Driving on wet roads in conserve mode

[JoelD]

This seems like a gross misuse of Conserve mode. You should be driving like granny in the right lane behind a cement truck before reaching for the Conserve setting. Or are you just bad at route planning / afraid of public chargers and the public in general / too impatient to wait a few extra minutes by driving slower or charging more often / too cheap to pay anything but utility rates for electricity at home.

I use conserve mode any time I’m on the highway, and while I don’t stay behind the cement truck, I do spend more time out of the left lane than in it. I don’t “punch” in conserve, but I’ve always found it has plenty of speed to pass on a 4 lane or even 2 lane highway. I use all purpose around town, and sand mode to drive on the beach…

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[johnstuder]

We have a 2018 Pacifica Hybrid for the other vehicle. Front wheel drive, heavy, and more torque at standstill than many vehicles this heavy. I've found that tires need rotation by 5k miles. Very noticeable wear difference when we wait till 10k. I assume the Rivian will also wear the fronts pretty hard vs many other vehicles due to weight and torque. And keep in mind that the front tires are always doing 60%+ of the breaking.

 

[Iwannarivian]

Have had the R1S now for a few months and overall, amazing. As our roads here in PNW are now in wet mode for the next 5 months, I've learned that you need to completely change how you accelerate and rely on hard regen braking IF you want to continue to use the conserve mode. I find that I need to baby things as I accelerate, and when going downhill, the high regenerative braking causes a bit of slippage b/c it's such an aggressive brake.

Maybe this is just whining and you all who actually know how to drive well are rolling your eyes. But I guess my point is, when it's cold and range becomes an issue, conserve mode is more valuable. But even simple accelerations in this (conserve mode) on wet roads is tricky and I'm very nervous when I need to rely on decent acceleration when merging. Maybe it's also b/c I have the 22" tires (wanted the 21s but we all know that issue) as well, but still, just wondering if this is frustrating for others. I really don't have a point here other than seeing if I'm not alone and wondering if 'wet road' could be an option where regen drops to low and it can toggle quickly between 2 and 4 wheel drive modes.

If range is that big an issue, why not just switch between drive modes (all-purpose/conserve) after accelerating from a stop? Also, decrease regen to aid in braking while in conserve mode.

 

[blturner]

But again, that's true of every front-wheel drive vehicle, and there are many other high-performance front-wheel drive vehicles on the road that don't see excessive wear. These arguments aren't specific to the Rivian. And while the Rivian is heavier than most, the tires are rated for the extra weight. The fact that Rivian is replacing your tires means that your situation is not "expected" - if this was normal expected wear and tear then you would be paying for those new tires on your own.

I can second that front wheel drive cars are harder on the front tires. I have had tire dealers tell me that. I have driven cars where we(Mom and me) only replaced the front tires because the rears had too much life left to throw away. It only takes like one tire rotation at the midpoint of tire life to balance the wear. More often is better. I do think it is a well known fact that this happens. Not sure why you'r so strongly countering.

Godfodder0901 even posted this link that says the same thing.
https://www.tirebuyer.com/education...which allows for front to rear tire rotations.

But all of that still would not explain only getting 8,000 miles out of them. The loose bolt recall might. Having the front end out of alignment would.

But back to the OPs question. I have not had my Rivian ever really spin it's wheels. Except on a gravel road when I turned off stability. Just some chirps here and there. We are getting snow tonight so I will try getting on it in conserve tomorrow and see if I can see any of the issues you described. If you have not had the recall bolt torque check I would get right on that as what you describe is a possible symptom. Reminds me I should recheck mine.

 

[eddybarckx]

I can second that front wheel drive cars are harder on the front tires. I have had tire dealers tell me that. I have driven cars where we(Mom and me) only replaced the front tires because the rears had too much life left to throw away. It only takes like one tire rotation at the midpoint of tire life to balance the wear. More often is better. I do think it is a well known fact that this happens. Not sure why you'r so strongly countering.

Godfodder0901 even posted this link that says the same thing.
https://www.tirebuyer.com/education...which allows for front to rear tire rotations.

But all of that still would not explain only getting 8,000 miles out of them. The loose bolt recall might. Having the front end out of alignment would.

But back to the OPs question. I have not had my Rivian ever really spin it's wheels. Except on a gravel road when I turned off stability. Just some chirps here and there. We are getting snow tonight so I will try getting on it in conserve tomorrow and see if I can see any of the issues you described. If you have not had the recall bolt torque check I would get right on that as what you describe is a possible symptom. Reminds me I should recheck mine.

Great point on the torque issue- mine was repaired a few weeks back and issues remain. And appreciate everyone's comments on tire rotation/wear. I keep saying to myself- 'while you're going to pay a ton for tires, you're saving on brake pads/calibers and fuel (ish) costs.' Doubt those offset but it's something?

 

[Zorg]

Front induction motor plus rear permanent is a better solution for efficiency. The front motor free wheels when no power is applied and power can be applied at any moment for handling. Oh well.

 

[Cactus]

Just the same as rear tires wear out faster on RWD a car unless you rotate them so they wear evenly.

 

[blturner]

Just the same as rear tires wear out faster on RWD a car unless you rotate them so they wear evenly.

Wear is more balanced on a RWD unless you have a lot of power. The front and rear wear differently so rotation still extends life. My teacher covered this in high school auto class back in the eighties. That all is a bit faint in my memories 30+ years later.

 

[Cactus]

Yep. EVs have lots of power/torque and are heavy. If I ever get my R1S, I plan to leave it in all purpose mode most of the time except highway cruising.

 

[Kidentist]

We had 2 Honda Pilots before our Q7, and these are front wheel biased cars. I distinctly remember that both had more wear on the front tires over time. Just anecdotal TBH.

 

[IdahoNativeNate]

Have had the R1S now for a few months and overall, amazing. As our roads here in PNW are now in wet mode for the next 5 months, I've learned that you need to completely change how you accelerate and rely on hard regen braking IF you want to continue to use the conserve mode. I find that I need to baby things as I accelerate, and when going downhill, the high regenerative braking causes a bit of slippage b/c it's such an aggressive brake.

Maybe this is just whining and you all who actually know how to drive well are rolling your eyes. But I guess my point is, when it's cold and range becomes an issue, conserve mode is more valuable. But even simple accelerations in this (conserve mode) on wet roads is tricky and I'm very nervous when I need to rely on decent acceleration when merging. Maybe it's also b/c I have the 22" tires (wanted the 21s but we all know that issue) as well, but still, just wondering if this is frustrating for others. I really don't have a point here other than seeing if I'm not alone and wondering if 'wet road' could be an option where regen drops to low and it can toggle quickly between 2 and 4 wheel drive modes.

22's are the real culprit. Get some winter rated tires. You'll thank me later.

 

[madgrey]

I'm driving in the PNW on 22"s in All-Purpose mode around town and I am happy with how my R1T handles wet roads, the traction is better than my previous full-time 4WD system that tended to slip a bit when accelerating out of corners. It's better than my wife's Wrangler in either 2 or 4WD mode. I limit my conserve mode usage to longer trips. I have not driven in snow yet... but the Wrangler will be my go to when it gets deep.

Your right foot has an influence in your tire wear... fast acceration and hard braking. Your left foot is generally innocent sitting on the dead pedal or operating a clutch.

Front tires take a large portion of load when braking, drive tires take a large portion of the load when accelerating. It's not complicated. I monitor my tires closely and rotate them as needed, if possible. I've owned vehicles with staggered, directional tires that could not be rotated and pretty much always wore out rear drive tires a bit faster.

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