Dan Edmunds used to tune suspensions for major automakers, and he has lots to share about the R1T’s hydraulic roll control system.
According to Car and Driver’s Dan Edmunds, the Rivian R1T – an electric pickup truck that was designed with adventure in mind – shares a suspension system with a few McLaren supercars. More specifically, he says the R1T’s hydraulic roll control system is the same as that of the McLaren MP4-12C and 720S.
Dan Edmunds currently holds the role of Technical Editor for Car and Driver. However, in the past, the former suspension engineer tuned suspension systems for two major automakers, so he certainly knows his stuff.
In the video above, Edmunds compares the R1T’s suspension articulation to notable off-road champs, such as the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison, Ford F-150 Raptor, and Jeep Gladiator Rubicon.
Edmunds notes that he’s a big fan of removing a vehicles’ wheels and tires to take an in-depth look that the suspension system. In so doing exactly this with the R1T, he made some intriguing discoveries. Edmunds explains:
“The R1T rolls on a four-wheel independent suspension, which isn’t the obvious choice for a pickup, let alone an off-road focused one that’s obviously aimed at the Overlanding set.”
He notes that the reason this setup isn’t typically used for a pickup truck is that ground clearance, suspension travel, and articulation are key for off-road challenges. Edmunds wanted to get a better idea of the system’s prowess, so he put it through a suspension flex test. Essentially, he drove the electric pickup truck up a 20-degree ramp to “measure its Ramp Travel Index or RTI.”
While the test gives Car and Driver a pretty good idea of the R1T’s potential capabilities, Edmunds says he’ll have to spend more time driving the truck in tough real-world situations to learn more about how capable it is off the pavement. There are many more interesting details in the brief video that make it well worth watching.
For those who want to dive into specific topics, Car and Driver included the following timestamps that correspond with the YouTube video above:
00:00 Intro01:06 RTI ramp flex test03:29 Front suspension08:56 Rear suspension13:22 Wheel and tire weight14:35 Conclusion
15:49 ???
Do we have any suspension experts in the audience? Even if you’re not a pro, we’d love to get your personal take on Dan Edmunds’ findings. Start a conversation in the comment section below.
Keyword: Rivian R1T Shares McLaren 720S-Like Suspension System: In-Depth Testing