When squeezing, shaking, and shoving the wheel doesn't register...

[jorgbrown]

If there's something about the way you hold the wheel, that allows autopilot to sense that you are in fact holding it, please ignore this thread.

For me, though, these don't work. Trying to apply force is something that mostly works, but is just as likely to make the car think I want to take over. Being able to tweak the sound volume up or down works pretty consistently, but on a long drive, having to adjust the volume up or down every 60 seconds is beyond annoying. It's like Chinese water torture.

I tried the $10 wrist weights that AaronHall suggested, but they're unwieldy. Specifically, the velcro isn't good enough to solidly keep it in place, and they tend to move toward the back, where they hit the turn signal or gear select when turning the wheel.

Finally I realized that my addiction to playing with neodymium magnets could provide a solution; a place called K J Magnetics sells these "S6" magnets ( K&J Magnetics: S6 ), and 60 of them do the trick nicely. See attached picture.

Elon, if you're listening, please, please find some more reliable way of feeling the presence of my hands on the wheel!!

SteeringWheelMagnets

• jorgbrown
• Nov 4, 2018
• 1

A trick to help the Model 3 sense that your hands are on the wheel.

 

[ebmcs03]

You’re not suppose to squeeze push or whstver. It’s torque. It’s turning. You’re suppose to “turn” your wheel. Apply light pressure to turn the wheel where you don’t actually turn it. But pretend to turn.

 

[Tam]

...If there's something about the way you hold the wheel, that allows autopilot to sense that you are in fact holding it, please ignore this thread...

The manual is very clear that:

"Warning: Autosteer is a hands-on feature. You must keep your hands on the steering wheel at all times."

I drive 4 to 5 hour each way trips very often and I have no problem observing that warning by creating a constant counter torque.

I use my fingers as a hook and hook on the bar of the steering wheel then let my whole arm to hang on it. When I am tired, I switch to the other arm or use some fingers holding the steering wheel while the arm is resting on an armrest.

That way, I can feel exactly whether the automation torque is correct or not so I can intervene effortlessly.

When your hands are off the steering wheel, it takes additional time for the hands to go back to the steering wheel when something goes wrong.

 

[parkds_nyc]

Simply rest your hands at 10 and 2. Never had a single issue with thousands of autopilot miles. Not sure why people repeated mention trying to squeeze the wheel. Also devices that trick autopilot are dangerous and encourage bad habits. <getting off soapbox>

 

[ewoodrick]

Simply rest your hands at 10 and 2. Never had a single issue with thousands of autopilot miles. Not sure why people repeated mention trying to squeeze the wheel. Also devices that trick autopilot are dangerous and encourage bad habits. <getting off soapbox>

This is far from the best, because it creates a symmetrical load. It's asymmetry that creates the torque needed.

 

[ewoodrick]

I can easily overcome the nag with just a single finger pressing up on the steering wheel.
Its torque (right or left ) pressure that is needed.

It's the exact same pressure that you would use to force a lane change, but less of it.

 

[run-the-joules]

Simply rest your hands at 10 and 2. Never had a single issue with thousands of autopilot miles. Not sure why people repeated mention trying to squeeze the wheel. Also devices that trick autopilot are dangerous and encourage bad habits. <getting off soapbox>

FYI, 9&3 are proper handling, not 10&2 which reduce the available range of motion.

 

[Vines]

I actually can cause the car to very slightly change course by steering very slightly, enough to put me in a 6-12" range in the middle of the lane with autopilot engaged.

I could see that in the future a gentle twist to the left with AP engaged could push me further out in the emergency lane to allow a smooth pass by motorcycles riding in between #1 and #2 lanes.

 

[MXWing]

Internal camera just needs to recognize my middle finger to recognize I am awake and alert.

 

[skitown]

If applying steering torque is too hard, you can always simply adjust the volume scroll wheel up and down by "1" every now and again.

 

[Abstrakt1]

I am very attentive in autopilot. I don’t trust it enough not to be, but the way they detect hands on the wheel sucks. I can get it just right and not get nagged but I have to hold the wheel perfectly so that It feels me but I don’t take over. Even then on a straight away it will nag me because it doesn’t move the wheel enough to feel my torque. The scroll/button press was a nice addition if it didn’t require turning my music/speed up or down every 10 seconds.

I think they should have a merit based system on the nag. For new EAP users nag them every ten seconds like it does today. After 500 AP miles give them a bit more time between nags. At like 5k in autopilot, nag every five minutes or so of no action unless the car senses a situation that you should be watching. If you hit 25k in autopilot, leave you alone, you know how it works.

 

[mike123abc]

I use the autopilot buddy. By itself it is not enough to satisfy the nag. I suppose if you put your phone on it, it would be heavy enough to register. But, with it and my hand I never get the nag. With my hand on the wheel it is never enough, I constantly have jerk the week to get it to register. Before the buddy I would usually just give up and steer myself. It is interesting that you can drive the car yourself with less pressure on the wheel than using autopilot.

 

[Garlan Garner]

This is far from the best, because it creates a symmetrical load. It's asymmetry that creates the torque needed.

If it works...how can it not be "the best"?

 

[suwaneedad]

Trying to apply force is something that mostly works, but is just as likely to make the car think I want to take over.

Assuming you mean that when you barely try to turn the wheel, the AP nag doesn't recognize your effort until you've managed to instead deactivate AP, I suggest a service call because I don't think many/any people have trouble with this.

 

[Garlan Garner]

I actually can cause the car to very slightly change course by steering very slightly, enough to put me in a 6-12" range in the middle of the lane with autopilot engaged.

I could see that in the future a gentle twist to the left with AP engaged could push me further out in the emergency lane to allow a smooth pass by motorcycles riding in between #1 and #2 lanes.

Adjust your steering mode. Move it up to moderate or sport and see what happens.

 

[Vines]

Adjust your steering mode. Move it up to moderate or sport and see what happens.

That is sport mode. I rather like it honestly.

 

[suwaneedad]

I am very attentive in autopilot. I don’t trust it enough not to be, but the way they detect hands on the wheel sucks. I can get it just right and not get nagged but I have to hold the wheel perfectly so that It feels me but I don’t take over. Even then on a straight away it will nag me because it doesn’t move the wheel enough to feel my torque. The scroll/button press was a nice addition if it didn’t require turning my music/speed up or down every 10 seconds.

I think they should have a merit based system on the nag. For new EAP users nag them every ten seconds like it does today. After 500 AP miles give them a bit more time between nags. At like 5k in autopilot, nag every five minutes or so of no action unless the car senses a situation that you should be watching. If you hit 25k in autopilot, leave you alone, you know how it works.

I liked the version of AP nag that existed when I first got the car back in March. I could feel the wheel moving a bit in my hands, back and forth, back and forth. So subtle that a passenger wouldn't feel any car movement side to side, but enough that the car knew if my hands were not on the wheel. But they got rid of that at some point. Oh well.

I wish they'd activate the interior camera to just watch my eye placement instead. Eyes facing forward are far more relevant to driver safety than hands being on the wheel, anyway. (I can be sound asleep with hands on wheel.) Personal security people can freak out all they want about this concept...if you don't like it cover the camera like your laptop.

 

[Garlan Garner]

That is sport mode. I rather like it honestly.

you must really be pulling hard...because it takes quite a nice pull to get out of autopilot in sport mode - by moving the steering wheel.

 

[Vines]

Maybe I didnt explain myself well. What I was saying that from within autopilot, I can move the car slightly but still not enough to disengage AP. I can just move the car slowly within the lane about 6-12" using a couple mm of wheel movement with force on the order of magitude of an AP nag.

 

[aronth5]

If applying steering torque is too hard, you can always simply adjust the volume scroll wheel up and down by "1" every now and again.

Either scroll wheel will work.