Back-and-forth between Cybertruck (tri-motor) and R1T (quad-motor)

[thedownwardmachine]

CT won't fit tires any larger than what they already have. The limiting factor seems to be clearance on that bolt coming down from the suspension knuckle (or whatever it's called). You'll also have issues with rubbing even if you figure that out.

Speaking of which, forget about doing your own cutting or panel repairs. You won't be pulling dents or using Bondo. Because this is a new alloy, it's not yet clear how to weld it properly. In any case it's tough enough that if a panel needs repair, it probably needs replacement.

The Rivian is a hard no for me because of the crazy repair costs, though if you can DIY PDR then maybe it's for you.


I personally think the right truck for you is what you already got. I wanted the CT because I wanted a bulletproof EV Raptor, something I can use to hop curbs and flee from baddies, but most people don't have to worry about that.

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[HaulingAss]

• The flat SS body panels are probably going to be expensive to replace but also easy to vinyl wrap myself. Another plus is them being flat probably means I could easily do my own fabrication work and replace them with aluminum panels and do more contouring to shape the silhouette of the CT (at the cost of losing the whole bullet-resistant aspect).

The Cybertruck's stainless steel panels are structural. That means it makes no sense to swap them out for aluminum ones. Aluminum is not stiff enough or strong enough.

 

[Spvrtan]

CT won't fit tires any larger than what they already have. The limiting factor seems to be clearance on that bolt coming down from the suspension knuckle (or whatever it's called). You'll also have issues with rubbing even if you figure that out.

Speaking of which, forget about doing your own cutting or panel repairs. You won't be pulling dents or using Bondo. Because this is a new alloy, it's not yet clear how to weld it properly. In any case it's tough enough that if a panel needs repair, it probably needs replacement.

The Rivian is a hard no for me because of the crazy repair costs, though if you can DIY PDR then maybe it's for you.


I personally think the right truck for you is what you already got. I wanted the CT because I wanted a bulletproof EV Raptor, something I can use to hop curbs and flee from baddies, but most people don't have to worry about that.

Yea, I saw one shop fit a slightly larger tire but had to add some negative offset to clear the bolt. But then that increases the turning arc/radius and causes rubbing. What I'm curious to see is what exactly it's rubbing on and if it's just plastic or cosmetic sheet metal (ie. not structural) that I can just cut off or smash with a sledgehammer. I did plenty of that to fit 40" tires on my Tundra.

 

[Spvrtan]

The Cybertruck's stainless steel panels are structural. That means it makes no sense to swap them out for aluminum ones. Aluminum is not stiff enough or strong enough.

From what I saw from other threads and photos, it looked like the exterior panels are bolted onto the underlying structural subframe, which would make sense because if the panels are truly 30X SS then they're most likely hard to form and would need to be appended to the subframe behind the panels. I guess I have yet to see anyone try and remove the panels.. unless someone knows of someone that tried already and can point me to them.

 

[Speedr]

From what I saw from other threads and photos, it looked like the exterior panels are bolted onto the underlying structural subframe, which would make sense because if the panels are truly 30X SS then they're most likely hard to form and would need to be appended to the subframe behind the panels. I guess I have yet to see anyone try and remove the panels.. unless someone knows of someone that tried already and can point me to them.

Agreed. Also, I think due to this, it's going to be really easy to fix a Cybertruck: just bolt on new brackets and panels.

 

[HaulingAss]

It's obvious that the stainless steel panels are structural by looking at how substantial and numerous the attachment points are. If the actual structural construction methods are not enough, there is always the fact that the engineers who engineered the Cybertruck said they were structural.

Laugh all you want, it exposes your lame attempts at tarnishing Tesla with illogical and unsupported bull shit. This is what people do when they feel threatened by a new product.

 

[Mini2nut]

There is also a rumored Quad Motor Rivian R1X pickup in the works using the new Enduro electric motors. It's supposedly going to have 1,000+ HP.

 

[ChristoN]

The real risk of Rivian bankruptcy and the FSD lead of Tesla cinch things for Me.

They’re losing 30k on every car manufactured. It’s only a matter of time. Tesla made the model s profitable before starting on the model 3. If Rivian starts producing their new cheaper model before resolving the issues they already have it will accelerate their collapse. Rivians will be like the occasional Fisker Karma sighting.

 

[HaulingAss]

From what I saw from other threads and photos, it looked like the exterior panels are bolted onto the underlying structural subframe, which would make sense because if the panels are truly 30X SS then they're most likely hard to form and would need to be appended to the subframe behind the panels.

To be accurate, alloys of 300 series stainless steel are not typically hard to form, they can be stamped in 3 dimensional dies and their edges can be easily hemmed. What sets the metal used in the Cybertruck apart is that it has been cold worked to a very hard state, the structure of the metal has been converted from austenitic to martensitic, which is a change on the molecular level.

These changes greatly increase the surface hardness, the stiffness and the tensile strength of the panels (without increasing the weight). This, combined with the unusual thickness of the body panels, is what enables them to be used in a structural manner, stiffening the chassis, increasing the towing and payload, and is also what makes the Cybertruck drive so crisply and precisely when pushed hard, even with a load. These panels work in conjunction with the aluminum castings and high-strength steel stampings to "unitize" the entire chassis structure into a truck like no other.

You will never see a Cybertruck do this:

 

[HaulingAss]

I'm always a fan of products I like, the more fan boys a product has, the more people find it superior to the rest. Having a lot of fan boys is something every manufacturer strives for.

The Motortrend article you cite is filled with factual errors and odd assumptions, and is designed to throw shade on the Cybertruck, it's what the industry calls a "hit piece". Maybe you are not aware that Motortrend is funded by almost every automaker except for Tesla. Primarily through advertising, but also in numerous other ways.

The reality of the way the Cybertruck's exterior stainless panels are bolted to the other portions of the structural chassis, and the natural stiffness of the hardened panels, they cannot help but be structural load bearing members of the chassis. The Motortrend journalist is simply wrong. I will trust the frank discussions of the engineers that actually designed and tested the chassis of the Cybertruck before any automotive journalist with nothing to back up his mischaracterizations.

 

[Strykerwsu]

R1T is a keeper. Waiting to see if I will say the same for CT. I will say I just assumed Tesla was superior, but after everything I've learned on this site over the last 3 months that myth has been broken

 

[scottf200]

This experience will not be the same as in a Tesla, we have no idea which 15k they will be, V2's? V3's? will they get access to the new V4's?

I thought it was common knowledge that they are v3 and above Tesla Superchargers. v4 are more centered in stall and have longer cords for non-Teslas.

There have been some v3 exceptions so far as they need some HW mods to make [some] of them work. Hendersonville, NC is one example. This has been discussed on Twitter/X by people in that hardware business.

 

[Mini2nut]

No adhesives. The SS quarter panels are bolted on. They use an inner SS shell that’s laser welded to the thicker outer skin.

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