Steering Yoke installed and loving it!

[ScoobyDoo82]

It's super easy! Feels exactly like a race car + as you said before, you still have the stalks. No problem at all to me with the hand to hand turnover.
This car it's so fun.
Since March 2021, always driving this car with a big smile.

Have you had any “oh crap!” moments yet where you instinctively grab for the wheel at the top just to realize that it’s gone? That’s why I’m afraid of it.

For what it’s worth, insurance won’t cover you in any (god forbid) accident now. A friend of mine who works for Statefarm just had a customer who was denied their claim because of the aftermarket steering wheel. Something people should think about…

 

[Kairide]

Have you had any “oh crap!” moments yet where you instinctively grab for the wheel at the top just to realize that it’s gone? That’s why I’m afraid of it.

For what it’s worth, insurance won’t cover you in any (god forbid) accident now. A friend of mine who works for Statefarm just had a customer who was denied their claim because of the aftermarket steering wheel. Something people should think about…

Interesting, that's what I thought could happen. Insurance companies are there to make as much money as possible, so I can see them looking for ways to get out of paying.

 

[Fourdoor]

Yes, I understand people have been adding aftermarket steering wheels for years. Most, if not all are simple OEM round to a flat bottom, alcantara, thinner, thicker, etc.. In the end, the wheel is still round or mostly round. I would say drastic could easily be defined as round to yoke.
I guess if people want to take the chance just because they think it looks cool, that's on them.

All of these "yoke" steering wheels are not really yoke steering wheels... they are trapezoidal, almost rectangular steering wheels with a flat top, bottom and sides. You can still grasp the top, sides and bottom as needed. It may take a bit of practice, and a different mindset than using a round or "true" yoke steering wheel where you can only grasp the sides, but it is perfectly functional.

Keith

 

[Fourdoor]

Have you had any “oh crap!” moments yet where you instinctively grab for the wheel at the top just to realize that it’s gone? That’s why I’m afraid of it.

For what it’s worth, insurance won’t cover you in any (god forbid) accident now. A friend of mine who works for Statefarm just had a customer who was denied their claim because of the aftermarket steering wheel. Something people should think about…

I have a friend who works for an insurance company that paid double because the customer had an aftermarket steering wheel.

Keith

PS: Is my hearsay less believable than yours? A bit... but not by much.

 

[CyberGus]

To reduce or deny coverage, the underwriter would need to demonstrate that the vehicle modification caused or contributed to the covered loss.

 

[saltsman]

Drivers have been installing aftermarket steering wheels on vehicles for many years. There may still be a good selection available at the parts stores.
Not sure how one would define drastic but I've installed several MOMO racing wheels on Miata's that have been much different than stock.

And.. personal injury lawyers have been suing everyone right, left, and center. Is that a risk you are willing to take to swap out a wheel for a yoke - especially given that your insurance may or may not cover you if they also deem it an illegal modification under DOT FMVSS?

 

[jebinc]

Personally, I don't care one way or the other about the yoke steering wheel itself, but if I decide to put in a dash display I would consider it much more in order to get an unobstructed view of the new screen.

Keith

Yep, and that new display you love will block 80% of the airflow from the dash driver’s vent;. a widely reported issue with those screens. Good luck!

 

[avs007]

To reduce or deny coverage, the underwriter would need to demonstrate that the vehicle modification caused or contributed to the covered loss.

In a perfect world yes, but in reality it's probably just as likely as a dealership denying warranty coverage for something... There are consumer protections in place, but its frequently not so simple. It may take effort/money to fight the dealership... And in the case of the yoke/insurance, it's likely to be an uphill battle because the aftermarket yoke is almost certainly not DOT certified.

 

[ScoobyDoo82]

Yep, and that new display you love will block 80% of the airflow from the dash driver’s vent;. a widely reported issue with those screens. Good luck!

It also voids your warranty. Once you interface with the MCU by adding the split off harness that the dash display needs you have effectively “tampered” with the car’s systems and MCU. This in its own is a valid reason for Tesla to deny any warranty requests.

Yokes, Hannshow screens, tilting/swivel screen mounts etc.. all great ways to give Tesla a reason to tell you to take a hike when/if something goes wrong. Best to only do this kind of stuff after the warranty expires.

 

[ScoobyDoo82]

All of these "yoke" steering wheels are not really yoke steering wheels... they are trapezoidal, almost rectangular steering wheels with a flat top, bottom and sides. You can still grasp the top, sides and bottom as needed. It may take a bit of practice, and a different mindset than using a round or "true" yoke steering wheel where you can only grasp the sides, but it is perfectly functional.

Keith

Did you fit a yoke/trapezoidal wheel onto your car? Lol, I’d like to see that!

 

[ScoobyDoo82]

Another thing that kind of spooks me about swapping the wheel (I’ve always wanted one of the aftermarket carbon fiber/Alcantara wheels from RPM) is the fact that you need to unplug/remove, then replug/replace the airbag. Sure, popping a small pick or Allen key into the two slots to release the airbag is easy, so is unsnapping it’s harness… but the simple fact that in a future accident that the airbag may not function properly because I tampered with it just seems like a stupid risk. What if I didn’t snap the harness in correctly - messed up a pin, or if one of the clasps for the airbag wasn’t reseated properly? You wouldn’t know until it’s likely already too late. Yikes!

 

[Fourdoor]

Yep, and that new display you love will block 80% of the airflow from the dash driver’s vent;. a widely reported issue with those screens. Good luck!

Is someone going to sue me for that as well? I mean, they could say that the lack of air flow caused sweat to drip in my eyes leading to an accident right?

Keith

PS: Yup, my hypothetical above is ridiculous... just like the other hypotheticals in this thread.

 

[Fourdoor]

Did you fit a yoke/trapezoidal wheel onto your car? Lol, I’d like to see that!

Every picture you see in this thread of a "yoke" steering wheel is a trapezoidal wheel, most of them are in fact rectangles instead of circles or Yokes... what are you imagining a trapezoid to be?

Is geometry dead?

Keith

 

[Fourdoor]

Another thing that kind of spooks me about swapping the wheel (I’ve always wanted one of the aftermarket carbon fiber/Alcantara wheels from RPM) is the fact that you need to unplug/remove, then replug/replace the airbag. Sure, popping a small pick or Allen key into the two slots to release the airbag is easy, so is unsnapping it’s harness… but the simple fact that in a future accident that the airbag may not function properly because I tampered with it just seems like a stupid risk. What if I didn’t snap the harness in correctly - messed up a pin, or if one of the clasps for the airbag wasn’t reseated properly? You wouldn’t know until it’s likely already too late. Yikes!

If the airbag plug is jacked up, you will get an SRS warning light. Your choice weather to do this or not but the latch basically keeps the airbag from rattling around inside the airbag housing of the steering wheel.

Keith

 

[jf64k]

Is someone going to sue me for that as well? I mean, they could say that the lack of air flow caused sweat to drip in my eyes leading to an accident right?

Keith

PS: Yup, my hypothetical above is ridiculous... just like the other hypotheticals in this thread.

The anti-yokers are completley missing the point...reminds me of an old Simpsons episode, "Enjoy your death trap, ladies!!":

 

[ScoobyDoo82]

Every picture you see in this thread of a "yoke" steering wheel is a trapezoidal wheel, most of them are in fact rectangles instead of circles or Yokes... what are you imagining a trapezoid to be?

Is geometry dead?

Keith

Answer the question. Did you or did you not change out your wheel?

 

[thesmokingman]

To each their own I say.

 

[ScoobyDoo82]

Every picture you see in this thread of a "yoke" steering wheel is a trapezoidal wheel, most of them are in fact rectangles instead of circles or Yokes... what are you imagining a trapezoid to be?

Is geometry dead?

Keith

You’re completely missing the point. Spending too much time trying to be funny. Your opinion may differ, but swapping out the factory wheel opens you up to two bad things:
1) potentially getting sued and/or having an insurance claim denied.
2) having Tesla void your warranty regarding anything including but not limited to: airbag problems, either stalk not properly controlling the blinkers, autopilot etc..

My point from earlier is that whatever “performance benifits” you get from an aftermarket yoke wheel are not worth the above risks.

You and other posters have jumped to the conclusion that I don’t like the yoke. This is not true! I think the factory yoke on my brother’s new Model S is great (although I have honked by accident a few times when turning). I just don’t like the idea of the cheap knockoff ones being fitted as aftermarket and opening up potential problems as I’ve stated above.

 

[saltsman]

To each their own I say.

Just as long as you are not putting others at risk. In the big scheme of things, a yoke isn't that dangerous, but it's certainly not safer.

 

[thesmokingman]

Just as long as you are not putting others at risk. In the big scheme of things, a yoke isn't that dangerous, but it's certainly not safer.

Yea? I'll be sure to keep my children safe, you don't need to worry, thx.