Gen2 R1S Dual Max vs Tri Motor - Pros/Cons/Tradeoffs?

[Seano]

One thing to add: if you're describing the clutch engaging as a "clunk" than there's something not right with yours. When operating as intended there's no audible sound to it AT ALL, and it feels like a slight bump in acceleration.

For me 2024.51 made the engagement more abrupt (still no sound), and 2025.6 put it back how it was before

Good point: I haven’t driven the dual motor since taking delivery of mine! Glad to hear it’s a bit better

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[Mathme]

Overthinking on the purchase decision is practically a right of passage around here. My holdup was on color choice.

As others have said, the largest thing that will affect your range will be tire choice and road tires will generally do better than ATs for efficiency. I believe (it's been a while since I've looked so may be wrong here) but if you're getting the Off Road package, that comes with the Pirelli 275/65/20 (34" diameter) tires and not the Goodyear 275/60/20 (33" diameter). Most people on here -- myself included -- hate those Pirelli tires as they are very loud at about 10k miles and not efficient at all. The Goodyears seem to be very popular but are only available with a tiny battery. I can't wait for next fall when I'll swap out the Pirelli for the Good years.

For the Dual, I wouldn't stress too much over the "clunk" or "Delay" when the rear motor engages. Rivian will s00n be offering permanent AWD for dual motor vehicles (via software update ) owners so this will only be a temp issue at the most.

whatever choice you make you'll like the truck ...

 

[woodcan]

The wife says taking the All-Terrain Package off is not an option because of the added peace of mind with the Reinforced Underbody Protection and the road debris issues we've had in the past around here. As far as road noise, my R1S demo drive was on 20" Pirelli ATs and the noise didn't bother me that I recall but it was also a short drive. Today me would have noted the range and battery size.

The resale value is the one thing I haven't seen mentioned so far. It appears the price delta between the dual you've spec'd and the tri is 3K, but I imagine the tri will hold value a little better as it's the next step up. The Dune edition might even hold value a little better as it's a limited edition.

That was exactly my thought on the Dune if it ever came down to that but when I brought it up to the wife she asked why I'm already thinking of selling it before I even have it

I realize EV depreciation is much harsher than your standard ICE vehicle but I don't normally take that into account since we keep our cars for many years/miles to get our money's worth then donate them. Granted, this is a much larger purchase than our typical vehicle. I plan on keeping my old Nissan as a backup and since Rivian quoted me peanuts for it. God-willing an R1S will last us a good long while with minimal issues.

Tri - not much. AT tires -- definitely some, but the Goodyear ATs are pretty efficient if that's what you're getting, the Pirellis a bit less so (but I've done long road trips on the 34" Pirelli ATs and it's fine). You can always change out the tires.


You can search to find a lot of threads here on this. Depends a lot on driving speed. If you keep it at 70mph, 300 mile range may be possible on Pirellis, 330 or more on Goodyears, 350 or more on efficient all-seasons. Very rough guesses.


Yeah that's pretty much the suggestion. Charging becomes very slow above 75-80%. Charging 20%-80% is adding 85 kWh (kilowatt hours). If the charging power was 85 kW it would take one hour. Twice the power (170 kW) would be half the time (30 minutes). But R1 usually can't sustain that speed. I've read to expect up to 45 minutes to charge 20%-80%. Some will advise you to start lower (10%) if possible as it charges very fast in that range.


Generally, from people's experience on this forum, yes. And efficiency differences between configs are 99% about the tires. Conserve mode will be just as efficient as a Dual essentially.

It looks like the 20" ATs on the Dune are Pirelli Scorpion and I imagine the same on the Dual 20" ATs.

Thanks for the info on charging times. I downloaded the ABRP app but not sure how accurate its charging time estimates are. I have been experimenting with its built-in range Rivian R1S Dual Max and Tri motor estimates on 20" ATs routing out our typical drive to the in-laws. I don't know if a 1.9 mi/kwh for Tri or 2.09 mi/kwh for a Dual Max are accurate. I will say for a 347mile trip the route it gave me for the Tri gave me some worrisome charging sessions of like a 40min and 20 min stop or like half a dozen single digit charging stops. We normally stop at least 2-3 times on that 6hr drive but for maybe 10 minutes at a time so the wife isn't going to go for either of those estimations. I really expected a Max battery would get me there with a single charging stop with room to breath.

At least the app is robust enough to let me customize stops to at least two gas stations we typically stop at that have EV chargers at 20min each to get us an arrival of about 5% charge but that sounds nerve-rackingly low.

 

[woodcan]

Overthinking on the purchase decision is practically a right of passage around here. My holdup was on color choice.

That was the first hurdle that delayed me and I spent an afternoon driving across town just to go see colors in person at the local Rivian Space. Turns out they only had a few colors there but they had paint swatches.

As others have said, the largest thing that will affect your range will be tire choice and road tires will generally do better than ATs for efficiency. I believe (it's been a while since I've looked so may be wrong here) but if you're getting the Off Road package, that comes with the Pirelli 275/65/20 (34" diameter) tires and not the Goodyear 275/60/20 (33" diameter). Most people on here -- myself included -- hate those Pirelli tires as they are very loud at about 10k miles and not efficient at all. The Goodyears seem to be very popular but are only available with a tiny battery. I can't wait for next fall when I'll swap out the Pirelli for the Good years.

For the Dual, I wouldn't stress too much over the "clunk" or "Delay" when the rear motor engages. Rivian will s00n be offering permanent AWD for dual motor vehicles (via software update ) owners so this will only be a temp issue at the most.

whatever choice you make you'll like the truck ...

At least the Dune site claims they come with "275 / 65 / R20 Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus" tires and the R1S Dual demo vehicle I drove had the same tires.
I guess the noise starts to show after some mileage and not really when they are new from the sounds of it.
I did read about the plan to add a all-time AWD mode to the Dual Motor so that's something to consider.

 

[TexasBob]

That was the first hurdle that delayed me and I spent an afternoon driving across town just to go see colors in person at the local Rivian Space. Turns out they only had a few colors there but they had paint swatches.


At least the Dune site claims they come with "275 / 65 / R20 Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus" tires and the R1S Dual demo vehicle I drove had the same tires.
I guess the noise starts to show after some mileage and not really when they are new from the sounds of it.
I did read about the plan to add a all-time AWD mode to the Dual Motor so that's something to consider.

The Dune is awesome. I am seriously plotting ways to steal it from my wife. I am trying to tempt her into buying a different car and I'll just take the Dune. FWIW, we put Defenders on it a day after getting it and we like those much better for range, noise, and comfort.

 

[usulio]

It looks like the 20" ATs on the Dune are Pirelli Scorpion and I imagine the same on the Dual 20" ATs.

Probably not actually. The Pirelli are 34" tires and I think Duals now come with 33" Goodyear ATs that are a fair bit more efficient.

Thanks for the info on charging times. I downloaded the ABRP app but not sure how accurate its charging time estimates are. I have been experimenting with its built-in range Rivian R1S Dual Max and Tri motor estimates on 20" ATs routing out our typical drive to the in-laws. I don't know if a 1.9 mi/kwh for Tri or 2.09 mi/kwh for a Dual Max are accurate. I will say for a 347mile trip the route it gave me for the Tri gave me some worrisome charging sessions of like a 40min and 20 min stop or like half a dozen single digit charging stops. We normally stop at least 2-3 times on that 6hr drive but for maybe 10 minutes at a time so the wife isn't going to go for either of those estimations. I really expected a Max battery would get me there with a single charging stop with room to breath.

At least the app is robust enough to let me customize stops to at least two gas stations we typically stop at that have EV chargers at 20min each to get us an arrival of about 5% charge but that sounds nerve-rackingly low.

1.9 and 2.09 could be accurate for Pirelli ATs, especially at higher speeds like 75-80mph.

Sounds like it would definitely benefit you to switch out the Pirelli ATs for some efficient All Seasons. Should make a big difference for that 347 mile trip.

 

[woodcan]

The Dune is awesome. I am seriously plotting ways to steal it from my wife. I am trying to tempt her into buying a different car and I'll just take the Dune. FWIW, we put Defenders on it a day after getting it and we like those much better for range, noise, and comfort.

My wife already said she isn't driving my R1S so I guess I don't have to worry but we'll see how long that lasts. Since the Defenders are slightly smaller vs the Pirellis does the new Rivian update where you now have the option to select your tires update both your range and the adjust the speedometer? I've always been averse to changing tire size and throwing off my speedometer on my cars over the years.

 

[TexasBob]

My wife already said she isn't driving my R1S so I guess I don't have to worry but we'll see how long that lasts. Since the Defenders are slightly smaller vs the Pirellis does the new Rivian update where you now have the option to select your tires update both your range and the adjust the speedometer? I've always been averse to changing tire size and throwing off my speedometer on my cars over the years.

Same size tires as the OEM 22s: 275/60/R20 = 33" So easy software switch with latest OS.

We updated on the software to 22" sport dark that gives a range estimate of ~350 on All Purpose so that the vehicle is reporting pretty realistic range I think. I may switch to Wrangler ATs. I validated the speedometer and odometer over 400 miles in my range test using one of the (many) iPhone apps.

(See thread below)
https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/...elin-defender-ltx-m-2-tires-275-60-r20.41624/

Also, range test:
https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/...fenders-conserve-335-miles.41859/#post-748689

 

[Electrified Outdoors]

Essentially I was comparing the following:

1. Dual Max Non-Performance, Limestone, Ocean Coast Interior, Sights & Sounds Package, and All-Terrain Package
   VS
2. California Dune (Tri Motor of course)

It came down to a $3.3k difference and so I jumped. Sounds like maybe AT package is overkill and tires kills range though so removing that would widen the gap.

The Dune is cheaper than a regular Tri so it doesn't have the Ascend interior but does come with All Terrain Package (20" AT + Reinforced Undershield + Compressor + Compact Spare), Upgraded Sound, Dynamic Sunroof, Darkout Package, roof rails, and recovery boards.

DUNE is a great deal IMO! The AT package is well worth it honestly. If you want better range you can always get a 2nd set of wheels for range...throw the AT on there when needed. Even with the AT though the max pack gives you good range.

 

[edwjmcgrath]

I was in the same boat and went with the Dune with no regrets. The Pirelli AT tires are beefy, but not as much as most. They are like half way between an AT and an AS. When fully charged, mine reads 355 in Conserve mode. I love the color and the interior. I thought I’d change out the tires, but I really like them now.

 

[woodcan]

For those who are following or interested. I was able to change my order and went for an inventory R1S Dual Motor Max Battery with Ocean Coast interior, premium sound and AT Package. A part of me regrets not sticking with the Dune R1S but this setup came out to $8k less when is nothing to shake a stick at especially in this economic climate.

There were delivery day issues but I was able to get a SC appt next week already.

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