Yoke Steering

[omarsultan]

So, after 1K miles and a month of life with the yoke, I am going to change my position (no pun intended) on it. Outside of the initial trepidation before picking up the car, my stance as been that functionally it's a wash with a round wheel while but it offers definite design/aesthetic benefits, so its worth dealing with the learning curve.

I am going to go out on a limb and say the combination of yoke+stalkless controls offers better ergonomics than a wheel+stalks. Once you build some muscle memory, the yoke is almost like a Xbox or PlayStation game controller--you never have to take your hands off it and everything you need is under your thumbs almost all of the time. Because the yoke forces a 3-9 o'clock hand position, your hands stay in fixed relationship to the control buttons and you can distinguish the four control buttons by location and feel without having to look at the yoke or take you hands off the wheel. I did not fully appreciate this until I drove my wife's X for a bit, and loosing my grip to flip the turn signal seemed so much less efficient than leaving my hand in place and using my thumb. Same thing with wipers, flipping high beams, etc.

YMMV, but this is where my head is at.

 

[txturbo]

So, after 1K miles and a month of life with the yoke, I am going to change my position (no pun intended) on it. Outside of the initial trepidation before picking up the car, my stance as been that functionally it's a wash with a round wheel while but it offers definite design/aesthetic benefits, so its worth dealing with the learning curve.

I am going to go out on a limb and say the combination of yoke+stalkless controls offers better ergonomics than a wheel+stalks. Once you build some muscle memory, the yoke is almost like a Xbox or PlayStation game controller--you never have to take your hands off it and everything you need is under your thumbs almost all of the time. Because the yoke forces a 3-9 o'clock hand position, your hands stay in fixed relationship to the control buttons and you can distinguish the four control buttons by location and feel without having to look at the yoke or take you hands off the wheel. I did not fully appreciate this until I drove my wife's X for a bit, and loosing my grip to flip the turn signal seemed so much less efficient than leaving my hand in place and using my thumb. Same thing with wipers, flipping high beams, etc.

YMMV, but this is where my head is at.

Do you have issues with the left and right activation of the scroll wheels? I find that the center of the wheel is too small in diameter, causing me to have to press down to get enough grip on the wheel to push it laterally. This extra pressure from the side also causes unintended activation of the turn signal. I am still getting used to it.

 

[omarsultan]

Do you have issues with the left and right activation of the scroll wheels? I find that the center of the wheel is too small in diameter, causing me to have to press down to get enough grip on the wheel to push it laterally. This extra pressure from the side also causes unintended activation of the turn signal. I am still getting used to it.

Yeah, they could stand to be a bit bigger or if I had to push a little less firmly

 

[Dan D.]

So the yoke is built to take it! Man that guy has focus.

 

[theslimshadyist]

Is the yoke exclusive to the Plaid or is this the new normal for the Model S line?

 

[omarsultan]

Is the yoke exclusive to the Plaid or is this the new normal for the Model S line?

All the Palladium models, so S and X in both trim levels

 

[Eugene Ash]

America has, in the main, large roundabouts - which actually defeats the objective, which is to slow traffic to a crawl so as to allow safe filtering - but in many parts of the world we have mini-roundabouts. These require almost 90’ turns in and out in quick succession plus the obligatory indicators. Which could be anywhere!
What might become acceptable to some in the US I think will be a huge turn-off for most of TROTW.
I think Tesla is going to have an essentially unsellable in quantity flagship product.

I think they will release in certain markets with round st wheel, still stalkless. If citroen could do it, Tesla can too. Then the traditionalists would rush to buy and retrofit European parts, sort of how Europeans have correct side rear view mirrors

 

[BigNick]

I think they will release in certain markets with round st wheel, still stalkless. If citroen could do it, Tesla can too. Then the traditionalists would rush to buy and retrofit European parts, sort of how Europeans have correct side rear view mirrors

And correct amber turn signals.

It should be possible* to engineer a replacement steering column housing that will accept M-B stalks and round wheel, if the older column housing isn't a direct replacement, and replace the wormy airbag cover with one that has a horn switch built-in.

*Might be cost-prohibitive, maybe even north of $5K to replace all that stuff. Clock spring, steering wheel, airbag, stalks, column housing and probably some sort of safety certification to ensure the new airbag cover with horn switch functions properly.

 

[Eugene Ash]

And correct amber turn signals.

It should be possible* to engineer a replacement steering column housing that will accept M-B stalks and round wheel, if the older column housing isn't a direct replacement, and replace the wormy airbag cover with one that has a horn switch built-in.

*Might be cost-prohibitive, maybe even north of $5K to replace all that stuff. Clock spring, steering wheel, airbag, stalks, column housing and probably some sort of safety certification to ensure the new airbag cover with horn switch functions properly.

At this point 5k is... bearable for sake of having the new design and decades of muscle memory... i would take just a round shape. I am good with no stalk.... tactile buttons, would be a nice addition

 

[jd1008]

I’ve had my Plaid Model S for just three days and only about 150 miles. I’ve driven into and out of multiple parking lots and garages as well as some highway driving.
Driving with the yoke and no stalks is not difficult for me. I have already adapted to the different methods of executing tight turns. I rather like having the turn signals on the yoke. The interior quality is a major step up from earlier model S cars and the performance is otherworldly
Definitely worth the wait.

 

[Thepugster]

Love the yolk it’s awesome! Makes the car look cool

 

[Wol747]

I think they will release in certain markets with round st wheel, still stalkless. If citroen could do it, Tesla can too. Then the traditionalists would rush to buy and retrofit European parts, sort of how Europeans have correct side rear view mirrors

But it's the lack of turn stalk which is so dangerous!

 

[MichaelP90DL]

Love the yolk it’s awesome! Makes the car look cool

If one is going to engage in a game of highway chicken, the yolk is the steering wheel to have.

 

[charliepmayer]

From another post:

Yoke: before delivery, thought I would be neutral. Hated it for first 150 miles. Took a 416 mile trip the day after delivery. After many frustrating miles, I changed my hand position from top of yoke to bottom - everything changed. No more false turn signals, horn, or washer activation. Highway nags disappeared, actually surprisingly comfortable. Minor adjustment on my part, major change in car actions and my driving satisfaction.

Permanent Yoke deficiency: yoke won't accommodate the raised "Farmer Finger" when greeting oncoming drivers in rural areas.

 

[DayTrippin]

Love the yolk it’s awesome! Makes the car look cool

I get nice suit, awesome watch, or a beautiful wife to look cool. I want the car to drive and not have me thinking about how I need to interact with the car, especially if I drive other cars.

Just kidding about the wife part and all the other stuff. I don't care about looking cool. A yoke is basically like a handlebar on a motorcycle, but again there, you have less than one turn lock to lock.

If the Model S was my only car, it would be less of an issue. I can only imagine what is going to be the reaction when my aforementioned beautiful wife drives the car.

Curious to see if any lawsuits arise from it. Or maybe they will have everyone execute a wavier later. "The yoke steering wheel is in beta testing, use at your own risk."

 

[Wol747]

Love the yolk it’s awesome! Makes the car look cool

The F104 Starfighter looked really really cool - and was dubbed the Widowmaker for good reason.
A car is a weapon, not a video game. "Looking cool" doesn't cut it with me.

 

[MichaelP90DL]

The F104 Starfighter looked really really cool - and was dubbed the Widowmaker for good reason.
A car is a weapon, not a video game. "Looking cool" doesn't cut it with me.

For the record, the Starfighter had a role in 1983's "The Right Stuff," with Sam Shepard playing famed pilot Chuck Yeager.

 

[jd1008]

The Yoke is not hard to get used to. Just have to go back to hand over hand for tight turns which are usually at low speeds anyway
Controls on yoke instead of stalk feels a bit different at first but it’s easy to get used to
For me this was less of a transition than it was when I bought my Model 3 and had no display in front of me. Remember, most of us had phones with real buttons on them before the IPhone came out. It took a little time to get used to our iPhones but we all did.

 

[lbowroom]

Only writing because I think my opinion varies from others. I’ve only had it for 270 miles but I don’t love it like I hoped I would.

My gripe however is the width and the rectangular shape. I don’t miss the top. I don’t like the bottom corners being so far out. It’s like holding on to a 2x4 plank. Each unique radius turn requires a different hand position and approach. I’m sure I’ll develop these.

I am actually a big fan of the haptic buttons. I think they engage exactly how I intend them to. Resting my thumb on the signal button gives momentary signal, pressing latches it. The location is intuitive. I thought I would hate the horn, I don’t.

make the bottom less rectangular and smaller and I would fully approve.

 

[Javitos]

Good afternoon all!

Owner of the Model Y performance interested buying/changing my OEM model Y steering wheel for the OEM model S yoke steering wheel.


If anyone if interested, please contact me.

Have a beautiful long weekend everyone!