20" Inch New Tire: GoodYear ElectricDrive AT

[Juicy Goodburger]

Just a quick check-in. I just got back my R1T from having a V2 powered tonneau installed and several issues worked on, mainly some drivetrain and wind noise. They lent me another 2023 R1T Quad specced same as mine, so I got to do some more back-to-back-to-back comparison of the Goodyear Electrodrive ATs and the factory Pirelli 20in ATs (with ~20K miles).

Immediately getting in the loaner, the tire noise was unbelievably loud compared to the Goodyear's. I think you sort of get used to it when you just hear it all the time, but coming from my truck with the Goodyears to driving the loaner with the Pirelli's, the amount of tire noise was jarring.

Driving around, the Pirelli's are noticeably stiffer, both in a good and bad way. They have a harshness to them when going over bumps that the Goodyear's don't have. Also the Pirelli's translate the noise from bumps into the cabin, where the Goodyears it's barely noticeable. The Pirellis in corners feel more firm, not necessarily more grippy, just less sidewall flex it feels like. Now that I have my truck back, I find that I prefer driving on the Firm suspension setting with the Goodyear's, whereas that setting was too harsh on suburban/city streets with the Pirellis. Overall grip in corners seems like a wash between the two, but with what feels like more body roll on the Goodyear's compared to the Pirelli's on Moderate suspension setting. On Firm the Goodyear's feel perfect. One other note that I mentioned earlier, the steering feels noticeably lighter and more precise with the Goodyear's over the Pirelli's, which you would expect with the more road focused tread pattern.

After I got my truck back with the wind noise issues fixed and a fresh alignment, I was amazed at how quiet the cabin is with these tires. My wife, who doesn't notice such things, made a comment about how quiet it was when we went to dinner over the weekend. Overall, the Goodyear's have been a major upgrade over the Pirelli's in mostly driving comfort and noise, with what looks so far like a slight improvement in efficiency. I imagine wear will be much better as well. The Pirelli's win out in looks and better off-road performance, but if that's what your priority is, there are better options out there like the Toyo AT3's IMO.

What did they do for wind noise? I made a complaint about wind noise increasing back in 2023. They had no solution and said it was normal.

back on topic: I just had the Wrangler Electricdrives installed at my local discount tire. Your assessment matches mine exactly. May be a bit early to say(only 117 miles) but the tire is slightly softer so it rolls a bit more in accelerating turns. Noise is significantly less harsh on small bumps and imperfections in the road. No harmonics, or what I call “waaaahhhhwaaaahhh” s yet, but I don’t think those got bad until around 10k miles on my pirelli’s. Lastly, Goodyears online sizing is inaccurate, they are 34” tall.

Sponsored

 

[petemill]

What did they do for wind noise? I made a complaint about wind noise increasing back in 2023. They had no solution and said it was normal.

back on topic: I just had the Wrangler Electricdrives installed at my local discount tire. Your assessment matches mine exactly. May be a bit early to say(only 117 miles) but the tire is slightly softer so it rolls a bit more in accelerating turns. Noise is significantly less harsh on small bumps and imperfections in the road. No harmonics, or what I call “waaaahhhhwaaaahhh” s yet, but I don’t think those got bad until around 10k miles on my pirelli’s. Lastly, Goodyears online sizing is inaccurate, they are 34” tall.

Photos?

 

[B Digs]

What did they do for wind noise? I made a complaint about wind noise increasing back in 2023. They had no solution and said it was normal.

back on topic: I just had the Wrangler Electricdrives installed at my local discount tire. Your assessment matches mine exactly. May be a bit early to say(only 117 miles) but the tire is slightly softer so it rolls a bit more in accelerating turns. Noise is significantly less harsh on small bumps and imperfections in the road. No harmonics, or what I call “waaaahhhhwaaaahhh” s yet, but I don’t think those got bad until around 10k miles on my pirelli’s. Lastly, Goodyears online sizing is inaccurate, they are 34” tall.

This tire is offered in 33" and 34" options:
275/60R20 (33")
275/65R20 (34")

 

[vindicator]

Tires were installed this afternoon! I'll post some photos later today, but wanted to share some initial thoughts and impressions:

• Noise reduction compared to the Pirellis is like night and day. Obviously everyone knows or has experienced the loudness and drone of the Pirelli's, so no surprise there. These are AT tires, so they are not completely silent, but you have to really listen to notice. I took some quick before and after measurements with a sound meter app on my phone. Not scientific, but gives a decent idea:
  • At 45mph constant speed, the Pirelli's were measuring around 65dB, with a noticeable spike on the graph around the 200-300kHz range. That's the dreaded Pirelli tire noise.
  • At 65mph constant speed, the Pirelli's were measuring around 70dB, with a spike in the 300-400kHz range.
  • At 45mph constant speed, the Goodyear's were measuring around 59dB, fairly linear with no noticeable spike in any frequency range.
  • At 65 mph constant speed, the Goodyear's were measuring around 63dB, with no noticeable spike.
  • One other note on noise, these tires are noticeably quieter over bumps in the road. The Pirelli's seemed to amplify small bumps, almost like hitting a drum when you hit a bump at speed. The Goodyear's definitely muffle the sound of those small bumps and don't translate that noise to the cabin as much as the Pirelli's did. Early on, it's apparent the "Soundcomfort" foam insert is doing what's intended.
• Efficiency-wise, I didn't really have a chance to get a great like-for-like baseline with either tire for comparison, but here is some limited data for comparison:
  • My lifetime average on the Pirelli's with 20K miles was 2.18m/kWh. This is on a Gen 1 Quad motor with the 20in standard AT wheel and the factory Pirelli's. I reset my Trip B yesterday and drove around for ~25 miles in mostly 45mph stoplight traffic, and got around the same 2.2 m/kWh with the Pirelli's in 80-85 degree weather and AC on.
  • After installing the new Goodyear's today, I've only driven ~15 miles in mixed highway and 45 mph stoplight traffic, and I'm at 2.58m/kWh. Too early to say there is really that big of an improvement, but it looks promising and there is definitely a measurable improvement in efficiency just watching the efficiency graph and knowing what it normally looks like. We will see how that holds up as the tires break in and I give it some more time and miles. I'll keep reporting back over the next few days and weeks.
• So how do they feel? In a word, fantastic. However, new tires always feel fantastic at first after driving around on worn out tires. There are a few things I've already noticed in the brief amount of driving I've done so far:
  • Steering definitely feels lighter and more responsive. Again, keep in mind this is compared to worn out Pirelli's. However, I am really pleased with the road handling of these tires so far.
  • The tires feel a little more compliant than the Pirelli's, absorbing bumps better but perhaps at the expense of handling, but maybe not. I took a short twisty road and didn't get too adventurous, but grip felt really really good. Better than the worn out Pirelli's, that's for sure.
  • I haven't got the chance to "goose" it yet to test traction. Once I rubber these in a little more I'll give it a go and see how well they perform at full throttle launch.

That's all for now, but I'll be sure to update more as I have a chance to really test these out.

I, too, have just put these GY's on my R1s. Question to you @AuburnRivian : what setting did you use in the "tire swap" section? Discount Tire put these on for me (and did a great job, BTW!) BUT they set the vehicle to recognize the new tires as the "default" GY's that are now OEM's, but those are not the correct size (my new tires match the Pirelli OEM size of 275/65/20, but the GY OEM size is 275/60/20). When I tried to fix it and use the "aftermarket" setting, I'm not finding anything more specific than the 20" wheel size setting. I haven't checked the speedo vs gps to see if there is a discrepency, yet, but was curious what you did....Thanks for any input!

 

[Juicy Goodburger]

Photos?

Sorry it took me a bit, one of my tires had a 1” crack and some peeling on day one(see pics), Had to go through the tire rack/discount tire warranty process.

I now have about 1000 miles driven so I would say the new tire grease has worn off and the tires are settling in.

Follow up impression. Still quieter. The sound foam is doing its job. YEMV. What i noticed the most is that over road cracks and separation joints it doesn’t reverberate. Think of a drum hit then a drum with a hand mute. Instead of “WHAP-WHAPpPpPp” it’s a “thunk-thunk”.

Will update in a year or so.

 

[HWY1R1T]

Any longterm updates on these tires with noise? I am shopping for tires and these seem like a good choice.

 

[ksurfier]

Any longterm updates on these tires with noise? I am shopping for tires and these seem like a good choice.

What makes them seem like a good choice?

 

[HWY1R1T]

What makes them seem like a good choice?

The tires are the same size as the Pirelli and designed for an electric vehicle. The options are limited unless I go with an LT tire which will cause a range hit and possibly a stiffer ride.

 

[ksurfier]

The tires are the same size as the Pirelli and designed for an electric vehicle. The options are limited unless I go with an LT tire which will cause a range hit and possibly a stiffer ride.

Ok, not sure what your priorities are, but the Hankooks, Michelins, or Toyos seem like a better value than the GY ElectricDrive…

My preference would also be an XL over an SL (LT if towing/offroading):
Rivian doesn’t really fit the standard load vehicle definition: passenger cars, crossovers, and light SUVs

Rivian also typically provides XL or HL factory tires…I’d give the Hankooks a try first since they have a 100-day trial period

 

[HWY1R1T]

Ok, not sure what your priorities are, but the Hankooks, Michelins, or Toyos seem like a better value than the GY ElectricDrive…

My preference would also be an XL over an SL (LT if towing/offroading):
Rivian doesn’t really fit the standard load vehicle definition: passenger cars, crossovers, and light SUVs

Rivian also typically provides XL or HL factory tires…I’d give the Hankooks a try first since they have a 100-day trial period

Thank you. Which Hancooks model are you referring to?

 

[Time2Roll]

What makes them seem like a good choice?

I plan to go with the GY as that is my preferred brand. Otherwise GY seems to be a reasonably efficient and quiet AT tire rated 3PMSF. The more efficient tires seem to be highway ribs. Many do not have the H speed rating. GY does not seem as aggressive as some and that is the trade off. Going to be a while before I need tires.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

The tires are the same size as the Pirelli and designed for an electric vehicle. The options are limited unless I go with an LT tire which will cause a range hit and possibly a stiffer ride.

Right about size. However, you don't necessarily have to stick to same size as delivered. The ElectricDrive AT is also available in 275/60R20, same size as the factory Territory AT. Back on this in a bit...

The EV is not a sentient being. It really doesn't know or care which tires it has as long as size of all four—matching or staggered—are within operating parameters its creators specified. The so called "for EV" tires, it's partly marketing—to target a specific group of consumers and make it easier for them to pick out a tire from a sea of tires. Engineering of "for EVs" prioritize the following:

• Noise mitigation
• Optimal efficiency
• Structural strength to support higher weight of EVs

Lots of tires out there were engineered with the same priorities in mind, but are not marketed specifically to EV owners. You don't have to restrict your search to tires that are explicitly "for EVs".

Returning to matter of Electric Drive AT vs Territory AT. Both have tread wear rating (UTQG) of 580 A B and tread depth of 12/32". Comparing apples to apples, in same 275/60R20 size, one is 46 lbs while the other is 42. Load rating for both is XL. Both are 3PMSF rated. Both are mild, on-road, ATs. Yet, one is $400 while the other is just $286 (tirerack.com). That is a significant difference.

So the ksurfier's question remains, what makes the ElectricDrive AT a good choice [compared to alternatives]? I honestly can't see a reason—unless you've bought into Goodyear's marketing on its foam insert. But users of the Territory AT have already said it's a quiet tire for an AT.

Speaking of these being ATs... If you go off-roading a lot, I would pick neither. Neither are serious off-road ATs. They're more like all-season tires with some AT traits added to the recipe, for more off-pavement grip than your average all-season tire. If the factory Pirelli ATs are AT-lite, these are AT-extralite. I am not making any blanket statements that these are bad tires. Only, when it comes to tires, you need to "pick the right tool for the job". And good/bad depends on the job.

 

[ksurfier]

Thank you. Which Hancooks model are you referring to?

Ion HT:

 

[Time2Roll]

Returning to matter of Electric Drive AT vs Territory AT. Both have tread wear rating (UTQG) of 580 A B and tread depth of 12/32". Comparing apples to apples, in same 275/60R20 size, one is 46 lbs while the other is 42. Load rating for both is XL. Both are 3PMSF rated. Both are mild, on-road, ATs. Yet, one is $400 while the other is just $286 (tirerack.com). That is a significant difference.

Ok I only see one version of Territory AT on the GY site. Tire rack shows about four different tread patterns for the same tire. GY site does not have the 65 aspect ratio and the 60 is non 3PMSF or H speed rated or XL load index. Seems like a conflict of information.

 

[Juicy Goodburger]

Ok I only see one version of Territory AT on the GY site. Tire rack shows about four different tread patterns for the same tire. GY site does not have the 65 aspect ratio and the 60 is non 3PMSF or H speed rated or XL load index. Seems like a conflict of information.

Yeah it seems that GY does not QA their website very well. Hence my comment above about the size being off for the 275/65r20. You may have to call and confirm or go through tirerack/discount tire to get the correct info.

Sponsored