Latest range maximization recommendations?

[Wiffle]

Hi all - haven't checked-in in a while here. I did my first roadtrip from Austin to SoCal (and back) last winter and it looks like I'm going to do it again this Dec. Wondering what the latest recommendations are for maximizing range on a trip like this.

I have a LE R1S with the 20" AT tires and only about 12k miles on it (most from that road trip).

Other than a couple chargers that weren't working and a line of Tesla's at a couple stations, I didn't run into any significant issues on the roadtrip. It was usually drive ~2 hours, stop/charge, drive ~2 hours. But this essentially meant that what would be a 4 hour drive became a 5 hour drive. I typically drove the speed limit in All-Purpose mode - my max range listed at 274mi, but I don't think I ever came close to it.

Is the recommendation now to switch to Conserve mode for long drives like that? I thought I read at one point that Conserve was essentially emergency use only. Anything else I should do besides make sure my tires are fully inflated?

Still loving the R1S - just wish I could drive a little bit further between pit stops (or at least shorten the stops just a bit)

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[VandalSibs]

I don't have a Tri or Quad motor R1T so this is a guess, but to my knowledge, Conserve was never meant to be "emergency" use - it's just the term Rivian decided to use in place of other vehicles' "eco" mode.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Conserve with auto height for steady speed highway cruising. Keep average speed as low/prudent as you can without impeding traffic or becoming a nuisance to others. This is to maximize aerodynamic efficiency, where drag is a significant factor at higher speeds.

Want more efficiency? Ditch the AT for AS of same size or smaller (275/60R20).

Conserve is never associated with emergency. Not sure where you got that. Conserve is to conserve energy, at expense of potential for accelerated rate of uneven tire wear. There are always trade offs.

 

[f1racer328]

What battery % are you arriving at the chargers with? Should be around 10% for the best charging rates. Even lower if you aren't in a charging desert.

 

[SteveInBend]

For best results - draft closely behind a large semi rig!

 

[jrmbadger]

Conserve mode is ok for trips - you just don't want to keep it on all the time as it wears the front tires faster. Speed is the enemy. As you get over 70mph the drag increases significantly.

If you want absolute maximum range, and if budget allows (and you don't off road), ditch the 275 R65 20" AT tires and get a set of 275 R60 20" AS tires. I was getting 1.8ish mi/kwhr with my toyo open country III (non ev) tires and I swapped them for General Grabber HTS60 tires and I'm getting 2.37 mi/kwhr after about 1200 miles (although recently I'm usually getting 2.5 or higher as the tires are now broken in - this a.m. on my 20 miles to work I had 2.8 mi/kwhr in mixed highway/city). That 2.37 mi/kwhr is mostly in all-purpose, so you can expect about another 5-10% in conserve. That equates to over 340 miles of real range (assuming 131 kwhr on the battery).

Those tires turned the R1 into a much better road-trip car that's more on-par with the model Y (still a bit slower on charging, but not horribly so).

The great thing about the Grabbers is that they are really cheap - I think it was less than $1,000 all in including install. Right now discount tire has 'em for $180 a tire. The Michellin are good too, but those are like $300 a tire.

 

[usulio]

Conserve mode is fine. Low ride height (or auto). Or Lowest if you don't mind the bumpiness.

Biggest improvement would be sell those tires and get efficient tires, unless you have some reason to keep them. Could get you 30+ more miles of range (very rough guess).

Lower battery percentage = faster charging rate.

Keep to the speed limit = more range but generally slower overall trip time. Though it depends on the number of stops.

 

[ksurfier]

Conserve mode is a truly poor tradeoff, what’s actually really concerning are the safety issues if you needed an evasive maneuver, trying driving aggressively with and without and you can see the huge difference it makes…once you realize just how bad it is you’ll likely never use it again…but “why”, you ask? Because it literally doesn’t provide any better range except in the rarest of circumstances…and even then, “how much range does it add”, you ask? - only ~3%!!!

 

[drumminguy81]

I was told by my guide when i purchased my r1 that they don't ever recommend using conserve, he said they did some testing between their service centers and in under 100 miles highway they saw noticeable tire feathering and uneven wear, he said the range increase is so minimal you wouldn't notice it.

 

[f1racer328]

I was told by my guide when i purchased my r1 that they don't ever recommend using conserve, he said they did some testing between their service centers and in under 100 miles highway they saw noticeable tire feathering and uneven wear, he said the range increase is so minimal you wouldn't notice it.

Best way to save range is going to be to reduce drag, so slow down. 75 mph to 65 mph is a big difference.

 

[Dennisis]

For best results - draft closely behind a large semi rig!

Not me too many rocks!

 

[mkg3]

I have done thousands of miles using the Conserve mode for long road trips. There is no issue. Unlike city driving where there are stops and acceleration all the time, highway cruising is not hard on the drive tires.

Since the conserve mode puts the vehicle into FWD mode and changes the ride height to lowest, it reduces drag and shuts the rear motor down using a physical clutch. My most recent road trip was roughly 2,800 miles and 80% or so was done on the conserve mode.

My recommendation is to use the conserve mode on the freeways only. I have driven from Houston to LA and it takes 2 days to get out of Texas. The first day to Fort Stockton, then the second day to Phoenix, The 3rd day to LA. The road is mostly flat and straight so the conserve mode is just fine.

On the mountain and canyon sections, where there are lots of curves, go back to AP or sport mode as R1S behaves better in AWD mode.

Personally, I usually drive at 75~85 mph on the road trips. Match meal and nature breaks with charging and works out just fine. Just use the nav to find out where charging locations are and plan to your stops using your head, not what the nav tells you. I only use Tesla or RAN chargers. Tesla with membership on road trips results in the lowest cost in my experience.

Enjoy and don't over think it. Safe travels.

 

[Dennisis]

I have done thousands of miles using the Conserve mode for long road trips. There is no issue. Unlike city driving where there are stops and acceleration all the time, highway cruising is not hard on the drive tires.

Since the conserve mode puts the vehicle into FWD mode and changes the ride height to lowest, it reduces drag and shuts the rear motor down using a physical clutch. My most recent road trip was roughly 2,800 miles and 80% or so was done on the conserve mode.

My recommendation is to use the conserve mode on the freeways only. I have driven from Houston to LA and it takes 2 days to get out of Texas. The first day to Fort Stockton, then the second day to Phoenix, The 3rd day to LA. The road is mostly flat and straight so the conserve mode is just fine.

On the mountain and canyon sections, where there are lots of curves, go back to AP or sport mode as R1S behaves better in AWD mode.

Personally, I usually drive at 75~85 mph on the road trips. Match meal and nature breaks with charging and works out just fine. Just use the nav to find out where charging locations are and plan to your stops using your head, not what the nav tells you. I only use Tesla or RAN chargers. Tesla with membership on road trips results in the lowest cost in my experience.

Enjoy and don't over think it. Safe travels.

Long time Tesla guy. So do you feel the Rivian doesn’t give the best info re where to charge and how long? Or do you just prefer to stop at particular chargers? Trying to bone up on the Rivian process after Tesla roadtripping for many years.

 

[jrmbadger]

I’ve never felt unsafe with conserve mode. Its a bit less peppy sure, but no less so then my ice cars. Ive also never had tire issues either. I dont drive with it in conserve around town though because i want the tires to wear evenly.

 

[jrmbadger]

Long time Tesla guy. So do you feel the Rivian doesn’t give the best info re where to charge and how long? Or do you just prefer to stop at particular chargers? Trying to bone up on the Rivian process after Tesla roadtripping for many years.

I find the Rivian planner more accurate at range estimation than teslas. The charging stops it gives are fine. In fact because its not limited to a single network I find its recommendations to be better than Tesla.

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