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Yoke Steering
- Thread starter derevan007
- Start date
Yes, but we got a whole lot for giving up the buttons, like a huge screen that can be configured, watch movies on, see a map, etc. What are you getting in return for having to learn a whole new way of steering your car?
Yoke steering, taking away turn signal stalk, and even taking away the physical shift lever don't seem to improve the driving experience. They take extra effort to visualize, operate, and confirm proper operation while you're driving - all needless extra effort. (And don't get me started on the windshield wiper controls that make you look away from the road to take three or four pecks at the screen to activate.)
These "features" are all affectations, trying too hard to look cool. Much like gullwing doors on a Mercedes, McLaren, etc., which don't really improve the otherwise simple task of opening a door, but are there just to satisfy someone's apparent need to scream "Look at meeeeeee!" every time they pull up.
I can't imagine explaining to my wife why it's a good thing to have all these features that actually make driving harder or more distracting.
For a company that needs to sell more cars rather than less, I don't see the point in doing something that's likely to be so alienating to a large swath of its customer base. But then again, we've got the Cybertruck. "Alienating" is apparently a theme.
These "features" are all affectations, trying too hard to look cool. Much like gullwing doors on a Mercedes, McLaren, etc., which don't really improve the otherwise simple task of opening a door, but are there just to satisfy someone's apparent need to scream "Look at meeeeeee!" every time they pull up.
I can't imagine explaining to my wife why it's a good thing to have all these features that actually make driving harder or more distracting.
For a company that needs to sell more cars rather than less, I don't see the point in doing something that's likely to be so alienating to a large swath of its customer base. But then again, we've got the Cybertruck. "Alienating" is apparently a theme.
theslimshadyist
Active Member
lbowroom
Plaid, white on black, CF, 8/27/21, Track Pack
Not really. Every car requires learning where the controls are. I can never figure out the wiper controls when I hop in my wife’s Volvo without having to decipher the hieroglyphics printed on the stalk. I could die in those moments….
Interesting vid. Could be fine if I all I did was drive on a recetrack where I never need more than about 220 degrees of rotation. The issue is when you need to go outside that range and need more than 1 turn lock to lock. Maybe they can adjust the steering ratio.
Tezzzzla
Member
I was fully open to liking the yoke and am not at all afraid of trying new things, and so many of the new Tesla way of doing things I got pretty quickly . . . BUT
I’m not liking the yoke for now (100 miles in). I suspect a good part of that is simple muscle memory which will either fade with time, or will be less of an issue for those with < 500k miles of driving. I was prepared to retrain but
there is one big function that the wheel does better than the yoke: coming out of a turn and letting the wheel center itself and rotate and slide through your grip as it re centers, and you can keep the turn tight or let it re-center very easily at the speed you want simply by loosening or tightening your grip.
There is no way to replicate that function/action with the yoke and not really any offsetting benefits that I’ve discovered so far.
If they do end up offering a wheel option I might be in the market for that.
I’m not liking the yoke for now (100 miles in). I suspect a good part of that is simple muscle memory which will either fade with time, or will be less of an issue for those with < 500k miles of driving. I was prepared to retrain but
there is one big function that the wheel does better than the yoke: coming out of a turn and letting the wheel center itself and rotate and slide through your grip as it re centers, and you can keep the turn tight or let it re-center very easily at the speed you want simply by loosening or tightening your grip.
There is no way to replicate that function/action with the yoke and not really any offsetting benefits that I’ve discovered so far.
If they do end up offering a wheel option I might be in the market for that.
That's just bad practice. You should never let the wheel turn by itself, except of course when using autopilot
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MarcG
Active Member
Yep, and with FSD beta about to be available to some of us soon, that’s exactly my main concern with the yoke.That's just bad practice. You should never let the wheel turn by itself, except of course when using autopilot
Imagine coming out of a tight turn and FSD is rapidly turning the yoke to straighten out of a turn, but it’s about to hit something (median, bike, pedestrian, other vehicle, etc.)
I worry that it will be difficult to take over at the right time and avoid an accident, since it will be nearly impossible to keep your hands on the yoke while it’s quickly turning over a full 360° or more…
I don’t see how it is bad in any way aside from not matching up with the granny shuffle taught in drivers ed these days. Gripping the wheel and letting it slide through the hand at an obvious speed that is sensible by the hand when coming out of normal moderate to low speed turn (most commonly a typical intersection turn from a stop) is a method gives me perfect control of the turn and leaves my hand and arm in a position to instantly make adjustments either way without risk of arm being fully extended one way or the other which is what we see in the hand over hand yoke videos.That's just bad practice. You should never let the wheel turn by itself, except of course when using autopilot
Tam
Well-Known Member
It's possible to learn how to work with the yoke but among the challenges are "grabbing air" because of the missing part of the other half of the wheel.
Another car racer comments on the yoke: hard to drift because of the yoke steering wheel that limits the hand control
Twisted arms: The right arm is now all the way to the left side, the left arm is now toward the right side:
Learn to grab the yoke and not the "air", the missing part of the wheel, 2 hands grabbing the same narrow real estate of the yoke:
Unintentional activation of the windshield wipers because of the stress of adapting to the yoke (grabbing air, less work space in 1/2 of a wheel):
No doubt owners can adapt but it's like going from running independently then now adapting to run with crutches just because it looks good.
I'll wait until someone will sell me a round wheel either from Tesla or from a third party.
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I like this grip position: just grabbing anything for control, pushing sideways really. Yes, it's a drift video and they are thrashing the car but it shows the desperate move required with the yoke.
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I really thought they were going to remove the yoke airbag and just zap-strap that round wheel in place for a fun/stupid test. Or at least redo the test with the round wheel mounted properly and see how it drifted. They already had a ton of error codes, a few more from removing the yoke wouldn't have made any difference.
THIS
The MS is a car for pushing boundaries. And that is exactly the kind of people buying MS. The yoke is perfect for the MS.
But MX drivers are a different bunch of people. The MX is all about convenience, comfort, safety. I won't be surprised if Tesla switches over to a round steering wheel for the MX.
Making the yoke MS exclusive will also make the MS a more special car. It will be the only car you can buy if you want the yoke experience.
theatrus
Member
A Model 3 wheel bolts right to the same column (the thumb wheels don't work). If you need to go drifting at a track, by all means swap it out.
I'm not planning on drifting on the street, or really ever.
I have owned 3 Model S cars in last five years. I just got my Plaid two weeks ago and I can say without hesitation the Yoke is a tragedy waiting to happen and dangerous. I was thinking of adding a steering wheel knob. Many boats use them. Any opinions? Any suggestions. I do not feel comfortable or safe with this wheel. The rest of the car is amazing.
I've been in many advanced driving trainings, and the idea is that the driver should know at any time which way his wheels are pointed, through his hands on the steering wheel.
Letting the wheel slide through your hands makes that impossible.
That's an even stupider idea. Instead having 2 control points at ideal places (2 hands, left and right, on the yoke) you'd replace it with one control point that risks to injure your hand in an accident?
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