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

[jaredm]

Just a couple months ago, had to replace a side wall tear flat on a trail. Good luck getting AAA there!

All I had was the full size rivian spare and it's included kit. It worked fine. It helps having two people because of the weight of the wheels.

My only gripe with rivians kit is that recent versions have the puck built-in, meaning you can't use it on other vehicles if you want to rescue nor can you use it on your own rock sliders. A huge tiny miss by rivian, imo.

120v tire inflator

I'd love recommendations on one, I've been looking. I like having one built into the rivian by it's slow as snot with LT tires going to 60. I looked at Moorflates' own and it looks like cigarette lighter or battery clamps.

I've only seen a couple 120Vs but I worry it's converting it to 12V with it's adapter so no additional power gain..

I want speeeed

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[GA_Rivian]

1. The fact that the headlights turn off immediately when you shut the door. They should be on a timer where you can set the delay. It you drive up to a gate in pitch black you have to leave the door open a crack so you can see to open (and close) the gate. Leaving the door open in 40-50 mph winds is not a good idea. Same goes for arriving home in the dark when you forgot (or deliberately didn't) to leave the porch light on.
2. The door handles. Anyone can see from a long ways away that the vehicle is unlocked. And people or things passing by can rip them off / damage them. Really poor design, not well thought out. There are boatloads of existing designs that would work better.

 

[Mousetrap]

The fact that the headlights turn off immediately when you shut the door. They should be on a timer where you can set the delay.

A) I think you're on the wrong thread, perhaps - this one is about changing tires.
B) There is a setting for this! I'm not at my truck right now, but a search says it's Settings —> Vehicle —> Displays and Lighting —> Guide Lights

 

[godfodder0901]

A) I think you're on the wrong thread, perhaps - this one is about changing tires.
B) There is a setting for this! I'm not at my truck right now, but a search says it's Settings —> Vehicle —> Displays and Lighting —> Guide Lights

Guide lights are the just the front fog lights for Gen 1, not the headlights. Since these are turn signals on Gen 2, I don't know if they have guide lights.

Edit: Gen 2 uses the headlights.

 

[Mousetrap]

Guide lights are the just the front fog lights for Gen 1, not the headlights. Since these are turn signals on Gen 2, I don't know if they have guide lights.

Edit: Gen 2 uses the headlights.

That surprised me, so I looked it up in the gen 2 manual (second one on this page) and it definitely still talks about guide lights with a selectable timeout. I'm in a loaner gen 2 right now, I'll check it in the AM to be sure.

 

[Waterunder]

Some of us learn the hard way, even though we know better. I was 30 miles down a dirt road in the Escalante Grand Staircase area and sliced one of my 22” Scorpians on the R1T. No spare — just the Tireject sealant that came with the truck, plus an extra bag of it ‘just in case.’ First bag of sealant failed. Then moved the truck so that the slice was on the ground and squeezed in the second bag of Tireject. It worked! But with enough damage to the tire structure (bulge) that the tire could not be used beyond the 40 mi back to the motel. Because the nearest replacement tire was >300 mi away, it took a rental and 2 days of extra travel in a rental car to get the tire replaced. Now, I have a full size spare (2nd hand wheel and tire), jack pucks (including the long one), 10 ton bottle jack, ARB jack plate, breaker bar, torque socket wrench, plug kit, …and… more Tireject. Also in retrospect, I should have aired down the tires on that road.

 

[GA_Rivian]

A) I think you're on the wrong thread, perhaps - this one is about changing tires.
B) There is a setting for this! I'm not at my truck right now, but a search says it's Settings —> Vehicle —> Displays and Lighting —> Guide Lights

Oops, thanks. But I'm talking about the headlights, not the guide lights.

 

[veerthetiguy]

Solid thread. Thought I’d share what we carry in my wife’s R1S frunk. I carry a bit more in my truck, but everything below fits neatly in the lower frunk compartment with plenty of room to spare.

For longer trips we’ll also toss in a 1/2" drive battery impact. It will spin up the scissor jack as well. The scissor jack is a newer addition. It’s rated at 3 tons and has worked perfectly. Even some of our 9,000 lb Hummer EV owners using our GMX jack pucks have tested it without issue.

Here’s the standard kit we keep with us:

Big Red 10T bottle jack (the jack we originally designed our pucks around)
Full set of JackPucks (our magnetic ones of course)
XL JackPuck
3-ton scissor jack with tools, extensions, and sockets
Two tire plug kits (old-school plug kit and screw-type kit)
Fluorescent safety cone
Gloves
RV jack pad

All of it lives in the bottom section of the frunk and keeps us prepared for just about anything on the road. Charging cables and adapters as well.

Have you ever tested your XL pick with the 12T jack that comes in the case? https://www.amazon.com/Hydraulic-Bottle-Jack-Carrying-Case，Red/dp/B0G6SFJQT3/

 

[anrb97]

I punctured the sidewall of one of my tires off roading and didn’t have a full size spare at the time. I rushed to get the car to a level spot or as close as I could in order to replace it. I had the donut and it was fairly easy to replace. Now when I off road I do carry a full size spare, puncture repair kit and some other stuff to help.

 

[Indy300]

I am building my emergency kit now. How high does a jack need to extend to be able to change a tire?

 

[CBRacerX]

Rivian spare tire and factory spare kit. Extra sealant pack and factory air compressor. Tire plugs and tire sidewall patches. Set of pucks. And most of the time I have this in the bed or gear tunnel.
If the above does not get it done, I'm calling roadside assistance!

 

[R1S88]

I was driving in my office building’s garage when my tire struck the concrete base surrounding a pillar, causing a complete blowout. It was a pretty unusual edge case, but I was glad I had the compact spare. I also keep jack pucks in the car—they come in handy during state inspections, which require the front of the vehicle to be lifted to check the suspension.

 

[Akubra91]

Hello,
Intersting discussion. Has anyone used the "patch" cylinder to be used with the little air compressor that comes with the truck to supposedly patch the tire well enough to get to a repair shop? I have leased my truck. I'm not excited to have to buy a spare tire, jack etc.
Thanks

 

[Mark_AZR1T]

Have you ever tested your XL pick with the 12T jack that comes in the case? https://www.amazon.com/Hydraulic-Bottle-Jack-Carrying-Case，Red/dp/B0G6SFJQT3/

Our magnetic jack pucks have a 1.30" diameter port, so any hydraulic bottle jack with a top hat slightly smaller than that will fit properly. The jack you described has a much larger top hat, so it will not fit inside the port.

For reference, here is a picture of the 1.30" port on our puck for anyone who wants to see what we are referring to.

 

[Proxy]

• The scissor jack is a newer addition. The main reason for adding it is that if a tire is completely flat, it may be difficult or impossible to position a bottle jack under the jack point. Until recently, I couldn’t find a compact scissor jack that I trusted to handle the weight of these vehicles. This one is rated for three tons and has worked well so far.

This is the scissor jack I currently use and it's also the one my Hummer EV and GM EV Truck owners use with our GMX pucks. 3T Scissors Jack

Big fail to lift the rear tire with the 3T scissor Jack for me. I have the original Rivian Style Jack Puck.

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