Turning radius

[Manbutter]

Is it me or does the Y have a bad turning radius? I discovered this the hard way when making a permitted u-turn at a red light. To my surprise, I had to make a 3-point turn onto a two laner. Thankfully no one behind me or I’d be stuck in that position until he backs up too.

Tesla says it’s 19.9’. I don’t know if that is good or bad for a car this size but it just feels like the car is not turning as much as it could.

 

[Rice&Curry]

It is...what it is ...suggest please get used to it as it cannot be fixed by an over the air update.

 

[MrTuna]

Most cars with AWD had a bad turning radius. Not sure if the single motor tesla has a bit better.

 

[Manbutter]

It is...what it is ...suggest please get used to it as it cannot be fixed by an over the air update.

True that - but is it worse than the average car of the same size and wheelbase?

 

[Yelobird]

Trying to remember the last time I did a u-turn to comprehend why this is really a concern.

 

[gx9901]

The model Y definitely have below average turning radius. My wife’s Volvo C40 is AWD and a little bit shorter, and it feels like a forklift when turning compared to my MYP. Heck, my mom’s fat etron has better turning radius.

 

[akidesir]

Yes compared to my Model 3, the Model Y requires more space when doing a full lock turn.

 

[jsight]

Yes, it is really bad. It is by far the worst thing about the Model Y steering. Tbh, that's in part because everything else about the steering is pretty good.

 

[Azlaneguy]

Is it me or does the Y have a bad turning radius? I discovered this the hard way when making a permitted u-turn at a red light. To my surprise, I had to make a 3-point turn onto a two laner. Thankfully no one behind me or I’d be stuck in that position until he backs up too.

Tesla says it’s 19.9’. I don’t know if that is good or bad for a car this size but it just feels like the car is not turning as much as it could.

Yes,turning radius of MY is one of its negatives. Specs are 12.1 m (39.8 ft). Way above average for similarly sized SUVs.

 

[jsight]

Yes,turning radius of MY is one of its negatives. Specs are 12.1 m (39.8 ft). Way above average for similarly sized SUVs.

Of course Bjorn has a video comparison:

 

[ZenRockGarden]

Yeah, it's not dainty. Turn-around radius is not a Tesla strong suit, which is sad, but simply reality.

Good news: The backup camera is great

 

[UncleMatt]

Yeah, it's not dainty. Turn-around radius is not a Tesla strong suit, which is sad, but simply reality.

Good news: The backup camera is great

Does the RWD version do better?

 

[mcsenerd]

I was always under the impression that double wishbone suspensions always meant a tradeoff in turning radius...not necessarily the AWD aspect.

 

[MY-Y]

I guess it depends on what you're used to. My F450 truck has the tight turning circle of 50.4', which is one of the reasons I got it. The similar F350 has a turning circle of 59.6'. Those 9 feet are very noticeable when maneuvering a trailer.

Not surprisingly, my MY feels quite nimble to me.

 

[Calliope]

I agree the turning radius sucks. It's one of the things I wish I could change about the car (not the software), but the pros still greatly outweigh the cons.

 

[KMC_307]

Does the RWD version do better?

Steering angle and therefore turning radius on AWD vs RWD are exactly the same. The entire suspension is the same, it’s just lacking the front motor and drive shafts.

 

[jerry cott]

To me it's the most noticeable thing about the handling. The opposite of nimble. I'm probably spoiled by my previous EV, a BMW i3, which turns on a dime. It makes the Y feel a bit like the Queen Mary. Four wheel steering would definitely be a plus.

 

[Goobers]

To me it's the most noticeable thing about the handling. The opposite of nimble. I'm probably spoiled by my previous EV, a BMW i3, which turns on a dime. It makes the Y feel a bit like the Queen Mary. Four wheel steering would definitely be a plus.

Eh, the specifications say the difference in turning diameter between the i3 and MY is about 7 ft (3.5 ft for radius). Minimum of 32 ft for the i3… that’s still a lot. Feels a lot more like splitting hairs.

Personally, I do u-turns all the time, since my job is to do deliveries. The difference between the smallest car I have driven (2010 Honda Fit) and my MYP might be whether or not I almost use three lanes or need a fourth lane to make a u-turn. In that case, the road is fairly busy, so I’m limited to when I can do it. And even if I can do a u-turn with only three lanes in my Fit, I’m always hesitant to do it with parked cars around, in which case I need the fourth lane to be open anyway.

Most other roads are too narrow for my Fit anyway, so I always have to do a 3-point turn. In those cases, I find it infinitely easier just to use a driveway to do it, regardless of vehicle.

I guess someone must either really love or hate a car, if their biggest complaint is the turning radius.

 

[jerry cott]

A 7' difference in turning radius is huge. Average passenger car curb to curb turn is 34' to 35.5'.

 

[Mullermn]

The turning radius is probably the worst thing about the Y. It’s not just the radius for doing a full U turn, it’s the generally cumbersome manoeuvring for parking or moving around obstructions, etc.

It is not possible to reverse in to a spot in a lot of UK carparks in a single motion, for example, because the radius is so large you can’t turn a full 90 degrees in the available space once you account for the space the front wing needs to swing out in to.

I also drive an XC40, which is even larger than the Y, but that turns like a startled cat compared to the Tesla.