Thoughts on Yoke from Plaid owner

[Plaid to Mod 3]

Yeah

The fact it tends to “center bias” more or not, has absolutely nothing to do with the “symmetric” turning apparatus.

Yeah but you're not going to have a center bias with a yoke because you either going to have your right hand on the right side of it, your left hand on the left side of it, or even worse both hands on the yoke not being able to exactly calculate which ones pushing down more. On a steering wheel you actually have some balance points due to the 360° options you have

 

[SucreTease]

Hello, here is a email I just sent to [email protected] in case it is of any value to other owners or potential owners of the Mod S:

Hello, I am an owner of the 2022 Mod S Plaid since Mar 22 and have some feedback after multiple road trips and 5,000 miles.

I am planning on selling my Plaid next week at a 40K loss and buying a Mod 3, which is disappointing because I really like everything about the Plaid minus the yoke. You guys did a really good job on that car.

I have noticed on road trips that the Plaid is the most fatiguing car I have ever driven by far. This is because there is no balance points on the yoke as there is on a 360 degree steering wheel. Also, the driver position can not be easily modified to release blood flow into different parts of the body, as it can with a 360 degree steering wheel.

You might want to look into the fellow who modified his Model S by replacing the yoke with a steering wheel and stalks from a Model 3.

 

[Destiny1701]

Yeah

Yeah but you're not going to have a center bias with a yoke because you either going to have your right hand on the right side of it, your left hand on the left side of it, or even worse both hands on the yoke not being able to exactly calculate which ones pushing down more. On a steering wheel you actually have some balance points due to the 360° options you have

Guys what I’m trying to say is once hands are released off a turn or simply maintaining a straight line in lane seems easier. It’s anecdotal and certainly without scientific merit lol.

 

[whitex]

You might want to look into the fellow who modified his Model S by replacing the yoke with a steering wheel and stalks from a Model 3.

Way too expensive in terms of performing the retrofit (good luck finding someone to do it unless you pay really well) and covering the lost warranty from Tesla.

 

[Plaid to Mod 3]

Way too expensive in terms of performing the retrofit (good luck finding someone to do it unless you pay really well) and covering the lost warranty from Tesla.

Yeah that's the kind of finicky stuff I wouldn't want to mess with

 

[Plaid to Mod 3]

Agreed. Glass offered a quantum leap in SA and automation over steam. It was objectively superior even if it meant some retraining. The yoke offers no benefits. It is purely different for the sake of being different. Again, as I have stated multiple times, if you like the yoke, then enjoy it. But trying to say that it is objectively superior is BS.

No.

The wheel doesn't change the location of those buttons. If your hands are not at 9 and 3 then you will have to hunt for the buttons regardless of the shape of the control. There is nothing stopping you from keeping your hands at 9 and 3 with the wheel like you do with the yoke. You can use the wheel like the yoke but you cannot use the yoke like a wheel.

I said will. Elon has always said that S/X will be the vanguard of the rest of the line. At this point they are working on the 4680 packs for 3/Y but they still have a long way to go. At some point they will go stalkless on all of their cars. Ever-cheaper everything has been Tesla's watchword for years now.

Actually I go even further than that I'd say you're better off holding the wheel at 9:00 and 3 if you like the yoke positions but that the wheel actually is superior in this sense too because at least you have a circular surface to grab onto down below instead of something rectangular. With the rectangular bottom you either have your hands on the side or on the bottom which are much more difficult to take over autopilot quickly then having a good grip on the circular wheel in your lap. So yes, if you like the yoke you should be able to accomplish everything you want to accomplish plus some with around steering wheel quite frankly

 

[MrPlaidz]

It’s an easy fix if you don’t like the yoke. Options are good…

 

[whitex]

It’s an easy fix if you don’t like the yoke. Options are good…
View attachment 829920

Still no stalks, so it's even worse if you choose to use the wheel by holding anywhere else but where the yoke would have been.

 

[houstonian]

Why not just change the steering wheel?

Yoke D-Round Carbon Fiber Steering Wheel suitable for Model S Paid 2021+

Many 2022 Tesla Model S / Model X owners do not prefer the plaid U Shaped YOKE steering wheel, and we are offering this as a great solution. Our YOKE D-Rounded Steering Wheel is the best you can buy. Our upgraded D-Rounded Steering Wheel features a welded steel top, along with the best gauge...

www.tesery.com

Same suggestion - I note TSportLine has a few options:

Tesla Model S / X Plaid & Long Range Steering Wheels & Yokes (June 2021 - Present)

Tesla Model S / X Plaid & Long Range Upgraded Steering Wheels and Yokes by T Sportline

tsportline.com

Will also note TSportLine is on the, uh, premium side (not that there’s anything wrong with that) and there may be cheaper options as well.

 

[bandido]

It’s an easy fix if you don’t like the yoke. Options are good…
View attachment 829920

Who makes that wheel? have not seen that one before.
Thanks!!

 

[Plaid to Mod 3]

It’s an easy fix if you don’t like the yoke. Options are good…
View attachment 829920

Still not a circular steering wheel

 

[Destiny1701]

Still not a circular steering wheel

Can I say FUGLY? I think i just did lol

 

[whitex]

The fact that there are so many aftermarket solutions available only proves that all owners don't get used to it since they are willing to spend time and money to get away from the yoke, even if not possible to do it completely. Now, how many aftermarket solutions to go in the opposite direction, take your round wheel and substitute it with a stalkless yoke?
Elon is very much disconnected with the market on this. He is smart so I suspect he figured it out by now (hence no yoke for 3/Y), but he also will never ever admit he was wrong, so we are where we are.

 

[TessP100D]

Way too expensive in terms of performing the retrofit (good luck finding someone to do it unless you pay really well) and covering the lost warranty from Tesla.

Which is why at a minimum Tesla should offer an option for a real steering wheel.

 

[whitex]

Which is why at a minimum Tesla should offer an option for a real steering wheel.

Elon would have to admit he was wrong, which is less likely to happen than Trump admitting he was wrong (on anything). I honestly think Elon is quietly hoping government regulation will force him to offer the regular steering wheel - this way he gets to sell a round steering wheel but doesn't have to admit he was wrong.

 

[danp]

Same suggestion - I note TSportLine has a few options:

Tesla Model S / X Plaid & Long Range Steering Wheels & Yokes (June 2021 - Present)

Tesla Model S / X Plaid & Long Range Upgraded Steering Wheels and Yokes by T Sportline

tsportline.com

Will also note TSportLine is on the, uh, premium side (not that there’s anything wrong with that) and there may be cheaper options as well.

The TSportline yoke replacement wheels are more expensive but I think they come with the buttons/controls module so you don't have to pry yours out of the existing yoke and risk breaking it. They don't have heating elements, though, so you lose that.

Elon is very much disconnected with the market on this. He is smart so I suspect he figured it out by now (hence no yoke for 3/Y), but he also will never ever admit he was wrong, so we are where we are.

He's out of touch with customer feedback and couldn't care less because he thinks he knows better. There is almost a 1 year wait for the MS LR now, though, and until demand stops outpacing supply, he has no incentive to change.

The reality is that for every one of us that hates the yoke and walks away from their next Model S/X, there are countless others who will place an order because they love the novelty of the idea and/or don't care.

 

[Destiny1701]

The fact that there are so many aftermarket solutions available only proves that all owners don't get used to it since they are willing to spend time and money to get away from the yoke, even if not possible to do it completely. Now, how many aftermarket solutions to go in the opposite direction, take your round wheel and substitute it with a stalkless yoke?
Elon is very much disconnected with the market on this. He is smart so I suspect he figured it out by now (hence no yoke for 3/Y), but he also will never ever admit he was wrong, so we are where we are.

There is the ensteinien theory of relativity and then there is being able to dumb it down and simply know that 1+1 = 2… EM maybe a brilliant mind but I’d venture a guess the man can’t tie a shoelace properly lol.

There is something to be said for not over thinking it and being routed in the real world.

 

[Murtaya]

Elon would have to admit he was wrong, which is less likely to happen than Trump admitting he was wrong (on anything). I honestly think Elon is quietly hoping government regulation will force him to offer the regular steering wheel - this way he gets to sell a round steering wheel but doesn't have to admit he was wrong.

We should all help Elon out and do him a solid by sending a bunch of complaints to the NHTSA. I'll start with the horn, yoke design, and turn signals, all of which have nearly caused incidents for me already. You're welcome Elon!

It’s an easy fix if you don’t like the yoke. Options are good…
View attachment 829920

Do you have more details on that wheel? I can add it to the list of wheels that are currently available: List of yoke replacement wheel options

But yeah, I wouldn't expect this to ever change because of what everybody has said:
- Still too much demand for these cars--no reason to change or cater to buyers in any way
- Elon and Franz both sound like they would never accept that they built a horrible user interface. Even though they did.
- Tesla is a very automated-driving-oriented vehicle maker, and I'm pretty sure a lot of these designs were done to cater to automation (I mean full self driving is only six months away, right? At least it's been like that for half a decade now)

 

[whitex]

The TSportline yoke replacement wheels are more expensive but I think they come with the buttons/controls module so you don't have to pry yours out of the existing yoke and risk breaking it. They don't have heating elements, though, so you lose that.

He's out of touch with customer feedback and couldn't care less because he thinks he knows better. There is almost a 1 year wait for the MS LR now, though, and until demand stops outpacing supply, he has no incentive to change.

The reality is that for every one of us that hates the yoke and walks away from their next Model S/X, there are countless others who will place an order because they love the novelty of the idea and/or don't care.

I just checked out the configurator, October to Jan delivery window on Model S LR - that is not "nearly a year" as you suggested considering it's almost August now. The wait is almost double than what it was before COVID - given other manufacturers wait went up as much as 5x, I'd say the Model S demand is less than it was in 2018 (last time I bought one, waited 11 weeks IIRC). As much as Elon would love for people to believe they have so much demand for the yoke, the truth is they are just not making that many.

You are right that there are people who will buy anything Elon will sell them, including famous vaporware features like FSD (pre 2019 definition) which some fanboys bought only to never see the feature do anything whatsoever before moving onto their next car. But the pool of those blindly faithful is shrinking. Young people learn from the internet. When my mother-in-law was buying a Model 3, the advice from my teenage children was "don't buy FSD grandma, it's a ripoff". I asked them about the yoke, they were more divided there, but neither would be willing to buy without an extended test drive as they all see it as a possible disaster.

 

[danp]

I just checked out the configurator, October to Jan delivery window on Model S LR - that is not "nearly a year" as you suggested considering it's almost August now. The wait is almost double than what it was before COVID - given other manufacturers wait went up as much as 5x, I'd say the Model S demand is less than it was in 2018 (last time I bought one, waited 11 weeks IIRC). As much as Elon would love for people to believe they have so much demand for the yoke, the truth is they are just not making that many.

I looked again at the configurator for the MS - you're right, it's not actually a year, but ranges from Oct to May 2023 depending on color and wheel options. And Plaid has basically no wait, so they're basically just juicing margin.

The X does have a longer wait - April 2023 at the earliest, but I vaguely recall something about on-going supply chain issues for the falcon wing doors so they might just be making very few of them (they don't break down the S/X delivery numbers in the earnings reports).

In any case, Model S/X represents less than 5% of their production now, so they're mostly just making them now as halo cars and/or for nostalgic reasons. They can definitely afford to ignore complaints about the yoke, etc.

You are right that there are people who will buy anything Elon will sell them, including famous vaporware features like FSD (pre 2019 definition) which some fanboys bought only to never see the feature do anything whatsoever before moving onto their next car. But the pool of those blindly faithful is shrinking. Young people learn from the internet. When my mother-in-law was buying a Model 3, the advice from my teenage children was "don't buy FSD grandma, it's a ripoff". I asked them about the yoke, they were more divided there, but neither would be willing to buy without an extended test drive as they all see it as a possible disaster.

Yup, and on top of all that, there's the Twitter fiasco and all the other ways Elon has started to lose his mind lately. He used to inspire, now he just mostly makes people sigh and roll their eyes. This will hurt the brand, maybe not overnight but the damage will happen and impact demand when there are more viable alternatives on the market.