Current thinking on R1S 20" AS vs. 22" Sport

[B Digs]

Dumb question here... I have the stock OEM Pirelli 20's (34") and a full size spare. If I switch to the Goodyear 20's (33") can I keep the Pirelli on the spare and run in an emergency or will the different radius cause problems with the drive system? Wondering how this works with the R1S and doughnut... maybe not an issue? Thanks.

Good question! Mixing tire sizes can affect traction control and drivetrain performance, especially on AWD systems. In an emergency, the spare might get you to safety, but it’s not ideal. If you're switching to Goodyears, I’d recommend replacing the spare too—it also gives you the option for 5-tire rotations as @UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan mentioned. Alternatively, a can of fix-a-flat sealant could help in a pinch.

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[B Digs]

How’s the noise with the Goodyears? I’ve driven loaners with the stock 20” AT and the ride is much louder than with the stock 22” Sport.

I’m very happy with the noise performance of the Goodyears. Others have also had positive feedback.

 

[emoore]

I have a gen 1 R1T with the 21” wheels. I like the range but hate the tire options since there are only 2. Would the Goodyear AS 20” wheels get me the same range as the 21s?

 

[140 degrees]

Dumb question here... I have the stock OEM Pirelli 20's (34") and a full size spare. If I switch to the Goodyear 20's (33") can I keep the Pirelli on the spare and run in an emergency or will the different radius cause problems with the drive system? Wondering how this works with the R1S and doughnut... maybe not an issue? Thanks.

I have two sets of rims and tires, the OEM 20s and 21s. I use one of the alternate set as a spare. I had the same question about whether the drive system would object with an odd tire installed.

I had need of the spare a few months ago, so I installed and drove for a couple of days with the mismatch. I didn't push the limits, but did a mixture of city and highway driving. I didn't have any problems and the truck didn't throw any error messages. YMMV

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

How’s the noise with the Goodyears? I’ve driven loaners with the stock 20” AT and the ride is much louder than with the stock 22” Sport.

Louder noise is a given with all-terrain class of tires. Some more or less than others within the same class. Multiple reports/post on this site from users of the Goodyears say they are much quieter than the larger Pirelli Scorpion AT. Goodyear markets it as a AT, but it's really a AS/AT hybrid. @B Digs designed it specifically to be the happy medium between the two classes of tires—more off-pavement capability than a AS, quieter and more efficient than a AT.

 

[drive2ski]

Hi, I’m an engineer at Goodyear and worked with Rivian to design the Terriitory AT for the R1. I’m very happy with the performance of the tire on my personal R1T dual max performance (Gen 1). Others have also had great feedback on this tire. I think you’d be very pleased with how this tire performs on the vehicle.

Thank for working on such an important piece of gear for us. The feedback on this seems really positive. I’m wondering why Rivian does not carry this balanced option through the lineup more consistently. I guess full on sport or full on AT are perceived as more premium than a well rounded option. Maybe if they did though there would be fewer complaints of rough rides and road noise.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Thank for working on such an important piece of gear for us. The feedback on this seems really positive. I’m wondering why Rivian does not carry this balanced option through the lineup more consistently. I guess full on sport or full on AT are perceived as more premium than a well rounded option. Maybe if they did though there would be fewer complaints of rough rides and road noise.

Huh? Rivian's intent was to offer a option for all tastes, from mild urban focus to a bit of everything, to off-pavement focus. There's no such thing as a magic tire that serves all of those tastes in one tire, to the max possible performance in each conditions/uses.

 

[drive2ski]

Always going to be a variety of opinions - I’d recommend finding some friendly owners who would take you out and see the difference.

I personally like how the lower sidewalls feel for most driving - the 22s… I do have snows setup on 20s and have been impressed at how well they ride - but prefer the 22s.

The diff may not be as extreme as all purpose to sport, but I’d say ~ similar: cornering a bit sharper, a little less float when pushing it a little harder etc etc.

Loads of happy drivers running 20s on AT tires full time too!

Thank you for the input - has the ride in the 22s substantially improved with the latest SW updates to the suspension?

 

[drive2ski]

Huh? Rivian's intent was to offer a option for all tastes, from mild urban focus to a bit of everything, to off-pavement focus.

True , but that AS option is highly limited to certain builds and availability.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

True , but that AS option is highly limited to certain builds and availability.

Production is batched, based on logistics of parts supply. Most similar batched together, to reduce complexity on the lines and to optimize production efficiency. What is most available in inventory comes and goes. What options are most common today, may not be the following month.

 

[drive2ski]

Go watch Kyle Conner on Out of Spec Reviews on YouTube. He just posted a video of an R1S on the stock 20” tires and he’s ripping it up around the track on those AT’s. He seemed very impressed by the performance of the 20” tires.

Great video and thanks for linking it. Street performance seems more than adequate and I wonder how the full on AT setup would handle the same input.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Great video and thanks for linking it. Street performance seems more than adequate and I wonder how the full on AT setup would handle the same input.

The 275/65R20 ATs of the all-terrain package are 34.1" in diameter. More sidewall means more lateral deflection when turned aggressively. So compared to the 275/50R22, if you were to drive the two back-to-back, steering response wouldn't be as immediate. That's not to say you can't drive aggressively on a canyon road with ATs. You still can. The R1's trick suspension keeps the body relatively flat and planted. You will not be careening around corners like a cartoon. The ATs have tons of grip and the R1's center of mass is much lower than any other ICE of the same size and weight. I have the ATs, I never once felt it drove like a slug. And my other car is a sports car. Guess which I drive more for fun? Not the latter.

Don't overthink it, especially when you have to take delivery before lease credit expires. Determine your most likely use and choose accordingly. Or just pull the trigger. The suspension is so good that no matter which tire option you end up with, you'll find yourself thinking "this is a 7k lb vehicle?!" And if you end up not liking the choice, you can always sell and buy another set of wheels/tires. You're not signing a blood oath to stick with what's delivered.

 

[SkiDoc]

I just swapped from AS 22’s to Pirelli At 20’s to the 33” Goodyear 20’s.

my thoughts
22 AS. slightly better handling, sharper bumps. Not 3pms rated. Quiet, good range

20 Pirelli AT. Loud, ok handling, softer bumps. 10-15% range loss. Wouldn’t make it to Truckee on a single charge during winter (noise and range makes these a dealbreaker for me)

20 Goodyear AT /AS. Back to quiet-maybe a bit more than the 22 AS. Handles and ride about the same as the 20 AT. Range about the same as the AS tires-back to 300+ miles. Also 3pms.

I have a Gen1 quad. Drive in AP except for long highway trips. Ski around 30 days a season. I’m happy with the current setup of 20 wheels and Goodyear tires.

Additional tips. Americas tire will price match online and email a quote with an order link. Rivian allows me to change the wheels and select the Goodyear tire on the tire change screen. This changes the graphic (only on the screen, not the app) and update the range prediction

 

[Seano]

Thank you for the input - has the ride in the 22s substantially improved with the latest SW updates to the suspension?

This is a tougher answer - so many factors here. I like a pretty taught suspension... sports cars and high perf suv's. I personally never compared the S to the T - but suspect much of the complaints were due to wheelbase differences and pretty firm settings for the suspension. I feel something that is very reminiscent to BMW - sort of a rear bounce of the bump stops feeling - which others may have never experienced.

The settings have all changed pretty dramatically - so I when I drive in all purpose, I now set it to firm and Sport on firm low... can't say those feel different than before. I think prior default or standard settings were pretty firm and may not have had "moderate" to select from? Can't honestly remember.

If you come from the world of cars or Mercedes SUV (non AMG) or Cadillac/Denalli or even RR not in sport mode, Rivian is going to feel firm and "bouncy". If you tend to drive M / AMG / S / Sport versions of vehicles, you'll probably feel right at home.

 

[drive2ski]

The 275/65R20 ATs of the all-terrain package are 34.1" in diameter. More sidewall means more lateral deflection when turned aggressively. So compared to the 275/50R22, if you were to drive the two back-to-back, steering response wouldn't be as immediate. That's not to say you can't drive aggressively on a canyon road with ATs. You still can. The R1's trick suspension keeps the body relatively flat and planted. You will not be careening around corners like a cartoon. The ATs have tons of grip and the R1's center of mass is much lower than any other ICE of the same size and weight. I have the ATs, I never once felt it drove like a slug. And my other car is a sports car. Guess which I drive more for fun? Not the latter.

Don't overthink it, especially when you have to take delivery before lease credit expires. Determine your most likely use and choose accordingly. Or just pull the trigger. The suspension is so good that no matter which tire option you end up with, you'll find yourself thinking "this is a 7k lb vehicle?!" And if you end up not liking the choice, you can always sell and buy another set of wheels/tires. You're not signing a blood oath to stick with what's delivered.

Appreciate this! I've ordered the 2025 DMP w/ 20" AS, Silver, and Prem Sound. Seems like a really good fit and value for us, confirmed by all the thoughtful comments on this thread.

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