Flat tires are one of the harsh realities that every driver will one day have to face. No matter how much you take care of your tires, it will eventually happen. This is why learning to change a tire is one of the most important driving skills one can have. That said, the 2022 Rivian R1T has yet again revolutionized the pickup truck game by making changing a flat tire a bit easier. 

The 2022 Rivian R1T makes changing a flat tire easier

Not only did Rivian think to include an onboard air compressor already, but it has also devised a clever way to make more serious tire issues less serious. 

The Rivian R1T keeps its spare tire underneath the bed, behind a special panel. On the one hand, this is a smart, out-of-the-way place to store a spare. On the other hand, it requires the driver to empty the bed to access it. This is a surprisingly annoying design choice.

What is the Rivian Tire-Changing Mode? 

Spare location aside, Motortrend reports that the 2022 Rivian R1T has a special Tire-Change mode. While this may seem unnecessary at first, remember that Rivian has one of the most sophisticated auto-leveling suspensions to give it its off-road acrobatic nature. 

Since the suspension can automatically adjust to keep the R1T level and stable, Tire-Changing Mode is meant to tell the suspension to halt auto-leveling so that drivers can jack up the wheel with the damaged tire. 

A round plastic piece comes attached to the underside of the upside-down spare in the spare compartment. In addition to housing the scissors jack, tire iron, jack handle, jacking-point puck, and jack-base extension, this piece has other uses. It’s strong enough to serve as a jacking base on dirt or sand, allowing for better off-road jacking needs. 

Ready to fix the flat tire?

Rivian has kindly made the jacking points obviously and clearly marked to take any question of jacking safety out of the equation. These jacking points are marked with a hole that the jack inserts directly into. This mounting point shortens the jacking distance by about two inches. It ain’t much, but that two inches can go a long way on soft off-road surfaces. The base of the jack also adds another two inches to the height. 

As wisely noted by MT, make sure to break your lug nuts before jacking. Rivian still hasn’t worked out automatically removing lug nuts, unfortunately. 

Although, the onboard air compressor means that air tools are now an option. That, my friends, is a major boon to anyone changing a tire on a Rivian. 

Rivian continues to be the smartest truck around

Between things like the spring-loaded (not literally) overlanding kitchenette, the Star Wars-themed insane turning functions, and now something as simple as making changing a flat tire a little easier, Rivian has proven that it has deeply considered the needs of truck owners. 

And this is only the beginning. As trucks begin shipping, Rivian will likely continue to tune its products to be even better.