Porpoising R1S Gen 2

[Hillbilly]

My wife's R1S makes me nauseous unless it's set to firm. Her vehicle rides very differently from my R1T

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[jpmc86]

IT was a condition for Gen1. I have yet to notice porpoising for our Gen2 R1S after about 7k miles.


I suspect there is something up here swell.


That's odd. I don't have that at all.

Purposing was still there for me, and I drove a dual motor and a Tri motor.

 

[SeaGeo]

Purposing was still there for me, and I drove a dual motor and a Tri motor.

I mean, I had a quad Gen1 R1S, and have a Gen1 R1T still in addition to my Gen2 R1S. The porpoising that was on my Gen1 does not exist, and my Gen2 is not worse than my R1T. Every vehicle will have some degree of body movement, but I haven't experienced anything like the porpoising that the Gen1 R1S was known for. Not sure what's causing the difference.

 

[jpmc86]

Maybe something is off excessively on your gen1. On my gen1 and on the gen2 I’ve driven, they feel about the same.

There are multiple reviews of gen2 saying likewise. Like I said before, there is no amount of dampener tuning that will negate the short wheelbase the R1S suffers from.

 

[HaveBlue]

Make sure the tires are at 50psi.

 

[MountainBikeDude]

I'm 3 weeks into Gen 2 R1S ownership after 14 months of Gen 1 R1S ownership, and at least for me, porpoising has been significantly reduced, but perhaps not entirely eliminated.

What I'm careful to distinguish between is true porpoising - a front to back, back to front bouncing motion - versus a more uniform bouncing motion that is still inherent in an air suspension. The former to me has been vastly improved/eliminated.

Currently driving a Gen 1 R1S loaner and the porpoising has been significantly reduced from the one I drive earlier in the year. I think that's thanks to the suspension software tuning update in September? It's not as good as my T, but it's a marginal difference. I do feel the porpoising issue has been overblown, but I am glad Rivian has and continues to listen to customers as they dial it in.

 

[meshugy]

I have a Gen 1 Quad, bought it after the suspension update so I can’t comment on the original issue. However, when driving through the Alaska tunnel in Seattle I do notice some mild porpoising. There’s a long stretch of rhythmic humps that cause the vehicle to oscillate. Nothing terrible, but I did notice it and I don’t remember my ICE cars having this issue in the tunnel.

 

[DayTripping]

I went with a Gen1 R1T rather Gen1 or 2 R1S because of the porpoising. While the G2 R1S's were better than the G1's, it still was an issue on the roads I drove. My wife on our test drive of a G1 R1S basically said H3LL no to buying it even though she wanted an SUV. I couldn't get her to drive a G2.

I ended up buying a G1 R1T and she has been very happy. We have streets that I think exacerbate the issue, add a heavy throttle foot (mine) and she was not a happy camper. I drove a few G2 R1S's to check out the heat pump and dual motor power train and could see the improvement but there was no way my wife would have ridden for more than about 15 minutes in it.

I live in the DFW area. In Florida, she might have been fine. We have some fairly sharp bumps that just pitched the R1S a lot more than my R1T.

@OP - I hope you get it sorted out.

 

[Dave Cundiff]

You all seem so far ahead of me that I did a Web search to figure out specifically what you're discussing. What I found reminds me of the old adage that "if you're not confused, you're not paying attention."

***

Apparently "porpoising" means different things with different kinds of machines.

In Formula 1 cars, where airflow under the vehicle creates downward force, if the springs let the car get too close to the road it shuts off most airflow and the downward force goes away -- temporarily. So the whole vehicle goes up and down at the same time, I guess. I haven't noticed this happening with either our Gen 1 R1S or Gen 1 R1T at Northwest speeds (0-75 mph).

There's also amplified oscillation due to road bumps encountered at the vehicle's preferred bounce frequency. This would result in see-saw oscillation, not straight up and down. I haven't noticed this either, but I've never taken our Rivians through the Alaska Highway tunnel.

Porpoising is also discussed with respects to boats and helicopters. Presumably those represent two more different sets of physics phenomena.

***

I speculate that Rivian's techs and engineers might still be learning about different causes for different oscillation patterns. If troublesome during normal driving, I'd have it looked at -- but I speculate it might take a while for Rivian or the OP to figure it out.

Best to all!

 

[Jonger1150]

I'm beginning to think that adjustable air suspension is more hassle than it's worth.

Maybe coil over would have cut back 90% of the posts and comments in this sub-forum.

Can you have roll control without it?

 

[CANCERDOC]

The traditional definition of purpoising describes F1 racers which had aerodynamics which sometimes led to inadequate downforce, causing the vehicle to bounce up and down on the front axle and then the back, and oscillate back and forth.

My gen 1 R1S doesn't ride like a cloud but it doesn't purpoise which would imply a serious loss of suspension control. The suspension is actually firm enough that the vehicle does not bounce at all. It just doesn't do a great job ironing out the bumps. Does it hit the bumps a little hard? Yep. You won't float over bumps like on a Mercedes or Range Rover with air suspension. But I would not call it harsh or intolerable by any sense, and I have the 22" wheels which should deliver the worse ride quality compared to the 20's.

Also, you cannot compare R1T with R1S. The R1T rides so much better than an R1S, so much so that the Gen2 R1T didn't have any suspension changes. Maybe its the wheelbase difference. The Gen2 R1S had revised bushings (softer) which improved impact harshness.

 

[DuoRivians]

Have Gen 2 R1S. Don’t notice any up and down bobbing in mine. Also have a Gen 1 R1T. Both drive fine to me

 

[jpmc86]

I went with a Gen1 R1T rather Gen1 or 2 R1S because of the porpoising. While the G2 R1S's were better than the G1's, it still was an issue on the roads I drove. My wife on our test drive of a G1 R1S basically said H3LL no to buying it even though she wanted an SUV. I couldn't get her to drive a G2.

I ended up buying a G1 R1T and she has been very happy. We have streets that I think exacerbate the issue, add a heavy throttle foot (mine) and she was not a happy camper. I drove a few G2 R1S's to check out the heat pump and dual motor power train and could see the improvement but there was no way my wife would have ridden for more than about 15 minutes in it.

I live in the DFW area. In Florida, she might have been fine. We have some fairly sharp bumps that just pitched the R1S a lot more than my R1T.

@OP - I hope you get it sorted out.

This! Wheelbase is the reason. No amount of suspension tuning can fix that.

 

[jpmc86]

Currently driving a Gen 1 R1S loaner and the porpoising has been significantly reduced from the one I drive earlier in the year. I think that's thanks to the suspension software tuning update in September? It's not as good as my T, but it's a marginal difference. I do feel the porpoising issue has been overblown, but I am glad Rivian has and continues to listen to customers as they dial it in.

Also this, I saw the biggest improvement with the software update. Coincidentally, the software update came out at the same time as gen2, and I believe was done to confuse buyers into the leaps people thought gen2 had, when in reality the majority was tuning.

 

[DayTripping]

This! Wheelbase is the reason. No amount of suspension tuning can fix that.

Wheelbase is part of the equation but with proper tuning it could be better. It isn't old Jeep CJ5 bad, but for a more upscale it could be better. It clearly is still there in G2 R1S's. Some people may be less sensitive to it, and others may just be on roads that aren't as likely to induce it or maybe drive more sedately or any variation thereof.

You have a shorter wheelbase than the R1T, and still the same height. At least they got it as long as they could with minimal overhang front and rear. Maintaining a long wheelbase relative to overall length is very important for driving dynamics.

I don't think they'll ever get the R1S as good as the R1T with respect to ride comfort and less porpoising. The taller ride modes don't help.

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