[Cocowiss]

Hey guys,

I would like to hear your opinions about tire sizes and what's best.
In my case, I will not do any off road neither the roads where I live have potholes, but I really like the look of 20 inch wheels. So now, I would like to understand few things like:
1 - If we compare 20 inch size with with 22 inch size, does the latter offer less comfort? The sidewall is 65mm vs 50mm
2 - Turning capacity. I do not drive on crazy speeds, but I was wondering if turning with 20 inch wheels is perhaps much worse than with 22 inch wheels.
3 - Does 20 inch wheels for pavement driving only, seems a bit like, let's say, not too smart?

I do not like 21 inch wheels because of the design.

Also, does anybody consider that Rivian can be a "new" Range Rover sort of brand? It will be cool to have a wide range selection of different SUV sizes.


Looking forward to hear your opinions!

 

[SANZCO2]

Hey guys,

I would like to hear your opinions about tire sizes and what's best.
In my case, I will not do any off road neither the roads where I live have potholes, but I really like the look of 20 inch wheels. So now, I would like to understand few things like:
1 - If we compare 20 inch size with with 22 inch size, does the latter offer less comfort? The sidewall is 65mm vs 50mm
2 - Turning capacity. I do not drive on crazy speeds, but I was wondering if turning with 20 inch wheels is perhaps much worse than with 22 inch wheels.
3 - Does 20 inch wheels for pavement driving only, seems a bit like, let's say, not too smart?

I do not like 21 inch wheels because of the design.

Also, does anybody consider that Rivian can be a "new" Range Rover sort of brand? It will be cool to have a wide range selection of different SUV sizes.


Looking forward to hear your opinions!

Most people will tell you that the smaller sidewalls have a less comfortable ride then the larger ones. In my personal experience on a Mini Cooper going from a 17 inch rim to a 19 inch rim and on a Tahoe going from a 20 inch rim to a 24 inch rim, I never really noticed the rougher ride. I did notice MPG degradation for both but not as bad I was expecting.

For the Rivian, the 21s are the ones with the middle of the road handling and based on Rivian will give you the best range. I've setup my order with the 22s, they are supposed to provide the best performance on the road and give the quickest 0-60 times.

 

[Angus]

I am also ordering the 22s on my R1S. The air ride suspension should mitigate any noticeable ride degradation from the decreased sidewalls.

 

[Wildabeest]

20” should give a slightly better ride, but the AT tire will likely be louder. If they are too loud, then you could go with AS tires whenever they need replaced. If you drive in snow at all, the 20” AT will be better for that as well.

22” is going to give you more “stickiness” when cornering. Potentially be quieter with to AS tires.

If the factors above don’t differentiate enough for you, then just go with whichever one you think looks better. Both options will be more than adequate for your needs. Personally, I think the R1T looks best with 20” and R1S looks best with 21” or 22”.

 

[Cocowiss]

Thanks everybody, I have a better idea now!

 

[recheverria]

I like the 22" design the best, and believe that the sidewall is sufficient given that the tires are 275/50 R22 (other cars such as BMW X7 come with 275/40 R22). The 20" wheel design is the one I like the least (although the R1T option is now available, which is nicer), but probably the one to get for true off-roading. The 21" tire has the issue that it's a custom size (275/55 R21) that only Pirelli will make, which means that at least at first there won't be other options.

 

[Cocowiss]

I like the 22" design the best, and believe that the sidewall is sufficient given that the tires are 275/50 R22 (other cars such as BMW X7 come with 275/40 R22). The 20" wheel design is the one I like the least (although the R1T option is now available, which is nicer), but probably the one to get for true off-roading. The 21" tire has the issue that it's a custom size (275/55 R21) that only Pirelli will make, which means that at least at first there won't be other options.

The tires that you have mentioned on X7, with that tiny sidewall, I personally don't understand and also dislike the look of them, especially on a big SUV. There is no visual balance.
I'm glad that Rivian chose to go with at least 50mm.

 

[Griz]

In my experience, the bigger the wheel diameter the stiffer the ride, because of the shorter, stiffer tire sidewalls. It's simply a matter of physics. The stiffer the tire, the stiffer the ride. Duh.

 

[Angus]

In my experience, the bigger the wheel diameter the stiffer the ride, because of the shorter, stiffer tire sidewalls. It's simply a matter of physics. The stiffer the tire, the stiffer the ride. Duh.

How many of those vehicles had air suspension?

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

In my experience, the bigger the wheel diameter the stiffer the ride, because of the shorter, stiffer tire sidewalls. It's simply a matter of physics. The stiffer the tire, the stiffer the ride. Duh.

I think that's an over-simplification.

On my current vehicle, the 21" wheel option rode considerably better than the 19" or 20" options. Width and tire model play a part in that, as well as the tuning of the suspension.

 

[lisabill]

For tire neophytes (like me) there is a good tutorial at All-Terrain vs All-Season Tires: Differences Explained - The Vehicle Lab that explains the pros and cons of all season vs. all terrain types of tires. Also, Rivians are being offered with specialized tires from Pirelli. (Details at Pirelli tires tailor made for Rivian )

While I have been debating which tire to go with, I’ll probably settle on 21-inch all season tires for the following reasons.

About 99.5% of my driving will be on pavement - 0.5% off road. The off road portion requires at least 8-inch road clearance and encounters some rocks. (For some really wild off roading in a Rivian please see

for R1Ts traversing Colorado’s infamous Black Bear Pass. I think Black Bear got it’s licks in at about 9:04 in the video. I will not be taking anything I own over that “road”! And if you want to see what happens if things don’t go according to plan, see

)

We do have significant snow in the winter, and the all terrains would be much better here. (And there’s 900 vertical feet of curving mountain road between where I live and the grocery store.) The price that Rivian charges for the AT tires seems excessive. If the all terrains were only $500 (or less) more than the 21-inch all seasons, for me at least, it would tip the scales in favor of the all terrain tires.

 

[Gwen]

Hey guys,

I would like to hear your opinions about tire sizes and what's best.
In my case, I will not do any off road neither the roads where I live have potholes, but I really like the look of 20 inch wheels. So now, I would like to understand few things like:
1 - If we compare 20 inch size with with 22 inch size, does the latter offer less comfort? The sidewall is 65mm vs 50mm
2 - Turning capacity. I do not drive on crazy speeds, but I was wondering if turning with 20 inch wheels is perhaps much worse than with 22 inch wheels.
3 - Does 20 inch wheels for pavement driving only, seems a bit like, let's say, not too smart?

I do not like 21 inch wheels because of the design.

Also, does anybody consider that Rivian can be a "new" Range Rover sort of brand? It will be cool to have a wide range selection of different SUV sizes.


Looking forward to hear your opinions!

Hi. We live in a landscape with mostly gravel roads and some rough terrain. Talked with our mechanic, who is trustworthy and has helped us save tons of $ by not replacing tires constantly on sharp rock roads. He highly recommends that we go with 20-inch wheels because there the only ones that we can get with multi-ply tires. We definitely need multi-ply tires out here. Hope this is helpful.

Gwen

 

[48stinger]

Hey guys,

I would like to hear your opinions about tire sizes and what's best.
In my case, I will not do any off road neither the roads where I live have potholes, but I really like the look of 20 inch wheels. So now, I would like to understand few things like:
1 - If we compare 20 inch size with with 22 inch size, does the latter offer less comfort? The sidewall is 65mm vs 50mm
2 - Turning capacity. I do not drive on crazy speeds, but I was wondering if turning with 20 inch wheels is perhaps much worse than with 22 inch wheels.
3 - Does 20 inch wheels for pavement driving only, seems a bit like, let's say, not too smart?

I do not like 21 inch wheels because of the design.

Also, does anybody consider that Rivian can be a "new" Range Rover sort of brand? It will be cool to have a wide range selection of different SUV sizes.


Looking forward to hear your opinions!

Just a comment on the sidewall height you mentioned. The 65 and 50 numbers are a percentage of the tire width (275mm). The 65 represents a sidewall height of .65 X 275 = 179mm height. The 50 is 0.50 X 275 = 138mm height