Reinforced Underbody Protection is Visible! With & Without: How to tell if your Rivian has it

[Alex D]

I want to clear up a long standing debated topic: Can you see the reinforced underbody protection?

Short answer: you can tell by looking under the truck!

I took delivery today and I had the delivery friends show me and explain. It’s clear once you know what you’re looking for.


With reinforced underbody

You can see your plating is fully smooth and a metal composite. It’s got a shine to it. There’s no grooved channels in the center, just rivet holes. To the very left (going off frame) is the all carbon fiber piece. It’s hard to tell from this angle but in person you can see the carbon fiber texture. There’s another on the back as well.


Without underbody Protection:

The center panel is visibly plastic and have grooved channels running down it. Everything is pretty much plastic.

it’s hard to tell materials in these photos sometimes but in person it’s very clear. However the dead give away is the grooves.

I hope this helps clear this up for everyone!

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[Mike Hunt]

Thanks that is perfect!

 

[cohall]

Thanks for this. I’m still confused though.

When Sandy Munro did his suspension overview and review of the bottom of the truck, he clearly talks about the truck having the off-road package. That truck also clearly has the grooves that are shown in your second, non offroad photo.?.?

https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/...eview-by-sandy-munro-amazing-suspension.4339/

 

[Alex D]

Thanks for this. I’m still confused though.

When Sandy Munro did his suspension overview and review of the bottom of the truck, he clearly talks about the truck having the off-road package. That truck also clearly has the grooves that are shown in your second, non offroad photo.?.?

https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/...eview-by-sandy-munro-amazing-suspension.4339/

I would have to watch his video truly comment but from what I can see in the title screenshot maybe he had already taken the shielding off? I’ll watch the video and see if I can clarify.

 

[Alex D]

I would have to watch his video truly comment but from what I can see in the title screenshot maybe he had already taken the shielding off? I’ll watch the video and see if I can clarify.

update: that truck in Sandy’s video definitely does not have the reinforced shield. That plastic plate is the regular on-road underbody, for sure.

 

[cohall]

I would have to watch his video truly comment but from what I can see in the title screenshot maybe he had already taken the shielding off? I’ll watch the video and see if I can clarify.

I actually just rewatched it, and he doesn’t explicitly state it has the package. I though it was the truck he bought and it had the package, but I could be wrong.

Your photos seem to make it pretty clear that there’s a visivble difference. Intriguing!

 

[kanundrum]

In sandys video they have the Carbon Fiber Layer right here. You can see its carbon fiber.

 

[astonius]

In sandys video they have the Carbon Fiber Layer right here. You can see its carbon fiber.

Don't all R1s have carbon fiber over the battery? I thought the shielding just extended the carbon fiber.

 

[Alex D]

In sandys video they have the Carbon Fiber Layer right here. You can see its carbon fiber.

That has to be part of the battery pack build. Not the additional shielding. The carbon fiber I was shown would be off frame to the right as a panel. They must have removed something to show that piece. The pieces I saw do not require any removal. They are very visible by just getting under the truck.

 

[EarlyAdptr]

This is GREAT. So, seeing it in person, do you believe it's something you're glad you have (and paid an extra $2k for)?

 

[lostpacket]

Peeping Tom shots of the Rivian's underwear





Please post more.

 

[Alex D]

This is GREAT. So, seeing it in person, do you believe it's something you're glad you have (and paid an extra $2k for)?

After seeing it, yes. I’m absolutely glad I got it. I was really on the fence about it. I even told my guide I was indifferent and could take either allocation.

After buying it and now seeing the difference, I’m glad I have it. Am I really going to push it off road to where I would need it, probably not. But it’s there in case I do. And seeing the difference between the true metal and plastic, I’m glad I have the metal. I’m sure the battery is protected regardless, but I could see that plastic piece taking damage pretty easy. It’s got to be an easy cosmetic swap, but I’m sure the metal can take a beating for a long time.

Also one other tip, get the fullsized spare if you are thinking about it. I have the 20 inch darks and I now have a replacement wheel and tire, also in the 20 inch dark. I’m concerned about messing up the wheels off road, but if I do I have an exact spare. I didn’t expect the spare To also be the matching dark wheel. I’m super glad it is. I was told by my guide it’s the only way currently to order a spare wheel like that. Supposedly They aren’t selling them outside of deliveries yet. So I’m super glad to have the full set spare.

 

[Bee]

After seeing it, yes. I’m absolutely glad I got it. I was really on the fence about it. I even told my guide I was indifferent and could take either allocation.

After buying it and now seeing the difference, I’m glad I have it. Am I really going to push it off road to where I would need it, probably not. But it’s there in case I do. And seeing the difference between the true metal and plastic, I’m glad I have the metal. I’m sure the battery is protected regardless, but I could see that plastic piece taking damage pretty easy. It’s got to be an easy cosmetic swap, but I’m sure the metal can take a beating for a long time.

Also one other tip, get the fullsized spare if you are thinking about it. I have the 20 inch darks and I now have a replacement wheel and tire, also in the 20 inch dark. I’m concerned about messing up the wheels off road, but if I do I have an exact spare. I didn’t expect the spare To also be the matching dark wheel. I’m super glad it is. I was told by my guide it’s the only way currently to order a spare wheel like that. Supposedly They aren’t selling them outside of deliveries yet. So I’m super glad to have the full set spare.

Awesome report. Follow up question: Do you feel like the premium was worth it over an aftermarket solution? Even huge plates cost less than half on bigger trucks. My only fear is that there won't be any good off the shelf aftermarket solutions because of the factory option and an ultimately low volume model.

 

[SoCal Rob]

Is anyone else concerned about this?

I was told by my guide it’s the only way currently to order a spare wheel like that. Supposedly They aren’t selling them outside of deliveries yet.

If Rivian won’t sell an individual wheel then that means R1S buyers who need a full size spare to go off road cannot go off road. Much worse, however, is that an R1T without a full size spare and all R1S owners cannot drive their vehicle if they damage a wheel to the point that it is unusable until Rivian changes their policy or there is an aftermarket wheel available.

Either the statement made by @Alex D ’s guide was incorrect or this seems like a significant problem for anyone who could damage a wheel off road, damage a wheel in an area with bad potholes, or end up in a crash that damages one or more wheels. That is potentially everyone so I’m hoping the guide didn’t explain this policy quite right.

 

[Alex D]

Awesome report. Follow up question: Do you feel like the premium was worth it over an aftermarket solution? Even huge plates cost less than half on bigger trucks. My only fear is that there won't be any good off the shelf aftermarket solutions because of the factory option and an ultimately low volume model.

i personally thinks it worth it, but in honesty this is my truly first off capable road vehicle so my opinion may not hold that much weight. I do like that I didn’t have to do the mod later and it’s going to be backed by rivian. Will something better and cheaper come in the after market, I’m sure it will but who knows when that will come and how much weight will it add if it’s better. It may be negligible but those are the thoughts I have. Like most things on the truck, rivian clearly put a lot a thought into the weight which is why it’s got so much carbon fiber. I also think that if I really wanted to off-road a vehicle to rock crawl or something real hardcore it probably wouldn’t be this truck. It could do it, but without broader adoption, I don’t want to break it quite yet. It’s my primary vehicle not a secondary toy for me. I’ll definitely put it through some abuse but it’s not going full send in Moab.

That’s a long ramble but the short answer is, for what I intend to use it for I’m glad I went with the factory option for ease and the warranty by rivian.

But I am excited to see what the after market comes up with!
Hopefully a better way to clean the tonneau cover! I got an in depth explanation on it works and why it’s so prone to jamming. Once you see how it works I can see how it jams easily. It’s a really cool design, but maybe not the most durable. ?

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