The Rivian R1T and R1S are both super cool electric vehicles, offering huge power, impressive range and distinctive styling. They aren’t cheap, but if you can afford one, we suspect you’ll find it’s an absolute hoot to drive. Sadly, no vehicle is perfect, and apparently, one downside of owning a Rivian is that they tend to eat through tires much faster than you’d expect given that the Pirellis they come with from the factory are warrantied for up to 50,000 miles.
According to The Drive, owners have been complaining on Rivian forums that their tires, specifically their front tires, haven’t lasted as long as they expected. At least one owner claims to have had to replace theirs after only 6,000 miles. Considering they’re large EVs with big, heavy batteries, it’s not surprising to hear that tires wear out faster than they would if they were installed on, say, a Mazda Miata. But there’s more going on here than the fact that the R1T is heavy.
As it turns out, this excessive front tire wear can likely be tied back to Rivian’s “Conserve” drive mode. In order to maximize range, when you switch to Conserve, your Rivian switches from four-wheel drive to front-wheel drive and lowers the ride height. Sending more than 400 hp to the front wheels in a truck that weighs more than 7,000 lbs is bound to increase tire wear, but it appears that lowering the suspension also causes problems.
Apparently, the lowest ride height causes toe-in and more negative camber, which can accelerate and also cause uneven tire wear. According to one owner who drove in Conserve mode for 6,000 miles, the front tires lost an entire millimeter more than the rears. Which seems bad but also explains why Rivian has reportedly told owners not to use Conserve mode over long distances. Owners have also reported issues with the stock alignment.
So, essentially, Conserve mode gives you better range, but the changes that improve range also wear through tires faster. It’s a tradeoff that owners will need to weigh for themselves, although, as The Drive points out, owners who want to maximize range while minimizing treadwear can also get a more toe-out alignment that will help preserve their tires while driving in Conserve mode. Rotating tires regularly can also help. But ultimately, there’s no getting around the fact that you’re driving something that weighs as much as three Miatas.
