Jay Leno's Garage - Roadster 2.0 with Franz

[Grendal]

Really hoping that steering wheel changes to a real steering WHEEL

I think that would be a given. Funky steering wheels are fine for concept vehicles but hardly a street legal item needed for a "production" vehicle going out to consumers.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

I think that would be a given. Funky steering wheels are fine for concept vehicles but hardly a street legal item needed for a "production" vehicle going out to consumers.

Funky steering wheels are fine for real drivers.

https://autoweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/gen-932-524/public/130619991.jpg?itok=xZWjbfev

 

[Grendal]

Funky steering wheels are fine for real drivers.

https://autoweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/gen-932-524/public/130619991.jpg?itok=xZWjbfev

True. But still not a street legal production vehicle intended to be driven on roads with regular cars.

 

[AMPd]

I think that would be a given. Funky steering wheels are fine for concept vehicles but hardly a street legal item needed for a "production" vehicle going out to consumers.

In that case all tesla has to do is meet the promised specs and I’m in!

 

[VegasBlue]

If Tesla is smart they will allow you to choose between a standard steering wheel and the concept wheel.
I was about to say that you would want to choose a standard wheel for the track, but then I realized that formula cars don't have a standard wheel either.
It might be beneficial to have the concept wheel which has the upper portion cut out so it doesn't block the HUD

 

[aikisteve]

If Tesla is smart they will allow you to choose between a standard steering wheel and the concept wheel.
I was about to say that you would want to choose a standard wheel for the track, but then I realized that formula cars don't have a standard wheel either.
It might be beneficial to have the concept wheel which has the upper portion cut out so it doesn't block the HUD

They had this steering wheel in Knight Rider (KITT) in the 80's already

 

[SDRick]

As long as the car meets the hype and specs, the steering wheel is not much of a concern. What is a concern is that only the acceleration was highlighted in the Leno show, which is pretty much a given. How about the handling? To me, this was a glaring omission. What say you?

 

[Grendal]

As long as the car meets the hype and specs, the steering wheel is not much of a concern. What is a concern is that only the acceleration was highlighted in the Leno show, which is pretty much a given. How about the handling? To me, this was a glaring omission. What say you?

Not that I am any expert on how a car handles, but I'm going to guess that 1800 to 2000 pounds parked about six inches off the ground between four tires is going to be pretty great for incredible handling.

 

[aikisteve]

Not that I am any expert on how a car handles, but I'm going to guess that 1800 to 2000 pounds parked about six inches off the ground between four tires is going to be pretty great for incredible handling.

Don't forget about Newton's first law of motion, that explains inertia and the fact that an object wants to keep moving in the same direction unless an external force (grip in this case) is exerted on it. With a lot of weight and high speed, the car has quite a bit of inertia going and will require a large force to change direction. Weight is never a friend of handling and nimble cars.