Off-Road settings experience (for Dual Motor R1)

[Budman]

Great thread. For the very inexperienced like myself, can you guys give some guidance on when to “air down” the tires and by how much?

thanks in advance.

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[R.I.P.]

Great thread. For the very inexperienced like myself, can you guys give some guidance on when to “air down” the tires and by how much?

thanks in advance.

As a general rule, always air down off road.

How much is highly dependent on the wheels and tires you are running. The combination of a heavy vehicle and limited sidewall with the R1 severely limits the amount you can air down even with good tires and wheels. Where I run 8 to 12 lb in my TJ, I seldom air down lower than 25 lb in the R1; even running heavy case off-road tires. Stock Pirelli's I would not advise airing down any lower than 30 PSI.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

As a general rule, always air down off road.

How much is highly dependent on the wheels and tires you are running. The combination of a heavy vehicle and limited sidewall with the R1 severely limits the amount you can air down even with good tires and wheels. Where I run 8 to 12 lb in my TJ, I seldom air down lower than 25 lb in the R1; even running heavy case off-road tires. Stock Pirelli's I would not advise airing down any lower than 30 PSI.

And to add, IIRC, at one point 30 psi was printed in Owner Guide as recommended air-down pressure for the factory spec Pirelli AT. Unless updated/removed, it might still be in there.

 

[Nine_One_Six_R1S]

Stock Pirelli's I would not advise airing down any lower than 30 PSI.

And to add, IIRC, at one point 30 psi was printed in Owner Guide as recommended air-down pressure for the factory spec Pirelli AT. Unless updated/removed, it might still be in there.

The current version of the Owner's Guide still has ~ 30 PSI as a recommendation when Off-roading. 31 PSI to be exact for the 20's and 21's.

34 PSI for the 22's when offroading is minimum recommended by Rivian

I've only heard or read of someone going into the low 20's PSI with the OEM 20's and claiming it worked fine in those conditions (soft sand dunes).

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/features/rivian-r1t-electric-pickup-truck-rebelle-rally/

 

[HaveBlue]

A big advantage to the having the traction control on, is avoiding damage. It's pretty easy to blow out a CV or diff for ham footed people. Once a wheel in the air gets a bunch of speed and slams back into the ground, parts tend to break from the shock.

The advantage to having traction control off or reduced is a decline in motor stall. To minimize this issue, keep a steady throttle and avoid stopping on obstacles where possible. This is where Locking diffs do so well because you can stop for spotting and go ultra slow to prevent damage. Even ICE traction control systems like at least 1500rpm of engine speed to work properly. Many inexperienced drivers tend to stab at the throttle which confuses these systems.

This applies to both DM and QM.
For airing down, typically half the road pressure is a good starting point.

 

[SurfnBike]

I've done a fair amount of offroading and some sketchy rock crawling in my R1T and I agree that the quad motor setup is inferior to mechanical lockers.

If Rivian would offer lockers in the DM some day that would be amazing. Does anyone know if this is in the pipeline?

I plan on getting a Bronco in the next year or so for the really challenging stuff, but for now it's a blast off-roading in complete silence.

 

[evdriver2016]

I have gotten quite a few off-road specific questions today regarding how to use traction control settings. It seemed reasonable to start a discussion thread, so others can chime in with their experiences.

This thread is going to mainly concern the DM machines. It is no secret that I am not a fan of the QM for the type of off-roading that I do, so I will let somebody else do the QM thread. QM's have a number of off-road modes to try to compensate for the lack of a differential. Some situations they do fine, others they do not. I'll leave it at that.

The DM does not need special modes to try to help the computer understand what it is driving on, because it has differentials. The differentials act as mechanical devices that automatically vector torque all by themselves; no computer or outside intervention needed.

For most driving situations, nothing more is ever needed. The differentials will smoothly balance power where it is most useful, while giving the vehicle the best possible lateral stability in slippery situations. The DM has "Snow" and "Sand" modes, but frankly, it does not need them. Snow mode does reduce torque to the wheels, but the driver can do that with his foot. Handy for the very inexperienced I suppose.

For the driver that wants to experiment with more challenging off-road trails, however, understanding how to use the truck's traction control to your best advantage can be helpful. I will address some common obstacles:

Rock Crawling:
This is where lockers would be best, but since they are not available (yet), start with TC "On". You want the least slippage possible. If the vehicle starts stalling because of lack of footing, switch to "Reduced" to get some more wheel speed. Careful, rocks can really do a lot of damage.

Lose inclines:
Use "Reduced" setting to keep wheel speed up.

Lose declines:
Use "On" setting for best all-wheel holding while regening down the decline. Try to use regen, with as little brake as you can. Braking will take away your lateral grip, regening (in a DM) will not.

Mud:
"Reduced". If digging is going to help you (hardpan underneath), use less TC.

Off-camber slippery:
"Off". If you cannot get enough traction with it off, try "Reduced", but you may slip sideways more.

Flat slippery:
"On". Usually. If you need more wheel speed to dig through it, reduce TC. If super slippery and you have to dig all the way to what is underneath, "Off".

Slippery incline:
"Off" for maximum lateral stability. Switch to "Reduced" if you need more traction.

Slippery decline:
"Reduced", to improve lateral stability. Try to use regen, with as little brake as you can. Braking will take away your lateral grip, regening (in a DM) will not.

Water crossings, with boulders:
"On", think of this as a rock crawl.

Water crossings mud/sand:
"Reduced"

Deep snow:
Usually "Reduced" or "Off". but snow can vary a lot. If digging is going to bury you, then "On". If you need to dig to the gravel below, "Off".

I hope this gives DM drivers a better idea of how the machine functions, and makes you more confident playing with your settings next time you are on the trail. Another tip is to keep the vehicle in "Standard" height unless you need the extra clearance. This gives you the best articulation and keeps your center of gravity as low as possible.

Happy trails.

Settings for sand?

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