Rivian Air Suspension concerns?

[SoCal Rob]

You want to drive a vehicle you trail 2 days a year with 15 inches of ground clearance, …

This is the perfect argument FOR adjustable height suspensions on trucks and SUVs which are used in challenging conditions occasionally. I want the best ride comfort and handling while on road and max clearance when on rocky trails or deep sand. I get that extra clearance only when I need it by activating increased ride height from the cabin. No wrenching required. It’s a luxury to have that capability and convenience. I’m more than happy to pay for that luxury.

edit: typos

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[srwaxalot]

It isn't the colonoscopy, it's the preparation for the colonoscopy that's bad.

As a person that on average has 2 a year, there are ways to make the prep suck less.

 

[Eeyore]

As a person that on average has 2 a year, there are ways to make the prep suck less.

Things have changed quite a bit since my 1 st at age 50. At 55 I don't remember the prep being the horror story it was at 50. We'll see what happens this year.

And to stay on topic, I am looking forward to having adjustable height suspension. I think that is a feature that makes the lightning a step down in my eyes because it doesn't have it. Sometime you have to go over things that would be too tall for a lesser vehicle can safely clear, but don't have to always be at that height.

 

[Transfer]

Good news!
1) It has a 5 year 60k mi warranty
2) The suspension is reportedly amazing
3) You don’t have to buy a vehicle with air suspension if you don’t want it.

Seriously though the air suspension and hydraulic roll control are massive selling points for me. I would potentially not buy one without these things. It’s the best setup for those of us who want off road capability but don’t want to feel like we’re driving an off-roader the 95% of the time it’s spent on-road.

If you’re this traumatized by an air setup in another vehicle get in line for a Lightning or upcoming Toyota offerings. I can’t imagine it will be possible to swap to a coil spring setup in this tech heavy proprietary design. Enjoy the amazing design as is.

Last thought… who is keeping one of these beyond 5 years? The tech will be hugely advanced in that time and so it will be time to pass the Nokia on to the used sucker market.

 

[Drterreur]

Last thought… who is keeping one of these beyond 5 years?

I will. I'm not changing cars or else to follow the tech, but because my needs may have changes (kids, job, etc).

 

[Voronbrg]

As a person that on average has 2 a year, there are ways to make the prep suck less.

Sent you a PM.

 

[White Shadow]

I’m not so concerned.

Going on year 8 in my Jeep GC with thier air suspension and have had no issues.

Of course any vehicle these days once out of warrenty will need a slush fund for repairs. Recently paid 2700 for the on board charger on my Model S.

My last three Grand Cherokees have had air suspension and none have had any issues even out of the warranty period. My current one is now past warranty and I'm not worried. Then again, I can service it myself if it does fail. But so far these air suspension systems have been bulletproof. It might be worth mentioning that the Grand Cherokee uses what is essentially the air suspension system nfrom the Mercedes ML from back when Daimler Chrysler was a thing. The Grand Cherokee is built on the Mercedes platform.

 

[rpmtexas]

TBH I’d rather drive a heavy truck like this for 100k miles and pay to replace the whole suspension when it may start having issues than drive on coils. Hopefully they’ll come with a cheaper option for those that want to compromise a lot of functionality and comfort for some durability and money.

I agree air ride is cool. Just wanted to know if anyone had looked at the Rivians and could tell whether or not you could put regular shocks in it once the warranty is gone and the problems arise.

 

[rpmtexas]

I will. I'm not changing cars or else to follow the tech, but because my needs may have changes (kids, job, etc).

Yup, I will. Churning through EVs "just because" kinda defeats the point of an EV. And, incidentally, whose buying the Rivian that needs $15,000 in air ride repairs over the Lightning?

 

[rpmtexas]

Does anyone know where the default position for the air ride is in case of an error? If it is the lowest setting, that sucks. Good way to end up stranded.

 

[opnwide]

Does anyone know where the default position for the air ride is in case of an error? If it is the lowest setting, that sucks. Good way to end up stranded.

Well, in my multiple case scenarios what happens is there is eventually no more air in the bags at all. So the car is basically in "low-rider" mode. I hardly made it to Carmax to sell it. Even if you leave it in a certain height setting, the compressor will adjust for any natural deflation in the system. Eventually, all the air will be gone if not replenished by the compressor even if you don't have a leak. If you thought access/kneel mode was low, try no air in the bags bc it's even lower. And again, I'm certainly encouraged by the posts of users on this thread with no history of air suspension problems. I certainly wouldn't be buying a Rivian if I was certain it would fail, just wanted to give my perspective on a 6-8-year-old car that did fail me.

 

[Mgdavis]

Hydraulics by themselves are less concerning to me. They have been used on lots of heavy equipment under grueling conditions forever. However, combining the two sounds even worse as that means there are even more things to monitor and fail. Based on my experience, research, and conversations with off road mechanics, air ride systems are garbage in the long run. Rivians may be a 5 year and out vehicle...

Most 18 wheelers and a lot of high end coaches are air ride and they don't have many problems.

 

[rpmtexas]

Well, in my multiple case scenarios what happens is there is eventually no more air in the bags at all. So the car is basically in "low-rider" mode. I hardly made it to Carmax to sell it. Even if you leave it in a certain height setting, the compressor will adjust for any natural deflation in the system. Eventually, all the air will be gone if not replenished by the compressor even if you don't have a leak. If you thought access/kneel mode was low, try no air in the bags bc it's even lower. And again, I'm certainly encouraged by the posts of users on this thread with no history of air suspension problems. I certainly wouldn't be buying a Rivian if I was certain it would fail, just wanted to give my perspective on a 6-8-year-old car that did fail me.

My GC did the same thing. One time the air suspension and 4-wheel got a computer glitch and stranded me miles down a deserted beach. I spent 18 months fighting gremlins in the air ride before finally getting it converted. Sometimes it would take me 30 minutes to get the damn thing up to a drivable height. Maybe the Rivian system is designed well enough that problems can be pinpointed. That's one problem with the system used by Chrysler - no real way to identify the problem component other than replacing things one at a time. The idea of cars being "disposable" after 3-5 years as some have suggested in this thread seems like part of the reason why greater durability and reliability haven't been at the forefront in air ride systems.

 

[skyote]

To answer OP's question, I think it would be difficult to replace the air suspension with traditional coils for a couple of reasons:
1) The vehicle software with integrated sensor checks, etc.
2) The skateboard architecture being designed for these very specific air springs. Unless Rivian designs a traditional coil setup for a lower priced version of the R1...

With that said, I'm not worried. Just like anything else, tech has improved and lessons have been learned from other passenger air suspension applications. These air springs are similar, but still a different animal than the type of unsleeved air springs/bags found on big rigs.

I put auxiliary air bags on my HD truck for towing/load purposes, and I've had them on a Class A diesel pusher. I actually replaced one on the bus after it burst (it was over 15 years old) when airing up for a trip, so luckily not on the road.

Seeing the MotorTrend guys jump a 7K lb Rivian at over 60 mph gave me some confidence that these are stout.

 

[rpmtexas]

To answer OP's question, I think it would be difficult to replace the air suspension with traditional coils for a couple of reasons:
1) The vehicle software with integrated sensor checks, etc.
2) The skateboard architecture being designed for these very specific air springs. Unless Rivian designs a traditional coil setup for a lower priced version of the R1...

With that said, I'm not worried. Just like anything else, tech has improved and lessons have been learned from other passenger air suspension applications. These air springs are similar, but still a different animal than the type of unsleeved air springs/bags found on big rigs.

I put auxiliary air bags on my HD truck for towing/load purposes, and I've had them on a Class A diesel pusher. I actually replaced one on the bus after it burst (it was over 15 years old) when airing up for a trip, so luckily not on the road.

Seeing the MotorTrend guys jump a 7K lb Rivian at over 60 mph gave me some confidence that these are stout.

All the sensors are a major contributor to my worries as they contribute to the difficulty in finding problems when they arise. Thanks for the thoughtful post though. Have you seen info on the actual springs used? All I have found is general statements that they are using springs that have been used on other off-road vehicles. In the picture I saw, the shocks looked a lot like the air shocks used by Chrysler, but the view was pretty limited. If they are the same, then they should be replaceable with coil overs. But that does leave the electrical integration. My GC now has a module that tells the computers everything is fine even though the entire air ride system is gone. Lots to consider...

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