Flat Tire on a 7,000+ lb EV: What’s Your Plan and Tools?

[electruck4x4]

We don’t talk about this enough.

If you get a flat tire on a Rivian in a remote area, what’s the actual plan?

Because here’s what we see:

• Not everyone carries a real repair kit
• Many owners haven’t practiced using a plug kit
• Inflation tools vary wildly in quality
• Confidence drops quickly when you’re lifting that much weight roadside

One owner told us he realized mid-trip that he had range anxiety figured out, but no roadside plan.

EV ownership eliminates oil changes.

It doesn’t eliminate punctures.

What’s in your frunk right now?

— Team Electruck

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[Jeff B.]

I start with good set of load range E tires. 10 Ply tread and 3 ply sidewall. I use a Power Mountain Tallboy Off-Road Bottle Jack on my Megawatt Rock Sliders. This gives me all the confidence I need lifting in any condition. Then I use my ARB Tire plug kit and on-board air to get back on the road in 15 mins or less.

EDIT: I forgot about my MOORFlate quad and my cordless impact.

Sidewall tear is a different story, but good tires help reduce that concern.

 

[cwintermeyer]

I carry nine items in the Rivian at all times to deal with tire troubles:

1. Boulder Tools heavy duty tire repair kit
2. Rivian compact spare tire
3. Rivian aux air compressor kit
4. ARB heavy duty jack base
5. Big Red 10-ton bottle jack
6. Jack Pucks magnetic puck kit
7. Craftsman 1/2" drive 22mm deep impact socket
8. Neiko 1/2" drive 24-inch breaker bar
9. MORRFlate Quad 125” tire hose kit

And whenever I go off-roading, I strap down my full-size spare Pirelli Scorpion A/T on Rivian 20" A/T dark wheel in the cargo area.

 

[usulio]

My legs work fine and I'm not in a hurry. The car was always more of a "nice to have".

 

[Dark-Fx]

 

[CANCERDOC]

Pay extra for the spare tire kit.
Get a AAA membership.

 

[schlosrat]

A Big Red 10 ton bottle jack and a set of Jack Pucks were among the first things I picked up, as well as a 1/2" long arm socket wrench, a 22mm deep well socket, and a tire repair kit. Later, I picked up a quad tire inflation kit and a full size spare. Now I've got a (mostly) full recovery kit including a tow strap, kinetic rope, soft shackles, etc.


Once a boy scout, always a boy scout I guess.

 

[2kwik4u]

If you get a flat tire on a Rivian in a remote area, what’s the actual plan?

Use the jack, tire iron, and the spare tire that came with it. Like every other car I've owned.

 

[shamoo]

I haven't had a spare tire in the last 5-6 cars I've had. And no flats in the last ~15 years [knocks on wood].

I do worry sometimes on longer trips or if I venture off road. On road, I have AAA and off road, well I try to keep it to areas I can manage (I don't rock crawl) and where there are others around. I can always go home and bring another wheel/tire and change it.

 

[HaveBlue]

Flat tire works the same way on an EV as an ICE vehicle from my experience.

 

[pickupman2022]

EV Sportline jack kit.
120v tire inflator
Full size spare (in the bed compartment).
Used a few times since 2023.

 

[ndmiller]

I had a slow leak while out to dinner with the misses a few months after picking up my G1 T. Used the compressor to fill at gas stations and drive a couple miles, stopping 5-6 times. Next morning jacked it up and took tire to direct tire to fix flat. Way bigger hole than I expected, but onboard compressor for the win.

FWIW I had a jack and mushroom plug kit, but the torrential rain (forgot to mention) changed the plan

 

[KBabione]

A Big Red 10 ton bottle jack and a set of Jack Pucks were among the first things I picked up, as well as a 1/2" long arm socket wrench, a 22mm deep well socket, and a tire repair kit.

I have the exact same with a couple of tweaks:

• I also carry a Jack Puck XL
• My 1/2" socket wrench is a torque driver so I can set the torque correctly
• I have a Gerber multi-tool to remove the offending object
• I carry a set of work gloves to keep my hands clean

My grandfathers passed down to me the mantra "if you have it you won't need it" so I carry those things in my Rivian at all times. I do not have the compact spare - I use that space for all of those tire items plus an electric cooler in case I buy something that needs to be refrigerated.

 

[Mark_AZR1T]

Solid thread. Thought I’d share what we carry in my wife’s R1S frunk. I carry a bit more in my truck, but everything below fits neatly in the lower frunk compartment with plenty of room to spare.

For longer trips we’ll also toss in a 1/2" drive battery impact. It will spin up the scissor jack as well. The scissor jack is a newer addition. It’s rated at 3 tons and has worked perfectly. Even some of our 9,000 lb Hummer EV owners using our GMX jack pucks have tested it without issue.

Here’s the standard kit we keep with us:

Big Red 10T bottle jack (the jack we originally designed our pucks around)
Full set of JackPucks (our magnetic ones of course)
XL JackPuck
3-ton scissor jack with tools, extensions, and sockets
Two tire plug kits (old-school plug kit and screw-type kit)
Fluorescent safety cone
Gloves
RV jack pad

All of it lives in the bottom section of the frunk and keeps us prepared for just about anything on the road. Charging cables and adapters as well.

 

[schlosrat]

I have the exact same with a couple of tweaks:

• I also carry a Jack Puck XL
• My 1/2" socket wrench is a torque driver so I can set the torque correctly
• I have a Gerber multi-tool to remove the offending object
• I carry a set of work gloves to keep my hands clean

My grandfathers passed down to me the mantra "if you have it you won't need it" so I carry those things in my Rivian at all times. I do not have the compact spare - I use that space for all of those tire items plus an electric cooler in case I buy something that needs to be refrigerated.

LOL, I neglected to mention that my Jack Puck set also includes an XL, and, yes, I've got a torque wrench in there too. I really should toss in a decent set of gloves and a multitool though... Good catch!

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