Auto Pilot vs. lane sharing motorcycles

[joebiker25]

I have my 2016 MS on order with AP etc due to deliver in a few weeks. I can't wait to use the auto steer on my stop and go traffic commute in the car pool lane! Since I am in CA, lane sharing is legal and there is a steady stream of motorcycles filtering between lane#1 and Lane #2 requiring lane #1 drivers to move to the left to make way whenever possible. Since AP keeps the Tesla in the center of the lane, wouldn't moving the steering wheel to the left even a little disengage AP?
I would love some insight from the CA drivers.
Thanks

 

[mach.89]

I have my 2016 MS on order with AP etc due to deliver in a few weeks. I can't wait to use the auto steer on my stop and go traffic commute in the car pool lane! Since I am in CA, lane sharing is legal and there is a steady stream of motorcycles filtering between lane#1 and Lane #2 requiring lane #1 drivers to move to the left to make way whenever possible. Since AP keeps the Tesla in the center of the lane, wouldn't moving the steering wheel to the left even a little disengage AP?
I would love some insight from the CA drivers.
Thanks

I worry about this whenever I'm sitting in stop and go traffic on the 405, usually in the HOV lane... I always have my hand on wheel ready to steer left while disengaging AP if I see a motorcycle splitting the lane coming up and there's little room. Rarely do I have to actually disengage AP, but it's not a big deal if I do. Most of the time I just let it sit in the middle of the lane like most cars, but sometimes I'll disengage it and give a little more room. So easy to re-engage that I really don't think about it much.

 

[JoshG]

Yes, that's exactly what happens. You move the wheel left as the motorcycle comes up and that disengages the autopilot. (It does keep TACC on). then you have to re-engage AP. It's an annoyance to be sure.

 

[joebiker25]

Thanks! Given the wide stance of the MS, moving a little over would be the wise thing to do for many reasons. It will be annoying to do so every few minutes or more!
P.S. I am a weekend biker as well but very rarely share lanes as I am never in that big a hurry on the weekends!

 

[jeffro01]

What I've found is if the traffic is moving, even a little bit, I can coerce the wheel to the left to create space without disengaging AP. It took a bit of practice but I'm reasonably good at it now. When traffic really isn't moving, say sub 5mph, then you're essentially forced to disengage AP.

As a motorcycle rider who lane splits, I try to operate my Tesla as I would like cars to operate when I'm on the bike...

Jeff

 

[S4WRXTTCS]

It pretty much makes AP worthless at least from my experience while I was visiting Cali. I just used TACC, and if I could move over in my lane then I did.

To be perfectly blunt I absolutely hated lane splitters, and found them nerve racking. I'm sure people that live there get used to it where it's not as distracting as I found it to be.

 

[SoccerMan94043]

I'm sure motorcycle riders will correct me, but from what I've read, they really don't want you to do anything other than be predictable. It's on them to make the splitting work safely not to mention all of the crap that people throw up by moving near the center divide.

I would love the option to fine tune where in the lane AP locks itself... it's generally too much to the right anyway (off center). Without that feature I am not going to keep turning AP on and off... the biker can wait until there is room and it's safe to split.

 

[jzhan]

I'm sure motorcycle riders will correct me, but from what I've read, they really don't want you to do anything other than be predictable. It's on them to make the splitting work safely not to mention all of the crap that people throw up by moving near the center divide.

I would love the option to fine tune where in the lane AP locks itself... it's generally too much to the right anyway (off center). Without that feature I am not going to keep turning AP on and off... the biker can wait until there is room and it's safe to split.

AFAIK, there is no clear guidance on lane splitting yet. It up to both the car and the motorcycle to make sure that no accident happens. I don't know if you have seen those running digital signs during events that remind the drivers that the road is shared by not only cars. You can say that responsibility falls on the motorcycle as long as the car is in lane, but if you want to be sure to not pin a motorcycle, the best thing to do in your interest is to give them more room. I give them more room because I don't want to end up in an accident regardless who is at fault.

 

[SoccerMan94043]

AFAIK, there is no clear guidance on lane splitting yet. It up to both the car and the motorcycle to make sure that no accident happens. I don't know if you have seen those running digital signs during events that remind the drivers that the road is shared by not only cars. You can say that responsibility falls on the motorcycle as long as the car is in lane, but if you want to be sure to not pin a motorcycle, the best thing to do in your interest is to give them more room. I give them more room because I don't want to end up in an accident regardless who is at fault.

Mostly I don't really know they are there until they are passing me; I'm not on a constant look out behind me when I'm not moving. That being said, it's my responsibility to ensure my safely and others when I make a lane change, pass someone, etc. Because someone is on a bike doesn't change this.

 

[suraj1194]

I have my 2016 MS on order with AP etc due to deliver in a few weeks. I can't wait to use the auto steer on my stop and go traffic commute in the car pool lane! Since I am in CA, lane sharing is legal and there is a steady stream of motorcycles filtering between lane#1 and Lane #2 requiring lane #1 drivers to move to the left to make way whenever possible. Since AP keeps the Tesla in the center of the lane, wouldn't moving the steering wheel to the left even a little disengage AP?
I would love some insight from the CA drivers.
Thanks

That's exactly what happens when you have AP enabled and steer left for a bike. Typically I don't always have AP on when in stop and go traffic. I just have TACC, and steer manually.

 

[joebiker25]

One of the key drivers in my decision to buy a MS was HOV lane access. As a biker myself, albeit one who rarely splits traffic, I am acutely aware of bikers coming up behind me when I am driving my car. I always move over a little to the left to make their pass easier and safer without entering the debris filled shoulder and risk a flat tire. I guess I will have to play around with AP when I get the car to figure out the most convenient driving style.

 

[JoeSky]

I worried about the same thing when I first got the S and turned on AP. My logic though was that most bikers probably have experience with the S+AP and will adapt. Sure enough, I haven't had any issues whatsoever. One biker who passed me happen to stop at the same coffee shop and I asked them about it and they confirmed that's usually what's said in biker circles. My ultimate signal is if I get an angry look/hand gesture from a biker given I didn't move over and haven't seen anything yet!

 

[chillaban]

Don't forget that even when you jerk the wheel to disengage Autosteer, TACC is still active. Your car will still maintain control over gas/throttle. It sounds like an annoyance but in practice I've not found it to be much of an annoyance.

If anything, Autopilot frees up a bit more of your attention so that you can proactively look for motorcycles.

It'd be great though if the car can do so automatically, but that has its perils too. Californian shoulders are often full of debris and I would like to make the judgement call whether I give the motorcyclist a ton of space, or just barely move over a sufficient amount in order to avoid road debris.

 

[ElectricTundra]

Slightly off topic but I'd prefer that they make the lanes a foot or two narrower and create a real lane for bikes.

 

[Cloxxki]

It would be nice if drivers could set an offset for AP to sit in the lane. More to the right or more to the left. Just one foot off center can make a difference if there is rubbish by the side if the road, lane sharing going on, trucks in the slow lane, etc.

 

[Wuggado?]

I'm sure motorcycle riders will correct me, but from what I've read, they really don't want you to do anything other than be predictable

I think there may be something to that. I don't usually have to deal with stop and go traffic, but the one time I did the motorcyclists seemed to have no problem with my car being centered in the lane as long as it was consistent. Having said that, once I realized they were coming and edged away from the split I did get appreciative waves from at least a couple of them.

On a related note, it seems at under 20 mph the car is no longer steering based on lane lines, but uses the car in front instead. If you happen to get behind a car that is giving plenty of clearance, then perhaps no correction is required. Conversely, if you get behind a bonehead, might as well disengage auto steer for a while.

 

[DoubleE]

In my experience, AP senses the motorcycles as they enter the rear sensor field and my vehicle immediately pulls left to give way.

Once the blind spot monitor turns red the car moves over.

There's still a lot of room for the motorcycles.

I feel like most are too nervous to let the bikes approach that close to their vehicles, but the car does exactly as expected and moves over to avoid any side collisions.

I'm confident that AP 8.0/8.1 will improve on this even more.

 

[joebiker25]

Thanks DoubleE! That is pretty incredible!!!

 

[MDMGSO47]

I have my 2016 MS on order with AP etc due to deliver in a few weeks. I can't wait to use the auto steer on my stop and go traffic commute in the car pool lane! Since I am in CA, lane sharing is legal and there is a steady stream of motorcycles filtering between lane#1 and Lane #2 requiring lane #1 drivers to move to the left to make way whenever possible. Since AP keeps the Tesla in the center of the lane, wouldn't moving the steering wheel to the left even a little disengage AP?
I would love some insight from the CA drivers.
Thanks

Excuse me for saying so, but allowing motorcycles to drive between cars "sharing the lane" has to be the dumbest law ever. On the other hand, it does serve to "thin the herd" and furthers natural selection of the people in cars over the idiots riding between cars on a freeway

 

[jzhan]

Excuse me for saying so, but allowing motorcycles to drive between cars "sharing the lane" has to be the dumbest law ever. On the other hand, it does serve to "thin the herd" and furthers natural selection of the people in cars over the idiots riding between cars on a freeway

I'm not a rider but what you are saying shows your lack of understanding of lane splitting.
First of all, there is no such law in California AFAIK yet. It's still in the work. Corrected. There is actually a law now.
Second of all, in stop and go traffic in SoCal and NorCal, the traffic flow average below 20mph on most sections of the freeways. It also just happens that the carpool dividers are often double yellow with even larger white outlines. It is more than sufficient to drive a Smart through, so it's has sufficient room for a motorcycle for most of the sections of the freeways. As long as they go say +15mph to traffic flow there shouldn't be any problem.
Last of all, if anyone is dumb enough to do lane splitting at 70mph, he probably knows that he will crash and burn and will do so regardless the guidance or law.