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Drag racing experiences?

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Any first hand experiences at the track? Thinking about taking mine to Lapeer International on Saturday for the 4-7pm open test.
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kneebuster

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I've not done any drag racing with a Rivian (since I don't have mine yet!) but I've done it quite a bit when I was younger.

To be honest, in an EV it isn't as fun. Consistency is very easy in an EV, since you basically just slam the go-pedal and you're typically always getting the same times.

Your reaction times can vary of course since they aren't vehicle dependent but overall, it is the same all the time. In a traditional vehicle (especially in a manual transmission), it is a multitude of things that must happen perfectly for you to get a good time. Will you be able to do it again next round? Who knows!

It is fun to see how fast your Rivian is, but don't be fooled. There are a lot of fast cars out there and these days 0-60mph metrics aren't as useful as 60-130mph and trap speed in the 1/4 mile. You could have the same 1/4 time as a sports car, but that car might be trapping 50mph faster than you.

What does that mean? It means you are quick. He is fast. Cars are getting quicker and quicker each year, especially with EVs having instant torque.

Anyway, it is fun. :) But I lost interest in it pretty quickly. I prefer road courses more.
 

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A BEV simply doesn't deliver the same drag racing experience as an ICE powered muscle car. No petroleum odors, vibrations or drivetrain noises.

Although ICE muscle cars are slower drivers get more satisfaction drag racing a 392 Scat Pack Challenger than a Tesla or Rivian.
 

Inkedsphynx

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I think there will be a ton more fun to be had on a road course with a Rivian given the amazing driving dynamics for the class of vehicle it is. Throwing it around corners and side to side and feeling minimal body-roll will make you feel like a superhero. I can't wait to freeze my face into a permagrin doing exactly this.

That said, everyone should take the opportunity to get theirs out to a safe location where they can launch it a bunch of times and enjoy the gut-punching power as you come off that brake pedal. It won't give lasting dopamine hits like the road course might, but it'll still get your heart pumping, especially if you've never taken anything to a drag strip or never driven a vehicle as quick as the Rivians.
 

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Anyway, it is fun. :) But I lost interest in it pretty quickly. I prefer road courses more.
EVs are banned at my local road course still :(
 

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Who's going to volunteer to ship their R1T overseas and be the first to post a lap time around the Nurburgring?
 
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Who's going to volunteer to ship their R1T overseas and be the first to post a lap time around the Nurburgring?
Rivian's top speed is too low for a course with longer straights. I'd probably top it out at my local track, where the longest straight isn't even a quarter mile.
 
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Fastest of the three passes. Truck slows down to 112 if you hit 115, so the trick was to lift just enough at the very end to hit it as you pass the finish.

Rivian R1T R1S Drag racing experiences? PXL_20220507_203742506
 

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you basically just slam the go-pedal and you're typically always getting the same times.
Getting out of the hole is most of the thing, and we’ve pretty much automated it…
 

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Getting out of the hole is most of the thing, and we’ve pretty much automated it…
Push down brake, push down accelerator, let go of brake. Not much to it really.
 

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Nice work. Crazy that the trap speed is nearly 4 mph less than the max speed limiter showing you bounced down off the ceiling.

The Mustang Mach E GTPE guys complain loudly about their 5 second max accel limiter.
 
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Nice work. Crazy that the trap speed is nearly 4 mph less than the max speed limiter showing you bounced down off the ceiling.

The Mustang Mach E GTPE guys complain loudly about their 5 second max accel limiter.
I was probably doing 114-115 through the trap. Thought about bumping tire pressure up a bunch to see if it'd trap higher, but didn't want to bother making more passes.
 

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I was probably doing 114-115 through the trap. Thought about bumping tire pressure up a bunch to see if it'd trap higher, but didn't want to bother making more passes.
My model 3 performance has an almost identical 1/8 mile and traps 118 mph in the 1/4. That 115 mph limit stinks. The R1T was pulling on the model 3 performance in Out of Spec’s drag rage video.
 

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Do we know if top speed is tied to wheel/tire selection?

Might the limiter be set higher with the sportier 22's vs the off-road 20's?

Does the larger diameter of the 20's actually increase the top speed relative to the 22's since speed will be faster at the same wheel RPM?

Can you trick the limiter into giving you a few extra MPH by telling it you have 22's when you actually have 20's? If it recalibrates the speedometer assuming 22, but you actually have 20 you would be going faster than 115 when the speedometer says 115.
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