20” Blizzak snow tires installed

[Dark-Fx]

For those of you with snow tires and the full size spare, did you order a 5th snow tire to swap out on the spare? Or just rolling with the AT on the spare?

I'm generally avoiding places where snow tires are truly necessary in combination with the high ground clearance. A brand new A/S tire still functions pretty well in snow, it's just when they start to get worn down they suck. So I didn't get a dedicated snow spare.

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[SeaGeo]

Update: R1T with snows works pretty well in snow over the doors (Highest, Off Road )

EDIT: to be fair, I'm pretty sure the OEM Pirelli AT's could do this too. it's packed snow/ice where you really notice the difference...

Dude. You should post to IG and tag rivian. That's a great clip.

 

[DirtyJester]

Update: R1T with snows works pretty well in snow over the doors (Highest, Off Road )

EDIT: to be fair, I'm pretty sure the OEM Pirelli AT's could do this too. it's packed snow/ice where you really notice the difference...

Looks like a blast!!
And pretty impressive.

 

[Riviot]

Update: R1T with snows works pretty well in snow over the doors (Highest, Off Road )

EDIT: to be fair, I'm pretty sure the OEM Pirelli AT's could do this too. it's packed snow/ice where you really notice the difference...

Wow, got that Big D*** Energy going here! Making my peepee feel small with our snow adventure today.

What drive mode settings were you in? I discovered Sand Mode's low regen and low/no traction today trying to get out of a wet Washington snow spot. Tank turn would've been REAL nice.

 

[sierraskier]

Wow, got that Big D*** Energy going here! Making my peepee feel small with our snow adventure today.

What drive mode settings were you in? I discovered Sand Mode's low regen and low/no traction today trying to get out of a wet Washington snow spot. Tank turn would've been REAL nice.

Apologies, I wasn't trying to make anyone feel inadequate

I was in Off Road, HIghest suspension setting. I haven't really experimented with drive modes in snow yet, other than Rally Mode. Interestingly, right before where the clip starts I had to turn around in that cul-de-sac and with the deep snow providing forward resistance and the wheels cranked and spinning the truck actually kind of spun on it's axis very similar to a tank turn

 

[roberttatefan]

Just placed an order for the Blizzak LTs. For what it's worth, Costco is offering $150 back right now. Worked out to ~$1100 after install and tax. Discount Tire is offering $110 back online (and will usually price match/beat it. Give your local store a call).

A few thoughts (and this thread was helpful!):

• I've been rather impressed with the ATs in the snow. Maybe it was just low expectations. I have a lot of winter driving experience and was admittedly cautious given some of the impressions others have had but....I thought the truck was quite surefooted.
  • One thing to note - the traction control on these is seriously impressive to the point of being imperceptible. You can find yourself near or at the limit with the vehicle masking it. For example, there's not haptic pedal feedback (ABS) that you'd normally get and I've yet to see any traction control light beyond the power meter reduction thingy. The truck just kind of figures it out.
• Snow tires will objectively be better than ATs. This is undisputed. This is cheap insurance to avoid a collision (and associated repair time/costs), injury etc.
• Factory tires are expensive. I'd rather put wear on cheaper tires.
• It seems the Rivian will go through tires quickly enough that a second set of winter wheels (even the cheap Dodge 2363 setup, which can be had new on eBay for ~$700) didn't make financial sense to me after factoring in TPMS, hub rings, center caps, and my likely desire to refinish them in another color to match the aesthetic I enjoy of my current wheels.
  • Costco will do tire changes for $80 total (possibly less if there's a disposal fee hidden in there). A wheel setup hits break even after ~6 or so years (not factoring resale). ($700 wheels + $150 TPMS + $30 hub rings + $30 center caps + $80 initial mounting + find a friend to print some stickers) = ~$1000 to have a dedicated winter wheel vs. $160/year in changes.
  • While not physically any easier to store tires (as opposed to tires and wheels), they are much lighter. I have a rack like this and lifting tires up there will be much easier.
• I thought pretty seriously about the DMV2s, which are a little cheaper and will likely ride better (given that they're not LT rated). They match the factory 22" load index and in 275/60/20 match the diameter for speedo/odometer reasons.
  • I went with the LT rated tires simply to match/exceed OEM specs. I think if I bought the Dodge wheels, I would've undersized for clearance.
• Nokians were on my list but the delay and price difference knocked them off the list for what will likely amount to a marginal performance difference.
• There are some interesting, inexpensive, and highly rated options from Firestone such as the Winterforce LT. Hoping others give those a try.
• Playing around with tire size and looking at options like 265/60/20 or 275/60/20 opens up a lot of options and can provide a marginal clearance relief for those running more aggressive offsets. Load index becomes the biggest hurdle in my opinion.

For those who see snow regularly, I was surprised at how inexpensive the Blizzak setup ended up being.

 

[bjcleaver]

I got my Nokian Hakka LT3 275/65/20s installed yesterday and we had just enough snow on the ground to give them a quick test. A few initial observations:

• On dry pavement they don't seem any louder than the Pirellis. In fact, a couple rattles that I usually hear in the cabin on certain bumpy roads I didn't really hear with the Hakkas. Maybe the softer tire compound helps? Either way, it hasn't felt noticeably loud or harsh on dry pavement.
• On a snow-packed road they are louder - they make a bit of a crunching/whine when accelerating and then smooth out. Nothing I'd complain about but it is noticeable.
• Performance, handling and braking are definitely better than the Pirellis (and I didn't mind the Pirellis.) I tried to get it to swerve, fishtail, etc and wasn't able to. I'll need to wait for our next real storm and drive on some steep, hilly roads to give them a true test. But I'm very impressed with the handling and traction so far.

I think I paid about $315/tire. Definitely worth it so far.

 

[Andystroh]

Excited for all these snow tires. Blizzaks are doing great in the snow. Averaged 2mi/kWh today, temps down to -5.

 

[atebit]

Dude. You should post to IG and tag rivian. That's a great clip.

 

[3l3c7r1c]

Just placed an order for the Blizzak LTs. For what it's worth, Costco is offering $150 back right now. Worked out to ~$1100 after install and tax. Discount Tire is offering $110 back online (and will usually price match/beat it. Give your local store a call).

A few thoughts (and this thread was helpful!):

• I've been rather impressed with the ATs in the snow. Maybe it was just low expectations. I have a lot of winter driving experience and was admittedly cautious given some of the impressions others have had but....I thought the truck was quite surefooted.
  • One thing to note - the traction control on these is seriously impressive to the point of being imperceptible. You can find yourself near or at the limit with the vehicle masking it. For example, there's not haptic pedal feedback (ABS) that you'd normally get and I've yet to see any traction control light beyond the power meter reduction thingy. The truck just kind of figures it out.
• Snow tires will objectively be better than ATs. This is undisputed. This is cheap insurance to avoid a collision (and associated repair time/costs), injury etc.
• Factory tires are expensive. I'd rather put wear on cheaper tires.
• It seems the Rivian will go through tires quickly enough that a second set of winter wheels (even the cheap Dodge 2363 setup, which can be had new on eBay for ~$700) didn't make financial sense to me after factoring in TPMS, hub rings, center caps, and my likely desire to refinish them in another color to match the aesthetic I enjoy of my current wheels.
  • Costco will do tire changes for $80 total (possibly less if there's a disposal fee hidden in there). A wheel setup hits break even after ~6 or so years (not factoring resale). ($700 wheels + $150 TPMS + $30 hub rings + $30 center caps + $80 initial mounting + find a friend to print some stickers) = ~$1000 to have a dedicated winter wheel vs. $160/year in changes.
  • While not physically any easier to store tires (as opposed to tires and wheels), they are much lighter. I have a rack like this and lifting tires up there will be much easier.
• I thought pretty seriously about the DMV2s, which are a little cheaper and will likely ride better (given that they're not LT rated). They match the factory 22" load index and in 275/60/20 match the diameter for speedo/odometer reasons.
  • I went with the LT rated tires simply to match/exceed OEM specs. I think if I bought the Dodge wheels, I would've undersized for clearance.
• Nokians were on my list but the delay and price difference knocked them off the list for what will likely amount to a marginal performance difference.
• There are some interesting, inexpensive, and highly rated options from Firestone such as the Winterforce LT. Hoping others give those a try.
• Playing around with tire size and looking at options like 265/60/20 or 275/60/20 opens up a lot of options and can provide a marginal clearance relief for those running more aggressive offsets. Load index becomes the biggest hurdle in my opinion.

For those who see snow regularly, I was surprised at how inexpensive the Blizzak setup ended up being.

How did you get the tires from Costco? When I search by vehicle they show 0 result matching Rivian.

 

[roberttatefan]

How did you get the tires from Costco? When I search by vehicle they show 0 result matching Rivian.

Just entered tire size. Got a warning the tires don't fit the vehicle but you can continue with checkout.

We'll see if we have any issues on install.

 

[GreenOptimist]

Just entered tire size. Got a warning the tires don't fit the vehicle but you can continue with checkout.

We'll see if we have any issues on install.

Costco holds a pretty hard line typically on only installing oem sizes. That said, I was able to chat with a manager once and sign a doc saying I acknowledged it was incorrect and they did do the install. So YMMV.

If that happens you can still buy the tires there and take them elsewhere to be installed.

 

[Aag12]

I bought online at Costco and installed no problem.

Online configurator doesn't recognize the blizzak as compatible due to the speed rating so you have to manually enter the size. The tire center didn't care the speed rating was off due to it being a winter tire

 

[M00v0vr]

Just placed an order for the Blizzak LTs. For what it's worth, Costco is offering $150 back right now. Worked out to ~$1100 after install and tax. Discount Tire is offering $110 back online (and will usually price match/beat it. Give your local store a call).

A few thoughts (and this thread was helpful!):

• I've been rather impressed with the ATs in the snow. Maybe it was just low expectations. I have a lot of winter driving experience and was admittedly cautious given some of the impressions others have had but....I thought the truck was quite surefooted.
  • One thing to note - the traction control on these is seriously impressive to the point of being imperceptible. You can find yourself near or at the limit with the vehicle masking it. For example, there's not haptic pedal feedback (ABS) that you'd normally get and I've yet to see any traction control light beyond the power meter reduction thingy. The truck just kind of figures it out.
• Snow tires will objectively be better than ATs. This is undisputed. This is cheap insurance to avoid a collision (and associated repair time/costs), injury etc.
• Factory tires are expensive. I'd rather put wear on cheaper tires.
• It seems the Rivian will go through tires quickly enough that a second set of winter wheels (even the cheap Dodge 2363 setup, which can be had new on eBay for ~$700) didn't make financial sense to me after factoring in TPMS, hub rings, center caps, and my likely desire to refinish them in another color to match the aesthetic I enjoy of my current wheels.
  • Costco will do tire changes for $80 total (possibly less if there's a disposal fee hidden in there). A wheel setup hits break even after ~6 or so years (not factoring resale). ($700 wheels + $150 TPMS + $30 hub rings + $30 center caps + $80 initial mounting + find a friend to print some stickers) = ~$1000 to have a dedicated winter wheel vs. $160/year in changes.
  • While not physically any easier to store tires (as opposed to tires and wheels), they are much lighter. I have a rack like this and lifting tires up there will be much easier.
• I thought pretty seriously about the DMV2s, which are a little cheaper and will likely ride better (given that they're not LT rated). They match the factory 22" load index and in 275/60/20 match the diameter for speedo/odometer reasons.
  • I went with the LT rated tires simply to match/exceed OEM specs. I think if I bought the Dodge wheels, I would've undersized for clearance.
• Nokians were on my list but the delay and price difference knocked them off the list for what will likely amount to a marginal performance difference.
• There are some interesting, inexpensive, and highly rated options from Firestone such as the Winterforce LT. Hoping others give those a try.
• Playing around with tire size and looking at options like 265/60/20 or 275/60/20 opens up a lot of options and can provide a marginal clearance relief for those running more aggressive offsets. Load index becomes the biggest hurdle in my opinion.

For those who see snow regularly, I was surprised at how inexpensive the Blizzak setup ended up being.

I'm putting some winterforce LT's on next week, I'll keep you posted. I've been driving in Cascade concrete for the last 40 days or so and finally could no longer stomach how bad the 20" AT's are in our conditions. A little birdie told me the compound is the same as the Bliz's just different tread pattern, and I can put studs on them if needed (although I hate how studs destroy the roads).

 

[roberttatefan]

Costco holds a pretty hard line typically on only installing oem sizes. That said, I was able to chat with a manager once and sign a doc saying I acknowledged it was incorrect and they did do the install. So YMMV.

If that happens you can still buy the tires there and take them elsewhere to be installed.

I went with OEM size of 275/65/20.

Fingers crossed they install without issue.

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