My ideal R1T edition.

[Donald Stanfield]

There’s a thread on here about what would you change about your R1 for a future version. That got me thinking as to why I bought this truck in particular.

I got it simply because of its sports car performance promise. For a truck it absolutely feels like a sports car. What I’d like is for them to come out with an edition that removes the “for a truck” part. I know there are rumors that they are coming out with a performance quad motor that’s 1100 some HP.

My hope is they simply don’t bump up the power but they address some of the other deficiencies in it. Like for me the performance edition should drop the air suspension and get a hydraulic suspension with magnetic dampening. It would lose its off road performance because you’d only be able to raise it for a little bit and only for really slow speeds so an all purpose height raise for really light off road use.

Thing is this would be plenty for most people and if you’re calling it the performance edition the handling not the power is the weak point currently. I wouldn’t want it to lose towing or hauling capacity though but I feel that a magnetic suspension could handle it.

Even if this proposed edition cost 120ish i would Buy it. That’s like a 50k premium from where I’m at now if I factor in trade in value by the time this edition would be available for purchase.

What do you all think? Is there room for a more purpose built street truck in their lineup?

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[DuoRivians]

One of the big selling points for me is the truck’s versatility. While I welcome a bump in speed, I wouldn’t want to give up the off-road capabilities of the truck

 

[Donald Stanfield]

One of the big selling points for me is the truck’s versatility. While I welcome a bump in speed, I wouldn’t want to give up the off-road capabilities of the truck

I guess my sticking point to that solution is that the current quad has probably more speed than handling already. It hooks up great in a straight line but is limited in turns. More speed without addressing suspension would be a waste and I wouldn’t buy a faster edition with current suspension. Maybe if battery tech got better and the Rivian goes on a diet the suspension would be better by default.

I would be equally happy with that solution but that requires technology that doesn’t exist or at least isn’t in production yet.

 

[COdogman]

I could see them offering more upgrades in the future but I doubt they will use a different suspension entirely. The software upgrade for more power with the dual motor is probably a sign of other upgrades OTA to come in the future.

And I think that is actually a fair way to do it. If I had an 1100 hp truck I would probably end up killing myself in it, but the 800hp is a good balance of death vs enjoyment. Others can probably handle the increase responsibly

 

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Ideal R1T? Quad motors. Max pack. Less fancy / more rugged, durable interior. More outlets. Wanting a longer bed (metal, not plastic) and shorter cab is a hill I'll die on.

And also that slide-out table. I really could use that, LOL.

 

[BourboNole]

I would love a higher performance version that kept the utility but gave up the offroad prowess with a lowered, fixed suspension, but with 1 caveat. I am not willing to daily drive something that is teeth rattling stiff, and honestly I find the current sport mode to already be too stiff, although I believe that is due in large part to the compromises that come from the air suspension and overall suspension design. A purpose designed suspensions with magnetic dampers as you suggest should easily be able to ride well daily and then be turned up when desired.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

I would love a higher performance version that kept the utility but gave up the offroad prowess with a lowered, fixed suspension, but with 1 caveat. I am not willing to daily drive something that is teeth rattling stiff, and honestly I find the current sport mode to already be too stiff, although I believe that is due in large part to the compromises that come from the air suspension and overall suspension design. A purpose designed suspensions with magnetic dampers as you suggest should easily be able to ride well daily and then be turned up when desired.

Totally agree. Like a C8 vette, they ride really well but the magnetic dampeners put in work when you're running it hard. It can turn stiff in milliseconds with reaction to grip needs. This would be a true sport suspension which you aren't going to get with air because it's either too stiff because it cannot react fast enough for changing road conditions or it's floaty for comfort.

Luckily here the roads are mostly pristine so I run around in sport mode all the time but if they were like the roads in WI where I used to live sport would rattle your bones to death.

 

[Andystroh]

my ideal R1T would drop the sporty and luxury aspects and have a cheaper price tag. Funny how the versatility of this truck draws folks from all different aspects.

All I wanted was an electric offroader, the R1T happened to be the first. It is certainly fun though.

I would definitely get rid of the touchscreen climate controls.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

Ideal R1T? Quad motors. Max pack. Less fancy / more rugged, durable interior. More outlets. Wanting a longer bed (metal, not plastic) and shorter cab is a hill I'll die on.

And also that slide-out table. I really could use that, LOL.

With that list I'm surprised you didn't get a lightning or a Silverado. Those two seem to be much more in line with the work truck ethos you seem to be interested in.

 

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

I'm surprised you didn't get a lightning or a Silverado.

Still on the list. Rivian was available first. Neither of them offer a slide-out table either, though. I put tools on the gear tunnel doors often enough that I've adjusted my workflow and don't think I could live without them now.

Funny how things can go from a "I'll never use that" to "that would really be useful right about now", LOL.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

Still on the list. Rivian was available first. Neither of them offer a slide-out table either, though. I put tools on the gear tunnel doors often enough that I've adjusted my workflow and don't think I could live without them now.

Funny how things can go from a "I'll never use that" to "that would really be useful right about now", LOL.

Too bad Canoo is somewhat dead in the water. That sounds like it would have been the perfect vehicle for your use case.

 

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Too bad Canoo is somewhat dead in the water. That sounds like it would have been the perfect vehicle for your use case.

I know. On the list for one of those, as well.

 

[SoCal Rob]

There’s a thread on here about what would you change about your R1 for a future version. That got me thinking as to why I bought this truck in particular.

I got it simply because of its sports car performance promise. For a truck it absolutely feels like a sports car. What I’d like is for them to come out with an edition that removes the “for a truck” part. I know there are rumors that they are coming out with a performance quad motor that’s 1100 some HP.

My hope is they simply don’t bump up the power but they address some of the other deficiencies in it. Like for me the performance edition should drop the air suspension and get a hydraulic suspension with magnetic dampening. It would lose its off road performance because you’d only be able to raise it for a little bit and only for really slow speeds so an all purpose height raise for really light off road use.

Thing is this would be plenty for most people and if you’re calling it the performance edition the handling not the power is the weak point currently. I wouldn’t want it to lose towing or hauling capacity though but I feel that a magnetic suspension could handle it.

Even if this proposed edition cost 120ish i would Buy it. That’s like a 50k premium from where I’m at now if I factor in trade in value by the time this edition would be available for purchase.

What do you all think? Is there room for a more purpose built street truck in their lineup?

When I first saw the suspension on the Rivians described, I thought it would have been amazing if they used magnetorheological fluid and the induction coils(?) instead of regular hydraulic fluid and a mechanical orifice adjustment to alter the damping between soft and hard. I had the MR suspension (MagneRide in GM speak) on a Corvette and it was fantastic at quickly adapting while having fewer moving parts than something which changes the resistance to fluid movement by mechanically increasing and decreasing the orifice size.

Some of these suspension terms.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

When I first saw the suspension on the Rivians described, I thought it would have been amazing if they used magnetorheological fluid and the induction coils(?) instead of regular hydraulic fluid and a mechanical orifice adjustment to alter the damping between soft and hard. I had the MR suspension (MagneRide in GM speak) on a Corvette and it was fantastic at quickly adapting while having fewer moving parts than something which changes the resistance to fluid movement by mechanically increasing and decreasing the orifice size.

Some of these suspension terms.

Ummmm yeah. That. Admittedly I don't know as much about it as you do.

 

[SoCal Rob]

Ummmm yeah. That. Admittedly I don't know as much about it as you do.

I read about it when it first came out and I understand some of the general concepts. If anyone is curious, there is more info here, with videos explaining the general concepts. https://www.magneride.com/

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