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Self Park / Park Assist

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There's no park assist function (other than your normal parking sensors) if FSD is not purchased.

The functionality is quite limited with FSD. It will usually only park in a space directly between 2 cars and will do that very slowly.
 
I haven’t even had the icon come up once while I’ve been in a car park and I’d choose a wider space anywhere else if I could find it.

Always used to make me chuckle how people would talk about Summon being one of those amazing things you could use to get your car in to and out of tight parking spaces. Who would want to park in a tight space? The people either side of you don’t have Summon so you can bet they’ll be bracing their doors against yours anyway.
 
I would be quite happy if my Tesla parked like this ;)

3parkingtwospaces.jpg
 
I haven’t even had the icon come up once while I’ve been in a car park and I’d choose a wider space anywhere else if I could find it.

Always used to make me chuckle how people would talk about Summon being one of those amazing things you could use to get your car in to and out of tight parking spaces. Who would want to park in a tight space? The people either side of you don’t have Summon so you can bet they’ll be bracing their doors against yours anyway.
If you have a small garage it's handy
 
In fairness the self-parking is so hopeless you don’t really have it even with FSD. I think it’s worked properly once in 9 months for me. Tech specs require a 10ft wide space for reverse parking and I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of those!
 
I've had at least a dozen attempts at autopark, and chickened out when the thing launches into reverse with a spinning steering wheel. Every time I must have touched the brake - it throws out at the merest whisper of a foot. Countless times I got no "P" symbol after passing the space between two cars.
HOWEVER - today I managed two back-in parks in a private car park - but only after aborting halfway round and getting out to check the clearance - it was a lot more than it looked" the Model S doesn't exactly allow much of a view.
 
I hate the steering being turned when a car is stationary let alone a car weighing close to 2 tonnes. It puts so much stress on the steering and suspension. You only have to look at the front of a car lifting when the steering is swivelled to realise that the motion is effectively jacking around a tonne of weight. And thats before wear and tear on a single contact patch of the tyre. Makes me cringe at videos to see the steering constantly turning when car is stationary when a Tesla auto parks or summon. Wouldn't surprise me if premature front suspension and tyre wear was a result of cars that frequently used auto park or summon.
 
My S does a fairly decent self park so long as you pick the P icon related to a space you want.. so fine in Supermarket carparks (wider spaces (for women drivers :D) to cope with shopping and kids and has been OK on some parallel parkings so long as the gap isn't too long. But with the pandemic nonsense I usually park away from other folk and do it manually.
 
If turning the steering lifts a car then I donlt understand how that is any different stationary or moving?
The effect on tyres: scuff and sidewall load makes sense but statistics will even that out across the tyre circumference and these tyres wear fast due to weight and folk who can't restrain themselves from flooring it. What is the percentage wear from the number of times one might autopark compared to general use?
I'd also hope that engineers allowed for any autopark stresses in their steering design before Tesla slapped the thing together with their usual careless approach..
 
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>>If turning the steering lifts a car then I donlt understand how that is any different stationary or moving?<<

I don't suppose anyone's suggesting it LIFTS the car, but certainly turning to full lock when stationary puts increased load on the mechanisms. When the car's moving the load on them is very small because the tyre runs with the steering direction.
 
If turning the steering lifts a car then I donlt understand how that is any different stationary or moving?

Stationary of moving, many steering geometries will lift the car, but this shows the forces being exerted by the turning of the steering are capable of lifting a car. Especially on a non powered steering car, the difference in force from the driver needed to turn the steering on a stationary car vs a car even just slightly rolling forward is considerable. That extra force from not moving, even slightly is going to cause unnecessary load somewhere on the steering/suspension.

On subject of tyre scuffs. If you turn a tyre on the spot and see black scuff marks that shows visually noticeable wear of the tyre just from that one instance. Perform exactly the same manoeuvre, even rolling slightly, there are no noticeable scuff marks so imho, the difference in tyre wear is visually noticeable. Granted that its not worn the tyre out, but just like straddling speed humps, the cumulative effect will shorten the life of the tyre.
 
Hmm..If I could be bothered to sit down with my decaying math and work it out then I'd guess that the difference in orces staionary compared to moving is to do with a) the time base of the rotation and b) that when moving the car is turning as you go and the degree of angular steering needed doesn't go as far.
But you're right in as much as the moving car will follow a parabolic type curve rather then the preset circular path so load will be less 'violent'?
 
I have tried the autopark 3 times.

Once it aborted because it didn't think there was room (there was plenty).

Once I aborted because it was about to hit something.

Once I aborted because it was taking so long I got bored of waiting.

I don't think it's very useful unless you really suck at parking!