Help please! I'm a bit frustrated with my autopilot. (Model 3, version 2019.8.5) Despite holding the wheel, I frequently get the nag "Apply light force to steering wheel." I move my hands to another location on the wheel and try holding lighter... the alert flashes again... so I try harder... alert flashes again then sometimes goes away. One trip it told me it was discontinuing Autopilot for the remainder of my drive for not following the directions! What am I doing wrong? Is it me... or should I bring it in for service?
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Autopilot nag "Apply light force to steering wheel"
- Thread starter enolam
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- autopiliot
It detects torque (rotational force), not grip strength. If you hold the wheel with only one hand, that will likely register.
M3BlueGeorgia
Active Member
Mongo, thanks for the suggestion, far better than the next guy who told me to "Google it." Where do you typically hold your 1 hand. At the bottom?
Derek Kessler
Active Member
Doesn't really matter. I typically hold on to the left side of the wheel, providing just enough resistance to turning. A lot of people put their hand on the bottom of the wheel.
If it's any easier, any input from the steering wheel gets the nag to go away. Some people move the volume up, or down one click and it does the same thing.
I don't own one (yet, waiting on pickup), so I could tell you I drive with my left hand on the wheel, but it is not applicable data
If you keep both hands on the wheel and you get the message, just turn the wheel slightly both ways. You’ll get the feel without disengaging autopilot after awhile. Yes, it does seem like only one hand on the wheel keeps the message from popping up as frequently. Note: I like to keep my arms resting on my legs with both hands at the bottom of the wheel with a loose grip. The turning both ways works there, too. I only do that when I am on a highway with almost no traffic around me.
Do you think one hand at the bottom of the wheel will let you quickly regain control if things go wrong?
tavish
Member
It took me far longer than I'd like to admit to realize it responded to movement not grip pressure. 
keep your mouth shut...if you dont have anything helpful to say.
Most of the time...I just tug down at the bottom of the steering wheel
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Tam
Well-Known Member
It's not force, it's torque or the rotation.
Typically, I hook my fingers on the steering wheel bar while letting my whole arm hang down creating a constant counter-torque. I could rest my elbow on the armrest at the center or side door while doing that. I can switch arm too.
That way, I can feel the torque from the system and know instantly whether it is doing its job or not and do a correction seamlessly.
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Tam
Well-Known Member
Typically, I let my arm hang down from hooking my fingers to the steering wheel bar as above but my fingers can change its position by hooking to any part of the steering wheel including slightly offsetting center at the bottom too. As long as I can create a CONSTANT counter-torque, I can monitor the system and make a correction instantly as needed. It's not just quick, it's continuous operation and seamlessly.
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RAM_Eh
Member
Stick you arm through the bottom of the wheel and rest your wrist there. That is what I do and the nag never appears.
While I fully understand the reasoning and how to provide resistance, or rotational torque. There are some stretches of highway I'm on a lot that are straight as an arrow. Man it gets annoying then...
The car is dead in the center of the lane, traveling a completely straight road, yet I have to jiggle or slightly turn the wheel every so often, which is counter-intuitive to the direction you going.
The car is dead in the center of the lane, traveling a completely straight road, yet I have to jiggle or slightly turn the wheel every so often, which is counter-intuitive to the direction you going.
I use one hand with a normal grip on the bottom half of the wheel. It's enough to counter a stupid AP move (which you can feel coming) and gives a decent range of wheel motion. I prefer the lower position for mountain driving with two hands as well, so it's familiar. The only problem would be if the car lost traction for some reason and I wanted to center the wheel. That would be much easier with two hands in a traditional position. Which is why I would move to a normal 9 and 3 position if the road looked challenging.
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