Your experience stopping on snow, on a downslope hill?

[SeaGeo]

Well, officially the answer to slipping while in regen by Rivian is....

"In the event you lose traction due to braking forces from regen or auto hold, the best method to recover the wheels is to gently apply the accelerator. "

Hopefully they figure out how to actually get an ABS type behavior integrated into throttle off or have some logic that either disables or introduces a more slow generation of regen or something.

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[stuckpx]

I'm also on 21s. Just curious if you've tried conserve mode? I saw on another thread that someone said conserve mode made driving in the snow feel more stable.

I'd highly NOT recommend running in conserve mode with 21s - I tried it this weekend in the PNW snow (about 1-2" of fresh powder). My street has about a 7% grade, I tried getting on it in conserve mode in an empty area and the truck slid side ways (in conserve mode you are front wheel drive only, so this behavior is expected), put it back in All Purpose and it handled like a champ.

 

[SeaGeo]

I'd highly NOT recommend running in conserve mode with 21s - I tried it this weekend in the PNW snow (about 1-2" of fresh powder). My street has about a 7% grade, I tried getting on it in conserve mode in an empty area and the truck slid side ways (in conserve mode you are front wheel drive only, so this behavior is expected), put it back in All Purpose and it handled like a champ.

I'm a little confused. Were you going uphill or down hill? And getting on it means trying to accelerate, right?

 

[atebit]

I had a service tech in an R1T come by today to try to change the config to 20" wheels.

Who do you “know” at Rivian that they will do this for you? When I call Service to inquire about wheel/tire sets (or even just wheels ) they keep telling me that only an SC can reconfigure the speedo/odo when changing wheel sizes.

 

[RivianXpress]

Any reason why people are not using ‘off road’ mode in the snow?

 

[kipevans22]

It's been snowing off and on here in Tahoe for a month. I now have experience driving the T w/ the stock 21's, the purchased stock 20's w/ AT's and now the 20's with Nokian LT 275/65/20 snow tires. Although the 21's were better than expected, I only drove in light snow over Mt Rose before my 20's arrived. I thought the 20's w/ the AT's accelerated and stopped like a champ. I really stomped on it up & down on steep streets and it did great. Turning as noted above was another matter....and I decided quickly that I needed a real snow tire. I got the Nokians put on 2 weeks ago & we've finally begun getting more snow. Thursday it dumped and my kids had a snow day, so I drove to a street that has a sledding hill nearby. I had already been driving around testing it & was feeling very confident. I intentionally parked in a snow bank of plowed snow. It was dumping, so they only lasted an hour. When we got back into the car, there was a snow pole just in front of me, so I gunned it w/ the wheels turned hard left. Big mistake. I assume it was like churning ice cream and that was it....I was stuck. Luckily, I had. shovel & was able to dig myself out. So, be careful w/ that 700hp! To say I was disheartened would be an understatement, but the T & new tires have performed great since & it has snowed every day. I have tested it in every way including slamming on the brakes on a steep icy street & it simply stops....quickly. The turning problems I had with the AT's are also gone. As an aside, I had a service tech in an R1T come by today to try to change the config to 20" wheels. He had the AT's on & he had serious problems backing out of my driveway and getting going. He had already told me that they need real snow tires.

It's been snowing off and on here in Tahoe for a month. I now have experience driving the T w/ the stock 21's, the purchased stock 20's w/ AT's and now the 20's with Nokian LT 275/65/20 snow tires. Although the 21's were better than expected, I only drove in light snow over Mt Rose before my 20's arrived. I thought the 20's w/ the AT's accelerated and stopped like a champ. I really stomped on it up & down on steep streets and it did great. Turning as noted above was another matter....and I decided quickly that I needed a real snow tire. I got the Nokians put on 2 weeks ago & we've finally begun getting more snow. Thursday it dumped and my kids had a snow day, so I drove to a street that has a sledding hill nearby. I had already been driving around testing it & was feeling very confident. I intentionally parked in a snow bank of plowed snow. It was dumping, so they only lasted an hour. When we got back into the car, there was a snow pole just in front of me, so I gunned it w/ the wheels turned hard left. Big mistake. I assume it was like churning ice cream and that was it....I was stuck. Luckily, I had. shovel & was able to dig myself out. So, be careful w/ that 700hp! To say I was disheartened would be an understatement, but the T & new tires have performed great since & it has snowed every day. I have tested it in every way including slamming on the brakes on a steep icy street & it simply stops....quickly. The turning problems I had with the AT's are also gone. As an aside, I had a service tech in an R1T come by today to try to change the config to 20" wheels. He had the AT's on & he had serious problems backing out of my driveway and getting going. He had already told me that they need real snow tires.

Hi all. I know there have been some posts on snow performance, but I'm curious specifically if folks have had experience stopping on a downhill. My neighborhood is at the top of a hill so to leave it in either direction, I have to come down some decent hills to stop signs on fairly busy roads. It takes some care in my 4Runner. Curious if that would be asking for trouble in the 7k R1T.
Any experiences that are similar so far this fall?

This is a fantastic article by Wes Stiler (Outside online) that answered a lot of winter tire questions for me and I believe thatI it's open to non-subscribers. In addition to a good breakdown on types types, he also described the M+S rating and the 3-snowflake rating system.

The Best Winter Tires for Trucks, SUVs, and Crossovers

https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-gear/cars-trucks/winter-tires-trucks-suvs-crossovers/

"You’ll find two types of stamp on a tire’s sidewall that are supposed to denote winter capability. Neither actually does.

The M+S stamp (for mud and snow) indicates a ratio of void-to-lug in the tread pattern. It involves no testing, and denotes no performance benefit.

The Three Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) symbol indicates that a tire has passed a performance test. But the test is conducted by the tire manufacturer itself, not a third party, and is exceptionally simple. To earn 3PMSF, a tire must demonstrate acceleration performance on packed snow that’s ten percent superior to a reference all-season tire from the early 1990s. No braking or lateral traction is tested. "

I know it's been a journey for some of us trying to figure out what to do this winter. I assumed that the R1T would have no issues in the snow based on my experience with other 4WD vehicles over the years, but it's obviously more complicated. I have 21" now and I'm switching to 20" this week. I'm hopeful that they will do the job for my trips in and out of Tahoe, but I understand that they are not ideal for full-time winter driving.

 

[Scoiatael]

I'd highly NOT recommend running in conserve mode with 21s - I tried it this weekend in the PNW snow (about 1-2" of fresh powder). My street has about a 7% grade, I tried getting on it in conserve mode in an empty area and the truck slid side ways (in conserve mode you are front wheel drive only, so this behavior is expected), put it back in All Purpose and it handled like a champ.

Good to know. Thanks.

 

[Peterc]

Any reason why people are not using ‘off road’ mode in the snow?

I just did my first snow trip in Tahoe. Got stuck on Monday. I was in a parking lot and tried to move forward and the truck just rocked. (I was in conserve mode). I tried popping it into Sand mode and it climbed right out no problem. Since that I’ve used Sand mode any time I got into any weird parking spots or had to navigate any steep terrain.

that being said, I had some weird moments. Like when I stopped at a light in truckee and after stopping my truck started sliding to the right directly into the next door lane. Totally out of control and at a stand still in bumper to bumper traffic. Luckily I didn’t tap anyone. That was with stock 20”.

 

[windblowlc]

Who do you “know” at Rivian that they will do this for you? When I call Service to inquire about wheel/tire sets (or even just wheels ) they keep telling me that only an SC can reconfigure the speedo/odo when changing wheel sizes.

A service tech can come to you to reconfigure wheel sizes, but it's not going to be free with a mobile service. For me with a distance of 2.5 hours each way, they told me $120. Other people have said when they got it done at the SC, it was free.

 

[Bigskyinminnie]

Any reason why people are not using ‘off road’ mode in the snow?

I've recently switched to off-road, auto mode and it seems to add a level of "abs" traction. That said i came very close to an on ramp retaining wall while driving conservatively. Really felt helpless as the weight seemed to just pull the truck towards the wall. It won't take many more of those moments for me to either sell the truck or swap for snow tires. Thinking the stock tires on 20's are less than great. This coming off Nitto Ridge Grapplers on a Tacoma that were amazing in snow.

 

[COdogman]

 

[summer]

What if running 20 wheels without re-configure? Other than 3% off on speed odometer, is there any other impact?

A service tech can come to you to reconfigure wheel sizes, but it's not going to be free with a mobile service. For me with a distance of 2.5 hours each way, they told me $120. Other people have said when they got it done at the SC, it was free.

 

[MountainBikeDude]

I just did my first snow trip in Tahoe. Got stuck on Monday. I was in a parking lot and tried to move forward and the truck just rocked. (I was in conserve mode). I tried popping it into Sand mode and it climbed right out no problem. Since that I’ve used Sand mode any time I got into any weird parking spots or had to navigate any steep terrain.

that being said, I had some weird moments. Like when I stopped at a light in truckee and after stopping my truck started sliding to the right directly into the next door lane. Totally out of control and at a stand still in bumper to bumper traffic. Luckily I didn’t tap anyone. That was with stock 20”.

I've had the same happen to me in my Xterra with 33" BFG All Terrains. Was going through stop and go traffic on the Stanley Park Causeway in Vancouver BC, I had no idea the road was covered in black ice until I came to a stop and my vehicle started randomly sliding sideways toward the curb. Shocking and interesting at the time given how minute the roads slant was.

I think some are expecting stock tires to be sufficient in all circumstances given the vehicles prowess, but it always comes down to rubber on the road in the end.

My current Falken Wildpeak AT3's are better than my BFG's ever were, but are they as good as a dedicated snow tire? Heck no. But they look good

Edited to remove an extra "the"

 

[kipevans22]

I just did my first snow trip in Tahoe. Got stuck on Monday. I was in a parking lot and tried to move forward and the truck just rocked. (I was in conserve mode). I tried popping it into Sand mode and it climbed right out no problem. Since that I’ve used Sand mode any time I got into any weird parking spots or had to navigate any steep terrain.

that being said, I had some weird moments. Like when I stopped at a light in truckee and after stopping my truck started sliding to the right directly into the next door lane. Totally out of control and at a stand still in bumper to bumper traffic. Luckily I didn’t tap anyone. That was with stock 20”.

I'm going to skip conserve mode in the snow for sure, but your experience at the traffic light concerns me. Maybe you just slid on an icy spot? I'm heading up this weekend and plan to push my R1T around in the snow until I get comfortable with the right drive train and it's capabilities.

 

[TAZ]

I drove in a few snow storms so far this year and here's my thoughts. I'm on stock 20 tires and rims with 9k miles on them. The first time I felt totally out of control and had no confidence in the truck stopping or sliding around. Rivian really needs to have an option to turn regen down or off. You also need to recalibrate your right foot and drive smoother. The last storm I had it in all purpose mode and in lowered ride height. Maybe it was just the snow but I felt way more confidant in the truck and holding off on buying snow tires. I want to see if Rivian will come out with a snow mode to reduce regen and soften throttle response to see if this would be good enough. Fyi, I do drive very aggressively and was pushing/sliding/drifting the truck in the twisty canyons. Testing wasn't just on plowed in town roads.

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