New Owner - Some basic questions

[kashmachine]

Hi everyone, I recently picked up a SR+ 71 plate in the UK and have a few questions

1) Is there a recommended way to drive to maximise efficiency? - e.g. a certain speed?

2) On the side of the seat, where you position your seat, I have a circular button, I believe it's lumbar support but from playing around with it, it doesn't seem to do anything as far as I can notice?

3) Yesterday when driving, on the dashboard next to the icons that show the speed limit signs, I had a steering wheel icon that was surrounded with a blue circle but the blue circle only covered 75%, what was this icon?

4) What does basic autopilot entail? How do I engage it?

5) On traditional cars, your rear view mirrors have a toggle to stop lights shining into your eyes at night, do the Tesla mirrors do this automatically?

 

[Alistairuk]

Hi everyone, I recently picked up a SR+ 71 plate in the UK and have a few questions

1) Is there a recommended way to drive to maximise efficiency? - e.g. a certain speed?

2) On the side of the seat, where you position your seat, I have a circular button, I believe it's lumbar support but from playing around with it, it doesn't seem to do anything as far as I can notice?

3) Yesterday when driving, on the dashboard next to the icons that show the speed limit signs, I had a steering wheel icon that was surrounded with a blue circle but the blue circle only covered 75%, what was this icon?

4) What does basic autopilot entail? How do I engage it?

5) On traditional cars, your rear view mirrors have a toggle to stop lights shining into your eyes at night, do the Tesla mirrors do this automatically?

1 - 50-60 ish will give optimum range on motorways - however just don’t massively exceed 70 and you’ll be fine - gentle acceleration and regen slowing / stopping is key to maximum range.

3 - autopilot cameras are still calibrating

4 - once calibrated you will need to activate it from the menu for each driver and accept the disclaimer - full details about its features and limitations are in the manual.

5 - I can’t see anything in the rear view mirror most of the time so I have no idea

 

[Burley]

Hi,

2) press and hold the button towards the front of the car and the lumbar cusion inflates, towards the rear, it deflates. Up and down change the position of the inflation up and down the lumbar cushion.

 

[kashmachine]

Hi,

2) press and hold the button towards the front of the car and the lumbar cusion inflates, towards the rear, it deflates. Up and down change the position of the inflation up and down the lumbar cushion.

Incredibly helpful, will try later!

 

[Ceih]

5) Yes mirrors, including side mirrors, are auto-dimming.

 

[MrBadger]

And the manual is here - https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/model_3_owners_manual_europe_en.pdf - well worth a read especially all the bits on Autopilot and what it can and cannot do - don't believe any of the videos on the internet as many are using the system in scenarios that it is not designed to be used.

 

[Adopado]

And the manual is here - https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/model_3_owners_manual_europe_en.pdf - well worth a read especially all the bits on Autopilot and what it can and cannot do - don't believe any of the videos on the internet as many are using the system in scenarios that it is not designed to be used.

... and in a different country with fewer restrictions i.e. USA

 

[Adopado]

5) On traditional cars, your rear view mirrors have a toggle to stop lights shining into your eyes at night, do the Tesla mirrors do this automatically?

The latest software updates for the cars adds the facility to disable this functionality should you choose.

 

[kashmachine]

And the manual is here - https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/model_3_owners_manual_europe_en.pdf - well worth a read especially all the bits on Autopilot and what it can and cannot do - don't believe any of the videos on the internet as many are using the system in scenarios that it is not designed to be used.

Should have probably referred to this first!

 

[Adopado]

1) Is there a recommended way to drive to maximise efficiency? - e.g. a certain speed?

That is a bigger question that cannot be adequately answered in a single post... however, increased consumption comes from: higher speeds (motorways), repeated acceleration and consequent unnecessary braking, colder ambient temperatures, very wet weather, driving down the motorway against a strong wind, heavy use of heating/cooling ... that's for starters and is probably common sense but the degree to which these factors affect consumption/range may be more than for a vehicle with a typical internal combustion engine (ICE).

 

[NewbieT]

1) good explanation here: Why is 55-60 MPH optimal for gas mileage of a passenger car? Notice how efficiency drops off massively as you jump an extra 10 mph

 

[SalisburySam]

Hi everyone, I recently picked up a SR+ 71 plate in the UK and have a few questions

1) Is there a recommended way to drive to maximise efficiency? - e.g. a certain speed?

2) On the side of the seat, where you position your seat, I have a circular button, I believe it's lumbar support but from playing around with it, it doesn't seem to do anything as far as I can notice?

3) Yesterday when driving, on the dashboard next to the icons that show the speed limit signs, I had a steering wheel icon that was surrounded with a blue circle but the blue circle only covered 75%, what was this icon?

4) What does basic autopilot entail? How do I engage it?

5) On traditional cars, your rear view mirrors have a toggle to stop lights shining into your eyes at night, do the Tesla mirrors do this automatically?

Isn’t an SR 71 a spy plane? If that’s what you were able to get, many kudos! And if that’s the case, here are your questions answered by someone who has actually touched an SR 71 in a museum with all the credibility that generates:

1. For efficiency keep the throttles at cruise (say, Mach 1 or so) and elevation above 50,000 ft.
2. DON”T PUSH THE ROUND BUTTON! If I remember correctly, this arms the toilet empty mechanism. With any significant turbulence, you could quickly find yourself quite uncomfortable. And keep your oxygen mask on.
3. Speed limit signs? Seems irrelevant at altitude. And in an SR 71. I mean, isn’t that part of the point? Well, that and stealth.
4. Basic autopilot keeps the attitude of the plane at cruise, no navigation, no auto landings/takeoffs, limited mid-air refueling. You may wish to consider the $10 million Full Self Flying upgrade to be available “soon now.”
5. You must have an earlier model. Rear view mirrors were replaced by cameras and radar with appropriate displays…this is a non-issue. I’m sure there is an upgrade available.

Sadly, I don’t believe the SR 71 really fits the desired low-emission goals of Tesla though, just sayin.’

 

[Mrklaw]

super basic autopilot (but read the manual)

- one pull down on the right stalk enables cruise control. It'll either enable at the max speed for the current road, or the current speed you're going (you can change the option in settings. I much prefer setting it to the speed I'm currently doing).
- when cruise control is enabled it'll keep you at your preferred speed but slow down for traffic in front of you
- you can adjust the speed up/down with the scroll wheel on the right. It shows on the screen
- you can adjust the preferred distance allowed to cars in front with the scroll wheel left/right.

WARNING: cruise can sometimes phantom brake where it thinks there is something in front where there isn't. So initially best to hover your foot over the accelerator so you can push through it which will tell the car to stop being a silly bugger.


- two pulls down (think double click) enables autopilot. This is the cruise control from above + lane keeping.
- all that does it basically keep you in lane. Be aware of things like roadworks or oddly painted lines as it'll blindly follow them. Mostly fine though
- you need to keep some force on the steering wheel - otherwise it'll warn you. Just a light pressure left/right should do.
- it doesn't change lanes for you. If you indicate, it'll cancel the lane keeping and then you can make the lane change and double pull to re-engage AP. Cruise control will remain in place so its not too bad.



combination of cruise + lane keeping is best on motorways. Mostly lets you relax and keep an eye on the traffic around you so you're more prepared with less mental energy to do so.

 

[GRiLLA]

The advice to drive 50-60 is utter guff. Driving at slower speeds will increase the number of miles that you can drive before charging, but will increase the time it takes to get anywhere by more than the charging. If your journey is more than a charge away it's nearly always faster to drive quicker and spend a few more minutes charging.

If you compare the same journey with something like A Better Routeplanner the total time including charging is faster the quicker you drive, up to about 120MPH where it starts to change. Obviously that's irrelevant so just drive at whatever speed you are comfortable within the speed limit.

It is never quicker to drive more slowly if there is a SuperCharger on route. The only way it might be more efficient would be maybe saving £1 at the SuperCharger.

For everything else here's the manual, we will test you on it later ...

https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/model_3_owners_manual_europe_en.pdf

 

[Dilly]

Word of warning on autopilot; if you are in the middle lane of a motorway or outside lane of a dual carriageway and traffic is merging from a slip road adjacent to you, just be aware that it might cause phantom braking. Not necessarily harsh braking but certainly unnecessary.
i always keep my foot over the accelerator if I see a chance of that and when passing tall lorries, particularly curtainsiders.

 

[Spacerock]

Just collected mine this weekend so I’m still learning too, there’s a lot to learn. One useful thing I found is that you can pull your finger Left/Right on the temperature number to adjust the temperature. Also, if the car is going below 5 miles, you can just shift the gear into D or R without the need to press the brake! About the ’’eco’ speed - I’d recommend to just enjoy the car and its speed without worrying too much. Don’t torture yourself (and others around you) by going 55 on an M road just to save a little juice. Enjoy the new car!

 

[init6]

Should have probably referred to this first!

Hey, you're just controlling a two tonne killing machine, why bother with manuals

But seriously I read a facebook post where someone let go of the steering wheel at motorway speeds and was surprised that the car didn't steer very well by itself. Hadn't read the manual and wasn't aware that you had to engage autopilot. This is why coffee cups warn that the coffee may be hot

 

[kashmachine]

Hey, you're just controlling a two tonne killing machine, why bother with manuals

But seriously I read a facebook post where someone let go of the steering wheel at motorway speeds and was surprised that the car didn't steer very well by itself. Hadn't read the manual and wasn't aware that you had to engage autopilot. This is why coffee cups warn that the coffee may be hot

I did watch all the Tesla recommended videos on their site, though autopilot and the more "advanced" features definitely have a bit more complexity to them for sure

 

[Mr H]

I did watch all the Tesla recommended videos on their site, though autopilot and the more "advanced" features definitely have a bit more complexity to them for sure

You should just do the same as everyone else on here - watch every Tesla related Youtube video ;-)

 

[Overworked]

The SR71 did actually have a rear view mirror! Mach 3 + and nobody was going to catch up with you - and they still fitted it …