Advice on tire selection (20" ATs vs. 22" AS)

[larrydallas]

Background: I live in Phoenix, AZ, and have an R1S on order for "1H'23". I continue to waffle between the 20" All-Terrains vs. 22" All-Seasons. Most of my decision has been based on my personal preference on aesthetics. I tend to like the dimensions of the 20" ATs more than the 22s. My driving will dominantly be road with little off-road adventures (although this might increase dramatically with ownership of an actual off-road capable vehicle).

My question is a bit different than what I've seen discussed in these forums so far: Are there any other impacts I should be considering when choosing a wheel/tire combo aside from aesthetics and off-road/on-road activity?

By way of example, the Phoenix sun is obviously hot the vast majority of the year, which means the roads will be relatively hot vs. cooler climates. My worry is that perhaps an All-Terrain tire will have a softer compound (like snow tires) and literally 'melt' on the hot roadways causing a significant drop in tread wear/life. If that's true, would the 22" All-Seasons be better? I've seen comments that the 20" ATs are actually a HARDER compound, which is counter to what I had expected.

Any advice or intelligence that can help clear-up my confusion/concern would be appreciated!

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[AdamsFan1983]

I resent being practical. I wanted limestone, with OC interior and sport tires. I decided to get glacier white w/ GM interior and road tires.

Edit: Moral: Get what you want.

 

[larrydallas]

I resent being practical. I wanted limestone, with OC interior and sport tires. I decided to get glacier white w/ GM interior and road tires.

Edit: Moral: Get what you want.

Yep - been taking that to heart. What I'm asking, though, is whether "what I want" will have a significant practical downside that I should AT LEAST be aware of. My family moved from MN to AZ a couple of years ago and I had some aggressive snow-tires that basically lasted <12 months in the AZ heat. And while I can deal with changing tires frequently, I hate being surprised by something I don't know.

 

[AdamsFan1983]

yea; i get it.

Yep - been taking that to heart. What I'm asking, though, is whether "what I want" will have a significant practical downside that I should AT LEAST be aware of. My family moved from MN to AZ a couple of years ago and I had some aggressive snow-tires that basically lasted <12 months in the AZ heat. And while I can deal with changing tires frequently, I hate being surprised by something I don't know.

Yea, I get it. I realy thought I wanted to maximize range with the road tires. Maybe its a grass is greener thing, I dunno but I really love the look of the sport tires.

 

[AdamsFan1983]

yea; i get it.
Yea, I get it. I realy thought I wanted to maximize range with the road tires. Maybe its a grass is greener thing, I dunno but I really love the look of the sport tires.

...and in retrospect, I dont find myself realy counting on that little bit of added range.

 

[manitou202]

The 20" A/T wheels in black look amazing in person. The pictures on the site don't do them justice. It really suites the adventure look.

The 22" wheels look more like a "street" setup, but my wife really loves them and wants those for our R1S.

The biggest factors are range, street performance, and off-road / snow performance.

In terms of range it general goes 21" > 22" > 20".

For off-road and snow, the 20" tires are in a different league. Here in Colorado if I went with the 21/22" wheels I would have need separate dedicated snow tires.

For street performance the 22" wheels will feel much more sporty. The 20" tires scream around corners and when accelerating hard. I haven't driven with both, but my guess is the 20" have a little more comfort on the road, but the 22" are quieter.

 

[mini2nut]

Luckily Rivian gives you 6 alloy wheel choices in 3 different sizes.

 

[larrydallas]

Thanks, all. Great advice. Do we know if the 20” ATs are made from a softer compound? I’ve been seeing posts that say the tires need to be replaced pretty often due to the sheer 7000 lb weight of the vehicle. I’d hate for that to be even worse if the 20” ATs were melting in the Arizona pavement…

 

[Tanquen]

I can't decide which way to go. Not too worried about the range but it would be nice to have more. My bigger concerns are road noise and comfort. So I guess 21s for range and noise but 20s for smoother ride?

 

[C.R. Rivian]

Background: I live in Phoenix, AZ, and have an R1S on order for "1H'23". I continue to waffle between the 20" All-Terrains vs. 22" All-Seasons. Most of my decision has been based on my personal preference on aesthetics. I tend to like the dimensions of the 20" ATs more than the 22s. My driving will dominantly be road with little off-road adventures (although this might increase dramatically with ownership of an actual off-road capable vehicle).

My question is a bit different than what I've seen discussed in these forums so far: Are there any other impacts I should be considering when choosing a wheel/tire combo aside from aesthetics and off-road/on-road activity?

By way of example, the Phoenix sun is obviously hot the vast majority of the year, which means the roads will be relatively hot vs. cooler climates. My worry is that perhaps an All-Terrain tire will have a softer compound (like snow tires) and literally 'melt' on the hot roadways causing a significant drop in tread wear/life. If that's true, would the 22" All-Seasons be better? I've seen comments that the 20" ATs are actually a HARDER compound, which is counter to what I had expected.

Any advice or intelligence that can help clear-up my confusion/concern would be appreciated!

I really appreciate the range on the 22s. Went down to visit my son last weekend, 130 miles each way, AC on, mostly 70-75mi/hr. Got home with 40 miles left...driving conserve mode.

 

[Rivuylkill]

Am waffling too. PA winters, so can be bad, but not colorado. ~5k lbs summer towing on occasion, ton of highway driving all year. I'd like the higher range/efficiency if possible. Aesthetically I'm happy with some version of all 3 sizes so it's not a real consideration. Not really planning on any real offroading but hey, nice to have the option if something comes up?

With the existing tires, I feel like the 21's are probably the right balance, but then you have the unique tire size which maybe won't be a problem, but have read various horror stories of being unable to get replacements, etc. Plus only one option.

Don't really like the range hit on the 20' but it might be fine. Lots of talk about a more common tire size but I'm still not seeing that many available replacements (aside from a few other snow type tires) given the load/speed ratings. Certainly no real reports yet on range changes/improvements Tires generally seem cheaper to replace than other sizes, but again, depends on more options becoming available.

22's seem like maybe a risk with weight of vehicle and area potholes/snow plus towing, but wonder how much of that is nit-picking since I see 22's all over the place. Range hit isn't quite as bad and if I plug R1S on 22's into tirerack, there are actually a pretty good number of options avail. Limits offroad potential but again that's probably pipe dreaming.

I'd pick aero in a heartbeat if it were not such a unique tire size or at least there were more options available.

 

[crashmtb]

22” tire option is a “performance” all season, so it’s a softer(stickier) compound compared to, say, the 21”. 20” all terrain is less sticky for durability.

 

[Gsxr150]

Those struggling to decide, I have one question for you... Is this your first EV? If so, as a seasoned EV owner, I will tell you RANGE IS KING. Period. End of story.

If you're not off-roading in difficult muddy situations every weekend or driving through the snowy un-plowed mountains, get the all-season tire. You don't need an aggressive off-road tire.

I LOVE the look of the black 20's with the aggressive looking tires, but I'd be an idiot to choose those for the once a year I hit a gravel road that might turn to dirt, or the 4 hours before snowplows shovel the roads.

 

[NY_Rob]

Don't really like the range hit on the 20' but it might be fine. Lots of talk about a more common tire size but I'm still not seeing that many available replacements (aside from a few other snow type tires) given the load/speed ratings...

One member recently spotted a R1T at the North Phoenix SC with Michelin Defender 20"s on the truck, so there are alternate 20" tires are available:
https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/20”-wheels-with-with-all-seasons-michelin-defender-ltx-m-s-275-65r20.7916/#post-198720

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