Lightning to R1T (I think...) - two weeks in so far

[Teledatageek]

Wanted to share my initial experiences with a new to me R1T. Been a long time Rivian watcher - rented an R1T off Turo on a trip a couple of years ago. Decided that the backseat is not conducive to older, large dogs. The Lightning (and my Raptors before it) are outstanding with the backseat flipped up and the flat load floor. My sister just got a Ridgeline, also well designed for flipping up the seat the right way. Bad design Rivian - consider a change for Gen 3.

Anyway... Lab is now 15 years old (exceeding expectations). A compass yellow Quad R1T came up on Cars & Bids - not far from me. I got a little carried away and won the auction. Price is fair, but of course there was a bidder’s premium on top of that. Figured it has 3 years and almost 50K miles left on the warranty so what the heck. Plan is to keep the Lightning (have owned for a little over a year) for a little while to transport said dog through some trips the next several weeks.

I had been looking at a new Tri – which got really tempting in June with the specials + the $7.5K tax credit. But… could not find the configuration I wanted in Forest Green. Dark interior was elusive for some reason. Always liked compass yellow the best anyway…

Picked up almost two weeks ago and drove home. Rivian moved the ownership in the middle of my drive back the next day. I started the process 3 days earlier and followed up with them daily to get it done. To their credit, they got it done sooner than others that I have read about.

Observations so far. this is also having come from Raptors and the Lightning for the past 8 years:

Size – like the smaller footprint. Less like a cruise ship that the Lightning is to turn, etc.

Bed – this R1T had the manual tonneau which I found to be a pain. I use a BakFlip on the Lightning which is super easy to manage. A power tonneau would have been great on the R1T. Not sure I want to pay the $$ to add when they become available later this year (as I move through vehicles quickly it seems). But in the end, there is so much other space, I decided to just remove the tonneau and keep it in the garage for now. We do use the covered space fairly often and fill the huge frunk of the Lightning on trips. We’ll see if the gear tunnel makes up for it.

PAAK – flawless so far. Maybe because of the later software? 2025.22.0 – prior owner is a Rivian employee, so I think they got early access. Works better than the Lightning.

Sound – people complain about the Elevation system, but I think it sounds great. Much better than my Lariat. Maybe the Lightning Platinum is the one to compare it to, but I haven’t heard that one.

CarPlay – was concerned about the lack of but hasn’t been the big deal I thought it would be. Apple Music with Atmos makes up for it! But, a texting app would be nice.

Wheels/Tires – mine is equipped with the 20’s, but no spare which I found odd. I know you can add one. I find the original Pirelli's to be a bit loud and given I’ll likely not do any off roading (well, maybe a little) that Michelins would be a better fit. I do find it odd that Rivian doesn’t let you order 20” wheels and a more standard on-road tire. I like more sidewall.

Today’s Quad announcement was underwhelming IMHO. I don’t think having a native NACS charging port is that big of a deal… and Rivian also decides to drop two nice colors. I was hoping for a great new color like orange – I might not have kept this ’23 very long in that event (and still might not). I do have a day one R2 reservation, so I guess having this R1T helps my place in line – if we decide to pull that trigger.

Presuming I stay the course with my R1T (no reason to think otherwise right now), If there is an outstanding deal at the end of Q3, I may go to a Tri Motor. Last chance to get the Fed Tax Credit and maybe there will be leftover non-NACS 2025 at a good price. Not clear to me if we are into the 2026 model year as of today or not. Might be better to wait a year or so and see what the '27 model year brings...

Anyway, thanks for reading. I still have a lot to learn about the truck. Enjoy this forum very much!

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[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Someone got their Service Center to install the PTC, to the tune of $3k. Not worth it IMO, to spend that much to add more failure points.

Most new cars sold do not come with spare as standard. Been this way for at least 10 years. Instead of the pricey factory spare kit, consider putting one together on your own (with a used/salvaged wheel from private seller or eBay). And, when the time comes to replace the Pirelli ATs, downsize to the 275/60R20 Goodyear Territory AT RIV. It's 1.2" smaller, developed by Goodyear specifically for the R1 as an OEM tire and it's more efficient. There is even a software profile for it in vehicle settings (since 2025.06 OTA) to keep instrument readings and estimations factory-accurate. They are also cheap compared to the Pirellis, at $270 each from Tire Rack. So buying 5 hurts less. As for a jack, a 6-ton bottle jack is better and easier to use than Rivian's scissor jack. You'll also need jack pucks (jackpucks.com or Megawatt) and various solutions for increasing max lift height of the bottle jack. Most 6-ton ones do not have enough max lift to raise rear tire off of the ground. You can achieve this by adding studry padding under the bottle jack plus a bottle jack extension (safejacks.com) or an extra long jack puck (like the one by jackpucks.com).

Unless previous owner removed it, in the driver side gear tunnel hatch there should be an air compressor accessory kit, along with tire sealant. Good enough for minor punctures.

 

[VSG]

Someone got their Service Center to install the PTC, to the tune of $3k. Not worth it IMO, to spend that much to add more failure points.

My Launch Edition came free with a Powered Tonneau Cover. I probably wouldn't have added that to my configuration if given a choice, but it was free so I didn't have a choice.

In retrospect, the PTC is a great feature. I use mine every single day, multiple times a day. I have never had an issue in 3 years of using it. I am very happy that I have this, because now I don't know what I would do without it.

Most new cars sold do not come with spare as standard. Been this way for at least 10 years.

And new purchasers are given an opportunity right there in the configuration to choose a spare tire if they want it. Turns out only a small percentage of people want it, so really not something that Rivian should be making everyone pay for.

With used vehicles, chances are the previous owner sold off all the removable parts - if it did have a spare tire originally, chances are you wouldn't get it.

 

[boosted20v]

My second PTC just broke it was replaced about a year ago and I've probably only opened it 10 times tops!

 

[Teledatageek]

Someone got their Service Center to install the PTC, to the tune of $3k. Not worth it IMO, to spend that much to add more failure points.

I agree. Although I have missed having it a few times already. We'll see...

Most new cars sold do not come with spare as standard. Been this way for at least 10 years. Instead of the pricey factory spare kit, consider putting one together on your own (with a used/salvaged wheel from private seller or eBay). And, when the time comes to replace the Pirelli ATs, downsize to the 275/60R20 Goodyear Territory AT RIV. It's 1.2" smaller, developed by Goodyear specifically for the R1 as an OEM tire and it's more efficient. There is even a software profile for it in vehicle settings (since 2025.06 OTA) to keep instrument readings and estimations factory-accurate. They are also cheap compared to the Pirellis, at $270 each from Tire Rack. So buying 5 hurts less. As for a jack, a 6-ton bottle jack is better and easier to use than Rivian's scissor jack. You'll also need jack pucks (jackpucks.com or Megawatt) and various solutions for increasing max lift height of the bottle jack. Most 6-ton ones do not have enough max lift to raise rear tire off of the ground. You can achieve this by adding studry padding under the bottle jack plus a bottle jack extension (safejacks.com) or an extra long jack puck (like the one by jackpucks.com).

Makes sense. My F150's have all had a spare standard, but I have never used them once. Can't remember the last time I put a spare on a car (trailers, yes). Question - did you move from the Pirelli's to that Goodyear Territory AT tire? My Lightning has the AS version of that tire and they have been great. The Pirelli's are loud and in my opinion steer "heavy" - if that's a thing. Goodyear's better in those areas on the R1T? How many miles did you get out of the Pirelli's, presuming you had them. - I'm at 11K and am considering replacing them sooner than later....

Unless previous owner removed it, in the driver side gear tunnel hatch there should be an air compressor accessory kit, along with tire sealant. Good enough for minor punctures.

Yes, all accessories are there as original. I have found the air compressor gauge to not be accurate, looks like others have had the same experience.

Thanks for your help!

 

[ByzRiv]

I came from full sized trucks (F150 crew cab short bed Ecoboost-->Ram 1500 Limited-->'23 R1T Quad-->'25 R1T Dune Tri). I do dearly miss the back seat flat flooring, sliding rear window, and that extra ~6" longer bed on the short beds. I would happily trade the PTC (my '23 didn't come with it, I put on a BakFlip type cover, which coincidentally didn't work that well on such a short bed) for a sliding or powered rear window. Shouldn't be too hard to engineer that mechanism, replacing the PTC.

The gear tunnel is a bit of a gimmick for me--I don't need a pull out camp kitchen, and I just put any gear into the bed (like skis or snowboards).

I do love the size, power, handling and smooth ride qualities of the Rivian however. The only other compact truck I would consider would be something like a Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison...

 

[roketdog]

I share the exact same progression into my R1S. Raptor, lightning and then the Rivian. For me the range was the killer and prompted me to switch. I have a Dual Large Performance and loving it and the range.

I see the temptation for a Tri as well. For now, I’m sticking with what I have until Gen3 comes out.

Enjoy your new ride!

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