Rivian Tow Test

[oldjeep]

17 minutes ago, jjackkrash said:

I seem to be on the same work schedule as a new Rivian owner and see one on the way to and from work now.  It looks like its about the size of a Taco.  Is this a midsize truck or a half ton or its own deal?  

Stolen from here - https://www.rivianownersforum.com/threads/rivian-r1t-size-comparison-with-f-150-tundra.1108/

 

Looks pretty small - gladiator sized

 

[DUKENO1]

I saw one locally the other day. Thought it looked pretty cool in person.   Wouldn't work for me 'cause we need a full size truck. The Ford Lightning

would be more my cup of tea if they ever get the range out there for it to make sense.

Owner was definitely enjoying the acceleration lol.

[jjackkrash]

The payload and tow ratings I have seen seem pretty optimistic based on the apparent size of the vehicle.  I'd be curious to tow with it.  I don't doubt it has good power with an electric motor, but the wheel base and frame seem pretty demure for towing over 10k.  

[UWSkier]

15 hours ago, jjackkrash said:

The payload and tow ratings I have seen seem pretty optimistic based on the apparent size of the vehicle.  I'd be curious to tow with it.  I don't doubt it has good power with an electric motor, but the wheel base and frame seem pretty demure for towing over 10k.  

Definitely too short for anything longer than a 23 foot class travel trailer. I've seen a few of these around here too. I expected them to be bigger. 

[theloungelife]

On 6/17/2022 at 5:54 PM, jjackkrash said:

The payload and tow ratings I have seen seem pretty optimistic based on the apparent size of the vehicle.  I'd be curious to tow with it.  I don't doubt it has good power with an electric motor, but the wheel base and frame seem pretty demure for towing over 10k.  

One thing to remember is these weigh 7148lbs and have the equivalent of 835 horsepower and 908 lb-ft of torque.  Plus are built brake wise/air suspension to handle that weight/power plus generally aggressive driving (3sec 0-60...).  There really isn't an ice vehicle that it's comparable with.  It's not going to get pulled around like a Tacoma or similar sized vehicle would.  I still have yet to tow more than the ramp distance but am expecting this to easily best my 19' Ram I had previously.  

[jjackkrash]

39 minutes ago, theloungelife said:

One thing to remember is these weigh 7148lbs and have the equivalent of 835 horsepower and 908 lb-ft of torque.  Plus are built brake wise/air suspension to handle that weight/power plus generally aggressive driving (3sec 0-60...).  There really isn't an ice vehicle that it's comparable with.  It's not going to get pulled around like a Tacoma or similar sized vehicle would.  I still have yet to tow more than the ramp distance but am expecting this to easily best my 19' Ram I had previously.  

It sounds like a pretty sweet ride.  Some German SUVs tow better than their wheelbase/physical size specs would suggest so I could see it towing comparable to a bigger half ton, for example.  It still seems like 12K would be a lot of weight for that chassis even with all that power and great brakes and suspension.  I would love to test tow with one.  

[theloungelife]

On 6/27/2022 at 11:16 PM, jjackkrash said:

It sounds like a pretty sweet ride.  Some German SUVs tow better than their wheelbase/physical size specs would suggest so I could see it towing comparable to a bigger half ton, for example.  It still seems like 12K would be a lot of weight for that chassis even with all that power and great brakes and suspension.  I would love to test tow with one.  

Yeah, I agree.  Before my 19' Ram I just sold I had 2 VW Touaregs (06' V8 and 12' TDI) that towed my 03' VLX and 13' A22 great.  Backing the boat up was a dream with them too.  

I'm planning on documenting when I tow next.  For good or bad my boat lives as the lake all summer unless something breaks so it might be a bit (knock on wood)

[oldjeep]

On 6/27/2022 at 9:31 PM, theloungelife said:

One thing to remember is these weigh 7148lbs and have the equivalent of 835 horsepower and 908 lb-ft of torque.  Plus are built brake wise/air suspension to handle that weight/power plus generally aggressive driving (3sec 0-60...).  There really isn't an ice vehicle that it's comparable with.  It's not going to get pulled around like a Tacoma or similar sized vehicle would.  I still have yet to tow more than the ramp distance but am expecting this to easily best my 19' Ram I had previously.  

None of that makes up for a lack of wheelbase.  But 7148lbs - holy crap.  My 2018 Ram CC with the longer bed is around 5400lbs.  I guess batteries weigh a lot

[theloungelife]

10 minutes ago, oldjeep said:

None of that makes up for a lack of wheelbase.  But 7148lbs - holy crap.  My 2018 Ram CC with the longer bed is around 5400lbs.  I guess batteries weigh a lot

So wheelbase is more important than weight, brakes, and power?  ok.

[oldjeep]

6 minutes ago, theloungelife said:

So wheelbase is more important than weight, brakes, and power?  ok.

It's as important when towing.

[Malibuckeye]

I got my Rivian back in April and have only towed my 23MXZ from it's storage location to the ramp (we live on a lake)  It tows like a beast and loses roughly 40-50% range in the process.  Not a big deal for us and our situation.  

One funny thing, my wife usually backs the trailer up and I take the boat.  She has a habit of lifting her but up off the seat when backing up (she's short)  the R1T does not like this and throws the truck in park cause it thinks no one is sitting there.  I'm sure it looked pretty funny to the others at the ramp.  

 

[UWSkier]

Two questions come to mind.

1.  Who's going to be the first manufacturer to let you back up a trailer via your smartphone without anyone in the driver's seat?

2.  Who's going to be the first person to back their EV right down into the drink like it's a U boat when their phone freezes up or a call comes in mid-action? lol

[BlindSquirrel]

41 minutes ago, UWSkier said:

 

2.  Who's going to be the first person to back their EV right down into the drink like it's a U boat when their phone freezes up or a call comes in mid-action? lol

It’s a great idea to trust computers with everything. My phone never freezes u u u u u u u up

[natethelen]

On 6/30/2022 at 1:11 PM, Malibuckeye said:

I got my Rivian back in April and have only towed my 23MXZ from it's storage location to the ramp (we live on a lake)  It tows like a beast and loses roughly 40-50% range in the process.  Not a big deal for us and our situation.  

One funny thing, my wife usually backs the trailer up and I take the boat.  She has a habit of lifting her but up off the seat when backing up (she's short)  the R1T does not like this and throws the truck in park cause it thinks no one is sitting there.  I'm sure it looked pretty funny to the others at the ramp.  

 

I have a 23LSV so probably similar and am thinking about a Rivian (in general, not just for towing the boat). If you don’t mind some more questions: What battery and wheels/tires do you have?  What is the rough mileage and elevation gain on that trip?  Do you mean 40-50% just while towing or does that include going to get the boat?  Thank you!

[mxmark4]

Saw my first Rivian in the wild today on the interstate. Was really surprised at the size of it. Expected a half ton size truck.  

[Tsumi]

On 6/30/2022 at 10:37 AM, oldjeep said:

It's as important when towing.

Long wheelbase is to help with stability. High tow vehicle weight, very low tow vehicle center of gravity, and independent rear suspension, which the Rivian has over ICE trucks, all contribute to better handling and stability. Those factors more than make up for the shorter wheelbase. Of course, the longer wheelbase Lightning will be even more stable because it has all of the above.

12 hours ago, mxmark4 said:

Saw my first Rivian in the wild today on the interstate. Was really surprised at the size of it. Expected a half ton size truck.  

Anyone that looked up the Rivian's specs would have known it was a midsize truck from the beginning.

[oldjeep]

2 minutes ago, Tsumi said:

Long wheelbase is to help with stability. High tow vehicle weight, very low tow vehicle center of gravity, and independent rear suspension, which the Rivian has over ICE trucks, all contribute to better handling and stability. Those factors more than make up for the shorter wheelbase. Of course, the longer wheelbase Lightning will be even more stable because it has all of the above.

Anyone that looked up the Rivian's specs would have known it was a midsize truck from the beginning.

Long wheelbase helps arrest the spin when the trailer tries to pass you.   I'll leave the IRS on a tow rig discussion for someone else  

[mxmark4]

4 minutes ago, Tsumi said:

Long wheelbase is to help with stability. High tow vehicle weight, very low tow vehicle center of gravity, and independent rear suspension, which the Rivian has over ICE trucks, all contribute to better handling and stability. Those factors more than make up for the shorter wheelbase. Of course, the longer wheelbase Lightning will be even more stable because it has all of the above.

Anyone that looked up the Rivian's specs would have known it was a midsize truck from the beginning.

Never looked into one, never even looked one up until I saw it yesterday. Just surprised by its size. 

[UWSkier]

I saw a few on my drive from AZ to WI. One was yellow. It looked like a minion with those goofy eyes. 

[Tsumi]

9 hours ago, oldjeep said:

Long wheelbase helps arrest the spin when the trailer tries to pass you.   I'll leave the IRS on a tow rig discussion for someone else  

EoH brakes would do a better job of that.

[RyanB]

I wasn’t sure where else to put this. 
 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/327295504286386/permalink/1773131553036100/

Edited August 18, 2022 by RyanB

[87Warrior]

On 8/18/2022 at 3:01 PM, RyanB said:

I wasn’t sure where else to put this. 
 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/327295504286386/permalink/1773131553036100/

And for the folks who don't have Facebook:

 

[Chaabo]

The stupidity of people never stops to amaze me.
Especially in this case. Not only the danger of these folks running all around a moving vehicle, but also considering the location of the batteries in the Rivian.

[shawndoggy]

1 hour ago, Chaabo said:

The stupidity of people never stops to amaze me.
Especially in this case. Not only the danger of these folks running all around a moving vehicle, but also considering the location of the batteries in the Rivian.

while I don't disagree that it can't really be good to go above the door seals in ANY vehicle, it does seem like Rivian has at least anticipated/engineered for that kind of use.

 

[Tsumi]

9 hours ago, Chaabo said:

The stupidity of people never stops to amaze me.
Especially in this case. Not only the danger of these folks running all around a moving vehicle, but also considering the location of the batteries in the Rivian.

The battery will prefer to short out to itself rather than through the water (and people) so the people are generally safe. Biggest danger would be the batteries catching fire and burning whoever was inside.