R1T Ride Quality Harsh on Bumpy Surfaces

[Inkedsphynx]

The long travel coil suspension in my TRX was far more compliant over bumps and much smoother on rough terrain. The Rivian’s pay the price in some areas due to being a jack of all trades suspension setup.

Yea, in my other thread I, and others, cover the many points one must consider when comparing coils to air suspension in the context of the R1T. Your TRX doesn't need to lower itself at highway speeds to maintain efficiency - it just doesn't give a shit how many dinosaurs it burns.

Bumps alone do not determine overall ride quality, even if that's the primary complaint from users (which says a lot in and of itself).

One of the MANY reasons the air suspension is pretty much necessary to enable to R1T to be what it is.

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[Goose]

Point me towards the Ferrari EV that cares about efficiency?

Go back to your original post - https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/who-wants-a-simpler-r1.11587/

Plenty of us told you exactly why coils on an R1 would be a huge mistake.

If you still don't understand how it could be an issue, you're not looking at anything beyond your personal needs. Do you think Rivian wants to sell a truck that costs as much as a current R1 but gets 70% of the range [coils over air suspension won't reduce the cost by 30%, that's for sure]? That's about what coils would do. Who is going to buy that? Nobody. People already spend inordinate amounts of time saying 300 miles isn't enough. What would they be saying if it were 30% less?

That is only ONE of the MANY reasons air suspension is superior on an R1 than coils. As I said, go back to your other thread, we've already done this work for you.

If people get 30% less range in all-purpose ride height then that's not acceptable. Range estimates should be made from the most commonly used setting in these vehicles, all-purpose in this case, not the most conservative.

 

[Inkedsphynx]

If people get 30% less range in all-purpose ride height then that's not acceptable. Range estimates should be made from the most commonly used setting in these vehicles, all-purpose in this case, not the most conservative.

When you're going 70mph the difference in efficiency between Standard ride height and Low Ride height is significant. That is factored into the testing they did.

If you remove the ability to lower at speed, you're going to take that hit ALL the time, and thus the overall range is going to drop.

 

[Thedude]

Your TRX doesn't need to lower itself at highway speeds to maintain efficiency - it just doesn't give a shit how many dinosaurs it burns.

That thing burned so many dinosaurs, ridiculously bad fuel economy.

 

[Harvest]

I have the R1T on 21 inch tires and have had it for about 3 months now. I am particularly sensitive to a rough or stiff ride over bumps because I have a bad back. I have been relatively pleased with the ride in the R1T, which I almost always have set on All Purpose in soft suspension and standard ride height. Before the R1T I was driving a 2017 Honda Pilot which my wife now drives, and she was previously driving a 2012 Honda CRV. I'd say the R1T on 21 inch tires rides comparably to the Honda Pilot and is less stiff than the Honda CRV. The Pilot has softer seats and is maybe a little smoother or more composed going slowly over bumps, but at 30 mph and above I don't notice any significant difference. My wife is prone to nausea in cars and hasn't complained riding in the R1T with me. I rented a new Chevy Impala for a long work trip last week and it felt way worse to drive in terms of bumps than my R1T. My last comment is that I've owned a couple previous half-ton pickups and driven several others, and the ride in the R1T is way better than most pickups, not nearly as bouncy.

 

[mabowden]

I have the R1T on 21 inch tires and have had it for about 3 months now. I am particularly sensitive to a rough or stiff ride over bumps because I have a bad back. I have been relatively pleased with the ride in the R1T, which I almost always have set on All Purpose in soft suspension and standard ride height. Before the R1T I was driving a 2017 Honda Pilot which my wife now drives, and she was previously driving a 2012 Honda CRV. I'd say the R1T on 21 inch tires rides comparably to the Honda Pilot and is less stiff than the Honda CRV. The Pilot has softer seats and is maybe a little smoother or more composed going slowly over bumps, but at 30 mph and above I don't notice any significant difference. My wife is prone to nausea in cars and hasn't complained riding in the R1T with me. I rented a new Chevy Impala for a long work trip last week and it felt way worse to drive in terms of bumps than my R1T. My last comment is that I've owned a couple previous half-ton pickups and driven several others, and the ride in the R1T is way better than most pickups, not nearly as bouncy.

I commute over a somewhat bumpy stretch of freeway, and sometimes there are other trucks around me. In the r1t it takes a couple of bounces to settle, I was driving near a newer ram the other day and it took like 6 bounces to settle. A weird thing to pay attention to, but I also felt it to be much less bouncy then other trucks.

 

[John G.]

If people get 30% less range in all-purpose ride height then that's not acceptable. Range estimates should be made from the most commonly used setting in these vehicles, all-purpose in this case, not the most conservative.

Here's what my R1T estimates my max range will be when riding in All-Purpose Mode riding on on 22's. Now, that's hardly unacceptable to me.

https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/...-is-everyone-getting.10724/page-3#post-266958

 

[Mathme]

I don't have my R1T yet, but recently completed my First Mile Drive.

When I first drove it, the R1 was in AP with 20" AT Tires and even as we were leaving the parking lot, my first thought was, "yep, rides and drives like a truck." Most of the drive was done in Sport Mode and for me (with the crappy Bay Area roads) Sport was too harsh. I'll likely be an AP mode kinda guy when I do get the R1.

 

[Montucky]

I'm reading this thread with interest, but curious if the complaint on ride quality is just that it's "rough" and "Jarring" or that it feels loose and clunky? I'm more concerned about the later as any suspension clunking or rattling drives me nuts. I personally like a firm ride, and the gold standard for me was a Chevy Colorado ZR2 with the DSSV dampers. That was the best riding truck I've ever experienced.

 

[TeslaToRivian]

I'm reading this thread with interest, but curious if the complaint on ride quality is just that it's "rough" and "Jarring" or that it feels loose and clunky? I'm more concerned about the later as any suspension clunking or rattling drives me nuts. I personally like a firm ride, and the gold standard for me was a Chevy Colorado ZR2 with the DSSV dampers. That was the best riding truck I've ever experienced.

As the OP, I will tell you I do not think there are issues with it feeling “loose and clunky“. Obviously, the easiest way to get answers for myself, without hassling everyone here, would be for me to drive the vehicle in various driving modes. The reason I started this thread was because I was trying to minimize driving the vehicle in case I decide to return it within the seven day window.

It seems to be a very solid consensus that driving mode makes a huge difference, and that sport mode will be much more rough and clunky than all purpose mode, while all purpose mode is a fairly pleasant and smooth experience.

 

[doit82]

My wife just commented this weekend how the ride in the R1T up to the ski mountain on uneven pavement was much smoother than in our model Y. This is on aftermarket 20's.

 

[MXA121]

I'm reading this thread with interest, but curious if the complaint on ride quality is just that it's "rough" and "Jarring" or that it feels loose and clunky? I'm more concerned about the later as any suspension clunking or rattling drives me nuts. I personally like a firm ride, and the gold standard for me was a Chevy Colorado ZR2 with the DSSV dampers. That was the best riding truck I've ever experienced.

The Rivian rides and handles way better imo. (and that's after going to a 34" tire on the ZR2.) I hear some suspension noise on the R1T, but with such a quiet ride you hear things. My ZR2 has some clunks (sway links) and squeaks to it (leafs) too.

 

[Montucky]

The Rivian rides and handles way better imo. (and that's after going to a 34" tire on the ZR2.) I hear some suspension noise on the R1T, but with such a quiet ride you hear things. My ZR2 has some clunks (sway links) and squeaks to it (leafs) too.

Thanks for the insight as an owner of both. That makes me feel better. I have another ZR2 (2023) on order as well as a Rivian order that's over a year now, and figure I might take the first that comes available since driving a Sprinter van in the Montana winters isn't much fun. Need a truck!

 

[TeslaToRivian]

Update for those interested: drive mode makes a huge difference. Been driving around and all purpose and even a little bit of snow mode and the car is flat out fun to drive.

I am still curious how other tires/wheels would make a difference, and may invest in something different in the future. For now, I’m pretty excited about this vehicle.

I will post a more complete review down the road when I have more information to share.

Overall, for a car, the size, it handles great. Compared to a new, 2022 model X plaid with air suspension, and all the bells and whistles, it does have a little more roll. But, it’s fairly minimal and enjoyable to drive so far.

 

[R1TY]

People report ride quality like this yet I got bashed for mulitple pages when I asked for a future R1 trim with long travel coilovers.

I still have my old DD, which is a 200 Series Land Cruiser on King coil-overs. Not long travel, but tuned perfectly. The ride, especially at slow speeds is WAY better. The key difference is that I never drive my cruiser aggressively on road. The R1 air system is far superior at adapting to driving environments where my cruiser was optimized for Off road only. It would be a tough choice between a long travel coil-over set in the highest position vs the standard R1 air.

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