POLL: Regular Steering Wheel or Yoke?

[Revoltlution]

In a collision, especially one you are not expecting, the airbags will deploy. If your hand is on the top of the steering wheel, it will be forced back into your face. That will result in blunt force trauma to your head equivalent to hitting the steering wheel and break your hand and arm.

-Crissa

good point. safety is tesla's number one design priority.

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[ThomasG]

Will there be more low speed collisions from it being harder to manage a yoke? Many low speed collisions will trigger air bag deployment and when the yoke is turned vertical you have the hands at 12 O'clock. No option with that unlike a wheel as you can shuffle it through your hands. This is all stuff that needs to be considered, but most of thinking I am seeing on yoke vs wheel is the cool factor plus Elon wants it so it must be good. The yoke is definitely cool and Elon may well be right, but it would be nice to see some more serious questioning and data.

In a collision, especially one you are not expecting, the airbags will deploy. If your hand is on the top of the steering wheel, it will be forced back into your face. That will result in blunt force trauma to your head equivalent to hitting the steering wheel and break your hand and arm.

-Crissa

 

[ThomasG]

Professional driving instructors now recommend against the 10 and 2 position in favor of the 9 and 3 position. Your potential face/neck/wrist injuries in a crash are dependent upon where you are holding the wheel at the time of impact, not everyone else. So I'm not sure why you brought that up.

So where will your hands be when turning the yoke? It gives no options for position like the wheel does. This needs to be thought out. Maybe it is better, but it needs to be verified.

 

[ThomasG]

My guess, and I stress GUESS, Elon wished he was born in the Future an instead of accepting, he is building the future today. He is really just a person fantasizing about utopian futures.

That may well be the point. If cars eventual are self-driving, the driver controls will become irrelevant. As one who likes being in control, I probably am more questioning of this future and prefer to be able to drive the thing myself. There are many who will decry that desire for self-determination and insist we place ourselves in the hands of tech.

 

[ThomasG]

Ummm, I'm thinking you haven't been paying attention to the advantages that have been identified:

1) Safety (it's impossible to grip the yoke in a position that would eject your wrists into your face).

2) Ergonomics (there is no longer a need to adjust steering height to the only position that allows the driver to see the gages). It can be adjusted to the height that is least likely to be a literal pain-in-the-neck on a long drive.x

3) Visibility (creates a more open, airy feeling in the cabin with a better view of everything above the steering column).

Err, point 1, how can you not put the yoke in a position that will not spit your wrists in the wrong direction?

Point 2, Tesla is moving the instrument panel to the center of the car on the 3 and apparently the truck. How does the wheel interfere with seeing it? I am not keen on having to move my eyes in two directions to check speed and other issues, but I don't count.

Point 3, if there is nothing to see in front of the wheel, what difference does it make?

I am not saying that the yoke may not turn into a better driver/vehicle interface, but I am not seeing anyone talking about that part.

 

[John K]

That may well be the point. If cars eventual are self-driving, the driver controls will become irrelevant. As one who likes being in control, I probably am more questioning of this future and prefer to be able to drive the thing myself. There are many who will decry that desire for self-determination and insist we place ourselves in the hands of tech.

I enjoy control when pleasure driving. I would love automation for my commute. I would like to take control of some drivers on the road.

I would be thrilled with the ability to tell some cars to take control and lock out inputs from some drivers. Alas, it is a dream.

 

[Mikutow]

Do we think hand over hand turning isn't gonna be a problem with a yoke? I can't see this working very well. I mean, yes we will probably get used to it, but seems like it would be easy to lose track of the contact points. Can anyone provide any first hand feedback on driving with a yoke. (Race car feedback is okay, but not really applicable for daily driving)

 

[Quicksilver]

Well judging by the poll it looks like the yoke is on us.



I'll just see myself out.

 

[Crissa]

You shouldn't be doing hand over hand.

And you really shouldn't be in a situation where your airbags will deploy if you're turned so severely. That just seems like a tiny edge case.

-Crissa

 

[Zabhawkin]

For me it is preference, I plan on using the Cyber like I currently use my trucks and 4X4's where being able to grab the wheel at almost any location is helpful. I will give it a chance though and if it doesn't work out it looks like Unplugged performance may have an aftermarket wheel available.

 

[John K]

with power steering, hand over hand is replace with single hand palm pressure spinning the wheel.

large vehicles excluded. I guess my personal teething period with a yoke would be reversing in the CT. Less reliance on turning the body to look back and focus on sensors may take me more adjustment. The steering wheel type plays less of an impact for me.

 

[RVAC]

I haven't priced it. The yoke does seem to have more surface area and less clutter than the wheels I've seen with this many controls on it though.

The comparison is the same wheel with yoke vs round shape not with other automakers steering wheels.

 

[Ogre]

Marques Brownlee was critical of the yoke when he took delivery of his MS Plaid.



Here's the difference in a nutshell between people who judge a thing based on little to no experience and actually living with the thing.

 

[John K]

Marques Brownlee was critical of the yoke when he took delivery of his MS Plaid.



Here's the difference in a nutshell between people who judge a thing based on little to no experience and actually living with the thing.

Give me a CT so I may make informed judgement posts. (Did it work?)

 

[Sirfun]

Give me a CT so I may make informed judgement posts. (Did it work?)

GIVE? I'll pay full price!!

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