If you’re willing to accept your Speedo reading about 2% faster, odometer logging slightly higher, losing about an inch of ground clearance, a potentially harsher ride, greater chance of curb rash, possible TPMS and calibration issues and maybe interfering with ADAS, sure.
One would hope someone able to purchase such a vehicle would figure out the plusses and minuses of buying the right tire for them. But it's good to mention it for sure so people don't go off half-cocked thinking there isn't some risk if you buy 21 inch tires. I'm still considering going with the 20s, but that extra thousand would cover two-thirds of Forest Green for me. I can afford either way, but if I'm confident enough that it's going to sell to buy this car, I'm pretty confident there will be choices for me when tire change time arrives. Hankook seems to be on top of R1 tires, no?
It's only 0.5" ground clearance. I don't think the 2% error is a big deal, since most speedos already read a bit high anyway. If all tires are matched, I don't see a reason for a TPMS error. As far as some of the other things you mentioned, I'm not sure.
I think it’s actually .8” but that’s not a big difference. Bottom line is, several folks have thrown out the smaller size as if it’s an exact replacement and it’s not. All of the possible issues might manifest, some for sure will.
The ride height difference should be just the difference in the height of the sidewall, right? If it's a 255/55-21 vs a 255/50-21, the difference in the sidewall height is 0.05*255/25.4, which is 0.502".
For me it boils down to not accepting to ride on crappy AT tires on asphalt for the first 30K miles of this great car …. The AS Scorpion gives more precise steering and smoother ride with less noise. Also, the 255/55 gives a good size sidewall for the tire. And that $1K saving would pay 2/3 of the price of the next 30K AS tire …….
The more I think about it, I'm not planning any hard-core off-roading. Some, but in conditions that the all-season tires will be fine. So, I'm going with range.
Proprietary tire sizes will affect Rivian's reputation with mainstream buyers. Mass-market consumers don't view this as a quirk—they view it as a predatory trap to bleed them on maintenance. When early adopters start posting $1,500 tire bills or getting stranded for weeks because local shops don't stock a single-source size, that viral negativity will scare off thousands of potential switchers. If basic maintenance feels like a logistical nightmare, the R2 will fail to win over everyday family
I asked Rivian Assistant about this possibility and got this answer:
