Rexbo
Well-Known Member
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Objective was to test out the truck on a long weekend trip (~800mi rt) to see how it compares to my 2020 ZR2 Bison Diesel and if it can be a worthy replacement!
Santa Barbara - Alabama Hills - Bishop - White Mountain - Eureka Dunes - Home
TL;DR it would have been better if my onboard DC charging unit worked properly, but definitely higher quality of life vs the ZR2 when things were working
Rivian weaknesses:
- In deep snow (~24-36"), it performed roughly similar to the GX470 and Tacoma, mostly because of it's weight. Despite having higher ground clearance and 35"s, it got stuck in the same places as the lighter vehicles with slightly smaller footprints.
- The parasitic drains overnight are unsettling when you're far from a charger, really sucks to see 3-4% disappear overnight, that's like 10 miles!
- Having a broken DC charging unit meant I could not use any type of charger except EA 150kw chargers, not even the RAN station in Bishop.
- The chonky 35" tires aired down offroad left me with an effective range from 97% charge of only ~250 miles.
Strengths:
- Frunk and gear tunnel storage, I didn't think I'd use them nearly as much as I did, but they were amazing for keeping stuff clean and dry in the snow. Definitely a win over the ZR2
- Camp mode and leveling is amazing when you are sleeping on a mattress in the bed.
- The kinetic rope plus electric torque means pulling people out is BUTTER smooth!
- Onboard air with dial-a-pressure? *Chef's kiss*
- Washboard roads are no match for soft suspension setting and a 7200lb truck. I could have balanced a wine glass on the center console, but we only had whiskey.
- if you high center in deep snow, you can lazy self-rescue by dropping to a lower ride height, compressing the snow you're high centered on, then return to higher ride height and roll away. I'm coining the term RiRi Squat right here for this maneuver.
Lessons learned:
- Deep snow is best tackled in offroad all-terrain with reduced traction control. It lets you get some spin without just digging in. Snow mode was too intrusive.
- 18psi was the magic pressure on the K02 e-rated tires in the snow, 25 on dirt, 48 on pavement.
- The rear suspension needs rock guards or deflectors. On death valley washboard roads, the rear aluminum arms and shocks got absolutely blasted and damaged by the rocks kicked up.
- you get more articulation in offroad normal height than in high or highest ride height.
Car Camping/Glamping gear winners (25+years of camping experience):
- Exped MegaMat Duo 10 mattress fits in bed perfectly and is amazingly comfy. Pair it with their little electric widget pump and you're golden.
- Exped MegaSleep Duo 25/40 a warmer weather double bag, works great for my wife and I, I use a 2nd summer bag inside it if it's really cold (under 35F).
- Mr Heater brand Buddy heater. It will go through 2 Coleman bottles/night, but kept me and the dog toasty warm in the tent when it got down to 5F overnight.
- Gazelle T3/T4 tents, set up in 2min, robust hardware, huge footprints and don't collapse in the wind. Sturdy floor and zippers.
- Snow Peak Takibi large fire pit with floga walls. Hands down the best portable fire pit I've ever seen. Minimize your footprint in nature by not having to make rock rings, nearly zero smoke, radiates a ton of heat around, and packs down small.
- Snow Peak hexa evo pro canopy tarp. Clutch for desert camping, smaller than an ezup, handles wind better, and has an accessory that lets you have fire under it.
Pics
Santa Barbara - Alabama Hills - Bishop - White Mountain - Eureka Dunes - Home
TL;DR it would have been better if my onboard DC charging unit worked properly, but definitely higher quality of life vs the ZR2 when things were working
Rivian weaknesses:
- In deep snow (~24-36"), it performed roughly similar to the GX470 and Tacoma, mostly because of it's weight. Despite having higher ground clearance and 35"s, it got stuck in the same places as the lighter vehicles with slightly smaller footprints.
- The parasitic drains overnight are unsettling when you're far from a charger, really sucks to see 3-4% disappear overnight, that's like 10 miles!
- Having a broken DC charging unit meant I could not use any type of charger except EA 150kw chargers, not even the RAN station in Bishop.
- The chonky 35" tires aired down offroad left me with an effective range from 97% charge of only ~250 miles.
Strengths:
- Frunk and gear tunnel storage, I didn't think I'd use them nearly as much as I did, but they were amazing for keeping stuff clean and dry in the snow. Definitely a win over the ZR2
- Camp mode and leveling is amazing when you are sleeping on a mattress in the bed.
- The kinetic rope plus electric torque means pulling people out is BUTTER smooth!
- Onboard air with dial-a-pressure? *Chef's kiss*
- Washboard roads are no match for soft suspension setting and a 7200lb truck. I could have balanced a wine glass on the center console, but we only had whiskey.
- if you high center in deep snow, you can lazy self-rescue by dropping to a lower ride height, compressing the snow you're high centered on, then return to higher ride height and roll away. I'm coining the term RiRi Squat right here for this maneuver.
Lessons learned:
- Deep snow is best tackled in offroad all-terrain with reduced traction control. It lets you get some spin without just digging in. Snow mode was too intrusive.
- 18psi was the magic pressure on the K02 e-rated tires in the snow, 25 on dirt, 48 on pavement.
- The rear suspension needs rock guards or deflectors. On death valley washboard roads, the rear aluminum arms and shocks got absolutely blasted and damaged by the rocks kicked up.
- you get more articulation in offroad normal height than in high or highest ride height.
Car Camping/Glamping gear winners (25+years of camping experience):
- Exped MegaMat Duo 10 mattress fits in bed perfectly and is amazingly comfy. Pair it with their little electric widget pump and you're golden.
- Exped MegaSleep Duo 25/40 a warmer weather double bag, works great for my wife and I, I use a 2nd summer bag inside it if it's really cold (under 35F).
- Mr Heater brand Buddy heater. It will go through 2 Coleman bottles/night, but kept me and the dog toasty warm in the tent when it got down to 5F overnight.
- Gazelle T3/T4 tents, set up in 2min, robust hardware, huge footprints and don't collapse in the wind. Sturdy floor and zippers.
- Snow Peak Takibi large fire pit with floga walls. Hands down the best portable fire pit I've ever seen. Minimize your footprint in nature by not having to make rock rings, nearly zero smoke, radiates a ton of heat around, and packs down small.
- Snow Peak hexa evo pro canopy tarp. Clutch for desert camping, smaller than an ezup, handles wind better, and has an accessory that lets you have fire under it.
Pics
Sponsored
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. Will definitely try that as we regularly get multiple feet of snow on our street before the plow shows up days later.
