Aftermarket wheels efficiency

[NCRivian]

First time posting a thread here. I’ve been following along and commenting for a little while and have learned a ton from this forum. I have a 2023 R1t that I’ve had for 7 months now…by far the best vehicle I’ve ever owned. I have the 21” factory wheels and have gotten 31,000 miles so far with great efficiency. It’s time for new tires and I’ve been thinking about switching to a set of 20” rims for more tire options. The aftermarket 20” rims that I like all have an offset of 18-20. This would stick the tires out about 1-1/4” further than stock.

A few questions…

1. has Anyone done this? Pictures?

2. How much of a hit does the range take?

3. Is there any issue with debris killing theside of the truck?

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[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

First time posting a thread here. I’ve been following along and commenting for a little while and have learned a ton from this forum. I have a 2023 R1t that I’ve had for 7 months now…by far the best vehicle I’ve ever owned. I have the 21” factory wheels and have gotten 31,000 miles so far with great efficiency. It’s time for new tires and I’ve been thinking about switching to a set of 20” rims for more tire options. The aftermarket 20” rims that I like all have an offset of 18-20. This would stick the tires out about 1-1/4” further than stock.

A few questions…

1. has Anyone done this? Pictures?

2. How much of a hit does the range take?

3. Is there any issue with debris killing theside of the truck?

Face/disc of the wheels are not facing into direction of travel. They don't really impact efficiency on a road car and at speeds a road car is operated at. If you're talking about a 24 hour endurance racer, where every faction of a second and every drop of fuel counts, and at average speeds of well over 100 mph, then every advantage counts towards something. The R1 series is electronically limited to 115 mph. And most road cars' average speed, with mix of street and fwy travel, are typically in the 30s.

What will make more difference is your choice of tires, their rubber compound and rolling resistance.

 

[VSG]

He's talking about the aftermarket wheels having less offset, so the wheel/tire is pushed out from the side of the car. That DOES make the wheel/tire stick out into the airflow.

 

[NCRivian]

He's talking about the aftermarket wheels having less offset, so the wheel/tire is pushed out from the side of the car. That DOES make the wheel/tire stick out into the airflow.

Exactly! I’m good with 10% drop or so. Just don’t want it to be too extreme.

 

[Riviot]

1. has Anyone done this? Pictures?

2. How much of a hit does the range take?

3. Is there any issue with debris killing theside of the truck?

1. Yes, Ram 2363s. Search the forum, there's a few threads on it.+18 offset, definitely sticks out.

2. You'll get more hit from the cold, AT vs AS, etc than from the extra drag. I've wondered myself, and built a set of 2363s with AS. I'll be testing these in spring when it's time to swap (maybe in January if I hit 6k miles, almost at 3k now and have a road trip this weekend).
-20" Rivian staple wheels w/ Pirelli AS+3 275/60R20
-20" Ram 2363 wheels w/ Pirelli AS+3 275/60R20
-20" Ram 2363 wheels w/ Falken Wildpeak AT3W 275/60R20

3. No more than normal after the swap on muddy FS roads. We'll see how bad snowy roads do it next week!

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

^ as I said… Tires make a bigger difference. Aero isn’t a significant factor until high speeds.

 

[NCRivian]

1. Yes, Ram 2363s. Search the forum, there's a few threads on it.+18 offset, definitely sticks out.

2. You'll get more hit from the cold, AT vs AS, etc than from the extra drag. I've wondered myself, and built a set of 2363s with AS. I'll be testing these in spring when it's time to swap (maybe in January if I hit 6k miles, almost at 3k now and have a road trip this weekend).
-20" Rivian staple wheels w/ Pirelli AS+3 275/60R20
-20" Ram 2363 wheels w/ Pirelli AS+3 275/60R20
-20" Ram 2363 wheels w/ Falken Wildpeak AT3W 275/60R20

3. No more than normal after the swap on muddy FS roads. We'll see how bad snowy roads do it next week!

Thanks! I’ve seen the other threads with the ram wheels, I just didn’t notice anyone saying what the range hit was, if any. The powder coated ram wheels actually look really nice!

 

[Riviot]

Thanks! I’ve seen the other threads with the ram wheels, I just didn’t notice anyone saying what the range hit was, if any. The powder coated ram wheels actually look really nice!

Yep, they're much chunkier in person than in pics! I'm a big fan.

Over the stock 20" AT wheels/tires, it's about a 2% efficiency drop. But I also went with smaller diameter, which helped minimize the drop. More data to come!

 

[R.I.P.]

The shape, face and openings in your wheel make a difference at freeway speeds. Sometimes a significant difference.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a30169467/tesla-model-3s-aero-wheel-covers-efficiency-test/

In tests I have seen, there is a three to five percent hit going from a good aero wheel to a better looking offset wheel when tested at normal freeway speeds.

Vehicle wheels account for significant turbulence, and can be a source of drag. Many modern vehicles, including Rivian, have an aero curtain that helps smooth this turbulence. That is the slot by the fog lights that directs the air over the wheels behind it. A wheel that sticks out farther is going to affect, and even completely negate this feature.

I have a set of wheels and tires that I use for local and off-road use, that get significantly lower efficiency than the highly tuned stock 21s with their smooth covers. For local travel, I don't care.

But when I am making long trips across the Mexican desert where range really matters, those 21s and the aero covers go back on the rig.
?

 

[Jakelake]

I have the original 21 Inch Rivian wheels and tires and averaged 2.48 mi/kwh. over 6000 miles. Swapped them for 2363 20 inch wheels with WildPeak tires. After 900 miles my average is 1.83 mi/kwh. About a 25% decrease in range. I think the loss is a combination of tires and cold temps, mostly tires.

 

[NCRivian]

The shape, face and openings in your wheel make a difference at freeway speeds. Sometimes a significant difference.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a30169467/tesla-model-3s-aero-wheel-covers-efficiency-test/

In tests I have seen, there is a three to five percent hit going from a good aero wheel to a better looking offset wheel when tested at normal freeway speeds.

Vehicle wheels account for significant turbulence, and can be a source of drag. Many modern vehicles, including Rivian, have an aero curtain that helps smooth this turbulence. That is the slot by the fog lights that directs the air over the wheels behind it. A wheel that sticks out farther is going to affect, and even completely negate this feature.

I have a set of wheels and tires that I use for local and off-road use, that get significantly lower efficiency than the highly tuned stock 21s with their smooth covers. For local travel, I don't care.

But when I am making long trips across the Mexican desert where range really matters, those 21s and the aero covers go back on the rig.
?

Thanks for the info! I do love my range with the 21’s, but I’m excited about a tougher look with 20’s.

 

[NCRivian]

I have the original 21 Inch Rivian wheels and tires and averaged 2.48 mi/kwh. over 6000 miles. Swapped them for 2363 20 inch wheels with WildPeak tires. After 900 miles my average is 1.83 mi/kwh. About a 25% decrease in range. I think the loss is a combination of tires and cold temps, mostly tires.

That’s a BIG drop! I’m hoping 1/2 of that is the cold weather and the other half wheels/tires.

 

[SSteveEV]

Small sample size but with similar weather my X-Ice on the RAM wheels is roughly the same as stock 20" AT. Commute uses 20% of battery still but have only done a single round trip to compare.

 

[Riviot]

I have a set of wheels and tires that I use for local and off-road use, that get significantly lower efficiency than the highly tuned stock 21s with their smooth covers. For local travel, I don't care.

But when I am making long trips across the Mexican desert where range really matters, those 21s and the aero covers go back on the rig.
?

It's all about risk tolerance with the reward of "more" miles. We're about to head east across 3 passes this weekend, and the weather looks good enough for AS tires, it's tempting me to switch! Alas, right after Christmas it's predicting snow/rain/ice on the return. Having the Wildpeaks gives me more confidence swerving away from the out of control chained up Prius (happened last winter), even if it means charging for a little longer.

I have the original 21 Inch Rivian wheels and tires and averaged 2.48 mi/kwh. over 6000 miles. Swapped them for 2363 20 inch wheels with WildPeak tires. After 900 miles my average is 1.83 mi/kwh. About a 25% decrease in range. I think the loss is a combination of tires and cold temps, mostly tires.

Try driving down to like 20% then timing your charge to finish right before you leave the next day, I suggest 85% for the test. This should get your battery above 70°F and show significant improvement. I've been testing the last couple weeks, all my efficiency change has come from battery temp.

I controlled for wet weather by only looking on dry days, kept heat at 74°F and lowest fan after preheating wheel/seats/cab before leaving then hit reset. External temp didn't seem to change much. With normal charging to 70% an hour before leaving (TOU rates), days with battery in the 50s were 1.8s, 60s were 1.9s, and 70s were 2.0. With a 100% charge for a 200 mile round trip last week, my battery started at 89°F and loved it! Even with heat going, electric heaters, and a couple launch tests with friends in the truck, I got over 2 mi/kWh.

 

[elektrode]

I have the original 21 Inch Rivian wheels and tires and averaged 2.48 mi/kwh. over 6000 miles.

Wow! That’s really great efficiency (compared to me at least). What does your typical drive look like?

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