winter. It is convenient not to switch tires and two sets of wheels allows you to have two sets of very different wheels, e.g., a plain set in the winter for ice, mud, and deep snow, and a better looking and more expensive set in the summer. Some prefer 20s in the winter and 21 or 22 for summer.
 

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Sgt Beavis

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You live in NY, right? Leave the ATs in place. The Pirelli Scorpion AT is 3Peaks Snowflake certified. It’s going to give you MUCH better performance when driving in inclement winter weather. IMO, it doesn’t really help you to change.

BTW, the R1T in the Edmunds review had Pirelli ATs and still got 317miles of range.
EDIT: I was wrong on this. The Edmunds review has All Season tires.

I’m in Colorado and drive mountain trails all the time. I’m going to give the Pirelli’s a go but if they prove to have weak sidewalls, I’m going to switch to Falken’s and take the range hit. I say this because many testers had cut the sidewall of their tires during the off roading demos that Rivian took them on. The trails they hit were relatively easy by my standards.
 
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R_1_T

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Hey all!

I am excited with what I saw in Rivian's S-1, and while the company has not communicated well since RJ's summer letter, I feel confident I will get a LE R1s by June. My question for this group relates to how to think about a second set of tires that would be road friendly, roughly like the 21s if I get the 'free' 20 upgrade available to LE holders.

Question: If I get the 20 wheels with the AT tires (which are so beastly and awesome in person but I guess will get around 280 miles, or 300 in conserve) but then want to buy road/all weather tires for that 20 inch wheel, is that relatively easy to do? Is it just a matter of either switching the tires onto the wheel or paying a mechanic to do it?

Thanks in advance.

Facts:

In the summer I would love to have the ATs, and in the winter all weathers that are more mileage friendly.

I am a tire novice. I have a CRV where all i have to do is buy tires every 5 years, and a second car that largely sits in the drive way so tires never get changed.

I'll be driving the R1s 240mi shots in the winter one way many weekends to ski/get to the mountains from metro NY, vast majority on Interstates.
I'd be inclined to stick with the original 20AT's until they wear out, and decide on the replacements after understanding the real world impact to energy efficiency.
45 different tires available, including the OEM version, and 5 dedicated winter tires.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/Tire...true&width=275/&ratio=65&diameter=20#allTitle
 
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DB-EV

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You live in NY, right? Leave the ATs in place. The Pirelli Scorpion AT is 3Peaks Snowflake certified. It’s going to give you MUCH better performance when driving in inclement winter weather. IMO, it doesn’t really help you to change.

BTW, the R1T in the Edmunds review had Pirelli ATs and still got 317miles of range.

I’m in Colorado and drive mountain trails all the time. I’m going to give the Pirelli’s a go but if they prove to have weak sidewalls, I’m going to switch to Falken’s and take the range hit. I say this because many testers had cut the sidewall of their tires during the off roading demos that Rivian took them on. The trails they hit were relatively easy by my standards.
Thank you.

Just one note: I think the Edmunds review for the 317 had the All Season 21 inch, not ATs. I could be wrong.

I did see Motortrend was getting 302 on conserve with Offroad upgrade and 20ATs, which is cool.
 

Sgt Beavis

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Thank you.

Just one note: I think the Edmunds review for the 317 had the All Season 21 inch, not ATs. I could be wrong.

I did see Motortrend was getting 302 on conserve with Offroad upgrade and 20ATs, which is cool.
I went back and looked. you are correct. Those are all season tires.
 

camaroz1985

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Thank you.

Just one note: I think the Edmunds review for the 317 had the All Season 21 inch, not ATs. I could be wrong.

I did see Motortrend was getting 302 on conserve with Offroad upgrade and 20ATs, which is cool.
302 on the 20s is pretty good, even in conserve.
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