Autopilot Autosteer - what is the true benefit if your hands are semi-always on the wheel?

[dwbv]

2015 P85D AP1

I personally like to "drive" so I really don't care for APAS (auto pilot autosteer) and my opinion of it is gimmicky. I do love the TACC (traffic aware cruise control) and how I can keep my distance setting at 7 and the car knows to stays back and adjust cruise speed accordingly; this is a "luxury" that I truly appreciate.

A couple of days ago I took at 3-hour round trip to visit business clients and thought I would give AP a try for the first time in a longer-distance scenario. I will say that I'm pretty impressed at how it stayed in the lanes despite curves and such. I was going a steady 75-80mph and the car was pretty planted throughout the autosteering. There were a few scenarios where it lost control at bigger intersections where I'm thinking it got confused on where the line on the road ended at the start of the intersection and where it restarts at the end of the intersection. Other than that, it was pretty solid for me, it was enjoyable for what it is.

My issue is this wheel force nagging thing (and yes, I've read over 10+ threads on this and LOLs at taping a weight to the steering wheel). I'm simply curious why you would use this autosteer feature if you always have to apply force like every 30 seconds or so? Might as well just "drive" and hold the steering wheel like everyone else, right?

The only benefit that I was able to experience during my session was being able to check my phone for a text and reply to it while not holding the wheel and the car driving itself. It did "nag" me once before I finished my texting. Also, for the first time, I was able to enjoy the scenery on the road to my left and right because with the autosteer on, I was somewhat confident enough to turn my head entirely to the left (foregoing looking forward entirely) and just appreciate the landscape and nature as it passed me by knowing that the car would stay in the lane. I don't condone my behavior here but it was nice to "be able to do it" even though you probably shouldn't.

I will no longer use APAS, I will just drive with both hands on the steering wheel. The car is too much fun to not push it whenever and wherever possible.

I'm curious for others' feedback on this and why they use or don't use APAS? I realize that newer models are more advance, per se, however I'm assuming the force feedback nag is still there, right? Thanks in advance for your opinions.

 

[fholbert]

My issue is this wheel force nagging thing (and yes, I've read over 10+ threads on this and LOLs at taping a weight to the steering wheel). I'm simply curious why you would use this autosteer feature if you always have to apply force like every 30 seconds or so? Might as well just "drive" and hold the steering wheel like everyone else, right?

I leave for work at 3:45 AM, a 48 mile drive. I do use the Autosteer feature, but it often makes me sleepy so I turn it off.

Traffic Aware Cruise Control is wonderful however. My wife has it on her Hyundai Santa Fe, it doesn't work as well as the Tesla.

 

[E90alex]

Don’t think of it like it’s supposed to be a hands free self driving system, because it’s not.

It’s just a lane keep assistant system with a misleading name.

If you rest the weight of your hand on wheel the whole time it should be enough to appease the nag unless you have a very light touch. You’re not supposed to take your hands off completely and jiggle the wheel every 30 seconds.

 

[Tam]

2015 P85D AP1

I personally like to "drive" so I really don't care for APAS (auto pilot autosteer) and my opinion of it is gimmicky. I do love the TACC (traffic aware cruise control) and how I can keep my distance setting at 7 and the car knows to stays back and adjust cruise speed accordingly; this is a "luxury" that I truly appreciate.

A couple of days ago I took at 3-hour round trip to visit business clients and thought I would give AP a try for the first time in a longer-distance scenario. I will say that I'm pretty impressed at how it stayed in the lanes despite curves and such. I was going a steady 75-80mph and the car was pretty planted throughout the autosteering. There were a few scenarios where it lost control at bigger intersections where I'm thinking it got confused on where the line on the road ended at the start of the intersection and where it restarts at the end of the intersection. Other than that, it was pretty solid for me, it was enjoyable for what it is.

My issue is this wheel force nagging thing (and yes, I've read over 10+ threads on this and LOLs at taping a weight to the steering wheel). I'm simply curious why you would use this autosteer feature if you always have to apply force like every 30 seconds or so? Might as well just "drive" and hold the steering wheel like everyone else, right?

The only benefit that I was able to experience during my session was being able to check my phone for a text and reply to it while not holding the wheel and the car driving itself. It did "nag" me once before I finished my texting. Also, for the first time, I was able to enjoy the scenery on the road to my left and right because with the autosteer on, I was somewhat confident enough to turn my head entirely to the left (foregoing looking forward entirely) and just appreciate the landscape and nature as it passed me by knowing that the car would stay in the lane. I don't condone my behavior here but it was nice to "be able to do it" even though you probably shouldn't.

I will no longer use APAS, I will just drive with both hands on the steering wheel. The car is too much fun to not push it whenever and wherever possible.

I'm curious for others' feedback on this and why they use or don't use APAS? I realize that newer models are more advance, per se, however I'm assuming the force feedback nag is still there, right? Thanks in advance for your opinions.

Tesla depends on human drivers to bail out its Autosteer technology because its technology is not matured enough for handsfree.

That is opposite from GM Super Cruise that was released since 2017 hands-free. Its system went through internal testing and matured enough to sell to consumers.

I chose Tesla system because I am just like passengers of Titan submersible that doesn’t need to follow the rules, testing, certification for its new fiber-carbon state of the art.

Others prefer matured technology like GM Super Cruise is because they don't want to be a beta testers. However, their use is restricted to pre-mapped divided highways only and not city streets.

So every choice has a price to pay.

 

[dwbv]

Don’t think of it like it’s supposed to be a hands free self driving system, because it’s not.

It’s just a lane keep assistant system with a misleading name.

Thank you for this. This is probably more accurate than anything else I can think of. The only benefit I can see was that it can keep you in the lane for a short moment of time while you need to fumble with something inside the car then turn it off and start driving normally again (i.e. answer a text, readjust some clothing, reach for an item, stretch your fingers, look inside your purse/wallet, write yourself a note, etc.).

I'm sure people have figured out a way to cheat the system and make it an entirely hands-free system at their own risk. I just don't see the value of it, at least to me, from a long-distance driving perspective. I suppose if you wanted to take a break from fatigue of holding the steering wheel for a very long time however I'm guessing most people don't drive with two hands on the wheel on long highway cruises anyways.

 

[_panda]

I do use the Autosteer feature, but it often makes me sleepy so I turn it off.

I'm not the only one it seems who has this "issue"

 

[thimel]

I use AP all the time on the freeway. I pay attention to the road and keep one hand on the steering wheel, torquing it periodically to avoid the nag. i find long trips much less tiring when I use AP.

 

[SoCal Buzz]

I drive 2.5 hours in LA traffic couple times per week, and AP makes the commute more relaxing. I also think it’s safer to have on, given it reacts in stop and go traffic quicker than I might if not entirely focused. On 2021+ with internal camera, you can go a lot longer than 30 seconds before nag (more like 90+ seconds), so long as camera sees you are looking forward and not distracted by phone, etc. So I sit comfortably with legs bent and keep 1 hand on knee or armrest, close enough to nudge the yoke when necessary. Overall, I think AP works best for longer, mundane drives where you can run in 1 lane and just let car do most of the work.

 

[airborne spoon]

You don't have to hold the wheel you just need pressure so resting your hand on the bottom of the wheel works fine. Also I love that I can easily text and surf the internet on my phone and just use my left knee to apply pressure to the wheel so it doesn't nag.

 

[BitJam]

I'm curious for others' feedback on this and why they use or don't use APAS? I realize that newer models are more advance, per se, however I'm assuming the force feedback nag is still there, right? Thanks in advance for your opinions.

I used to use AP for about 80% of my driving. Now I use FSDb for almost all of it. If I get a nag notice, I move the left scroll wheel. This is not a big deal for me. Also, I often adjust the speed which also resets the nag timer.

I love it because it is so much easier and takes less energy than driving myself. I treat it as an advanced driver assistance system, not a driver replacement system. I tend to be a very cautious driver so will often take over if I'm not comfortable with what the car is about to do.

 

[NewbyMaybe]

In the future only the very wealthy will drive. The rest of us will let our cars do it so insurance companies don't rape us.

 

[dannycamps]

LOLs at taping a weight to the steering wheel

Yeah, don't do that.

I love that I can easily text and surf the internet on my phone and just use my left knee to apply pressure to the wheel so it doesn't nag

LOL probably shouldn't do this either

I normally just rest my hand on the bottom of the wheel like airborne does and it works fine for suppressing the nag screen. I will say in the newer cars with the cabin camera, that thing is a little too sensitive. If I look at the center screen for more than like 3-4 seconds, it starts complaining to pay attention to the road.

 

[andyzdeman]

The point you’re missing, like many others, is that it isn’t a “apply force nag”. It is intended to encourage keeping a hand/hands rested on the wheel. If you keep a hand on the wheel constantly then you don’t get nagged.

Why would you do this? Well, there’s a difference between having a hand resting on the wheel and actively driving. These features make a huge difference to the strain of driving IF USED CORRECTLY.

 

[herrlich98]

I find I am less stressed and have more energy at the end of a long road trip using the TACC and Lane Keeping. I regularly do a 200 mile trip. I have found the right about of pull to constantly apply to the wheel to satisfy the nag. I can just vaguely watch the road knowing that if someone cuts me off or the traffic slows down the car will brake appropriately. Also I never find myself accidentally drifting into the next lane, breakdown lane or over those rumble strips. The recent versions of FSD Beta have anti-steering wheel weight detection so this will likely cause a disengagement and a "strike" which can lead to losing access to FSD Beta. I find interacting with my phone is the quickest way to get an early nag or warning to pay attention. I find I can entirely have my hand off the wheel for up to like 90-120 seconds *if* I carefully keep my eyes on the road.

 

[Whatstreet]

It seems to nag harder when breaking the speed limit. It does make stop and go or crawl and go much easier and never nags then.

 

[Crutonius]

Those people that keep tying weights to the wheel are really ruining it for the rest of us. I actually do keep my hands on the wheel and it still nags me about every 5 minutes on average.

Not ideal. I like the idea of a camera looking at my eyes to see if I'm paying attention. Despite this I still find it very useful on long drives. On those easy stretches of road it's like letting a student driver take the wheel and I'm just supervising.