Why does my car allow me to scrape my wheels on the curb?

[Townsend]

I see lots of postings by people who want to get their rims fixed after scraping them on curbs. Certainly my car knows where the wheels are and it knows where the curbs are. Why hasn’t Tesla fixed this problem with software that prevents me from scraping the curb?!

 

[ABC2D]

Probably the same reason your parents did not prevent you from posting this.

 

[Haxster]

If it weren't for the fact that Tesla has substantial financial interests in wheel repair shops and wheel replacements *FI, curb sensing integrated with alert/braking would be a cool feature...even if they had to add additional distance sensors to detect curbs.

And while they were at it, sensors under the front bumper could help avoid damage to the under-bumper from high curbs and parking stops.

*FI= fake info

 

[Gridlok]

Or you could just be aware and drive properly to avoid curb rash.

 

[SSonnentag]

I'm still waiting for a bottom-side proximity sensor to auto-raise the suspension to prevent scraping when entering parking lots and driveways with sharp entrance ramps.

 

[Lasairfion]

I have to admit to being amazed at the amount of people who seem to scrape their wheels up on this forum. In all the years I've been driving, and with all the different sizes and types of cars I have driven, I've never scraped the wheels along a kerb. If you're doing this often, then perhaps you should consider an advanced driving course to improve your observation skills.

 

[JasontheBeaver]

I've never seen more scraped rims (always the pass-front) on new cars than on Teslas. I've tried to find a correlation as to why this is happening more than any other brand that we service at my detail shop but I've yet to figure it out.

 

[ewoodrick]

The issue is that on many of the wheels, the wheel extends beyond the tire. On most wheels, the tire is wider and the tires are the things that hit the curb and the wheels are protected.
I chalk this up to the narrow and high inflation tires that Tesla uses to decrease rolling resistance.

 

[glide]

This is what happens when people think cars actually drive themselves.

 

[felixculpas]

I've never had it in decades of driving and always wondered how people got it but very first drive in to work with the Model 3, squeezed to the right of a car stopped at a red light and brushed the curb. Did that same turn 100's of times in my SUV without incident. Haven't brushed a curb since.

I attributed it to just a spatial re-orientation but perhaps it's more to do with less protection from the tires.

 

[Silicon Desert]

Hmmm, this reminds me that I have sold 2 cars in the past that each had over 100,000 miles and the rims were still in perfect condition when I sold them. But then on delivery day of my MX, the driver scrapped one of the rims by just driving it out of the covered carrier. Fortunately, Tesla came to take the car to the shop and replaced it within the first week.

 

[VQTRVA]

I'm still waiting for a bottom-side proximity sensor to auto-raise the suspension to prevent scraping when entering parking lots and driveways with sharp entrance ramps.

I'm waiting for an invisible force field that will levitate my car away from dangers.

 

[Townsend]

The issue is that on many of the wheels, the wheel extends beyond the tire. On most wheels, the tire is wider and the tires are the things that hit the curb and the wheels are protected.
I chalk this up to the narrow and high inflation tires that Tesla uses to decrease rolling resistance.

I think I know *why* it happens. Notwithstanding the various snarky comments on this thread about learning to drive properly, the problem is that the rear-view camera guidance (at least on my model S) IS NOT ACCURATE / SUFFICIENT to avoid curb rash. I have several other cars with rear-view cameras for which, if you follow the guidance and maneuver the guideline close to the curb, you will be safe, even if the guideline touches the curb. NOT SO WITH MY TESLA, which I discovered the hard way. If you line the guideline up close the the curb YOU WILL scape your rims, even if the guideline remains outside the curb.

My expectations is that first, Tesla should fix this and provide more accurate read-view camera guidance. Second, I think they should warn people, since I expect their vision system knows where you are and what is about to happen.

 

[maximizese]

Fortunately for me, the previous owner of our Tesla curb-rashed each of the wheels so I don't have to worry about blemishing some perfect wheels. I will say that the car has a wide track and the wheels protrude further out of the fenders than your average car. I joked with my wife that perhaps we should go retro and install some curb-feelers (the metal whisker type that looks like rebar). But I suppose the technology is already there with all the cameras and sensors, so you do have a point.

As for me, I don't mind the passive monitoring but I don't like active override systems. I recently borrowed a 2019 MB S63 Cabrio AMG equipped with the bi-turbo V8, active seat bolster/massagers, etc. It also had a lane departure system that would warn on both the cluster and HUD, but would actively actuate the brakes and force the steering wheel to the corrected path. Both my wife and I were a little perplexed with the system because we were driving through the backroads of wine country and attempting to dodge various potholes and debris. It made us wonder if you were actively trying to avoid something, would the system force the car back into the lane. We weren't fans because we like to have more control.

 

[Haxster]

Fortunately for me, the previous owner of our Tesla curb-rashed each of the wheels so I don't have to worry about blemishing some perfect wheels. I will say that the car has a wide track and the wheels protrude further out of the fenders than your average car. I joked with my wife that perhaps we should go retro and install some curb-feelers (the metal whisker type that looks like rebar). But I suppose the technology is already there with all the cameras and sensors, so you do have a point.

As for me, I don't mind the passive monitoring but I don't like active override systems. I recently borrowed a 2019 MB S63 Cabrio AMG equipped with the bi-turbo V8, active seat bolster/massagers, etc. It also had a lane departure system that would warn on both the cluster and HUD, but would actively actuate the brakes and force the steering wheel to the corrected path. Both my wife and I were a little perplexed with the system because we were driving through the backroads of wine country and attempting to dodge various potholes and debris. It made us wonder if you were actively trying to avoid something, would the system force the car back into the lane. We weren't fans because we like to have more control.

I've been tempted to install curb-feelers...they're actually still available!

An amusing bumper sticker spotted in the Bay Area: "I'm not drunk...just avoiding the pot holes"

 

[animorph]

The ultrasonic sensors don't seem to detect low curbs, so the car can't help much with curb rash.

The guidelines on the rear camera are where the tires are going, not where the edge of the car is.

 

[Mike Robinson]

I've never had it in decades of driving and always wondered how people got it but very first drive in to work with the Model 3, squeezed to the right of a car stopped at a red light and brushed the curb. Did that same turn 100's of times in my SUV without incident. Haven't brushed a curb since.

I attributed it to just a spatial re-orientation but perhaps it's more to do with less protection from the tires.

It typically only happens to me when I'm pulling into a parking space (backward or forward) that has curb on one side and an open space on the other side. I try to get as close as I can to the curb so as to give the most distance between my car and a car in the adjacent space.

 

[Corsair]

I think I know *why* it happens. Notwithstanding the various snarky comments on this thread about learning to drive properly, the problem is that the rear-view camera guidance (at least on my model S) IS NOT ACCURATE / SUFFICIENT to avoid curb rash. I have several other cars with rear-view cameras for which, if you follow the guidance and maneuver the guideline close to the curb, you will be safe, even if the guideline touches the curb. NOT SO WITH MY TESLA, which I discovered the hard way. If you line the guideline up close the the curb YOU WILL scape your rims, even if the guideline remains outside the curb.

My expectations is that first, Tesla should fix this and provide more accurate read-view camera guidance. Second, I think they should warn people, since I expect their vision system knows where you are and what is about to happen.

Aren’t you supposed to use wing mirrors as guides? They are way more accurate than rear camera.


I use blind spot dome mirrors which help immensely as I negotiate tight bends around parking lots as most people catch the curbs on their far-side rears.

High Definition Ultra Low Profile Blind Spot Mirrors

 

[Mike Robinson]

Back before most of you guys were driving (or even born), we had "cat whiskers" available for cars. They worked great, but wouldn't look too good on a Tesla!

 

[drewg123]

I wonder if Tesla could do something like Land Rover's "transparent hood", and if that would help. See
https://jalopnik.com/the-2020-range-rover-evoque-lets-you-see-through-the-ho-1830614257

Personally, I *always* back into spaces and carefully watch the side mirror, so its not a huge deal for me. (and by saying that, I'm sure I'll rash my wheels later today..)