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OverZealous

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Last week, we finally got the full-size spare tire installed, including the kit. Yesterday, I got an alert that the driver's size front tire was a little low on air. I aired it back up using the built-in compressor (I was getting my daughter at the time, so I didn't want to change it right then), but it kept leaking slowly (~4psi in 12 hours).

When I got it jacked up, I saw this lovely fella:

Rivian R1T R1S Installing my Rivian spare tire (and kit) - experience writeup IMG_0952.JPG


A couple things to note on the process:
  1. The instructions in the tow manual or in-truck manual are excellent and detailed. You are not too manly to read them—take the time and read them to save yourself any grief. I like that they remind you to lower the suspension before removing the spare & kit, then raise it to change it, along with a bunch of other small tips.
  2. Don't forget to completely remove the long bolt holding the tire and jack kit down (which is also explained in the manual)—this takes only a second, and you won't have to worry about damaging the tire. It also makes removing the nearly 100lb tire much easier, as you can just pivot it upright and roll it out of the well. The hex head to remove it is molded into the threaded piece.
  3. If you don't have the manual on you (and once jacked, you can't get back in the cab to read the onboard one), there's a QRCode on the jack and other components you can scan with your phone. This takes you directly to the tow guide PDF—this is an awesome idea, someone should get a bonus for it.
  4. At least for the front wheel, you have to raise the jack almost all the way up to truly get the wheel off the ground.
  5. You have to swap the center cap from the flat tire to the replacement tire. It's not a big deal, though, and can easily be done after everything else. But you probably can't remove that center cap easily while the tire is mounted.
  6. The kit isn't half bad. It was a little hard work, but overall, nothing unbearable since I was in the garage in the shade. (It was still over 90ÂşF out.)
The tire is off getting patched, but should be an easy fix.

Edit: I finally got the wheel back today (Monday, 4 days later). The folks were nice enough to not charge me for the patch—I assume because I gave 4 of them a show-and-tell with the truck. But I think it would have been $30 normally.

Here's some photos of what everything looks like:

Rivian R1T R1S Installing my Rivian spare tire (and kit) - experience writeup IMG_0951.JPG

Rivian R1T R1S Installing my Rivian spare tire (and kit) - experience writeup IMG_0954.JPG

Rivian R1T R1S Installing my Rivian spare tire (and kit) - experience writeup IMG_0957.JPG
Rivian R1T R1S Installing my Rivian spare tire (and kit) - experience writeup IMG_0955.JPG
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Max

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Thanks for sharing. With suspension this hi, plugging it with the tire in should be doable. I have done it on sedans much lower and my truck several times but I have never owned a vehicle with tire pressure this high. Anything different about the process if I wanted to do it on R1 anyone?
 

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Rivian R1T R1S Installing my Rivian spare tire (and kit) - experience writeup 1658524166262

This picture really makes me sad they didn't match the yellow. The calipers are such a nice bright yellow and then chipotle sauce.
 

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Also next time use the jack pad and you wont have to crank the jack up so high.
 

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1658524166262.png

This picture really makes me sad they didn't match the yellow. The calipers are such a nice bright yellow and then chipotle sauce.
Yeah I would be good with body color = caliper color, but I think CY is already the least popular color. Not sure why teh yellow hate when it comes to cars in general. Making it even brighter probably wouldn’t help.
 

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cbuckley

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Thanks for sharing. With suspension this hi, plugging it with the tire in should be doable. I have done it on sedans much lower and my truck several times but I have never owned a vehicle with tire pressure this high. Anything different about the process if I wanted to do it on R1 anyone?
I would not recommend plugging a tire on a vehicle this heavy with high PSI. I looked into this when I had an identical issue to the OP, and was multiply told to do a full patch (typically a plug-patch). I think you are looking for a DIY solution but most tire shops won’t do regular plugs these days. Rivian offered to pay for my tire patch through PepBoys but the manager did it for free because he was excited to see the truck. It would have only been $30 if I had had to pay and they warranty their repairs.
 

atebit

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It would have only been $30 if I had had to pay and they warranty their repairs.
Did you bring Pep Boys just the tire or did that $30 include R&R of the wheel too?
 

cbuckley

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Did you bring Pep Boys just the tire or did that $30 include R&R of the wheel too?
It was a slow leak so I drove the vehicle there and they did the entire R&R. One of their bays had a special lift of some sort compared to the other bays and they didn’t have to remove my underbody panels to lift up my vehicle. I was worried about that because of the instructions in the manual, but it all worked out great.

I originally took my truck to my favorite local shops but they refused to touch my truck due to not being able to get replacement parts should they accidentally break anything. As a result, I called Rivian service to see if they could advise me where to go. Service rep informed me that they have an agreement with PeoBoys (and Discount Tire I believe), called the shop to make my appointment, and sent them the Tow Guide to ensure they would know how to properly service the tire.
 
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OverZealous

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As much as I’d like a brighter yellow, I like the contrast. The yellow on the badging actually sticks out.

I’ve had nothing but compliments on the color, too. It’s amazing in person (especially in the sun).
 
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OverZealous

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Also next time use the jack pad and you wont have to crank the jack up so high.
I believe you are only supposed to use the jack pad for the rear wheels or on uneven ground. I followed the instructions. ;)
 

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OverZealous

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I would not recommend plugging a tire on a vehicle this heavy with high PSI. I looked into this when I had an identical issue to the OP, and was multiply told to do a full patch (typically a plug-patch). I think you are looking for a DIY solution but most tire shops won’t do regular plugs these days. Rivian offered to pay for my tire patch through PepBoys but the manager did it for free because he was excited to see the truck. It would have only been $30 if I had had to pay and they warranty their repairs.
$30 is what I was quoted, too. Cheap insurance.
 

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As much as I’d like a brighter yellow, I like the contrast. The yellow on the badging actually sticks out.

I’ve had nothing but compliments on the color, too. It’s amazing in person (especially in the sun).
Yep everyone that sees the yellow in person loves it. I wasn't 100% sure but glad i did yellow myself!
 

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This picture really makes me sad they didn't match the yellow. The calipers are such a nice bright yellow and then chipotle sauce.
I'm picky about car colors and personally prefer bolder colors. I'm absolutely planning on buying one of the Skittles colors for my Rivian preorders and had been waffling among Rivian Blue, Red Canyon, and Compass Yellow. I have in the past owned an orange 2-door convertible (original Tesla Roadster) and a yellow 2-door convertible (Honda S2000).

I really wanted to like Compass Yellow and I really loved many of the pictures posted. However, it looks better in photos than it does in person - to me anyway. I drove up to the local service center last weekend and took a close look at a Compass Yellow R1T and kept thinking, "mustard." I took photos and they again looked good to me, but with the naked eye I just kept thinking I'm not feeling a mustard-colored car.

Just my personal opinion, of course. I don't mean to crap on anyone's color preference. We're all going to have different views and opinions. Like I said, I wanted to love the yellow, but it's just not for me. However, I think I would like Rivian caliper yellow more than Compass Yellow.

Back on topic - great info on the changing the spare. Thank you. Will definitely bookmark this for future reference. Great information.
 

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I would have just drove it to a tire shop, but now you know how things work a bit better!
 
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OverZealous

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I would have just drove it to a tire shop, but now you know how things work a bit better!
My trusted tire guy didn’t have an appointment for a few days, and I don’t really trust the cheap tire shops to work on the vehicle.

I figured if I swapped it myself, I’d be safe to drive until I had time to decide what to do. And, like you said, the experience was not a bad thing.

I decided then that I could just get it plugged at the local shop, so I’ll have it all resolved by tomorrow.
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