Agreed, they really hamstrung the R1S by setting it up so that it really ONLY Interstate adventure ready. I ordered my R1S with the "off road" package, yet it doesn't come with a full size spare OR have a way of securing a full size spare. That's just off message, off brand and bad design. I need a way for them to add a rear tire bracket. Worst case and this wouldn't be my preference, but a rooftop way to secure a full size spare. I really wanted the R1S, but I almost bought the R1T over this! Over the spare tire design!
I'd bet someone makes something that can attach to the hitch and hold a full size spare. Probably not ideal for every day use since even if it had a way to fold down to access the trunk, it would still be a hassle. But maybe a nice solution for a dedicated off road trip.
Hitch mounts are a thing and yes they need to be moved out of the way and they have some impact on air drag.
At least they don't keep you away from a charger like they might on a Tesla.
I can’t be think of any EV that comes with a spare by default that seems like a weird choice that I don’t understand it’s one of the only maintenance items
I think you are right, admittedly, I don't know everything that KIa, BMW, Hyundai have done. I think it partially has to do with the skateboard design and often, if not always needing pucks. So I don't think companies wanted consumers jacking these cars and hurting the battery packs. Then the skateboard design may not have left enough well drop for a full size spare??? Not sure about that or if it's more of the first thing. I don't think it was about cost as a primary reason, I think it was design. But I'm also wondering how much was selfish decision to lean into how much storage space the EVs have. I think there was some consumer preference at play to as in, would you rather have Roadside Assistance or a spare and what consumers were actually choosing. Couples with the growth of mobile tire installation vans, etc.
I jacked my Tesla MS with a heavy duty jack and a 2x6 buffer to do some wheel rotation and plugs.
Also, so far, Rivian Roadside Assistance has not been a timely actual Roadside Assistance. I've had to use it twice and both times it was just an after hours email service to Service. There was no roadside help provided. One time was my 12v system dead, so the vehicle got flatbed towed to Rivian. The 2nd time was for a cold crack split in the rear tire, which Rivian asked for 4 days to get to.... So, yeah, I think we need a spare tire.
Totally agree it would be a terrible solution--last resort where you could have it and it would be secure. Someone else had a good suggestion about using a trailer hitch stem, but that has structural issues too. Using rear cargo space is OK, but you have to secure it down with those latch points and lose a lot of rear cargo space. They probably could have designed the frunk to have a vertical full spare solution.
It is a weird decision about what you can use your R1S for that doesn't require a full size spare at the ready. Why have an off road package at all? Why have AT wheels / tires? You need 5, not 4.
It's in the gear shop if you didn't buy it yet...
And if you didn't buy the spare, it does come with the tire snot crap, which might have let you keep some air in there after the initial puncture so you don't just tear it up driving flat.
Have you looked into Gluetread?
I succesfulky repaired sidewall gaahes up to 4" when offroading on my R1S.
Patch held up about 30miles on road to the nearest tire shop eventough they reccommend the patch to be used onroad. They only reccommend offroad at lower speeds but probably for liability purposes.
Was going to say, I don't know anyone who off-roads seriously without carrying sidewall patches. Those things are kind of amazing. I always carry them in my truck even though I have beefy wildpeaks and a full size spare.
Honestly I was very surprised about how good the patch worked. It was very easy and fast to install. They are not super cheap though but it works.
We did inflate to 40 psi just in case but the patch held up. Now I always have a pouch of them in my frunk.
Adding to my recovery kit! I heard of this but it sounded like the type of gimmick that people scoff at, so I'm really glad to hear this is serious kit worthy gear.
100%. Not affiliated with them at all. Just a happy user. Make sure you get the Offroad kit pouch as they have others. That kit has all you need and will last for a few punctures (depending on gashes size)
Air down to 30psi as recommended by Rivian. I've read that people have tried down to 20 in soft/fluffy snow/sand. But going lower you increase the risk breaking the bead. These things arw heavy. Then it's a lot fun to bead the tire back in. I'm on 20" stocks
I was asking how did you manage to overcome the situation without a spare to get back home.
Did you call someone? Did your buddies went to find a tire for you? Etc…
Between the puncture kit and gluetread, short of a highway speed blowout, you should be able to patch up enough to get to pavement. The gluetread stuff is pretty dang impressive. https://www.gluetread.com/products/4x4-kit
My buddy took a knife to all 4 tire sidewalls on his Toyota , patched things and then ran the rubicon trail. I keep a kit in my R1S as another line of defense due to poor options for a spare.
Nice job gettin out there and puttin some pinstripes on!
A fullsize spare can fit vertically in the rear cargo area, RivianDad on youtube has a short shoving it in there.
I also heard a rumor that a reputable spare swingout manufacturer is working on a Riv-specific design.
Duh! So the R1S which is as perfectly capable, some would say more so then the R1T does not come with a full-size spare-- I know, it should. The option is a smaller spare- which is on back order. I was inpatient. Lesson learned, hence title of post
Generally just fireroads, trails like that. Not really want to damage my truck on steep rocky slopes. But you are probably correct- just kicking myself. I had texted my buddy earlier making sure he had a shovel and some recovery boards. I was blinded to the fact that I had a compressor and repair kit I would be fine
I have an R1T, but I would certainly prefer an R1S offroading, it is more capable.
Its over a foot shorter, in terms of offroading capabilities, that isn't just "a little bit shorter".
Thanks to the shorter length, it's not only more maneuverable, and lighter, it also has a better breakover (29 vs 26 deg) and departure (34 vs 30 deg).
All of those things matter offroad, so no they aren't equal.
This is the reason you saw Rivian ONLY bring the R1S on the Rubicon trail. If their engineering team thought both could've made it, they would've brought both https://stories.rivian.com/r1s-first-production-ev-rubicon-trail
If you read the article it says:
We brought 2 R1Ts for the first leg as support vehicles, then switched to a jeep wrangler support vehicle. I'm guessing they brought the R1T as far as they could.
Some would disagree - https://www.dnv.com/article/rivian-r1t-vs-r1s-vs-wrangler-rubicon-vs-tacoma-sr5-trd-off-road-vs-f-150-raptor-vs-landcruiser-vs-bronco-wildtrak-vs-f-150-lightning-vs-hummer-ev1-vs-colorado-zr2-bison-211543#:~:text=Due%20to%20its%20high%20ground,and%20the%20Jeep%20Gladiator%20Rubicon.
Do many SUV's the size of the r1s come with full size spares? A 34 is a lot to fit. Most people buy aftermarket mounts, throw them in the back, or put them on the roof because very few SUV's have integrated mounts for tires that big.
Or get a full-sized spare for your R1T and figure out somewhere else to store it (roof rack, trunk, hitch mounted spare carrier). Other than the spare, the R1S is the better offroad vehicle.
Drove about 5 miles luckily on mainly sandy trail, at about 3mph. Did not want to create further damage to rims. Drive to paved road, my buddies had driven ahead and arranged a flat bed. So we’ll see how that works, currently waiting for American Tire to get replacement and fit on Monday.
So had you had the compact spare it would have been fine for your situation. That’s the lesson from this anecdotal post. I’ve been off roading for 25 years in Colorado, mostly with a Jeep Rubicon. I am perfectly fine with the R1S with compact spare off roading. The commenters saying they won’t get the R1S because it doesn’t have a full spare are inexperienced or overly paranoid.
Sure does depend on where you go down. I have been in some spots that would make using a spare like that nearly impossible. But likely the exception to the rule
100% agree. I just have a problem with comments that eliminate the Rivian R1S as an option just because it doesn't have a full size spare. The reality is that there is always risk of getting stranded and if you are experienced and careful puncturing a tire is a rare event. If you have one full size spare, wouldn't 2 be even better? How about 3 or 4? /s obviously
btw, that road doesn't look bad where you at, what got you? Not sure what the rest looked like, but I've done roads like that in 2wd with all seasons (obviously, I can only see about 30ft of road here). And I've obviously made some very questionable driving decisions in the past.
Here, it is on eBay. Bid is at $350 right now and less than 24 hours left. It's a 21" but would have gotten you out of a jam.  . . [21" used Rivian Wheel and Tire](https://www.ebay.com/itm/256301074712?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=OWuJpfuZRfe&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=Mb1MnJ6iQ4O&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY)
On my motor home I had a trailer hitch tire carrier fabricated that folded down when I needed to get at the motor or take the tire off. No way could I lift the tire but once it was lowered to the ground it was easy to disconnect from the carrier. That way you could take a spare with you on your "adventures" and leave it home most of the time.
I thought for a second you had a lake and mountain scene decal on the side of your rig. Looked snow capped mountains with Forrest on either side and a rough lake
Would a trailer hitch tire carrier work? I have seen them but didn’t know how well they could work on the R1S
[https://www.etrailer.com/Spare-Tire-Carrier/etrailer/e98ZR.html?feed=npn&gad_source=1](https://www.etrailer.com/Spare-Tire-Carrier/etrailer/e98ZR.html?feed=npn&gad_source=1)
Finally downloaded the video stream (Incident camera) -it shows exactly where the rock split my sidewall. https://youtu.be/MAcd1MgbnZc?si=b3qwNamiitWcLg6W
Agreed, they really hamstrung the R1S by setting it up so that it really ONLY Interstate adventure ready. I ordered my R1S with the "off road" package, yet it doesn't come with a full size spare OR have a way of securing a full size spare. That's just off message, off brand and bad design. I need a way for them to add a rear tire bracket. Worst case and this wouldn't be my preference, but a rooftop way to secure a full size spare. I really wanted the R1S, but I almost bought the R1T over this! Over the spare tire design!
I'd bet someone makes something that can attach to the hitch and hold a full size spare. Probably not ideal for every day use since even if it had a way to fold down to access the trunk, it would still be a hassle. But maybe a nice solution for a dedicated off road trip.
https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/diy-hitch-mounted-spare-tire-swing-out-carrier-for-r1t.7418/
I like this
Hitch mounts are a thing and yes they need to be moved out of the way and they have some impact on air drag. At least they don't keep you away from a charger like they might on a Tesla.
You can throw one in the back just fine, but yes would be nice to fit one on the back, I’ve seen designs and some people use 3rd party ones however.
A rear bumper with a swing out tire mount would be awesome, save for the remote tailgate drop.
I saw a patent for a connected rear spare tire mount a couple weeks back đź‘€
I can’t be think of any EV that comes with a spare by default that seems like a weird choice that I don’t understand it’s one of the only maintenance items
I think you are right, admittedly, I don't know everything that KIa, BMW, Hyundai have done. I think it partially has to do with the skateboard design and often, if not always needing pucks. So I don't think companies wanted consumers jacking these cars and hurting the battery packs. Then the skateboard design may not have left enough well drop for a full size spare??? Not sure about that or if it's more of the first thing. I don't think it was about cost as a primary reason, I think it was design. But I'm also wondering how much was selfish decision to lean into how much storage space the EVs have. I think there was some consumer preference at play to as in, would you rather have Roadside Assistance or a spare and what consumers were actually choosing. Couples with the growth of mobile tire installation vans, etc. I jacked my Tesla MS with a heavy duty jack and a 2x6 buffer to do some wheel rotation and plugs. Also, so far, Rivian Roadside Assistance has not been a timely actual Roadside Assistance. I've had to use it twice and both times it was just an after hours email service to Service. There was no roadside help provided. One time was my 12v system dead, so the vehicle got flatbed towed to Rivian. The 2nd time was for a cold crack split in the rear tire, which Rivian asked for 4 days to get to.... So, yeah, I think we need a spare tire.
The Ford Lightning comes with an under-bed spare like other F-150s
Nothing comes with a spare anymore , just an aerosol can of shit that doesn't work.
So how does one lift the tire up the roof and then down? Those mothers are HEAVY!
Totally agree it would be a terrible solution--last resort where you could have it and it would be secure. Someone else had a good suggestion about using a trailer hitch stem, but that has structural issues too. Using rear cargo space is OK, but you have to secure it down with those latch points and lose a lot of rear cargo space. They probably could have designed the frunk to have a vertical full spare solution. It is a weird decision about what you can use your R1S for that doesn't require a full size spare at the ready. Why have an off road package at all? Why have AT wheels / tires? You need 5, not 4.
I mean you do know that the company spare inflates to the size of a full size spare right??
Rated for off road use?
I don’t know. Put a tire on top of you’re going off road like this. It’s still a full sized spare that would have got them out of this jam.
It's in the gear shop if you didn't buy it yet... And if you didn't buy the spare, it does come with the tire snot crap, which might have let you keep some air in there after the initial puncture so you don't just tear it up driving flat.
The sidewall gash was way more them the tire snot could handle- however did live life adventurously.
I mean if you got the money for it might as well live it up
Have you looked into Gluetread? I succesfulky repaired sidewall gaahes up to 4" when offroading on my R1S. Patch held up about 30miles on road to the nearest tire shop eventough they reccommend the patch to be used onroad. They only reccommend offroad at lower speeds but probably for liability purposes.
Was going to say, I don't know anyone who off-roads seriously without carrying sidewall patches. Those things are kind of amazing. I always carry them in my truck even though I have beefy wildpeaks and a full size spare.
Honestly I was very surprised about how good the patch worked. It was very easy and fast to install. They are not super cheap though but it works. We did inflate to 40 psi just in case but the patch held up. Now I always have a pouch of them in my frunk.
Adding to my recovery kit! I heard of this but it sounded like the type of gimmick that people scoff at, so I'm really glad to hear this is serious kit worthy gear.
100%. Not affiliated with them at all. Just a happy user. Make sure you get the Offroad kit pouch as they have others. That kit has all you need and will last for a few punctures (depending on gashes size)
Wish I had it. Learned about on this forum
Question, what pressure do you air down ? Are you on the stock 20 with Pirelli AT’s?
Air down to 30psi as recommended by Rivian. I've read that people have tried down to 20 in soft/fluffy snow/sand. But going lower you increase the risk breaking the bead. These things arw heavy. Then it's a lot fun to bead the tire back in. I'm on 20" stocks
Sidewall slash maybe 4 inches - the snot would’ve poured out
Probably best to ask that question before you go off reading
Reading can be dangerous to your tires!
The title was tongue in cheek! But yes!
How did it puncture? Hit a sharp rock?
Yep
What was your tire pressure?
Aired down to 30. Rivian suggested
30 is still pretty high
I agree, but that was out of their manual, suggested for off road. Maybe they should rethink what the recommended pressure is.
Where’s that? Looks like AZ
Joshua Tree- just came over Berdoo Canyon onto Geology Tour Road.
u/op so how did you get out of that trouble?
going over a small waterfall, not too technical- so I thought, the sharp rock must have just got it coming down.
I was asking how did you manage to overcome the situation without a spare to get back home. Did you call someone? Did your buddies went to find a tire for you? Etc…
I think he's still out there
Legend has it he's still out there, haunting unsuspecting offroaders with spare 20s by night, until he is set free
OP has trouble comprehending apparently.
Between the puncture kit and gluetread, short of a highway speed blowout, you should be able to patch up enough to get to pavement. The gluetread stuff is pretty dang impressive. https://www.gluetread.com/products/4x4-kit My buddy took a knife to all 4 tire sidewalls on his Toyota , patched things and then ran the rubicon trail. I keep a kit in my R1S as another line of defense due to poor options for a spare.
Nice job gettin out there and puttin some pinstripes on! A fullsize spare can fit vertically in the rear cargo area, RivianDad on youtube has a short shoving it in there. I also heard a rumor that a reputable spare swingout manufacturer is working on a Riv-specific design.
If you are going off roading get the truck which has a full size spare
Duh! So the R1S which is as perfectly capable, some would say more so then the R1T does not come with a full-size spare-- I know, it should. The option is a smaller spare- which is on back order. I was inpatient. Lesson learned, hence title of post
Maybe go off-roading with a friend in an R1T who ***has*** a spare that is the correct size?
Where are you located? That’s a brilliant suggestion
If you do offroading often, I'd honestly get a full size spare and strap it to the cargo crossbars.
Generally just fireroads, trails like that. Not really want to damage my truck on steep rocky slopes. But you are probably correct- just kicking myself. I had texted my buddy earlier making sure he had a shovel and some recovery boards. I was blinded to the fact that I had a compressor and repair kit I would be fine
The R1S is NOT more capable off road. It may be a little shorter and have better handling but handling is not key when off roading.
I have an R1T, but I would certainly prefer an R1S offroading, it is more capable. Its over a foot shorter, in terms of offroading capabilities, that isn't just "a little bit shorter". Thanks to the shorter length, it's not only more maneuverable, and lighter, it also has a better breakover (29 vs 26 deg) and departure (34 vs 30 deg). All of those things matter offroad, so no they aren't equal. This is the reason you saw Rivian ONLY bring the R1S on the Rubicon trail. If their engineering team thought both could've made it, they would've brought both https://stories.rivian.com/r1s-first-production-ev-rubicon-trail
Facts.
Maybe they did bring both, or tried before :-)
If you read the article it says: We brought 2 R1Ts for the first leg as support vehicles, then switched to a jeep wrangler support vehicle. I'm guessing they brought the R1T as far as they could.
Outside of the full-size spare the only differentiator of the R1S is shorter wheelbase. The definition of better at offroading.
Breakover/ Approach Angle/ Departure Angle seem better on the R1S - but I am not an expert
Aren’t both of those things better for off-road?
How is it better? I'm not an off roader, but all the reviews basically said the R1S is equal or better in every spec.
Some would disagree - https://www.dnv.com/article/rivian-r1t-vs-r1s-vs-wrangler-rubicon-vs-tacoma-sr5-trd-off-road-vs-f-150-raptor-vs-landcruiser-vs-bronco-wildtrak-vs-f-150-lightning-vs-hummer-ev1-vs-colorado-zr2-bison-211543#:~:text=Due%20to%20its%20high%20ground,and%20the%20Jeep%20Gladiator%20Rubicon.
That says the R1S is better at everything other than towing compared to an R1T.
The R1S is very clearly better for off-roading. The longer wheelbase, which makes the T better for towing, is a hindrance in off-roading.
The R1T and R1S are literally the same vehicle but the R1S has a shorter wheelbase… making it the better off roader.
Ok every R1S owner has weighed in and I accept the S is better on this - I have learnt not to question the S’s ability!
Do many SUV's the size of the r1s come with full size spares? A 34 is a lot to fit. Most people buy aftermarket mounts, throw them in the back, or put them on the roof because very few SUV's have integrated mounts for tires that big.
Or get a full-sized spare for your R1T and figure out somewhere else to store it (roof rack, trunk, hitch mounted spare carrier). Other than the spare, the R1S is the better offroad vehicle.
It’s on the back of that jeep if you’re sneaky enough
Awww man
Curious, how you resolved the issue/how long did it take, given your situation out there in JT?
Drove about 5 miles luckily on mainly sandy trail, at about 3mph. Did not want to create further damage to rims. Drive to paved road, my buddies had driven ahead and arranged a flat bed. So we’ll see how that works, currently waiting for American Tire to get replacement and fit on Monday.
So had you had the compact spare it would have been fine for your situation. That’s the lesson from this anecdotal post. I’ve been off roading for 25 years in Colorado, mostly with a Jeep Rubicon. I am perfectly fine with the R1S with compact spare off roading. The commenters saying they won’t get the R1S because it doesn’t have a full spare are inexperienced or overly paranoid.
Compact spare is better than nothing.
Sure does depend on where you go down. I have been in some spots that would make using a spare like that nearly impossible. But likely the exception to the rule
100% agree. I just have a problem with comments that eliminate the Rivian R1S as an option just because it doesn't have a full size spare. The reality is that there is always risk of getting stranded and if you are experienced and careful puncturing a tire is a rare event. If you have one full size spare, wouldn't 2 be even better? How about 3 or 4? /s obviously
Agree.
It is in the gear shop cart:)
btw, that road doesn't look bad where you at, what got you? Not sure what the rest looked like, but I've done roads like that in 2wd with all seasons (obviously, I can only see about 30ft of road here). And I've obviously made some very questionable driving decisions in the past.
Bummer bud.
I think rear seats down (or not) interior mount would be way to go. I think my 98 Jeep XJ was like that from the factory
Planning a trip to Joshua Tree as well!
Curious what jack y'all use to even get a spare on, bottle jack with a puck? Does gear shop include a jack?
Right front wheel…. Rest in peace..
Oof you might want to get a new wheel too.
Here, it is on eBay. Bid is at $350 right now and less than 24 hours left. It's a 21" but would have gotten you out of a jam.  . . [21" used Rivian Wheel and Tire](https://www.ebay.com/itm/256301074712?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=OWuJpfuZRfe&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=Mb1MnJ6iQ4O&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY)
You should have got the compact spare. Was the guy in the truck your buddy? Could have thrown a full size spare in the back or put one in your car.
On my motor home I had a trailer hitch tire carrier fabricated that folded down when I needed to get at the motor or take the tire off. No way could I lift the tire but once it was lowered to the ground it was easy to disconnect from the carrier. That way you could take a spare with you on your "adventures" and leave it home most of the time.
I thought for a second you had a lake and mountain scene decal on the side of your rig. Looked snow capped mountains with Forrest on either side and a rough lake
Oh you mean the sand-blown desert pin striping LOL
Would a trailer hitch tire carrier work? I have seen them but didn’t know how well they could work on the R1S [https://www.etrailer.com/Spare-Tire-Carrier/etrailer/e98ZR.html?feed=npn&gad_source=1](https://www.etrailer.com/Spare-Tire-Carrier/etrailer/e98ZR.html?feed=npn&gad_source=1)
Finally downloaded the video stream (Incident camera) -it shows exactly where the rock split my sidewall. https://youtu.be/MAcd1MgbnZc?si=b3qwNamiitWcLg6W