Where do you put your arms / elbows when using AP

[Alset72]

This may be a dumb question but I have not seen this being discussed before. Tesla says you should keep your hands on the steering wheel at all times when using AP. Where do you put your arms / elbows when using AP?

I have tried keeping them "hanging in the air" but that does not work for very long, so I typically keep my right elbow on the center console and my left elbow on the armrest in the door or against window / door edge.

In any case, it seems the ergonomics are not really optimized for a long-term light positioning of hands on the wheel w/o turning off AP. Thoughts?

 

[boaterva]

That's about what I did when I had an overnight demo... left arm on door, hand on wheel with enough weight to stop the nags; right arm on console or in lap. Or perhaps using touchscreen for a second.

 

[mbhforum]

Me 3. Left on doorrest, right on center console. Sometimes I get bored and stretch my arms to show off AP

 

[BluestarE3]

Would something like this work?

 

[brucet999]

This may be a dumb question but I have not seen this being discussed before. Tesla says you should keep your hands on the steering wheel at all times when using AP. Where do you put your arms / elbows when using AP?

I have tried keeping them "hanging in the air" but that does not work for very long, so I typically keep my right elbow on the center console and my left elbow on the armrest in the door or against window / door edge.

In any case, it seems the ergonomics are not really optimized for a long-term light positioning of hands on the wheel w/o turning off AP. Thoughts?

Yep, left elbow on for armrest, right on center armrest, both hands hanging loosely at 4:00 and 8:00 on the wheel. just below the spokes.

 

[P85DBeast]

Normally I climb in the backseat and fall asleep and let the car do it's thing. And spray me with water when I arrive at my destination.

 

[boaterva]

Normally I climb in the backseat and fall asleep and let the car do it's thing. And spray me with water when I arrive at my destination.

Car has FSD, checks out!

 

[xyeahtony]

my arms rest on my leg and i just hold the wheel by the bottom.

 

[chillaban]

The most comfortable for me is to rest my feet about a foot away from the pedals which props up my knees, and then elbows on my knees and hands on the wheel.

I find with AP1 and especially with the 17.17.4 AP2 enhancements, 99% of interventions are steering related, and this makes it a lot easier to quickly intercept the wheel. But even in this position, it's pretty quick to reach the brake pedal should that be necessary. We all seem to have great muscle memory for slamming on the brakes no matter where our legs are resting.

 

[Scott-P]

my arms rest on my leg and i just hold the wheel by the bottom.

As do I.

 

[Bet TSLA]

I have AP1. I keep my hands at 10 and 2, resting fairly heavily on the wheel. Works fine. I don't get tired. It doesn't interfere with autosteer. I'm ready to take over instantly when it does something I don't like.

 

[Petra]

Similar to @Bet TSLA, I just keep my hands at 9 & 3 as usual and feel what the car is doing. You can rest your hand/arm weight on the wheel like you would while driving without disengaging Autosteer, provided that you don't apply significant force against the direction of wheel travel (so, follow along).

 

[bmah]

AP1 driver here. My usual position is to have my left hand hanging on the steering wheel at 6 o'clock. This lets me feel what autosteer is doing on the wheel. If I don't feel anything for awhile I'll usually give it a little jiggle with some wrist action just to reassure myself that it's still in control. My right hand usually rests in my lap, but I can easily reach the CID, cup holder, my kneeboard, whatever.

I used to "cover" the brake pedal with one foot while I was getting used to AP, but now I usually just put my feet flat on the floor in front of the pedals (but not too close to them, to avoid hitting anything by accident). This flexes my knees a bit and brings my thighs up so it's easier to rest my hand on something.

As long as I can maintain situational awareness I can get my hands and feet back into normal driving position pretty quickly, and I won't hesitate to do that if I think AP might run into some difficulty.

Bruce.

 

[kavyboy]

AP1 here. Left arm... wherever. I guess on the armrest. Right elbow on center console, with two-fingers resting to the right of the T on the bottom of the wheel. That lets me "push" clockwise immediately and sharply if I need to avoid crossing the center line, but I can still adjust either way. I rest my foot lightly on the "go pedal" where it would be on an ICE car, so no re-learning of muscle memory there.
If the road is a bit dicey, hands at 2 and 10 until it disengages, making sure that it won't default to TACC and accelerate, though I am not sure it still does that. Those conditions are more just for fun, where I am expecting and prepared to take over instantly... will it make that 110 degree turn at 60 mph? (In my case, multiple times this weekend, yes, it slowed and did 90+ degree turns like a champ.... then immediately veered into oncoming traffic on a straight, well-marked road when cresting a small hill. Oh, well. Let's hope AP1 might still improve.)

 

[MDR SEA]

I like to play the trumpet.
I'm getting a lot of practice on the road.

 

[iqless]

Easy.

Place your elbows on your sides, and put your hands on 5 and 7 o'clock on the wheel. Don't hold it tightly. This is a relaxed position, you expand no energy, and it allows AP to work as intended forever without requiring you to periodically tug at the wheel, and it gives you the ability to intervene at any point.