How well protected is the battery without the additional shield?

[greybrimstone]

I have a 2023 Rivian R1S quad adventure. I’ve installed the arrival skid plate on the front as well as megawatt rock sliders on the sides. I do not seem to have the underbody shield for the battery. I purchased this car used so I’m not upset about it.

I’ve read that Rivian says the battery is very well protected from impacts even without the shield. Is that true? Can I take this through the New England Woods without having to worry about puncturing the battery?

Or, is the battery not sufficiently protected?

Or, even more specifically, what is the battery protected by by default?

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[COdogman]

Unless you are doing frequent rock crawling the standard underbody shield should be more than adequate. There are some teardown videos that give you a good look at it. IMO it’s pretty beefy. The Sandy Munro videos come to mind…

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Under the pack is a layer of carbon fiber composite. If you are not rock crawling, dragging belly, slamming the belly down against ground… you’re worrying too much.

 

[Nixapatfan]

As others have already said no need for the optional shield if you aren't rock crawling the basic fiber reinforced ones should suffice for normal road use. Mine has the steel one and it is an impressively thick slab of steel, probably about a 100lb penalty for everyday use.

 

[R1Thor]

In the event that you DO want the RUS, at least one individual has figured out that it can be swapped:
https://rivianforums.com/forum/thre...spelled-not-integral-to-pack-structure.24009/

If you can find one from a salvaged vehicle or similar.

I want to add on top of what others have said:
Take an off-road course.
Sure, it's great to have equipment you can abuse, but even better than that is knowing how to navigate terrain in such a way as to entirely PREVENT damage to your vehicle.

It's like having a fire extinguisher or a seatbelt. You're better off never 'needing' them, but it's great to have them.

The off-road courses I've taken really bear down on tire placement, obstacle avoidance, and how to best negotiate even the trickiest of terrains. Notwithstanding having a total awareness of everything around you (even to the sides and above).

In other words: don't grab sliders and then use them to grind on rocks. Grab them for when you misjudge an obstacle and happen to glance off of a rock. Same with the RUS: even though I have one, I do everything I can to avoid dropping onto rocks or dragging it over terrain (and to date--knock on wood--I don't believe anything's contacted the underbody of my truck).

Hope to see you out on the trails!

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

In the event that you DO want the RUS, at least one individual has figured out that it can be swapped:
https://rivianforums.com/forum/thre...spelled-not-integral-to-pack-structure.24009/

If you can find one from a salvaged vehicle or similar.

I want to add on top of what others have said:
Take an off-road course.
Sure, it's great to have equipment you can abuse, but even better than that is knowing how to navigate terrain in such a way as to entirely PREVENT damage to your vehicle.

It's like having a fire extinguisher or a seatbelt. You're better off never 'needing' them, but it's great to have them.

The off-road courses I've taken really bear down on tire placement, obstacle avoidance, and how to best negotiate even the trickiest of terrains. Notwithstanding having a total awareness of everything around you (even to the sides and above).

In other words: don't grab sliders and then use them to grind on rocks. Grab them for when you misjudge an obstacle and happen to glance off of a rock. Same with the RUS: even though I have one, I do everything I can to avoid dropping onto rocks or dragging it over terrain (and to date--knock on wood--I don't believe anything's contacted the underbody of my truck).

Hope to see you out on the trails!

100% Often I find newbies having a very wrong idea of what it's really like. It's not what you see in movies, TV shows or the viral hooning videos. It's not Dukes of Hazzard. Look for and watch real overlanding and off-roading videos and you're more likely to find yourself clicking the fast forward button. It's a slow and methodical game of pick-your-path-wisely. As spectator, it's about as exciting as watching paint dry.

 

[greybrimstone]

In the event that you DO want the RUS, at least one individual has figured out that it can be swapped:
https://rivianforums.com/forum/thre...spelled-not-integral-to-pack-structure.24009/

If you can find one from a salvaged vehicle or similar.

I want to add on top of what others have said:
Take an off-road course.
Sure, it's great to have equipment you can abuse, but even better than that is knowing how to navigate terrain in such a way as to entirely PREVENT damage to your vehicle.

It's like having a fire extinguisher or a seatbelt. You're better off never 'needing' them, but it's great to have them.

The off-road courses I've taken really bear down on tire placement, obstacle avoidance, and how to best negotiate even the trickiest of terrains. Notwithstanding having a total awareness of everything around you (even to the sides and above).

In other words: don't grab sliders and then use them to grind on rocks. Grab them for when you misjudge an obstacle and happen to glance off of a rock. Same with the RUS: even though I have one, I do everything I can to avoid dropping onto rocks or dragging it over terrain (and to date--knock on wood--I don't believe anything's contacted the underbody of my truck).

Hope to see you out on the trails!

I’ve done my fair share of off-roaring here in NE, but not in my Rivian, so I really appreciate the advice! Can you recommend any places that offer Rivian specific training courses?

I’m happy to hear the standard protection is sufficient. I certainly don’t plan to bash the truck and bounce off rocks, so it sounds like I don’t really need the extra shield.

Thank you for all the advice guys! This forum is great!

 

[R1Thor]

I’ve done my fair share of off-roaring here in NE, but not in my Rivian, so I really appreciate the advice! Can you recommend any places that offer Rivian specific training courses?

I’m happy to hear the standard protection is sufficient. I certainly don’t plan to bash the truck and bounce off rocks, so it sounds like I don’t really need the extra shield.

Thank you for all the advice guys! This forum is great!

NERC has hosted an off-road clinic with Off-road Consulting at AoAA (In PA) 4 times to date. I believe they're planning another in the fall.

I know that's a little hike from you, but we've had people from Illinois, Connecticut and Massachusetts, and even from North Carolina, if I recall correctly.

Unfortunately, they're the only ones I know of, but I'm sure there are others. OnX Offroad sometimes has resources posted for off-road get togethers and training.

Off-road Consulting will also do 1-on-1 custom training if you're not keen to wait for the fall Rivian meetup.

Cheers!

 

[Andystroh]

https://rivian.com/support/article/what-is-the-underbody-made-of

Note that the first paragraph is WITHOUT the reinforced underbody.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

I’ve done my fair share of off-roaring here in NE, but not in my Rivian, so I really appreciate the advice! Can you recommend any places that offer Rivian specific training courses?

I’m happy to hear the standard protection is sufficient. I certainly don’t plan to bash the truck and bounce off rocks, so it sounds like I don’t really need the extra shield.

Thank you for all the advice guys! This forum is great!

DCE's front skid plate is worth considering though. Even with the factory RUS package, that part remains plastic. While Aluminum is not ideal skid plate material, it's better than plastic. Rivian's "bumper-to-bumper" statement is inaccurate and was never updated.

 

[R1Thor]

DCE's front skid plate is worth considering though. Even with the factory RUS package, that part remains plastic. While Aluminum is not ideal skid plate material, it's better than plastic.

That panel is CFRP (Carbon fiber reinforced plastic).

I don't think it's an upgrade, personally, but what I DO believe is a benefit is that Rival 'vented' /slotted their skid plate (I'm sure DCE did as well--I got the Rival one before DCE was offering theirs). Given how much junk collects on top of that if you are off-roading and happen to ford some silty water...and then can never drain, having weep holes is for sure valuable.

I didn't realize this until I removed mine and noted the rigidity and carbon lines. I probably wouldn't have swapped it (read: wouldn't have justified $500 for it) if I'd have known that from the outset. Shame on me for not checking. But again, I'm justifying it based on the fact that it can at least shed water now.

EDIT: that said, I still fully stand by the idea that you should probably just not run over things that would otherwise be contacting that portion of the underside of your vehicle anyway

 

[greybrimstone]

https://rivian.com/support/article/what-is-the-underbody-made-of

Note that the first paragraph is WITHOUT the reinforced underbody.

Ah ok, I wasn’t sure if that was as legit as it sounded or more for marketing (I’ve been burnt before). From what I’m learning, seems to be very legit.

 

[greybrimstone]

DCE's front skid plate is worth considering though. Even with the factory RUS package, that part remains plastic. While Aluminum is not ideal skid plate material, it's better than plastic. Rivian's "bumper-to-bumper" statement is inaccurate and was never updated.

Yeah, I ended up installing the rival plates on the front. Yes that’s an impact wrench, and yes I do have torque fittings for it.

 

[Electrified Outdoors]

Under the pack is a layer of carbon fiber composite. If you are not rock crawling, dragging belly, slamming the belly down against ground… you’re worrying too much.

This is the correct answer! I would say though that anything more than light off-roading really should have the RUS...its relatively cheap insurance.

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