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Off-roading Newb Question

Bbernardo

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If you hear someone yell "Hold my beer!" Stay clear!

Seriously though a lot of sound advice given here on getting off the paved path. Get with a local 4x4 group and get in line and learn what you can do. Trust your spotter and learn to be spot for others. DO NOT GO ALONE.

I try and hit up the local OHV parks and always learn something that's useful when going to the back country of Colorado. Pic of dropping the H3 into a slick rut on 3 wheels.
Rivian R1T R1S Off-roading Newb Question IMG_1247
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kurtlikevonnegut

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I did some unplanned offroading in Alaska last week and as I was annihilating the suspension of my Toyota Highlander rental driving down this semi improved trail, all I could think about was how much fun I'd be having in my R1S.
 

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DO NOT GO ALONE.
^^ Just wanted to stress this part.

There are plenty of groups out there, and within those groups there are a lot of different skill levels. Most are exceptionally willing to help an offroad newbie and show you around trails. Just do what you're comfortable with and try more advanced stuff as your confidence builds.

I'm curious to see how the R1S does. While it lacks articulation and clearance compared to what I'm used to, the low center of gravity should be a game changer.

Rivian R1T R1S Off-roading Newb Question X1VVtxH
 
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Moonjock

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I did some unplanned offroading in Alaska last week and as I was annihilating the suspension of my Toyota Highlander rental driving down this semi improved trail, all I could think about was how much fun I'd be having in my R1S.
Semi improved ? there are a lot of goat trails up here that get all kinds of traffic.
 

Bbernardo

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I'm curious to see how the R1S does. While it lacks articulation and clearance compared to what I'm used to, the low center of gravity should be a game changer.
Same... anxious to get my hands on wheel and see what she can do... would love to to do a "Rivians in the Rockies" event when we all get our rigs!
 

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StuartR

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I would also say that all these extreme bouldering photos and pictures of cars looking like they are about to tip over is not what "off-roading" has to be. That is not really what it is for me at least. There is a joy in being able to place yourself further into the nature and further away from people. I find the extremely technical part of off-roading more stressful than fun. But I appreciate that I can drive my car through a river and drive right over most rough roads as I drive through the countryside.

As some said above, "off-roading" is a misnomer, as most of the places you are allowed to go are still roads or trails. Even places where that is not the case (mostly beaches in my experience), you should be very cautious about going off of trails, as you can cause damage to the land that takes decades to heal. Where I live, all off-road driving is illegal and punished by fines (if they catch people, which unfortunately they mostly don't). That said, there are countless very rough, beautiful roads and trails that criss cross the whole country.

I would say if you are looking to start, ignore the extreme stuff completely. Start driving on easy forest roads and dirt and gravel tracks. Get a feel for how a car handles off of pavement, and if you enjoy it, then you can start meeting people and pairing up with someone who can teach you more about the rough stuff.
 

Riventures

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I'm curious to see how the R1S does. While it lacks articulation and clearance compared to what I'm used to, the low center of gravity should be a game changer.

X1VVtxH.jpg
Without a doubt, the location of CG on EVs in general will do wonders. However, there is also the inherent significant advantage to having all of the torque a 0 RPM. Add to that you don't have to worry about differentials and each wheel having its own motor... OMG! I cannot wait to experience that.
 

CommodoreAmiga

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Or they turn into single track unexpectedly - not that it's ever happened to me...
Keep a KLR 650 in the bed of your R1T and that isn’t a problem.
 

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staples

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Keep a KLR 650 in the bed of your R1T and that isn’t a problem.
I thought we were all about the EVs here. Use a Zero FX. It's 650W onboard charger will easily work on that 15 amp 120v volt circuit in the bed.
 

R_1_T

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I thought we were all about the EVs here. Use a Zero FX. It's 650W onboard charger will easily work on that 15 amp 120v volt circuit in the bed.
I'd most likely have a couple of mountain bikes back there. I'm the thing that needs to get charged...
 

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While we're discussing off-roading a bit, does anyone know what suspension mode/height the approach/departure angles are taken from on the R1 siblings? Scaling the angles off both the side profiles and the CAD-looking drawings (resulting numbers from both were really close) of the R1S, the angles are a lot better than advertised. Just wondering what I'm missing.

It'd be pretty awesome to be able to lower or raise one end of the vehicle to give a few extra degrees of angle for clearing some obstacles.
 

Sgt Beavis

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No one has mentioned it but TrailsOffroad.com is another excellent resource. They also have links to let you directly download trail maps to the Gaia GPS app.

And since we're posting rigs..
Rivian R1T R1S Off-roading Newb Question 51533741544_f6fb35bcb4_b
 

ATL_Canes

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I've never done anything remotely off-road in my life. But with my R1S reservation—plus seeing the MT videos and others—I'm starting to wonder if it wouldn't be something I'd like to try.

So here's my 100% newb question from someone who commutes on paved roads, travels to Walmart, etc. (basically every stereotype you can think of): How do you find places to go off-roading? I live in Kentucky (work in Louisville, live south of there—fairly rural) so I would imagine there are plenty of opportunities... but I haven't the slightest clue where to begin.

I could absolutely google this but I wanted to see what you all thought. Plus, this particular sub-forum is pretty sparse and it needed something to fill the space, so why not? I also wonder how many others are in the same boat as me. Anyone else out there a suburbanite paved-roads-only kinda person that is suddenly considering testing the off-roading waters?
I'm late in responding, but I'm 100% the same profile as you. I posted a similar note in the "Georgia" thread looking for some easy spots in the north Georgia mountains, but it's great to have a discussion thread right on point.

Looking forward to taking the R1T into the "wilderness" but need as much help as I can get so I'm saving this thread to revisit. Would be cool if there are some Rivian specific outings as folks start getting their trucks so we're not going at it alone.

As I was doing some research, I stumbled across the Georgia Traverse (https://www.georgiaoverland.com/map.html), which seems cool because you don't have to do it all - you can break it into sections.
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