Harsh ride issue fix: exercise (calibrate) suspension -- raise to Off-Road Mode + lower to Performance Mode

[CrazyOne]

In both the R1T and R1S models, I’ve encountered issues with the suspension feeling excessively hard when hitting cracks, bumps, small potholes, and manhole covers. Both vehicles had undergone service for the clicking, ticking, and squeaking suspension issues. The common fixes included replacing washers, hub bolts, half shafts, and in some cases, subframes (for the R1T).

Despite undergoing service, the hard ride quality persisted. It seems that a recent update in the past couple of months might be the culprit, but I’m not entirely certain.

Determined to find a solution, I decided to “exercise” and “stretch” the suspension by putting it in Off Road Mode and raising it to the Highest level. I drove the vehicle for a few minutes at the 20 mph maximum speed, then switched to Performance Mode and set the settings to the Lowest with Firm setting. I continued driving in this manner for a few minutes before reverting to Auto Ride Height and Soft settings.

To my astonishment, this simple adjustment completely resolved the issue. The suspension now effortlessly glides over those mentioned scenarios like it used to in the old days. I’m sharing this experience to see if anyone else has encountered similar problems and has tried this method. I hope this information is helpful and serves as a significant game-changer for others. Surprisingly, simply switching from High to Lowest settings did the trick!!

Mine got mysteriously better in the last few weeks. I also switched to firm and the ride still feels better. I switched to firm, because the kid was getting car sick on long drives. It felt like the AP low ride height works best for avoiding car sickness. Firm vs soft on standard height is almost the same.

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[riivian]

Mine got mysteriously better in the last few weeks. I also switched to firm and the ride still feels better. I switched to firm, because the kid was getting car sick on long drives. It felt like the AP low ride height works best for avoiding car sickness. Firm vs soft on standard height is almost the same.

That's positive news, possibly due to adjustments you made while experimenting with the height. It got exercised and recalibrated likely.

 

[ivinio21]

It's fascinating to me that all Rivian customers become part of the Rivian R&D team and continue to improve their vehicle in all aspects without pay.

This is going on my resume: Volunteered and was part of a multibillion-dollar company to improve their product for end customers by providing critical feedback and developing engineering solutions to eliminate customer pain, subsequently driving revenue of the company by 14%.

 

[Morphine]

It's fascinating to me that all Rivian customers become part of the Rivian R&D team and continue to improve their vehicle in all aspects without pay.

This is going on my resume: Volunteered and was part of a multibillion-dollar company to improve their product for end customers by providing critical feedback and developing engineering solutions to eliminate customer pain, subsequently driving revenue of the company by 14%.

You didn't volunteer... you paid them for the resume padding experience

Unless you bought the truck with a voucher, then you can say they paid you!

 

[ivinio21]

You didn't volunteer... you paid them for the resume padding experience

Unless you bought the truck with a voucher, then you can say they paid you!

Hold on, am I not supposed to lie on my resume? ?

 

[riivian]

Depending on how deep in the weeds we want to get because we love these vehicles, some of us would be great "advisors" for sure.

 

[ivinio21]

Just for fun, I decided to try resetting the suspension the way it was mentioned above, but it turned out to be ineffective. I believe the perception that the ride becomes smoother can be easily explained. After driving 15-20 miles on a lowered suspension with a stiff ride setting, switching to comfort mode with a softer ride setting creates a noticeable contrast.

Your body transitions from enduring the harshness of the road to experiencing a more comfortable ride. This shift can lead your brain to associate the change with a fix for the issue, effectively rewiring itself to believe that the suspension has been reset and that ride quality has improved.

 

[Glembi2]

Mine got mysteriously better in the last few weeks. I also switched to firm and the ride still feels better. I switched to firm, because the kid was getting car sick on long drives. It felt like the AP low ride height works best for avoiding car sickness. Firm vs soft on standard height is almost the same.

I’m facing the same car sickness issues when the kids are in the back seat. Thanks for the suspension setting suggestions. I’ll give those a shot. I need to remember to reduce regenerative as well on the longer trips.

 

[Morphine]

I’m facing the same car sickness issues when the kids are in the back seat. Thanks for the suspension setting suggestions. I’ll give those a shot. I need to remember to reduce regenerative as well on the longer trips.

For my kid, reducing the regen is the key to avoiding sickness especially on the freeway. Unlike our Audi Q4 where I can turn it off completely though, we can't do that in the Rivian.

 

[CrazyOne]

I’m facing the same car sickness issues when the kids are in the back seat. Thanks for the suspension setting suggestions. I’ll give those a shot. I need to remember to reduce regenerative as well on the longer trips.

Weirdly, AP high also seemed better than AP standard. But AP low wins. Almost feels like a sedan.

 

[riivian]

Just for fun, I decided to try resetting the suspension the way it was mentioned above, but it turned out to be ineffective. I believe the perception that the ride becomes smoother can be easily explained. After driving 15-20 miles on a lowered suspension with a stiff ride setting, switching to comfort mode with a softer ride setting creates a noticeable contrast.

Your body transitions from enduring the harshness of the road to experiencing a more comfortable ride. This shift can lead your brain to associate the change with a fix for the issue, effectively rewiring itself to believe that the suspension has been reset and that ride quality has improved.

Thanks for testing and do you have the hard to deal with harshness issue mentioned also?

 

[ivinio21]

Thanks for testing and do you have the hard to deal with harshness issue mentioned also?

I find it more annoying than difficult to deal with. I believe the Rivian team can improve the ride quality via software. When I compare the Rivian’s air suspension to BMW X7, which glides over road imperfections, and GMC Silverado, which absorbs bumps more smoothly, the Rivian falls short. I tested all three vehicles—along with a Volvo XC90 without air suspension—over the same speed bumps driving at the same speed. I noticed that all those cars, except the Rivian, had a softer initial response when driving over the bump. As the wheels drove off, the other cars also had a softer “landing,” with the front end tilting more, as if trying to cushion the impact.

It’s like when we jump and land on our feet: if we bend our knees, the landing is softer, but if we keep our legs stiff, the impact is much harder.

I’m not an expert in automotive air suspension, but I believe the issue with the Rivian lies in its damping system. Given the weight of the vehicle, I’m not sure how much room the engineers have to make it ride softer at lower speeds. However, I think the software could recognize when the car is traveling at 30 mph or below it should switch to a super-soft mode, while keeping it stiffer at higher speeds to prevent motion sickness for those who has that problem.

 

[tate16t]

Weight is a challenge with Rivian as well.

 

[riivian]

Now another week in or so and smooth sailing in both R1S and R1T after the recalibration using the high/low settings. That soft glide is welcomed back!

 

[Noplacelikeloam]

I find it more annoying than difficult to deal with. I believe the Rivian team can improve the ride quality via software. When I compare the Rivian’s air suspension to BMW X7, which glides over road imperfections, and GMC Silverado, which absorbs bumps more smoothly, the Rivian falls short. I tested all three vehicles—along with a Volvo XC90 without air suspension—over the same speed bumps driving at the same speed. I noticed that all those cars, except the Rivian, had a softer initial response when driving over the bump. As the wheels drove off, the other cars also had a softer “landing,” with the front end tilting more, as if trying to cushion the impact.

It’s like when we jump and land on our feet: if we bend our knees, the landing is softer, but if we keep our legs stiff, the impact is much harder.

I’m not an expert in automotive air suspension, but I believe the issue with the Rivian lies in its damping system. Given the weight of the vehicle, I’m not sure how much room the engineers have to make it ride softer at lower speeds. However, I think the software could recognize when the car is traveling at 30 mph or below it should switch to a super-soft mode, while keeping it stiffer at higher speeds to prevent motion sickness for those who has that problem.

What you are describing has been done for years in custom tuned suspension. There are separate valving for high speed. We just need king or some other suspension expert to create retrofit parts and this will likely be resolved.

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