I planned to immediately replace the yolk/yoke, but now having mild second thoughts.

[AudiA4]

I purchased my ‘22 Model S about a month ago and intended to immediately order/schedule the regular steering wheel replacement. I’m now having some passive second-thoughts…

I have no doubt that the round wheel will equate to a better driver’s experience and that it would be a much safer way to interact with the car should an emergency situation arise, and I’m 90% sure I’ll still do it. However, under general driving I find it acceptable, it results in a more open cabin, has better visibility, and as quirky as it is, it makes the car unique. My hesitation is that by omitting it I think I’ll end up removing a bit of the car’s unique specialness (such as it is).

Is that worth giving up safer interface and better driving experience through the mountain twisties? Probably not, but curious what other’s think regarding the balance between these issues.

 

[jjrandorin]

I love a good yolk really big one, preferrably over medium, but wouldnt want to drive with a yoke.

Yolk:

Yoke:

 

[SpoonMXP]

I love a good yolk really big one, preferrably over medium, but wouldnt want to drive with a yoke.

Yolk:

View attachment 951369

Yoke:

View attachment 951370

Made me spit out my coffee.

 

[AudiA4]

Well, I know the difference but apparently autocorrect didn’t.

 

[jjrandorin]

Made me spit out my coffee.

This was ment tongue in cheek, I wasnt trying to offend the OP (hopefully I didnt).

 

[father_of_6]

Have third thoughts!!

 

[AudiA4]

...and apparently this forum software won't allow me to edit OR delete the post. Brilliant.

 

[glide]

I purchased my ‘22 Model S about a month ago and intended to immediately order/schedule the regular steering wheel replacement. I’m now having some passive second-thoughts…

I have no doubt that the round wheel will equate to a better driver’s experience and that it would be a much safer way to interact with the car should an emergency situation arise, and I’m 90% sure I’ll still do it. However, under general driving I find it acceptable, it results in a more open cabin, has better visibility, and as quirky as it is, it makes the car unique. My hesitation is that by omitting it I think I’ll end up removing a bit of the car’s unique specialness (such as it is).

Is that worth giving up safer interface and better driving experience through the mountain twisties? Probably not, but curious what other’s think regarding the balance between these issues.

There’s no real benefit in getting rid of the yoke since a round replacement will still lack proper horn and stalk placement.

 

[arnolddeleon]

...and apparently this forum software won't allow me to edit OR delete the post. Brilliant.

You can report your own post and a moderator can fix it

 

[father_of_6]

I think it's a perfect post, and you should leave it as-is.

I'm in the "wheel is better" camp hardcore, however I *do* agree with your points that the yoke has some nice features.

The visibility factor is definitely a good one... it's just that at the end of the day, safety is the #1 factor, and I believe the wheel wins that one hands-down.

It's possible that drive-by-wire could make the yoke a better option, but I think I'll still prefer a wheel. Maybe my generation will have to die off for yokes to be widely accepted.

 

[AudiA4]

I think it's a perfect post, and you should leave it as-is.

I'm in the "wheel is better" camp hardcore, however I *do* agree with your points that the yoke has some nice features.

The visibility factor is definitely a good one... it's just that at the end of the day, safety is the #1 factor, and I believe the wheel wins that one hands-down.

It's possible that drive-by-wire could make the yoke a better option, but I think I'll still prefer a wheel. Maybe my generation will have to die off for yokes to be widely accepted.

Yoke drive-by-wire (like Lexus) would have made its implementation more effective for sure. I think you’ve accurately captured my thoughts on it.

 

[AudiA4]

You can report your own post and a moderator can fix it

True. I did, but maybe we should just leave it. LOL. Too many comments now!

 

[AudiA4]

There’s no real benefit in getting rid of the yoke since a round replacement will still lack proper horn and stalk placement.

The horn is problematic but I actually don’t mind the turn signals so much. To me it’s the hand-over-hand during an emergency situation that’s the gorilla in the room.

 

[father_of_6]

The horn is problematic but I actually don’t mind the turn signals so much. To me it’s the hand-over-hand during an emergency situation that’s the gorilla in the room.

I think the problem with the turn signals on the wheel or yoke is that they move with the steering device. That seems like a fail, and fixed position stalks to handle gear selection and turn-signals is "the way"... but once again a yoke with drive-by-wire might solve that dilemma because the yoke won't need to rotate as far - allowing the driver's hands to stay in the same position on that yoke.

Having a Model 3 with a wheel and stalks, I just can't imagine anything could be an improvement over what I have. I appreciate all that Tesla has done by being an innovator, but not every design and/or innovation will be a home run (e.g. wipers, FSD, A/C smell).

While the wipers are subpar, I can live with them. The primary driving controls though - I want the proven traditional mechanism. At least until something else has been proven unequivocally to be superior. The yoke has not.

 

[AudiA4]

I think the problem with the turn signals on the wheel or yoke is that they move with the steering device. That seems like a fail, and fixed position stalks to handle gear selection and turn-signals is "the way"... but once again a yoke with drive-by-wire might solve that dilemma because the yoke won't need to rotate as far - allowing the driver's hands to stay in the same position on that yoke.

Having a Model 3 with a wheel and stalks, I just can't imagine anything could be an improvement over what I have. I appreciate all that Tesla has done by being an innovator, but not every design and/or innovation will be a home run (e.g. wipers, FSD, A/C smell).

While the wipers are subpar, I can live with them. The primary driving controls though - I want the proven traditional mechanism. At least until something else has been proven unequivocally to be superior. The yoke has not.

All good points.

 

[charliepmayer]

For the first 200 miles I thought the yoke was stupid. I suspect that's what car magazine testers average.

Now 24,000 miles. One of the best features on the car.

You will adapt quickly, but feel pretty silly for awhile when the wipers and blinkers activate all by themselves.

Of course YMMV, but I like it.

 

[Parisio]

I have had my car for a year. I love the yolk! I would not want the wheel ever again.

 

[bmah]

Note that as a part of the retrofit, you get to keep the original yoke (but they usually take away the original airbag for safety reasons). SO...if you decide later you really liked the yoke better in the first place, you could go back fairly easily (in principle anyways). There's the small matters of getting a yoke-compatible airbag and changing the car configuration so it knows whether you have a steering wheel or a yoke but I don't think those would be super-hard to deal with.

For the record I have a year and 18K miles on a Palladium Model X with the yoke, so to the yoke advocates, please don't try to sway me with "you didn't give it a chance". After another 2K miles with the retrofit OEM steering wheel, I don't foresee going back to the yoke. I'm glad some owners find the yoke works out better for them, I'm just not one of them.

Bruce.

 

[charliepmayer]

Would be interesting to correlate steering preference with driving metrics.
I love the yoke - almost all highway miles - no city driving.

I might have a different opinion if I were sawing away in city traffic all the time.

Thoughts?

 

[AudiA4]

Would be interesting to correlate steering preference with driving metrics.
I love the yoke - almost all highway miles - no city driving.

I might have a different opinion if I were sawing away in city traffic all the time.

Thoughts?

Of course as my daily, my MS gets standard urban commute time downtown and back (mostly freeways), but my job takes me periodically on road trips, some of which fall along some great mountain roads. So on a regular, if not often cadence, I’m driving some spirited routes through the mountains. That’s where I expect the yoke to fall down as the ideal steering interface.