I LOVE my Model 3 but my only major complaint is on the interstate here in Atlanta. Often traffic can be moving at 70mph and I can clearly see up ahead all the traffic has either slowed or stopped. While on AP, I watch and wait to see how long it takes before it notices the traffic and starts to slow down in preparation for the speed of the upcoming vehicles or a complete stop. Either way, even when I keep my distance set to 7, the car waits much longer to slow down than I would on my own, to the point that it makes me concerned it it's going to stop at all. Finally when it does start to slow down, it really has to break hard, creating a jerky, inattentive driver type ride. If that was me driving, I would see the upcoming slow down and start slowing earlier so everything is smooth. Since the new Teslas are visual and not radar based, you would think this would be an easy thing to program into the car. Maybe a "Smooth Joe mode" but for smoother and earlier slow downs in interstate and highway traffic? Any one else experience this? I've searched forums and YouTube reviews and haven't seen anything like this posted. This is my second Tesla and both have done this, so I don't think it's just my car. Thanks!
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My Tesla doesn't slow down early enough for interstate slow downs. [using autopilot]
- Thread starter mblakemore
- Start date
mangrove79
Member
I'll go out on a limb to say... everybody? 
Your eyes are the result of a billion years worth of evolution. If you have 20/20 vision, you can easily see a mile down the interstate on a clear day. But can the cameras in your Tesla? TBH, these cameras are probably less than a penny on the dollar compared to cameras in even the entry-level photographic equipment (think Nikon, Canon, etc.). It's probably a hundred times cheaper even than your iPhone 12 camera. Hoping that they can see and interpret traffic slowdowns like your eyes can is asking a lot. Now, if Tesla can use real-time traffic info in combination with geo-location to know you're gonna hit a traffic slowdown in a quarter-mile, and slows down accordingly, then it will help, but that has its own problems.
I just think the technology and economics are not there yet, at least for a M3 or MY priced car.
Your eyes are the result of a billion years worth of evolution. If you have 20/20 vision, you can easily see a mile down the interstate on a clear day. But can the cameras in your Tesla? TBH, these cameras are probably less than a penny on the dollar compared to cameras in even the entry-level photographic equipment (think Nikon, Canon, etc.). It's probably a hundred times cheaper even than your iPhone 12 camera. Hoping that they can see and interpret traffic slowdowns like your eyes can is asking a lot. Now, if Tesla can use real-time traffic info in combination with geo-location to know you're gonna hit a traffic slowdown in a quarter-mile, and slows down accordingly, then it will help, but that has its own problems.
I just think the technology and economics are not there yet, at least for a M3 or MY priced car.
@mblakemore It's not just you. I recall radar-based AP being better about this, at least AP1 (Mobileeye), though my Vision Only 2021 Model 3 is the first car I've owned with Autopilot/TACC/ACC (other experiences just from Model S loaners over the years).
My Model 3 was really bad about this on the software it ran through fall and early winter 2021, late + hard braking with TACC all the time, like it could barely see a few car lengths ahead. It got a lot better with the December 2021 software updates, though it's still not good, it definitely still brakes late often, and also accelerates late + slow always. Basically it's still very inconsistent about how much time-gap it's leaving, and not smooth either.
I think some (many?) other ACC systems do a better job of maintaining distance and changing speed smoothly but promptly. I tested the Polestar 2 ACC and it seemed much better tuned for both slowing down and speeding up in response to traffic changes. It was smoother and more responsive at the same time. (I've read the Polestar ACC is worse in stop-and-go traffic though, which I didn't test).
My Model 3 was really bad about this on the software it ran through fall and early winter 2021, late + hard braking with TACC all the time, like it could barely see a few car lengths ahead. It got a lot better with the December 2021 software updates, though it's still not good, it definitely still brakes late often, and also accelerates late + slow always. Basically it's still very inconsistent about how much time-gap it's leaving, and not smooth either.
I think some (many?) other ACC systems do a better job of maintaining distance and changing speed smoothly but promptly. I tested the Polestar 2 ACC and it seemed much better tuned for both slowing down and speeding up in response to traffic changes. It was smoother and more responsive at the same time. (I've read the Polestar ACC is worse in stop-and-go traffic though, which I didn't test).
This was my biggest pet peeve when I first got my 3.. My wife absolutely hated it.
When on AP I typically cruise at 74mph.. If I saw myself coming up to traffic that was very slow/stopped I would immediately spin the wheel down 10-15 mph. This naturally began slowing the car down so that as I approached the traffic the car was already slowing down and it made it much more gradual..
This is what I've done for me and it has worked well! Just an idea.
Daniel in SD
(supervised)
Yes, it is very bad at driving smoothly. I've learned to smoothly disengage when there is slow traffic ahead. Another trick is to find a driver to follow that drives smoothly.
Instead of disengaging I just spin the wheel down to reduce my speed as needed since I still want to leverage other NoA safety features.
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