Trail damage prevention: what’s worked best on your Rivian?

[electruck4x4]

EVs bring big torque and heavy curb weight off-road, a recipe for scrapes if you’re not careful.

Skid plates, sliders, reinforced shields… what’s saved your Rivian from trail damage?

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[GeezFullSleeve]

Good decision making

 

[mikehmb]

Staying home and coating myself in kettle chip dust while watching LoTR.

Also - paying attention. Literally every vehicular disaster I've caused was due to cockiness, poor planning or inattentiveness, especially off road.

To protect myself from ... myself (on previous vehicles): skid plates, roll bars, and any body armoring possible. For the Rivian - that pretty much comes down to rock sliders and additional underbody armoring.

 

[f1racer328]

Careful wheel placement and not going on trails where you'll get damage.

Worst I've done are curbing wheels and pin striping.

Beyond that, rock sliders.

 

[Dark-Fx]

I thought this was going to be about not damaging the trails.

Avoid driving when it's really wet out, especially if your environment has a lot of clay in the dirt. If you do have to drive through puddles, don't drive around them, keep the damage concentrated to one area instead of widening the trails.

Don't drive off the trails unless it's a designated area.

If you do get stuck, make sure you bring the proper equipment to free yourself. If you have a lot of trees in the area, try to avoid using them to pull your vehicle out. If you have to, make sure you've got a tree-saver type strap around the tree.

 

[R1Thor]

Classes, classes, classes. Professional instruction beats decades of experience. Especially when you get that education from educators WITH decades of experience.

Coincides with (and I verily agree) all the recommendations of being smart, making good decisions, and understanding our (individual) limits.

 

[HaveBlue]

After wheels, rear bumper is the most vulnerable. Staying on top of the rocks is key but makes rocker panels next in line. Feels like bellying out is useful for that stock skid plate but I'm surprised they didn't protect the rockers with something more stout than flimsy plastic.

 

[f1racer328]

I'm surprised they didn't protect the rockers with something more stout than flimsy plastic.

99% of Rivian owners probably don't off road. That's why.

 

[mroe]

I just accept pinstripes. Purchased a limestone truck thinking it would hide them the most and has done a pretty good job!

In terms of real (not cosmetic) damage the megawatt sliders and the reinforced underbody shield are all I've needed.

With the exception of the tree I stupidly backed into and busted that awful rear quarter panel design...

 

[Dexter11 (SCAMMER)]

Rock sliders and upgraded skid plates can be used in preventing real trail damage, especially on rocks and ledges. The OEM composite skid is decent, but heavier wheeling usually calls for steel or aluminum armor.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

Not too many boulders or other road hazards on the way to the mall.

 

[SLVRon]

I'm picking up my Gen2 R1S in about a week, but I've done many miles off road in a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk. Another tip I'd add is if you aren't sure about a section of trail, get out and walk it in advance of trying to drive it.

This was a section of trail I ran earlier this year that had been impacted by recent storms, and picking a line in advance was definitely the way to go.

 

[Birdowin]

I'm picking up my Gen2 R1S in about a week, but I've done many miles off road in a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk. Another tip I'd add is if you aren't sure about a section of trail, get out and walk it in advance of trying to drive it.

This was a section of trail I ran earlier this year that had been impacted by recent storms, and picking a line in advance was definitely the way to go.

 

[Birdowin]

Is there any way to protect the half shafts and rubber universal joint covers?

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