35" Yokohama Geolandar M/T G003 on 20" Atomic Wheels on R1S

[cgm9999]

Finally got a chance to take some basic photos of my off-road wheel and tire set up and figured I'd share. These are 35X11.50R20 124Q Yokohama M/T G003s mounted onto 20" Atomic Wheels (Bronze AW10) @Atomic Wheels. I'll post the pics below and my thoughts will be followed up in a post right after.

Highest Setting:

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[cgm9999]

High Setting:

 

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Normal Setting:

 

[cgm9999]

Low Setting:

 

[cgm9999]

TLDR Version - These are loud, heavy tires. There is a noticeable efficiency hit. They do not rub at normal height at any speed or any situation. Despite the negatives, I'd buy them again. The wheels are fantastic. They look great, are plenty light, and affordable to boot.

As a person who bought my Rivian for its intended purpose, I fully planned on getting a set of off-road tires and wheels to use as a second set from my stock set. Since these were going to be a dedicated off-road set, I didn't have the typical requisites that some have when considering off-road tires. In other words, I would not be driving on these day to day, so noise, weight, wet/snow performance were low considerations. Because of this, I went for more extreme mud terrains over relatively more sedate all-terrains.

The use case for these were to provide excellent off-road traction in very rugged terrain, mud, and deep snow, all with the high durability that dedicated mud terrains are known for. I'm a combat veteran who still works for Uncle Sam in the field, so I regularly (weekly) go shooting in the mountains to stay sharp. Shooting at paper is both boring and lacks audible feedback and shooting clubs are for assholes and people with more money than sense, so finding your own shooting spot in the mountains is mandatory if you want to really hone/maintain your skills. Since the best shooting spot is the one without anyone else, the best spots are in areas that very few people can get too. In my world, that means the more capable your truck, the better shooting you're going to have.

Since recent reviews suggested that the new Geolandar G003s offered possibly better off-road performance and durability than its primary competitors (e.g. BF Goodrich Mud Terrain T/A KM3, Falken Wildpeak M/T, Toyo Open Country M/T to name just a few), I decided to give them a try. I also wanted as much tire as I could stuff under the fender without rubbing at normal height. These tires are 34.8" inches in diameter and I'd say they're pretty much the maximum size you could put on a Rivian without doing some cutting. Uniquely, these tires are only 11.5 inches in width - most, if not all 35" tires are 12.5" wide, and I knew with the offset of the Atomic Wheels (+40mm), I didn't want to be in a situation where I had to deal with rubbing and fitment issues with a tire that was too wide. So, the G003s fit the bill.

With about a 1,000 miles on these, here are my thoughts:

NVH - Very loud and noticeable almost as soon as you start to accelerate. If you've never had mud terrains, they're very loud at any speed. There's just no getting around it - those huge rugged tread blocks create an immediately noticeable hum as soon as you begin to drive the vehicle. That said, I think Yokohama did a good job at both limiting overall volume and perhaps most importantly, tailoring the inevitable noise into something that is quite tolerable. Here's the thing - after you get over the sudden jump in noise after the tire swap, you do get used to them. Volume increases with the speed of course, but what's interesting is that the tone of the noise also changes. Thus, at highway speeds, there's quite a bit of noise, but the tone of the noise is rather tolerable. I know this might sound like damning with faint praise, but as someone who's owned his fair share of off-road rigs, the noise characteristics of the G003 is really good. It's easy to drown out the tires at highway speeds with moderate volume from the radio - which is not typical of mud terrains, I assure you. Of course, this is subjective. If you're used to luxury car NNH, these will be deafening to you.

Driving characteristics: On-road - All of the typical mud terrain descriptions are apt here. These are heavy tires and you feel them instantly. It takes a very noticeable amount of additional pressure on the accelerator pedal to get the same acceleration you're used to on the stock 21s. I haven't driven a Rivian with the stock 20"s, so I can't comment there, but the 21"s feel positively feathery compared to this set. Similarly, braking and turning are more arduous. Where the Rivian feels competent and even mildly sporty on the 21"s, it feels positively clumsy with the off-road set. There's no spirited driving happening with these - if you come into a turn too hot, plowing understeer will show itself early and easily. Bumps, potholes, and frost heaves feel a bit harsher, too. That said, big potholes, large speed bumps and other major obstacles get swallowed up more confidently that with the 21"s. I'll admit that I'll go over some neighborhood speed bumps far faster than necessary just because it's just so easy to do. On the upside, there's none of the squirm or slop that has plagued mud terrains for so many decades here. These track nice and straight on the highway, which was a very pleasant surprise. There is a mild vibration through the steering wheel at highway speeds, but nothing too bad.

Driving characteristics: Off-road - Right off the bat, I'll admit that I haven't had a chance to truly test these yet, but I have done a few trails and they were excellent. I usually air down as a matter of habit, but haven't felt the need to do so yet with these. I've been on some moderately challenging stuff in the mountains that were plenty slick with snow and mud, but these had no trouble finding traction. They also appear to have very strong sidewalls, so I have plenty of confidence in them in the rugged stuff. We recently got nailed with 2 feet of snow on Thursday, and these tore through the snow in a comical fashion. With the Rivian at the "High" height and in Soft Sand and Rally, it mowed through the wet, heavy snow with tons of confidence. I was one of the few vehicles out on the road when the snow was over 18" and it truly felt like a mountain goat. With the aid of a trusty tow straps, I pulled three neighbors out of street and surely got a few more people considering a Rivian. I haven't been dumb enough to drive in mild snow as mud terrains are notoriously bad in those situations, so I can't comment there. But in snow that is deep and well, almost mud-like, these really shine.

Efficiency - Not great. I'm not someone who is laser-focused on efficiency (free charging at work + a large solar array at home + over 300 days of sunshine a year will do that), but coming from the 21"s, there is a noticeable drop in efficiency. It's tough to say how bad, though - my efficiency varies quite a bit with the 21"s if only because the temperature here in Denver does as well. We don't have the sustained misery that places in the northeast experience (I grew up in Buffalo for part of my childhood - I know winter intimately), so it's hard to give an efficiency approximation that isn't also greatly affected by our swinging temperatures. I'll say this - on 21"s in mild weather (say 50ish degrees) I get around 2.0 to 2.1 miles per kw. In freezing temperatures, I get around 1.6 miles per kw. With the mud terrains, I was getting about 1.7 miles per kw in 30 to 40 degree weather. That said, considering how heavy these things are, I'm relieved I wasn't getting sub 1.5 m/kw efficiency, even in freezing temps.

Rubbing - None, at least in normal height in everyday driving. Never had any instance of contact between the tire and inner fender, even when mowing through speed bumps at extra legal speeds. I've never driven on these tires in the low setting because, well, I'm not an idiot. In the included photos below, you'll see even at full crank, the wheels do not touch the fender lip in the low setting, if only barely. Still, that's a win for me.

Wheels - Since Atomic Wheels presented their lineup on this website, I've been a big fan of their ability to offer strong forged wheels at an affordable price. Even better, their wheels designs are handsome and look OEM like. I really love that none of their wheels scream "I'm in my 40s, twice divorced, and haven't figured out that pencil beards, Affliction shirts, and/or frosted tips will never make me the man I wished I was". So, big points there. For the money, I don't think there's a better wheel for our vehicles. Given that these wheels would see real trails, I was in no hurry to dump almost a full G per wheel on a set. I like the color options that Atomic offers, too - black wheels are so cliche at this point, so I love that they offer an honest-to-goodness silver/gray with their "Titan" color. I've always loved bronze wheels, and paired with the Forest Green, these look really great to my eye.

Overall - I'd buy the wheels and tires again. They do everything I wanted them to do - offer excellent off-road traction, even in muddy and snowy conditions. As a bonus, they track straight and true on the highway, and the the noise is tolerable. Thus, driving the hour or so to the trails is a drama-free experience.

 

[R.I.P.]

Plus 1 on the Atomics... Stayed with the boring ol Toyos here, but similar results based on your review.

 

[r1t_kev]

So meaty! Also, bronze is the proper color choice for FG. Looks awesome!

 

[Dark-Fx]

Driving characteristics: Off-road - Right off the bat, I'll admit that I haven't had a chance to truly test these yet, but I have done a few trails and they were excellent. I usually air down as a matter of habit, but haven't felt the need to do so yet with these. I've been on some moderately challenging stuff in the mountains that were plenty slick with snow and mud, but these had no trouble finding traction. They also appear to have very strong sidewalls, so I have plenty of confidence in them in the rugged stuff. We recently got nailed with 2 feet of snow on Thursday, and these tore through the snow in a comical fashion. With the Rivian at the "High" height and in Soft Sand and Rally, it mowed through the wet, heavy snow with tons of confidence. I was one of the few vehicles out on the road when the snow was over 18" and it truly felt like a mountain goat. With the aid of a trusty tow straps, I pulled three neighbors out of street and surely got a few more people considering a Rivian. I haven't been dumb enough to drive in mild snow as mud terrains are notoriously bad in those situations, so I can't comment there. But in snow that is deep and well, almost mud-like, these really shine.

Any rock crawling yet? My truck will completely tuck a tire up to the front wheel wells if it has most of the weight on that corner, even in "High". I had some witness marks on my fender liner when just running the stock 22" tires.

 

[FutureTruck]

Living the dream with a R1S on 35's in the Colorado mountains. Good for you man, good for you.

 

[Bob Steele]

I am a Land Rover guy. We use 1" - 2" lift rods on our vehicles when we need additional clearance in the wheel wells. However, those impact the ride comfort. Does anyone recommend or produce lift rods for Rivian? Is that a possibility?

Next possibility - the off road tire you select has a significant impact on the on road noise and off road capability. The side wall construction is a huge consideration when crawling rocks aired down. The tire you selected is very capable, and with that capability comes a lot of road noise. There are options that can quiet the on road noise quotient.

Here in Virginia, I run off road tires in the mud and soup. When I tackle Rocky Mountains and terrain out west, I run aggressive AT's. After decades of running trails in the west, I have found that an aggressive AT does better on the rocks of MOAB than my mud tires. However, my mud tires are very necessary here on the East Coast. I wouldn't suggest tackling Vermont, Maine or the NE and SE in anything but mud tires.

My two cents. I love your solution. Please let us know how your rig does on the rocks. Do you have those very important rock sliders installed? How can you not love the wildnerness in a Rivian?

 

[White Shadow]

Looks great....love it! Even if they aren't the most efficient set up, the look alone is worth it unless you're road tripping across the country and then I might think differently.

 

[White Shadow]

So meaty! Also, bronze is the proper color choice for FG. Looks awesome!

I would have loved to see a hyper silver (basically silver over a black base) color on these wheels. I can't tell the difference between the Satin Black and the Titan color on their website. It looks basically the same. So no lighter colors other than the Bronze.

 

[cgm9999]

Thanks for the compliments, guys! I just took them off because the 18" of snow I got on Thursday is all but gone, so back the 21"s go (side note: CO sun is the best!).

Any rock crawling yet? My truck will completely tuck a tire up to the front wheel wells if it has most of the weight on that corner, even in "High". I had some witness marks on my fender liner when just running the stock 22" tires.

Nothing approaching the limits yet. I wouldn't be surprised if they made contact, even if aired down in full articulation situations. That said, it's a trade off I'm willing to make.

Living the dream with a R1S on 35's in the Colorado mountains. Good for you man, good for you.

Yep, it's pretty great, not going to lie. I've lived all over the country (and some places overseas) and all things considered, CO is the best place I've ever lived.

I am a Land Rover guy. We use 1" - 2" lift rods on our vehicles when we need additional clearance in the wheel wells. However, those impact the ride comfort. Does anyone recommend or produce lift rods for Rivian? Is that a possibility?

I have to say, given the R1S' exceptional off-road geometry and stock 16ish" ground clearance, I don't think additional ride height would yield proportional gains in capability. Plus, the lift rods you speak of just put the vehicle in one higher setting than normal - meaning when in normal height, you'd be driving around in the high setting. To me, that trade off doesn't make a whole lot of sense given the compromise in suspension geometry in normal daily driving. Rivian put a lot of engineering into our vehicles - especially the suspension. Cruising around in a higher setting than normal seems like a step backwards in performance just for an additional inch of ground clearance in extreme situations. The wide performance envelope of our Rivian's is what makes them truly exception to me. Driving around in a higher setting takes away a lot of that sportiness that the suspension engineers baked into our vehicles IMO.

That said, lift rods are pretty easy to install and remove, so I suppose you could just throw them on whenever planning an off-road adventure. As far as I know, no such product exists, but supposedly DCE is developing some sort of lift system in the near future. It looks like it will be some kind of spacer, but I could be wrong.

Next possibility - the off road tire you select has a significant impact on the on road noise and off road capability. The side wall construction is a huge consideration when crawling rocks aired down. The tire you selected is very capable, and with that capability comes a lot of road noise. There are options that can quiet the on road noise quotient.

Definitely. None of those were considerations since I had no intentions of driving around on the street on a daily basis. If that was the case, by all means, there's no way I would have chosen mud terrains.

Here in Virginia, I run off road tires in the mud and soup. When I tackle Rocky Mountains and terrain out west, I run aggressive AT's. After decades of running trails in the west, I have found that an aggressive AT does better on the rocks of MOAB than my mud tires. However, my mud tires are very necessary here on the East Coast. I wouldn't suggest tackling Vermont, Maine or the NE and SE in anything but mud tires.

I have no doubt that that's the case. In my experience a mud terrain does a better job in very deep snow - especially if it's wet, like I used to get in Buffalo and the midwest. While Denver doesn't get much snow, there are times when we get dumped on (like a few days ago). Plus, while that snow generally melts off quickly in the metro, in the mountains, it can linger for weeks, if not months. I've had good luck in the past with mud terrains in the type of sloppy, wet snow on top of rutted, muddy trails, so that tipped the favor into the mud terrain camp.

My two cents. I love your solution. Please let us know how your rig does on the rocks. Do you have those very important rock sliders installed? How can you not love the wildnerness in a Rivian?

No extreme trails yet, but I'll chime in when I have experience to share. Part of the reason is, yes - no rock sliders yet. I'll be getting a set soon and when I do, I'll feel more comfortable tackling the advanced stuff.

 

[nomis]

I actually never knew tire sizes came in inches like that. But good to know a 290 series tire (metric) would fit the R1's. I am pretty surprised there isn't more of a poke at that size.

 

[pnwr1s]

I am a Land Rover guy. We use 1" - 2" lift rods on our vehicles when we need additional clearance in the wheel wells. However, those impact the ride comfort. Does anyone recommend or produce lift rods for Rivian? Is that a possibility?

I dont think the Rivian has external height sensors like JLR uses. I've had my wheels off and truck on a lift and didn't see anything like that. And also those are cosmetic only, dont' really add any functionality. Your wheel has to fit in the wheel well whether you have lift rods or not.

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