One of the things I like about the WakeShield is how easy it is to open up if you need to haul something taller. It is also relatively light, so it isn't hard to remove when needed. But my main motivation was the claimed efficiency improvements. I could really use an extra 10% on the highway.
Thanks for sharing your data!Well, it hardly seems to matter, as the Wakeshield website has been offline for a while, so I'm guessing they're gone for good now, but as I just put a new set of tires on my R1T, I figured I might as well post the efficiency graphs I got before and after installing the Wakeshielf on the original stock tires.
There does seem to have been a noticeable improvement in efficiency at highway speeds. Below 45 mph, it was more efficient without the topper, but above 45 mph it was more efficient with it, right up until about 75 mph, where they met again. As my primary concern is with long road trips, it definitely seems to have been a worthwhile investment. I'm hoping that the increased efficiency it offers will offset the hit I'll take from the new tires (went from the 21" Pirelli Scorpions to 22" Goodyear Wranglers, but don't have enough miles on them to do any analysis yet). There's only about 50 miles recorded in each of the drives below 20 mph, so probably best to ignore that weird spike in Wh/Mile at the lowest speeds.
I’ve gotten a ton of positive responses to it and questions about it from other Rivian owners, and even people driving ICE trucks (huh, that’s a bit loaded now…). When I was just in the Glen Burnie, MD service center, all the guys there like it, too, and expressed surprise that they’d shut down because they thought my had some sort of official blessing from Rivian.
