DCE has spent the past year developing, testing, and designing the ultimate lift system for the Rivian R1T and R1S. Multiple strategies were explored and tested off-road and on-road before the final iteration was chosen. Tire wear, component lifespan, ground clearance, and range were all front of mind. Our goal was to deliver an OE level, minimum compromise lifting system that could still fit in a residential garage.
The Rivian's stock suspension allows for variable ride heights based on driver selection via the vehicles infotainment system; these ride heights allow the Rivian to be a capable machine in a variety of use cases. With our lift system, we have retained the functionality of all the suspension modes so that the lifting and lowering of the air ride suspension is not decreased in travel. Our lift system simply increases the height of each mode by 3 inches, but it’s much more than some spacers and bolts.
We engineered an entirely new set of robust adjustable upper control arms designed with the intent of keeping the integrity of "stock-like" suspension geometry in relation to the spindle and camber of the wheels. The new control arms also retain the stock positions of the ride height sensor so that the difference in ride height between each of the driver-selected ride modes remains the same.
With the added height, we increase the ground clearance from the battery by 3 inches, further protecting the most important and expensive part of the vehicle. While the battery is lifted and much better protected, new stronger yet lightweight aluminum skid plates replace the OEM plates protecting the drive motor subframes. Multiple angular skid plates were designed to deflect collisions between the subframes and the terrain or obstacles the vehicle is crossing.
With all this added clearance you are now able to clear a larger tire with no rubbing. Our official tire size recommendation will be released soon, but in testing we have had no issue with a 36” diameter tire. With the option of running a larger tire, it compounds the added clearance of the lift.
Oh and it looks absolutely bad ass! Check it out in person at the 2023 SEMA show in Las Vegas.
