Driving on soft sand / beach with Dual Motor?

[Airmoses]

I see rivian updated the dual motor performance to have soft sand, any chance they will do this for the regular dual motor?

Anyone have experience driving on the beach with the regular dual motor?

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[jjswan33]

I'm pretty sure if you get the AT upgrade it comes with soft sand even on a DM.

 

[R.I.P.]

I see rivian updated the dual motor performance to have soft sand, any chance they will do this for the regular dual motor?

Anyone have experience driving on the beach with the regular dual motor?

It's a gimmick (in the DM), you do not need it.

The QM needs various modes to help the computer guess at the surface it is on, to better react to it. Since the QM has no mechanical device to assist with this, the modes help a lot.

The DM has differentials that mechanically react to the surface in real time. It does not need any "modes" to help it guess. It reacts instantly left to right to changes in traction conditions. This, in turn, is concrete data the computer uses to vector torque. No guessing (modes) needed.

A great example of this is to take a QM and a DM out on ice or very slippery mud. The QM can be very difficult to control in this situation until you engage Snow Mode. This cue to the computer helps it deal with the surface, and the vehicle becomes more manageable.

Trade into the DM and the difference is dramatic. In All Purpose mode the truck handles just like any other pickup with a differential; Ford, GM, what have you. Snow Mode softens the torque to the wheels, but unlike the QM, the truck is very controllable even with no modes selected.

Compared to Snow Mode, sand mode is a less dramatic tweak. Again, the DM does not need modes to try to help the computer cope, the differentials handle the traction tasks mechanically. In the DM, all "sand mode" does is reduce traction control to allow more wheel speed. Turning Traction Control to "Reduced" does the same thing.

Oh... for those just tuning in, yes; I have thousands of miles of testing in both flavors in the sands of Baja and elsewhere. I am intimately familiar with how these things handle in the sand (snow/mud/ice/water/jello).

 

[BCondrey]

Great explanation. Does off road mode in the DM have any benefit?

 

[R.I.P.]

Great explanation. Does off road mode in the DM have any benefit?

Yes. It "locks" the vehicle in 4-wheel drive, and lets you use the highest suspension setting. It also disables the parking sensors, so the vehicle does not freak out when you are ploughing through brush.

I recently tested the DM on quite challenging trails while intentionally _not_ putting the vehicle into Off Road mode, and the computer simply engaged the 4-wheel drive any time it was needed. Because I did not need the higher clearance, I did not notice much of a difference.

I would note that by not putting the vehicle in Off Road mode on moderate trails you will save some energy, as it will only use 4-wheel-drive when you are actually slipping.

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