Can R1T Take Me There?

[BrentInCO]

I've driven the trails that are the subject of the video in my lifted Toyota FJ Cruiser with 35" wheels and numerous other almost rock crawling customizations / capabilities. My FJ's max range is just over 200 miles on a full tank, highway or city. I filled up before leaving Moab, drove south to access Lockhart at the southern starting point, drove north along the trail. I had to use my extra 5 gallons of gas in my Jerry can in order to make it back to Moab to refill my tank. I am uncertain of the R1's articulation ability. Watching the MotorTrend video (Leg 3 of 5?) of the R1 going down Black Bear Pass into Telluride, Colorado (which I have done in my FJ), I was surprised / disturbed about the tire rubbing and tilt of the vehicle that I saw. Either the driver took too tight of a turn (should have done a 3-point turn or more, instead), or the vehicle doesn't permit much articulation. On Lockhart, there was just one section that I'd worry about with an R1 (or any vehicle); there's a very steep drop off (24" to 30"?) while descending the gully / wash, near (1/2 mile from?) the trail junction to Hurrah Pass and Chicken Corners. This spot is what the driver has to tackle at 2 minutes 18 seconds and 15 minutes 5 seconds and 18 minutes 32 seconds into the video. Note that my FJ has >14" ground clearance, steel bumpers. Rocks were too big and heavy to move around to build up the trail, lessen the drop. I didn't have my MaxTrax with me; perhaps they would be strong enough to accomplish the same thing. Descending this section is easier than ascending. I was worried my exhaust would be severed. This spot in the trail is enough for me to avoid doing this trail (or at least this section) ever again. I contemplated turning around, but knew I wouldn't have enough gas to get to the next gas station, so I had to push through and finish the trail.

Great previous comments from others in this string; clearly are experienced off roaders, too.

After delivery of my R1S, one of the first things I'll be looking for are options to mount a full size spare tire. May have to put on a steel rear bumper that allows a spare tire to swing out from the rear of the vehicle. Won't fit in the frunk; too heavy / unwieldy to put on the roof (for me). For now, I've selected the donut tire option in the configurator, so I'd at least have something for my first off-roading excursions in the R1 (in Colorado and Utah).

That big rock on the trail near the top of the photo was the spot I'm referring to. I got high centered on the big boulder in the back, up high, on the right (driver's side on the descent). The boulder to its left in the photo was 24-30" tall so I opted to NOT try to put my tire on it as I imagined my muffler and bumper would catch if I dropped / fell off of it. On the descent I stayed as far to the driver's side (left) of the gully as I could, butting up against the dirt and rock wall. Other rocks laying around were quite heavy; if I chose to dedicate an hour to moving rocks around, I guess I could have built up a rockpath to get my tires high enough to not get high centered. The Funtreks book I was referring to made no mention of this being an obstacle to overcome; it said that stock high clearance SUVs can do this trail, so I was surprised to come across this. That whole gully was certainly serious, extreme, tight, one way only.

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[Riventures]

@Pherdnut I am with you on your comments, I think we have similar views.

The R1 platform is trying to strike a balance between what they call adventure vehicle and one that can be used on a daily basis for all other purposes. Frankly, that is a tough balance to achieve, so they and we make compromises.

I have been somewhat critical of R1T's off-road ambitions, but in the end, as hard as I look and examine, none of the compromises I have to make are negative enough for me to turn away from a platform that, as you put it, no other ICE vehicle can do. Actually, there are things that the R1 platform will be/should be able to do even other EV off-roads won't be able to do due to the four independent motors.

This won't stop me from finding shortcomings, of course, I do want Rivian to be as successful as they can possibly be.

 

[JeremyP]

A hitch mounted spare tire with a skid plate built into the bottom would be a great solution for having a full size spare on trails and protecting the bumper when dropping off ledges, and then being able to leave the weight in the garage when its not needed.

 

[Riventures]

Watching the MotorTrend video (Leg 3 of 5?) of the R1 going down Black Bear Pass into Telluride, Colorado (which I have done in my FJ), I was surprised / disturbed about the tire rubbing and tilt of the vehicle that I saw. Either the driver took too tight of a turn (should have done a 3-point turn or more, instead), or the vehicle doesn't permit much articulation.

After delivery of my R1S, one of the first things I'll be looking for are options to mount a full size spare tire. May have to put on a steel rear bumper that allows a spare tire to swing out from the rear of the vehicle. Won't fit in the frunk; too heavy / unwieldy to put on the roof (for me). For now, I've selected the donut tire option in the configurator, so I'd at least have something for my first off-roading excursions in the R1 (in Colorado and Utah).

Such great, first-hand experiences, thank you.

The initial reason for me to make the post was imagining myself in a similar situation that you described perfectly, and my hesitancy about getting into such situations.

As best I can calculate, and I would not put too much value into this statement, the wheel travel on the R1T will be far more limited than your FJ. I would guess maybe 10-12" full range. In the situation that you describe, the articulation will not be sufficient. However, it is also possible that the level of articulation will be sufficient, assuming we will have the ability to direct far more torque onto a single wheel, 200+. Then again, the weight of the vehicle will counteract that and it may not be enough. If you can get 200+ torque on just two wheels, with 15" ground clearance, may be limited articulation won't be an issue. Just maybe.

The other thing that worries me is related to your mention of numbers. I understand why you would choose to do that in your circumstances certainly. Another benefit will likely be the ability to add off-road lights. I am talking about both front and rear numbers. Currently, how would you do that without a bunch of drilled holes that may or may not last an off-road excursion? Lights are so critical IMO, I don't know how to handle that yet.

 

[BrentInCO]

Such great, first-hand experiences, thank you.

The other thing that worries me is related to your mention of numbers. I understand why you would choose to do that in your circumstances certainly. Another benefit will likely be the ability to add off-road lights. I am talking about both front and rear numbers. Currently, how would you do that without a bunch of drilled holes that may or may not last an off-road excursion? Lights are so critical IMO, I don't know how to handle that yet.

I have been trying to envision how to add off road lighting on the front and rear as well. May have to do something on the bumpers to minimize drag on aerodynamics / efficiency, which is not ideal, but likely better than nothing.

 

[BrentInCO]

Now that I've had time to watch the video, I've updated my initial comment, noting times in the video where the crux appears, and a photo I took at the time, after safely descending 100 feet beyond. This was April 2019.

And this is a pretty good, detailed article, too. It does mention articulation, and more.
https://jalopnik.com/a-ridiculously-detailed-look-at-why-the-rivian-r1t-elec-1847749837

 

[Riventures]

Now that I've had time to watch the video, I've updated my initial comment, noting times in the video where the crux appears, and a photo I took at the time, after safely descending 100 feet beyond. This was April 2019.

And this is a pretty good, detailed article, too. It does mention articulation, and more.
https://jalopnik.com/a-ridiculously-detailed-look-at-why-the-rivian-r1t-elec-1847749837

Those updates certainly clarified few things for me, thank you.

Yes! That Jalopnik article is superb, provides information on more than a few things we have been speculating in this thread Not to mention the articulation being so-so.

I need to read it a couple of more times to connect more of the dots.

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