Flat Tire on a 7,000+ lb EV: What’s Your Plan and Tools?

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Plan: Use it as excuse to buy a new set of wheels from @electruck4x4 and receive excellent customer service.

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[Conseil]

I carry nine items in the Rivian at all times to deal with tire troubles:

1. Boulder Tools heavy duty tire repair kit
2. Rivian compact spare tire
3. Rivian aux air compressor kit
4. ARB heavy duty jack base
5. Big Red 10-ton bottle jack
6. Jack Pucks magnetic puck kit
7. Craftsman 1/2" drive 22mm deep impact socket
8. Neiko 1/2" drive 24-inch breaker bar
9. MORRFlate Quad 125” tire hose kit

And whenever I go off-roading, I strap down my full-size spare Pirelli Scorpion A/T on Rivian 20" A/T dark wheel in the cargo area.

Might want to add a couple of wheel chocks. Cheap and safe insurance.

 

[kozak79]

I have a full-size spare and Rivian's jack kit in my R1T, and a Milwaukee high-torque impact wrench.

 

[cwintermeyer]

Might want to add a couple of wheel chocks. Cheap and safe insurance.

I love that idea and, candidly, hadn't thought of it before since all of my past tire changes have been off-road and I just used rocks. I'm gonna order some chocks today.

 

[Mark_AZR1T]

Thanks Mark for the details. I would just add that with rock sliders, some things get easier. You're not limited to lifting at the jacking points. You can use a bottle jack to lift partway, place a jack stand right next to it, then add lifting under the bottle jack to get more height. Of course the other option is lifting at the control arms, which I'm not brave enough for.

Good points! I have lifted at the rear control arms with my floor jack. That is very straight forward to me.

Control arm lift point from another member.

 

[iansriv]

Uber

Seriously though, this is a great thread. There maybe others like me that have never (yes never) changed a tyre in their life. Any help, like this, is great! Cheers!

 

[JRock]

USAA on speed dial.

 

[Hillbilly]

I always carry a full size spare, Jack, and impact driver with correct socket in every vehicle and on every trailer I've ever driven.

I've maybe replaced a dozen tires over the years with little to no impact on my travel which typically involves either going to court, RV trips, or hauling equipment. Of all the times I've replaced a flat or blown out tire, it was never a situation where it wouldn't have been a nightmare.

 

[Mark_AZR1T]

Many people say they would just wait for AAA or roadside assistance. We have had an on road puncture ourselves and were back up and running in under 30 minutes. Installed the puck, lifted the vehicle, removed the screw, inserted a plug, and aired it up with the onboard compressor.

AAA or roadside would have been 2+ hours just to arrive. They are not going to plug a tire, and they definitely will not have jack pucks. Most likely they would tow the vehicle somewhere and if it is after hours, you could easily be stuck overnight.

Even if you had a spare, they might try to change it, but without the Rivian tire kit or pucks you would still be out of luck because they are not going to show up with pucks.

We have also had countless customers email us after punctures thanking us for the pucks and saying they had a plug kit as well. The screw in plugs work pretty well.

Screw In Plugs for Nail or Screw Flats

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Screw In Plugs for Nail or Screw Flats

That's pretty neat. Looks easier to use than the traditional plug... which can be a PITA.

 

[R1R-Us]

I carry nine items in the Rivian at all times to deal with tire troubles:

1. Boulder Tools heavy duty tire repair kit
2. Rivian compact spare tire
3. Rivian aux air compressor kit
4. ARB heavy duty jack base
5. Big Red 10-ton bottle jack
6. Jack Pucks magnetic puck kit
7. Craftsman 1/2" drive 22mm deep impact socket
8. Neiko 1/2" drive 24-inch breaker bar
9. MORRFlate Quad 125” tire hose kit

And whenever I go off-roading, I strap down my full-size spare Pirelli Scorpion A/T on Rivian 20" A/T dark wheel in the cargo area.

This list is effing amazing. Thank you!!

 

[Noplacelikeloam]

Put your big boy pants on a repair the tire. Not that hard. Basic life skill.

 

[BigSkies]

For those that haven't done it, changing a Rivian tire in the wild is harder than most cars.

I learned a few lessons when I caught a screw in the tire right outside the Eisenhower tunnel at 11pm on a snowy December night.

-With a completely flat tire, the frame of the car will be low enough to the ground that you can't get a bottle jack with a puck-extender into the slot. You have to get creative to the ground clearance to get the jack in, and still have enough extension for the jack to lift the tire off the ground.

-The tires on this truck are heavy. This isn't news, but knowing it is different than actually lugging them around at 11pm in the snow.

-The extension range on most bottle jacks is questionable for getting the rear tires off the ground, particularly when not on flat terrain.

-Spousal support/consideration/stress for changing a tire at 11pm in the snow does not make the process easier.

-I still haven't found a workable jack-stand type solution for changing tires while away from home. Using only a jack feels incredibly sketchy given the height and weight of the truck.

 

[Mathme]

Step 1: Notice a tire is low.
Step 2: Pull into a safe place to inspect said tire.
Step 3: Locate the offending impaled object and plug the tire with the kit I always carry. You can usually do this without removing the tire.
Step 4: Swap the tire with the Rivian Tire Change Kit. If it can't be done with the kit, then Call Roadside Assistance (that's what they are for).

Most flats I've had in the past have been near home. In that case, I'll just go to America's Tire and let them deal with it. I picked up a nail in the outside block last fall and they ended up replacing that tire for me in the process.

I also rotate my own tires so I have a pretty good grasp on their wear and I typically change them out a bit early...when they get down to 4 or 5/32nds. Although I could get a few more miles out of those old tires, but the longer the baldies on the vehicle, the more likely I'd be out there in 100 degree heat on the side of the freeway swapping a tire when coming home from a weekend away -- HARD PASS.

 

[Birdowin]

The only thing that I added to the kit and spare that came with the truck is a 24" long breaker bar and deep socket. I had a flat on my last extended camping trip and the only down side was I had to unload the entire bed full of camping gear to get the spare and jack. Had to repeat the entire process when I got to the nearest tire company to patch the hole. I have since bought a tire plug kit.

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