When you engage AP (not NOAP), what do you normally do to stop the nagging to hold the steering?

[Silicon Desert]

Lightly gripping the steering wheel with my left hand, just to the left of the bottom spoke of the steering wheel.

I also have this habit of gently wiggling the steering wheel every so often to make sure AP is still in control (picked that habit up back in the early days in 2015, after a couple of times when I thought AP was engaged when it really wasn't). When AP is engaged you will feel more resistance than when not.

Emphasis on the words "lightly" and "gently" above.

Bruce.

bingo. That is about what I do. I lightly rest my hand in the same position. That seems to be enough to keep the nag away for LONG periods on the interstate. However, if I hear the audio to tell me that it is about to put me in manual, the little wiggle does the trip for quite a way down the road.

 

[Silicon Desert]

Oh and I was going to say I have the wife hold the wheel from the passenger seat while I sleep, but knowing some people on here, they would have taken that comment seriously

 

[ucmndd]

Left thumb hanging on the bottom of the wheel around 7:00.

 

[ewoodrick]

I have my hand on the bottom of the steering wheel and shake it back and forth lightly every minute or so. A friend of mine does the same thing except he holds onto the left side of the steering wheel. it's the shake back and forth you need to do periodically.

It's not a shake that it needs. Shaking can be uncomfortable for passengers. All it needs is a little torque, just a little rotational pressure.
Often I just have hand on lap and single finger pushing the wheel

 

[SilverGS]

It's not a shake that it needs. Shaking can be uncomfortable for passengers. All it needs is a little torque, just a little rotational pressure.
Often I just have hand on lap and single finger pushing the wheel

Thanks! I think I'll try this as it still forces you to keep attention all the time and is just enough to not disengage AP as I'm sure I will disengage AP accidentally if I hold the wheel.

 

[Tam]

...all the time...

My goal is to get the torque feedback from the automation system at all time so I can seamlessly and effortlessly override the steering at any time.

I have been able to do that by a variety of ways:

Have one hand cup like a letter "C" and hang on or hook on the bar on the steering wheel. Let the weight of the arm create a light counter torque. I could even lean my elbow on the central console or door or on my knees.

I could do the same on any part of the steering wheel with a combination of fingers not just C shape only. But in all cases: create a light counter torque so I can monitor its torque correctness.

Since it's tactile feedback, I don't need to look at it. It's pretty much a reflex so I don't even know that I've been paying attention to it at all. If I go straight and the torque veers to one side, I reflexively keep the steering wheel straight and thus, override the AutoSteer with no effort at all.

I seldom get a nag for the past over 2 years.

 

[SilverGS]

Just got back last night from my trip to NYC from Toronto (a distance of approximately 470 miles one way). I absolutely love TACC! The longest stretch I had it engaged was for about 2 hours. I can't believe how much of a stress reliever it is! When I turned it off, I found it weird having to use my right foot again! lol

AutoPilot on the other hand - I don't know what it is - it has to be just me based on all the glowing reviews it gets, but I still don't feel comfortable using AP. I tried it quite a bit and I also got the hang of holding on the steering wheel with the just the right amount of effort as so many of you described very well. But I still feel like I'm doing some of the steering - which in my very inexperienced view defeats the purpose of AP in the first place. Anyway, i am still keeping an open mind and will continue to try using it and hopefully I will be writing glowing reviews (of course I am assuming here that understanding its limitations is a big part of the glowing review).

Thanks again for all your help!

 

[travis1906]

Maybe it’s me but I still get warnings when I hold my hand or a couple fingers or thumb at 7:00. I then started squeezing it/griping a little tighter with two fingers (which was annoying) and it still went off. Went back to just turning the right push button.

 

[Rogue Synapse]

When I drove on the highway in my pre-Autopilot life, I tended to steer with my left elbow on the door sill and hand resting about 9-10 o’clock like this:

So I do that still when driving with Autopilot most of the time since that’s how I’m used to cruising anyway. But now I’ve found the right elbow on the armrest with hand hanging on at 4 o’clock is a nice way to keep in touch with the wheel while AP is engaged:

 

[NickEHughes]

I bend my knees so that 1 or both lightly touch the bottom of the wheel, usually works. I only go on AP when I need to check my phone, but check it and look at the road as if I didn't have AP, like my previous cars.

 

[GWord]

Maybe it’s me but I still get warnings when I hold my hand or a couple fingers or thumb at 7:00. I then started squeezing it/griping a little tighter with two fingers (which was annoying) and it still went off. Went back to just turning the right push button.

Squeezing isn't actually what the car is looking for (it doesn't have any way to detect that). It's looking for you to apply a small amount of turning force to the wheel.

 

[animorph]

I use a normal grip with palm outside the wheel, either somewhere between 8 and 7 o'clock with my left hand or 4 and 5 o'clock with my right, but only one hand. I let the wheel take the full weight of my hand and arm so that there is a constant torque on the wheel. I can adjust the amount of torque by gripping the wheel a little higher or lower, so it should work with heavy or light hands. I have always preferred having my hands near the bottom of the wheel when driving in the mountains, so this is a normal hand position for me except one handed only.

With a normal grip on the wheel I'm ready to take over at any time. I can feel what AP is doing with the wheel, which makes it easier and quicker to catch weird AP steering. I can do a whole-day road trip without a nag. It works for NOA as well, including seamless unconfirmed lane changes.

 

[f205v]

I don't use AP on my daily commute, it's too short to take advantage of AP. But on longer drives I have a weighted squeeze ball that I push into one of the lower spaces in the steering wheel.

Edit. I know I shouldn't but I do.

Let me start with the obvious disclaimer: DON'T DO IT AT HOME!
But I made a few experiment with different weights, because I wanted to find the minimum weight required to always defeat the nagging system.
In my car it is exactly 400 grams (0,88 pounds) placed at the extremity of the ray (right or left doesn't make a difference, same sensitivity both ways)
Also consider that not all Teslas have the same sensitivity, so 400 grams can vary car-by-car

Having said that, a small pouch with something heavy in it (lead granules would be ideal!) and a hook, make for a very convenient and handy tool to defeat the nags ONLY WHEN DRIVING ON CLOSED ROADS!

 

[pinke2323]

When AP is engaged, what do you usually do to stop the nagging to hold the steering wheel? I've seen videos where the driver holds the steering wheel just enough to not impact the car steering itself.

What do you normally do? I've been waiting to see the alert and then I press the right scroll button on the steering wheel. But I find that annoying as I have to keep checking the display to see when the alert comes up.

I'm curious to know what others do. Obviously I'm a noob as I have had my Tesla for just over a month now and haven't used AP a ton yet.

Turn up the music.

 

[Brian's ReX]

AutoPilot on the other hand - I don't know what it is - it has to be just me based on all the glowing reviews it gets, but I still don't feel comfortable using AP

Totally understandable. First, it certainly does take a bit to get comfortable with AP (or EAP). In my circle of family and friends that have tried it... the reaction is all over the board. I, for instance, LOVE it!! It feels odd to drive my other vehicles that don't have AP! My wife, however, will only use it in stop-and-go traffic at low speeds. My nephew would rather drive the car himself. Etc., etc..

I have found it best not to try to convince people that they HAVE to get used to it and love it. But what I usually tell those that are 'iffy' is this: AP is truly (at this point) a 'driver assist feature'. Although it does do most of the driving for you... it's up to you as the driver to discover where AP shines and where it doesn't. Once you get used to how AP handles certain situations, you instinctively know how to either let it do it's thing, or take over completely until it is safe to use AP again.

For me, it has become second-nature. I no longer have to constantly think about how AP will handle situations... I simply take over until I determine that it's safe to rely on AP again.

If I were to break it down, I would state that in my experience (note - this is for highway and byway driving, and not city streets):
- 60% of the time, it is flawless and it's a joy to be an 'observant passenger'.
- 30% of the time, it reacts differently than I would. IOW, it may not hug the right or left hand lane markers as I would when, say, going around corners, etc., or the famed 'phantom braking' happens, or it speeds up or slows down differently than I may.
- 10% of the time, I will disengage completely. Especially around roadwork areas.

As an 'observant passenger' (the 60 percentile), there are the 'nags' that have to be dealt with... but I am happy to only have to nudge the wheel every so often. I don't consider it a 'nag', but a necessary part of how the AP system works at this time.
When it reacts differently than I would... I am just on 'high alert', ready to take over. I sometimes will let AP maintain control just so I can see how it may handle the situation.

Bottom line: If you enjoy AP after getting used to it... awesome. If you never quite like how it handles... then don't use it.

 

[brkaus]

I always have a few fingers around the wheel. Usually around 4pm or 8pm (alternating hands). Typically that applies enough force to keep the warnings from happening.

It also keeps me engaged and I can feel when the car is trying to go "out to the weeds" when it should not.

I give the wheel a little jiggle or pull the "set speed" stalk when I occasionally get the warning.

 

[gbrgbr]

if you do anything to a mechanical control about every 30 seconds, you will not get the nag. this includes change volume, change track, pause audio, change cruise speed, change cruise distance, voice command, and turn signal. I suspect pushing the wiper button or flashing the lights will do it also but can't recall having tried these myself.

 

[Naekuh]

I also use my knees to prop the steering wheel.
But i tend to only use AP in traffic, as i know the moment my car see's a fire truck pulled over, its going into torpedo mode on it.

 

[rsg123]

It's threads like this where people make the "nag" a bigger deal than it really is. I've seen the nag like 3 times the entire time I've owned the car.

This guy doesn’t do much AP driving.

 

[tranzndance]

This guy doesn’t do much AP driving.

Or the driver is heavy handed?

The nagging had decreased in the past month's release in my experience.