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Underbody Shield - Worth it ?

Blueassassin

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Ya now I'm very confused then did they not ship this guy his carbon pieces or did some of you get the off-road for free and that's why we haven't seen a difference yet?
 

Blueassassin

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Uhhhhh - so my truck says it doesn't have the off road package but I have the carbon fiber shielding and whatnot that this truck is missing. Very confused.
So what's the difference between yours and the off-road then?
 

jollyroger

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I asked the question at the Venice hub, and what they told me is that you can't really tell if a vehicle has the underbody extra protection or not by just looking at it, The carbon fiber covers the underside in both cases.

The reinforced underbody has an extra steel and aluminum plate above the carbon, and below the battery pack to protect from crashing down on rocks.

I'm mostly a road warrior and tow my boat type (ramps are close by). I may do the occasional gravel road, but I don't really see myself rock climbing. So I'm not getting it. I am glad I can get the tow hooks separately now.
 

rhuber

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So what's the difference between yours and the off-road then?
I asked the question at the Venice hub, and what they told me is that you can't really tell if a vehicle has the underbody extra protection or not by just looking at it, The carbon fiber covers the underside in both cases.

The reinforced underbody has an extra steel and aluminum plate above the carbon, and below the battery pack to protect from crashing down on rocks.
Yeah, I've heard the same things, but when I had the covers off, I saw a very thick CF and steel shield in the battery pack area, and the one Sandy Munro showed in his video is identical. I really just wonder if they are all the same right now and my config listing is actually wrong. It is _possible_ something is built differently in the floor of the batt pack but i consider that highly unlikely. it would change the structure/height in weird ways and makes no sense.

Edit:
I was a rather early Model 3 owner, and in the years since it has become common knowledge that the early Performance vs dual motor long range vehicles had identical rear motors back then. Tesla claimed they "binned" (tested/sorted) them and the performance cars got the better ones, but I don't believe that. They had not developed the cheaper motor and just used the same in both, with one vehicle being software limited. I would not be surprised if rivian is building trucks with it and just not labeling them as such for now. I hope to get enough info to be proven wrong because it is strange that this is still such a grey area.
 

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JeremyP

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Yeah, I've heard the same things, but when I had the covers off, I saw a very thick CF and steel shield in the battery pack area, and the one Sandy Munro showed in his video is identical. I really just wonder if they are all the same right now and my config listing is actually wrong. It is _possible_ something is built differently in the floor of the batt pack but i consider that highly unlikely. it would change the structure/height in weird ways and makes no sense.

Edit:
I was a rather early Model 3 owner, and in the years since it has become common knowledge that the early Performance vs dual motor long range vehicles had identical rear motors back then. Tesla claimed they "binned" (tested/sorted) them and the performance cars got the better ones, but I don't believe that. They had not developed the cheaper motor and just used the same in both, with one vehicle being software limited. I would not be surprised if rivian is building trucks with it and just not labeling them as such for now. I hope to get enough info to be proven wrong because it is strange that this is still such a grey area.
The plastic aero shield in the munroe video definitely looked different than the bottom of @jjswan33's truck that I was looking at yesterday. His has a smooth steel plate exposed under the battery area, which is what you would want if you are going to potentially contact the ground. If there is a plastic cover between the steel protection and an obstacle then the plastic will just get chewed up. There is a picture in his trip thread that shows the steel plate and the plastic side panel that got slightly 'massaged' by a rock:)
 

rhuber

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The plastic aero shield in the munroe video definitely looked different than the bottom of @jjswan33's truck that I was looking at yesterday. His has a smooth steel plate exposed under the battery area, which is what you would want if you are going to potentially contact the ground. If there is a plastic cover between the steel protection and an obstacle then the plastic will just get chewed up.
Mine has the same steel plate for the entire underbody as you describe.

I am talking about this sandwich layer between the steel plate and the pack, which my non-armor truck also has.

Rivian R1T R1S Underbody Shield - Worth it ? Screen Shot 2022-04-29 at 12.49.03 PM
 

mini2nut

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Currently not configured because of this.

If Rivian offered full undercarriage protection similar to the battery tray I would purchase it.

Rivian R1T R1S Underbody Shield - Worth it ? 1651268684164
 

Brian M

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Currently not configured because of this.

If Rivian offered full undercarriage protection similar to the battery tray I would purchase it.

1651268684164.jpeg
So the plastic "sides" in this picture is on both the standard and the reinforced underbody? If that is the case I'm not upgrading.
 

mini2nut

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Rivian made the parts out of plastic to be sacrificial. Aftermarket to the rescue?
 

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elecrticeddy

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So for those who have said no on the underbody shield you may want to rethink if you do any trail riding. I was at Rivian having my R1T looked at for a small trim repair and I heard tech say he had 3 R1T in for underbody repairs and one of which was big damage that the owner would need to pay for. He told me if they had had the extra shield all three would not have any damage as it appears the plastic shield is not very strong even though it looks very similar. Note my truck does not have the extra shield but the R1S I ordered does. Glad I order it. Here is 1 of 3 stories I found where the lack of extra protection hurt.


Another Rivian Damaged After Driving Through a Puddle, Is the Underbody ...
Mar 6, 2023In the case of Rivian, owners are actively talking about fitting the optional $2,000 reinforced underbody shield the EV maker offers. The problem is that the protective shield is not..

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/...-is-the-underbody-shield-worth-it-211394.html
 

elecrticeddy

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Congrats on being close to delivery!

The shield costs extra even on LE models, have you gone into the configurator lately?

The underbody protection changes the look and shape “not at all” so no aerodynamic effect expected. (Not seen any data, though)

Have not seen any data on the impact of the extra weight on range, would expect a sl negative impact.

Forum members have been trying to get screen shots of R1T vehicle weight capacity with and without the underbody protection.

Enough R1T’s delivered so we should be able to get this. Would expect reduced cargo weight capacity, I don’t remember seeing definitive screen shots yet. Some hints it might be a 200-300 lb impact, but may also include being with / without a spare tire

Rivian says the underbody shield is for “extreme off-road conditions”, so agree w previous post, you wouldn’t benefit from it on “dirt roads and snowbanks”

Wish I had firmer answers!
read this before you say you don’t need it. I got it on mine and glad I did

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/...-is-the-underbody-shield-worth-it-211394.html
 

Jayhawkeye

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My matched vehicle came with this and I gladly paid the extra based on what the SC guys said.
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