M3LR cruise control without FSD questions

[ShonuffTX]

First post... be gentle.
I'm planning on buying an new AWD LR without FSD soon and I have questions about how the cruise control works. I've been doing some research but all the updates make it confusing. My daily drive is on smaller backroads with some curves. The speed limit is 40, but people generally drive about 50mph. They also tend to drive in the middle of the road and only scoot over when passing oncoming traffic.

Do you think oncoming traffic will cause emergency braking or other issues if using TACC?

Will I be limited in the speed I can set on roads like these?

What about autosteer? It sounds like it comes with the car, but only works on main roads. Is that correct?

 

[ShonuffTX]

Pictures of the roads I drive daily.

 

[chrstna4]

I also have only Enhanced Autopilot. For EAP to work, you’ll likely need lines on the road. I suspect even if you can get EAP to turn on while driving that road, any car coming toward you would result in the car braking or telling you to take over.
As far as speed limiting, you can set the cruise control to whatever speed you want up to 90 mph. The EAP doesn’t want to be in control of a car going faster than that.

 

[UncertainTimes]

Autosteer most likely won’t work on those roads. Needs lane markers.

 

[EdCBC]

I have been driving my LR RWD model 3 without autopilot for 2 years now. I use cruise a lot, just tap down on the shift lever, make small adjustments with the right side track ball. It will not work at less than 30 km/hr, but other than that okay for my driving.
I had a one month trial of Autopilot in Dec 2018. The TACC worked on wider city streets, stopped and went with the car ahead. Worked fine on the freeways too.

 

[Knightshade]

I have been driving my LR RWD model 3 without autopilot for 2 years now. I use cruise a lot, just tap down on the shift lever, make small adjustments with the right side track ball. It will not work at less than 30 km/hr, but other than that okay for my driving.
I had a one month trial of Autopilot in Dec 2018. The TACC worked on wider city streets, stopped and went with the car ahead. Worked fine on the freeways too.

It's not been possible to buy a new Tesla without at least basic autopilot/tacc since roughly March/April 2019, so non-TACC cruise is not an option for the OP in a new car.


As to the OP- autosteer might turn on and drive you down the middle of that road but that'd be a bad idea... and it probably wouldn't let you set the speed to 50 there either (typically the limit on local roads is either 45 if nothing is signed, or 5 over if it is) or it might not engage at all.

TACC will turn on fine, it's possible it'll brake check you on curves though.


All that said- from what we've seen from the beta videos, the new FSD will handle your roads just fine including staying to the right and being ok with oncoming traffic... and it's allegedly going to wide released sometime "soon"

But you'd need to drop the $ on FSD for that.

 

[arghx7]

Tesla doesn't allow you to turn on "dumb" cruise control on a car equipped with autopilot, and on roads with no lane lines, there's a good chance you will get hard braking when TACC (traffic aware cruise control, the smart cruise). You can look for an older car that was not even optioned with autopilot. However you will only find those private sale; Tesla's used inventory have at least basic autopilot on them (and often FSD package).

 

[ShonuffTX]

Thank you all for replying. It sounds like tacc will be okay except for occasional issues with tight corners, and it should be fine around 50mph.

Thanks again!

 

[EV Promoter]

It will not work at less than 30 km/hr, but other than that okay for my driving.
I had a one month trial of Autopilot in Dec 2018. The TACC worked on wider city streets, stopped and went with the car ahead.

This is changed.
Now the standard Taac works at any speed, stops and go with the car ahead.
At the least on my 2021, but i think it changed a while ago.

 

[TX_M3P+]

Tesla doesn't allow you to turn on "dumb" cruise control on a car equipped with autopilot

So Tesla's without AP have a "dumb" cruise control option? As in "maintain this speed at all times?" I didn't know there was a "dumb" cruise control option on any Tesla, thought the lowest option was TACC.

 

[emiliorescigno]

So Tesla's without AP have a "dumb" cruise control option? As in "maintain this speed at all times?" I didn't know there was a "dumb" cruise control option on any Tesla, thought the lowest option was TACC.

Yup, this was an option until Tesla made AP standard in early 2019.

My wife has a 2018 mid-range with "dumb" cruise control. It's fantastic. No phantom braking, no slowing down around curves, no slowing down as you come up on vehicles on the freeway.

It's also super nice, because you can use cruise control even when the sensors and radar are blocked by snow/ice.