College Students Rebuilding R1S Rear Suspension

[vinniehobart]

Our students at Heartland Community College are working on putting this R1S Rear Suspension back together. Students removed it, tore it down and are putting it back together. We currently have an R1S, R1T and a Skateboard we did (pulled body off a R1T).

We are finishing installing the Subframe back in tomorrow, pressurize the damper system up and then throw on alignment rack.

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[Killer95Stang]

Very Cool...

 

[Nixapatfan]

Nice are you planning on more detailed videos on preforming some of the work?

 

[vinniehobart]

Yes,

We are really wanting to figure out what owners would like to see since we have a few shop Rivians to utilize.

 

[Kelvn]

half reading/skimming the above i read it as "we are waiting to figure out what the owner [wants to do]. thinking some poor rivian owner accidentally left their truck in the school for one too many nights.

 

[impulsoren]

I am personally curious to know each component that transmits data/receives commands from a module. Which things are software controlled and which things operate outside the programming? And of those connected components, which are operating using data from an internal vs external sensor?

 

[VandalSibs]

Are you guys working in conjunction with Rivian doing these classes, or is it independent? I know that Rivian has sponsored or set up similar schools around where the Georgia factory is getting built & also something up here in the Pacific Northwest, but I've not seen anything relating to stuff in Normal...

 

[Eeyore]

Yes,

We are really wanting to figure out what owners would like to see since we have a few shop Rivians to utilize.

Brake maintenance, especially the rear brakes.

 

[KBabione]

We are really wanting to figure out what owners would like to see since we have a few shop Rivians to utilize.

Amazing work - thank you! I'm REALLY curious about what's under the sub-trunk in our '23 R1S. I feel that the "tub" doesn't make the most of the space so if you're ever removing the sub-trunk tub (where the spare would go) and can take some photos I'd really appreciate it!

 

[JeremyP]

How low of a camber angle can the rear suspension be adjusted? The negative camber causes excessive wear on the inside corners of my tires even after an alignment during a service center visit. My camber after alignment is still -1.5 degrees. Also how involved is the rear shock replacement? Factory service equipment needed? How about doing the suspension height calibration? My rear suspension consistently is about 1/2" lower than the front, and the rear is noticeably harsher than the front (seems to be a common R1S trait, even after the leaky rear shocks were replaced last fall).

Are you going to get into the drive units? What's involved with a cv shaft replacement?

Thanks for any info, and looks like a cool opportunity!

 

[MountainBikeDude]

The skateboard you have is the dream of what could have been... The elusive 180kWh pack. 🥲

Would be neat to see a video swapping out the half shaft, I've seen the service procedure, but a video would be great. Also, from your point of view, where is their most likely failure point, is it the interface with the motor, or the hub assembly?

 

[VandalSibs]

The skateboard you have is the dream of what could have been... The elusive 180kWh pack. 🥲

Would be neat to see a video swapping out the half shaft, I've seen the service procedure, but a video would be great. Also, from your point of view, where is their most likely failure point, is it the interface with the motor, or the hub assembly?

I didn't think that Rivian actually manufactured any 180kWh packs, other than internal testing builds - and even then, not many of those. What are the odds that Rivian gives something like that to a college for teaching (why teach with a pack that isn't out in the wild)?

 

[MountainBikeDude]

I didn't think that Rivian actually manufactured any 180kWh packs, other than internal testing builds - and even then, not many of those. What are the odds that Rivian gives something like that to a college for teaching (why teach with a pack that isn't out in the wild)?

It is the actual 180kWh pack, it has the extra 2 modules in the main pack, which runs further rear ward than the original 9 module 135kWh/131kWh/ and revised 144kWh "Max Pack. It also has the telltale 12th module on top of the pack which was meant to take the place of the underseat storage in the R1T. I have never seen the R1S version, but it was meant to sacrifice the 3rd row, and likely under floor rear cargo bin.

 

[VandalSibs]

Wonder how many they ended up making....

 

[vinniehobart]

Haha no,

These are our school vehicles. Our campus is literally 2 miles from Rivian in Normal, so it only makes sense to have some Rivians in our EV only automotive program. We use our Rivians to pull our trailers, tractors, etc.

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