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R1T offroad footage and info from from South America!

electruck

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This just looks like any other poorly thought out 4X4 ad.
Perhaps. It is a well known fact that they are using "The Long Way Up" to do extensive field testing of the vehicles. I think they would be remiss to not acknowledge and share what's going on during that journey. However, they also can't reveal so much as to spoil the film. What they have presented is simply another chapter in the story of Rivian which has been slowly trickling out to paint us a picture of the people and products that are Rivian. I think their "story" based ad campaign speaks as much to the heart of the people of the company as it does the products they are selling and, from what I am observing online, it appears to have been quite effective so far in building a brand image that people can relate to and want to back with their hard earned dollars - even though there is a high risk associated with an automotive startup. But, what do I know, I'm no marketing expert.
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16 or 17 Inch wheels would be welcomed by the crew by now I bet
I bet so too! The rotors & calipers look pretty large, but maybe an 18" wheel option at least?

I know larger wheels are in style these days, but I like the look of a meatier tire better. And more sidewall is a definite benefit offroad.
 

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I have lots of experience through out north African Sahara, Canadian and Alaskan Arctic regions and USA/Mexico desert Southwest. I am completely not impressed by the Rivian video. Proper off road use is slow and safely. The Rivian suspension is demonstrating limited articulation of the the suspension which is exactly what I was worried about with air suspension and CV joint axles shafts. Driving fast and hitting the dirt hard over hills and bumps can be done in any rental car with enough speed. What I like to see is slow over difficult terrain with good articulation. I think what is happening here is the engineers really do not have extensive off road experience. I don't blame them as the company is not located in an area of difficult terrain.

See this video below at minutes 1:20 and 1:45. This is a rock stock Ram2500 with solid axles. Slow and safe. It's the only way to be able to travel thousand of miles over the sahara or arctic without break downs. Burn-outs and blasting through sand hills like a high school student with the parents car, breaks the vehicle soon enough.
This isn't a treatise on effective off-roading, it's testing + marketing. I doubt they were driving like this for the entire trip, and it appears to have been a pretty extensive trip.

But also, think about it. In your extensive experience, what parts of the car tend to break? Does the R1T have one of those? If wheels/brakes and motors/suspension can handle the abuse, what's left to worry about that's critical? AC and windshield wipers? I'm sure it's not a clever idea to make a habit out of hitting bumps that hard for the driver's sake if nothing else, but there's a lot less to break and the remaining critical bits are solid state and protected by a rigid chassis. I'm just speculating of course, but this could be a very different animal from an ICE truck.

On the other hand, it's possible they're dressing up frame inflexibility as an advantage when it's really probably a requirement for keeping that battery sandwich safe and operational and this might be one pretty major design tradeoff.

If that turned out to be the case, I would still want one. Really, really bad.
 

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Yeah the frame is the battery with internal cooling systems that should not be flexing. Great for handling on road but super stiff chassis off road not optimal.
 

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I just had a major light bulb moment! I've seen multiple mentions of "dynamic roll control" before but this story contains the first mention I have seen of a "hydraulically interconnected suspension system". We're talking supercar technology here. It seems Rivian is applying a very sophisticated suspension design similar to what McLaren has used successfully on some of its cars. Not surprising given that Rivian has more than a few former McLaren engineers. Now I truly get what RJ is talking about when making comments about how great these vehicles will handle both on and off road.

Here is a good overview of McLaren's system. There may be implementation differences but the basic physics should be the same.

EDIT: after some further digging, I have found additional mention of this setup.

Here is a link to a Motor Trend story from last year's R1S first look that stated it will come "with standard air suspension and a Tenneco Kinetic interlinked hydraulic damper system that negates the need for anti-roll bars".

And here is another link to a 2011 Car and Driver article on the Tenneco Kinetic interlinked hydraulic damper system with a mention of its use by McLaren.

I'm going to guess Rivian will be using this newer version designed for SUVs.

I can't believe I've overlooked this detail for so long....
 
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I just had a major light bulb moment! I've seen multiple mentions of "dynamic roll control" before but this story contains the first mention I have seen of a "hydraulically interconnected suspension system". We're talking supercar technology here. It seems Rivian is applying a very sophisticated suspension design similar to what McLaren has used successfully on some of its cars. Not surprising given that Rivian has more than a few former McLaren engineers. Now I truly get what RJ is talking about when making comments about how great these vehicles will handle both on and off road.

Here is a good overview of McLaren's system. There may be implementation differences but the basic physics should be the same.
Whoa. Yeah, that's starting to sound less like a cost/benefit compromise from springs.

Edit: Although sadly I suspect this may not be standard equipment if the only other place it's found currently is a on a McLaren. When I googled, all I could find was white papers.
 
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Whoa. Yeah, that's starting to sound less like a cost/benefit compromise from springs.

Edit: Although sadly I suspect this may not be standard equipment if the only other place it's found currently is a on a McLaren. When I googled, all I could find was white papers.
Definitely not a compromise, looks like superior comfort, articulation, and handling capabilities. I doubt it's an option, because the skateboard platform is standardized. It would likely end up costing more to design, test, & manufacture a second suspension option...
 

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Yeah I just woke up to the hydraulic details as well.. not sure how that wasn't impressed on me earlier.

I agree you don't normally hit bumps at those speeds if you don't have money to throw around.. but I think they are going to knock it out of the park on this one, when you look at the performance of the vehicle as a whole - on-road, off-road, rigidity considerations, everything. I am still watching carefully for the Tesla truck release on Thursday though :)
 

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I just had a major light bulb moment! I've seen multiple mentions of "dynamic roll control" before but this story contains the first mention I have seen of a "hydraulically interconnected suspension system". We're talking supercar technology here. It seems Rivian is applying a very sophisticated suspension design similar to what McLaren has used successfully on some of its cars. Not surprising given that Rivian has more than a few former McLaren engineers. Now I truly get what RJ is talking about when making comments about how great these vehicles will handle both on and off road.

Here is a good overview of McLaren's system. There may be implementation differences but the basic physics should be the same.

EDIT: after some further digging, I have found additional mention of this setup.

Here is a link to a Motor Trend story from last year's R1S first look that stated it will come "with standard air suspension and a Tenneco Kinetic interlinked hydraulic damper system that negates the need for anti-roll bars".

And here is another link to a 2011 Car and Driver article on the Tenneco Kinetic interlinked hydraulic damper system with a mention of its use by McLaren.

I'm going to guess Rivian will be using this newer version designed for SUVs.

I can't believe I've overlooked this detail for so long....
I can confirm that they are using this system on the R1T and R1S, I talked to Charles Sanderson at the Seattle event about it. Or should I say he talked about it quite extensively, I was trying to soak it all in. If you guys ever get to an event and see him, that's the guy you want to talk to. He said that they were using this system at McLaren when he was there and the capabilities are incredible.

Can't wait to try it out.
 

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[QUOTE="... This thing isn't a rock crawler. ...[/QUOTE]

Ah, but it could be with a few small changes. Fit some more reasonable tires (35x12.5R18, 37x13.5R17) and get rid of the plastic beneath the bumpers and it could handle the Rubicon Trail. Not as easily as a Wrangler but well enough to give it some serious off-road cred.
 

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Ah, but it could be with a few small changes. Fit some more reasonable tires (35x12.5R18, 37x13.5R17) and get rid of the plastic beneath the bumpers and it could handle the Rubicon Trail. Not as easily as a Wrangler but well enough to give it some serious off-road cred.
I think it could be as is, but there are few that will really wheel an $80K vehicle. I'll keep my Jeep(s) for the fun stuff, but my Rivian will not be a complete pavement princess.
 

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I think it could be as is, but there are few that will really wheel an $80K vehicle. I'll keep my Jeep(s) for the fun stuff, but my Rivian will not be a complete pavement princess.
My problem is that I have to drive 1000 miles to get to most of the trails I enjoy. That’s pretty painful in my Jeep. The RIvian will be nice on pavement but I’ll have to eschew some of the best trails.
 

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I think it could be as is, but there are few that will really wheel an $80K vehicle. I'll keep my Jeep(s) for the fun stuff, but my Rivian will not be a complete pavement princess.
I totally agree. Look at the price of the new JL and JTs. By the time you get out the door, you are near 55K for the Rubicon model. Once you add in suspension mods and other items you are riding around on a big pile of cash. I know I have more than 10K tied up in my LJ mods. One of the reasons I don't have a new Jeep in my driveway.
 

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I totally agree. Look at the price of the new JL and JTs. By the time you get out the door, you are near 55K for the Rubicon model. Once you add in suspension mods and other items you are riding around on a big pile of cash. I know I have more than 10K tied up in my LJ mods. One of the reasons I don't have a new Jeep in my driveway.
I've got more than that tied up in my JLUR and I wheel it as hard as I'm capable of. Yup, it's got a few paint scratches, the skid plates have a LOT of scratches and the rims have a lot of rash. But if I babied it to avoid that I wouldn't be able to access my favorite spots. And I would have a lot less confidence exploring for new ones. Rivian is supposed to be about "the outdoor lifestyle". For me that means getting to places you can't get to without some effort.

I'm excited about Rivian's quad motor design. It has the potential for being way better than anything else for rock crawling. The suspension and ground clearance look to be adequate. But the plastic bumpers and tiny tires just won't cut it.
 
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I know I have more than 10K tied up in my LJ mods.
My favorite Jeep ever, I'm jealous! Looking forward to see what EV plans they have for the Wrangler & hoping Rivian might have a competitor in store too.
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