Misalignment?

[PVguy]

So I am trying to determine what happened here.

On 05/15/25 I took my R1T to the local Discount Tire for a rotation. The also found a nail that had been causing a slow leak for almost a year. They plugged and patched the hole. All free of charge. Nice. During that visit that also recorded the tread depth as per attached photo. The mileage was 17,374. So I thought that I could possibly get through another Winter without replacing factory tires.

On 07/24/25 i had the vehicle in to the Melrose Park SC for a 12 volt battery replacement. As part of that visit I had them do a wheel alignment, results as per attached photo. Vehicle mileage was 20,274.

Yesterday, 11/4/25, I took the vehicle to the Melrose Park SC for the 22.5k mile checkup. Mileage on ticket is 21,490 and vehicle odometer read ~22,800. About half way through the inspection the agent came over and told me that I needed new tires. I found this highly unlikely and declined his new tires.

When I got home from the inspection, I took a look at the tires and the rears were basically bald, especially on the outer edge. I really could not believe what I was seeing. Fronts in pretty good condition.

So i headed up to the Discount Tire to get pricing on a new set of 21” Michelin Defenders. We discussed the situation and he also found it strange that the rears had worn so rapidly since last visit. No change in driving style, towing, etc.

Obviously i have my own thoughts on this but was wondering what others may think.

Also, since the alignment, I had been noticing that the tires were squealing during slight turning at low speeds on certain types of pavement. I do not recall them doing that previous to the alignment.

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[CrazyOne]

Something similar happened to me. I got alignment done after that, but it wasn't too bad to begin with.

Did you do something you normally don't do like
use low/lowest ride height
Travel on heavily worn out roads
Drive at high temperatures

I had one trip with all above and the outer edge of rear tire was bald.

 

[PVguy]

Something similar happened to me. I got alignment done after that, but it wasn't too bad to begin with.

Did you do something you normally don't do like
use low/lowest ride height
Travel on heavily worn out roads
Drive at high temperatures

I had one trip with all above and the outer edge of rear tire was bald.

I do not think so. Normal around town stuff and two trips to an out-of-state site, about 550 miles RT.

 

[PVguy]

Something similar happened to me. I got alignment done after that, but it wasn't too bad to begin with.

Did you do something you normally don't do like
use low/lowest ride height
Travel on heavily worn out roads
Drive at high temperatures

I had one trip with all above and the outer edge of rear tire was bald.

Right rear.

 

[lefkonj]

My alignment on my Gen1 was off, they fixed it, so was my Gen2, they fixed that too. Free of charge.

 

[CrazyOne]

This happened to me in approximately 200 miles. I don't know which, if any of the three factors caused it.

Also, alignment warranty is 12 months IIRC. It's much shorter than the bumper to bumper warranty.

They also perform alignment in standard height only. So if it's off in different ride height, it will not be addressed.

 

[Singletracker]

I had a similar issue with my R1T. I had rotated my snow tires and wheels off in April. Put the stock Pirelli A/T’s back on. At that time, the tread wear on the Pirellis was pretty even (same with the snows), no particular issues. I decided to do a tire rotation in August. I was shocked to see that the inside tread on my rear tires was all but gone. The fronts were fine. I ended having to get new tires and having the SC do an alignment. The rear wheels were both out of alignment. Don’t know why this suddenly happen after almost two years with no issues.

I think most people will focus on their front tire wear. However, with these Rivians, maybe we need to pay more attention to the rears.

 

[HaveBlue]

Right rear.

Looks like pretty normal wear. Slightly under inflated but not serious. I'm surprised you had such outside wear with negative camber and toe out. I'm not clear on how many times you had it aligned and how long at each setting.

 

[HaveBlue]

I had a similar issue with my R1T. I had rotated my snow tires and wheels off in April. Put the stock Pirelli A/T’s back on. At that time, the tread wear on the Pirellis was pretty even (same with the snows), no particular issues. I decided to do a tire rotation in August. I was shocked to see that the inside tread on my rear tires was all but gone. The fronts were fine. I ended having to get new tires and having the SC do an alignment. The rear wheels were both out of alignment. Don’t know why this suddenly happen after almost two years with no issues.

I think most people will focus on their front tire wear. However, with these Rivians, maybe we need to pay more attention to the rears.

Pretty tough to tell from your photo which the outside edge is or at what alignment settings you ran for how long, so hope you weren't asking for feedback.

 

[PVguy]

Pretty tough to tell from your photo which the outside edge is or at what alignment settings you ran for how long, so hope you weren't asking for feedback.

Except for the factory alignment , the Rivian alignment at the Melrose Park SC was the only other alignment that this vehicle has had. So it basically went ~17k miles with normal wear and then excessive wear in the remaining period that included the Rivian alignment. It just ”does not add up” to me. And the post-alignment tire squealing is “strange”.
I had a Rivian agent call me yesterday about the two tires that I had in a service request. I told him that I did not know that they were in there and that I would not be needing them. I also described the situation and he said that Rivian would check the alignment,. I think he said at no charge. I declined his offer and said that I would be seeking a third party to do future alignments.

 

[Golfer04]

Except for the factory alignment , the Rivian alignment at the Melrose Park SC was the only other alignment that this vehicle has had. So it basically went ~17k miles with normal wear and then excessive wear in the remaining period that included the Rivian alignment. It just ”does not add up” to me. And the post-alignment tire squealing is “strange”.
I had a Rivian agent call me yesterday about the two tires that I had in a service request. I told him that I did not know that they were in there and that I would not be needing them. I also described the situation and he said that Rivian would check the alignment,. I think he said at no charge. I declined his offer and said that I would be seeking a third party to do future alignments.

Something about these vehicles & alignment. I blame the suspensions, but obviously don't really know. When you go to a 3d party be sure you ask ahead if time if they have done a Rivian before. If not it will be even worse. On my previous T they blamed a tire sidewall being out of spec for it never staying aligned. I don't believe that and ultimately I found the rim was a piece of junk. Traded they vehicle back to them during the September sales push (offer on mine was $12,000 over KBB).

 

[PVguy]

Something about these vehicles & alignment. I blame the suspensions, but obviously don't really know. When you go to a 3d party be sure you ask ahead if time if they have done a Rivian before. If not it will be even worse. On my previous T they blamed a tire sidewall being out of spec for it never staying aligned. I don't believe that and ultimately I found the rim was a piece of junk. Traded they vehicle back to them during the September sales push (offer on mine was $12,000 over KBB).

Thank you. Yes, I realize that using a third party for precision measurements can be problematic. But at this point I look at it as a viable option for me. I need to know that if I put $1800 of tires on my vehicle, that they will have a chance at a good,long lifespan.
As an aside, while I was at the vehicle discussing the issue with the service writer, a corporate representative came up, saying that he had heard our discussio and had some information on alignment to share with me. I probably should not say more than that but will update as I have more information.

 

[HaveBlue]

Except for the factory alignment , the Rivian alignment at the Melrose Park SC was the only other alignment that this vehicle has had. So it basically went ~17k miles with normal wear and then excessive wear in the remaining period that included the Rivian alignment. It just ”does not add up” to me. And the post-alignment tire squealing is “strange”.
I had a Rivian agent call me yesterday about the two tires that I had in a service request. I told him that I did not know that they were in there and that I would not be needing them. I also described the situation and he said that Rivian would check the alignment,. I think he said at no charge. I declined his offer and said that I would be seeking a third party to do future alignments.

This comment was not directed at you

 

[SwampNut]

My alignment on my Gen1 was off, they fixed it, so was my Gen2, they fixed that too. Free of charge.

This looks like quite good if not perfect wear, and shows two improvements to make. Try a slightly higher air pressure to even out the center wear, and rotate more often.

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