An honest review of the yoke

[Dirty Dog]

Doesn't help w/ the horn (I mashed the airbag just yesterday trying to alert a moron who was turning into me - I was able to stop in time), but I am thrilled with my Hansshow wheel.

Looks great! How is working for you? What was the cost of it + install? Does it get in the way of the screen gear shifting?

 

[Daniel454]

I find myself somewhere in the middle of the opinions.

On the one hand, I really do think Tesla should offer a round wheel for those who want it. I believe they have missed out on sales by not doing so. I researched aftermarket round options before putting the deposit down on my S and had they not been available, I wouldn't have bought it myself.

However, the irony is that had I been offered a round wheel option, I would have definitely taken it, BUT now I LOVE THE YOKE. It feels really natural and find it easier to use than a round wheel, at least for regular driving (probably wouldn't for track use).

So for me, I am really glad I did not get a choice and decided to give it a chance.

With all of that said, I am only referring to the shape of the wheel, I really do NOT like the turn signal buttons.

I care less about the horn, I can count on one hand the number of times I have used a horn in the last 10 years. Center horn button would be better sure, but for my use, it makes little difference.... But the blinkers, pain in the A$$.

 

[Dan_Foster]

…

I care less about the horn, I can count on one hand the number of times I have used a horn in the last 10 years. Center horn button would be better sure, but for my use, it makes little difference....But the blinkers, pain in the A$$.

I have a fire extinguisher in my home—I’ve used it once in 50 years (when my little brother set fire to the drapes). I found it quickly—right where is was supposed to be—and that prevented a catastrophe.

Just last week, my friend and I were picking up food in his Model Y. As we rounded the corner of the parking lot, a guy in a SUV started backing out of his spot aggressively (New Jersey, big surprise, right?) My friend’s wheel was turned about 140º left, but because it’s in the center, he found the horn instantly, and 100% prevented the guy from smashing us. The new ‘button’ placement is indefensible.

When anyone truly must honk at someone, in mid-turn, when fractions of a second count, and can’t find the stupid haptic ‘button’ because it’s upside down on the opposite side of the yoke from where it usually is, he will curse that damned thing more than the blinkers (which are also terrible). Whether it’s life threatening or not, who wants an avoidable collision?

 

[Daniel454]

Ehh, not defending the horn placement, just saying I don't care much about it.

And though I won't lose any sleep over it, I don't fault those that feel more passionately about it and did not intend to be dismissive of those that are.

I also do not defend Tesla only offering the yoke and not a round wheel, my opinion is that I really like the yoke shape and for me only, was happy I had no choice.

 

[pgold1577@comc]

3 days with my Plaid, which is amazing. But the yoke ruins it.

I just posted this to the NHTSA:

This has to do with Tesla's new yoke steering wheel. I find myself awkwardly trying to make simple 90 degree turns. However, a more significant turn, such as a legal U turn, is altogether more dangerous. First you must twist your arms upside down to execute the turn, or you need to rotate grips but the wheel is only designed to be gripped while straight/upright. This causes a very real threat of missing your hold on the wheel. Then as you try to controllably/slowly straighten the vehicle the steering wheel rips through your hands before you can complete the turn. God forbid anyone attempts a hasty 3 point turn with a car approaching. In addition, I am a six foot tall male and my knees actually come in contact with the wheel as the lower outside corners of the trapezoidal shape protrude down and out. If I am gripping the outside of the wheel, at 9 and 3, my hands can also contact my knees. This is with the wheel tilted/moved up to its highest position. Then there's the turn signals which are much too easy to engage accidentally or engage incorrectly (touch left when you mean to touch right). The roll wheel which controls radio volume and track fwd is mm from the turn signals which are activated simply by touch, not depressing a button, which means inadvertently activating them happens commonly. To see if the turn signals are activated your eyes must find small blinking arrows at the bottom of Teslas 'videogame' display - what the car's cameras are detecting such as other cars, trucks, stop signs etc - the needlessly distracting display cannot be turned off. All of this made worse on a temptingly fast car. This wheel design is made for a track, not for consumer driving. People will die from this design, all in the name of "cool". Tesla has made other flashy design errors while trying to attract attention such as the model x's falcon wing doors, but they didn't pose danger. This one most certainly does.

YOu will get used to it. It works very well except for the horn.

 

[zoomer0056]

Laggards always get to benefit from the missteps of the first movers. Who really thinks Lexus would even have a yoke on anything if it weren't for the Plaid. Much like who thinks that the current crop of electric vehicles in the market would have happened had Tesla not shown them the market and forced their hand.

I will always be a fan of first movers. Those that aren't afraid to take their own off-ramp and head into uncharted water. They don't always come up with the best ideas and the first iteration of anything certainly will likely not be the best but it plants a seed. It blazes an unforeseen trail for others to follow that can then improve upon the idea and learn from it. The end result is we wind up with a better product at some point.

Well said.

 

[strider]

I have seriously been considering that wheel. Nice to see the view through the wheel doesn't obscure the dash. How wide is it, same as stock yoke? Steering wheel heat still work?

I was concerned about the center stripe driving me crazy if the alignment wasn't right.

Stripe is optional. It is actually 1" narrower than the yoke so screen visibility is improved, though it still obscure the left side of the screen a bit.

Steering wheel heat works. It seems slow to heat up but I never tried with with the yoke - it being summer and all.

Not sure about the non-obstruction claim. That vantage point is pretty low, barely high enough to see out of the windshield.

Yes, I didn't take the picture from eye level. When I look, the top of the wheel is lost in the front grill. There's no obstruction of the windshield at all.

Looks great! How is working for you? What was the cost of it + install? Does it get in the way of the screen gear shifting?

As I said above, it's actually a little narrower than the yoke so shifting and such is better with the wheel. IIRC the wheel starts at $941 with a $450 core charge for your old yoke. I paid ~$1,600 all in (I upgraded the leather and got CF to go w/ my Plaid CF interior) and that includes $450 to keep my yoke for future trade in or whatever. Install is pretty easy. TSportline has a youtube video on removing the yoke and the airbag. I was super nervous when removing the center with the electronics. It's just pressed in there so use a plastic flat blade screwdriver (I have one for doing electronics - I think iFixit calls it a spudger) and work your way around prying it up a bit at a time. I then had to trim the leather a bit on the wheel to make the center sit flush.

 

[jdubya3]

I installed and have been using my Hansshow wheel for about two weeks now. Got the full alcantara wheel, which ended up looking really great in the new S, as it matches the headliner and the phone charger area perfectly. Looks very plush and very OEM looking. Driving with it is great. As many have said, when actually turning the car in parking lots, etc. or driving on anything other than the freeway, I feel the wheel is significantly better than the yoke. I feel I can drive the S more aggressively, especially noticeable coming into and exiting corners (at speed). The build quality of the wheel is excellent, and as long as you are somewhat handy, you can install it with no issue. A little elevated heart rate when unplugging the airbag, but outside of that, pretty simple. There's a few great YouTube videos that walk you through the process. Just make sure you have a 10mm hex driver and you're good to go.

I only have two knocks on going from yoke to wheel, and in my opinion neither of them outweigh the overwhelming benefits of the wheel: 1) while smaller than the yoke in diameter, the wheel is a little large, a smidge bigger than our Model 3 and Y's. I prefer the smaller diameter 3/Y wheel. I don't see much of a way around this, as the center controls/airbag piece is pretty wide, so unless it was embedded in the actual rim of the wheel, the wheel is going to need to be a bit bigger. 2) the way I sit in the car, the wheel indeed blocks the display in front of the driver. I have a taller torso and I like the wheel low (lowest setting in adjustment), so that's likely part of the issue. I only really care about it in that you can't see the current speed as that is not over on the main center screen like in the 3/Y. Everything else in the driver display is either duplicative (nav) or something I don't use (car position/surrounding traffic). You can still see the time, temp, and state of charge with the wheel.

So far, the alcantara finish seems great in both warm or cold weather. We will see how it holds up over time, but for now it reminds me of the similar sport wheel that Porsche makes and I first felt in a Panamera, which for me feels very sport oriented.

The Hansshow wheel wasn't cheap, but a Tesla Model S isn't a bargain out the of the gate either, so I figured I might as well dial things in as much as possible so I can really enjoy the car!

First time uploading pics, so fingers crossed. I tried to take the second one at eye level in driving position.

 

[Laddcruzer]

I installed and have been using my Hansshow wheel for about two weeks now. Got the full alcantara wheel, which ended up looking really great in the new S, as it matches the headliner and the phone charger area perfectly. Looks very plush and very OEM looking. Driving with it is great. As many have said, when actually turning the car in parking lots, etc. or driving on anything other than the freeway, I feel the wheel is significantly better than the yoke. I feel I can drive the S more aggressively, especially noticeable coming into and exiting corners (at speed). The build quality of the wheel is excellent, and as long as you are somewhat handy, you can install it with no issue. A little elevated heart rate when unplugging the airbag, but outside of that, pretty simple. There's a few great YouTube videos that walk you through the process. Just make sure you have a 10mm hex driver and you're good to go.

I only have two knocks on going from yoke to wheel, and in my opinion neither of them outweigh the overwhelming benefits of the wheel: 1) while smaller than the yoke in diameter, the wheel is a little large, a smidge bigger than our Model 3 and Y's. I prefer the smaller diameter 3/Y wheel. I don't see much of a way around this, as the center controls/airbag piece is pretty wide, so unless it was embedded in the actual rim of the wheel, the wheel is going to need to be a bit bigger. 2) the way I sit in the car, the wheel indeed blocks the display in front of the driver. I have a taller torso and I like the wheel low (lowest setting in adjustment), so that's likely part of the issue. I only really care about it in that you can't see the current speed as that is not over on the main center screen like in the 3/Y. Everything else in the driver display is either duplicative (nav) or something I don't use (car position/surrounding traffic). You can still see the time, temp, and state of charge with the wheel.

So far, the alcantara finish seems great in both warm or cold weather. We will see how it holds up over time, but for now it reminds me of the similar sport wheel that Porsche makes and I first felt in a Panamera, which for me feels very sport oriented.

The Hansshow wheel wasn't cheap, but a Tesla Model S isn't a bargain out the of the gate either, so I figured I might as well dial things in as much as possible so I can really enjoy the car!

First time uploading pics, so fingers crossed. I tried to take the second one at eye level in driving position.

Very nice. I really like the shape and look. I’m waiting on my roke (rounded yoke) from Secret EV. Hope it’s as nice as your Hansshow roke.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I installed and have been using my Hansshow wheel for about two weeks now. Got the full alcantara wheel, which ended up looking really great in the new S, as it matches the headliner and the phone charger area perfectly. Looks very plush and very OEM looking. Driving with it is great. As many have said, when actually turning the car in parking lots, etc. or driving on anything other than the freeway, I feel the wheel is significantly better than the yoke. I feel I can drive the S more aggressively, especially noticeable coming into and exiting corners (at speed). The build quality of the wheel is excellent, and as long as you are somewhat handy, you can install it with no issue. A little elevated heart rate when unplugging the airbag, but outside of that, pretty simple. There's a few great YouTube videos that walk you through the process. Just make sure you have a 10mm hex driver and you're good to go.

I only have two knocks on going from yoke to wheel, and in my opinion neither of them outweigh the overwhelming benefits of the wheel: 1) while smaller than the yoke in diameter, the wheel is a little large, a smidge bigger than our Model 3 and Y's. I prefer the smaller diameter 3/Y wheel. I don't see much of a way around this, as the center controls/airbag piece is pretty wide, so unless it was embedded in the actual rim of the wheel, the wheel is going to need to be a bit bigger. 2) the way I sit in the car, the wheel indeed blocks the display in front of the driver. I have a taller torso and I like the wheel low (lowest setting in adjustment), so that's likely part of the issue. I only really care about it in that you can't see the current speed as that is not over on the main center screen like in the 3/Y. Everything else in the driver display is either duplicative (nav) or something I don't use (car position/surrounding traffic). You can still see the time, temp, and state of charge with the wheel.

So far, the alcantara finish seems great in both warm or cold weather. We will see how it holds up over time, but for now it reminds me of the similar sport wheel that Porsche makes and I first felt in a Panamera, which for me feels very sport oriented.

The Hansshow wheel wasn't cheap, but a Tesla Model S isn't a bargain out the of the gate either, so I figured I might as well dial things in as much as possible so I can really enjoy the car!

First time uploading pics, so fingers crossed. I tried to take the second one at eye level in driving position.

Looks cool. A few questions.
What was the cost?
Is it easier or the same to control the gear shifter on the screen? Does it hinder or help?

Thanks!!

 

[jdubya3]

Looks cool. A few questions.
What was the cost?
Is it easier or the same to control the gear shifter on the screen? Does it hinder or help?

Thanks!!

It was $1400 after discounts etc. it doesn’t block the shifter bar, or the center screen, at all.

 

[Plaid to Mod 3]

I have a fire extinguisher in my home—I’ve used it once in 50 years (when my little brother set fire to the drapes). I found it quickly—right where is was supposed to be—and that prevented a catastrophe.

Just last week, my friend and I were picking up food in his Model Y. As we rounded the corner of the parking lot, a guy in a SUV started backing out of his spot aggressively (New Jersey, big surprise, right?) My friend’s wheel was turned about 140º left, but because it’s in the center, he found the horn instantly, and 100% prevented the guy from smashing us. The new ‘button’ placement is indefensible.

When anyone truly must honk at someone, in mid-turn, when fractions of a second count, and can’t find the stupid haptic ‘button’ because it’s upside down on the opposite side of the yoke from where it usually is, he will curse that damned thing more than the blinkers (which are also terrible). Whether it’s life threatening or not, who wants an avoidable collision?

Amen brother

 

[diver110]

The yoke was a dumb idea. But I hear that you get used to it. One review said he was going to sell the Plaid due to the yoke because he often drove other cars and thus had to often sort of relearn yoke driving.

 

[lbowroom]

The yoke was a dumb idea. But I hear that you get used to it. One review said he was going to sell the Plaid due to the yoke because he often drove other cars and thus had to often sort of relearn yoke driving.

That doesn’t make sense to me. The more variety of cars you drive, the less sensitive you tend to become.

 

[diver110]

That doesn’t make sense to me. The more variety of cars you drive, the less sensitive you tend to become.

Well if all of the other cars had regular steering wheels (highly likely), than the yoke skill set would be less practiced. One might, so to speak, mostly be practicing with a regular wheel, and perhaps never get sufficient, consistent practice with the yoke. I am speculating having never actually been in this circumstance.

 

[Razbeo]

Well if all of the other cars had regular steering wheels (highly likely), than the yoke skill set would be less practiced. One might, so to speak, mostly be practicing with a regular wheel, and perhaps never get sufficient, consistent practice with the yoke. I am speculating having never actually been in this circumstance.

I have the yoke in my S and in my other car has a wheel of course. I love the yoke and have no difficulty switching between cars.

 

[Plaid to Mod 3]

Well if all of the other cars had regular steering wheels (highly likely), than the yoke skill set would be less practiced. One might, so to speak, mostly be practicing with a regular wheel, and perhaps never get sufficient, consistent practice with the yoke. I am speculating having never actually been in this circumstance.

The yoke is really hard for me to operate over long periods of time especially. Essentially you have about 180° less of control points available to the operator on interest of freeing up the view of the instrument display. Not a nice trade off in my opinion. If you want to drive with your hands at 9:00 and 3 all the time then just do that with the steering wheel it's entirely possible

 

[Plaid to Mod 3]

Amen brother

I actually almost got into a wreck about 15 years ago simply because I was holding a water bottle in one of my hands. So I was driving with one hand holding a water bottle with the other hand and was not able to hit the horn in a timely fashion because my hand was occupied with a water bottle and nearly got into an accident. This taught me a lesson that I remember to this day. Always have two hands available for driving, maybe most primarily because you might need one of them for the horn!

 

[lbowroom]

I’m not so convinced that horns prevent many accidents

 

[FlatSix911]

I actually almost got into a wreck about 15 years ago simply because I was holding a water bottle in one of my hands. So I was driving with one hand holding a water bottle with the other hand and was not able to hit the horn in a timely fashion because my hand was occupied with a water bottle and nearly got into an accident.
This taught me a lesson that I remember to this day. Always have two hands available for driving, maybe most primarily because you might need one of them for the horn!

The real lesson here... don't drink and drive!