Offroad Video By Normal Guy

[OIIIIIIIO]

Looking at the slow motion part trying to climb the hill, notice how little articulation the suspension has. The front almost looks static. Had a wheel in the air off this minor divot.

 

[HaulingAss]

I don't understand... How can a software update give you lockers ? You either have them or you don't. Unless it has a motor at each wheel then in that case it would not even need diffs.

The Dual Motor Cybertruck has front and rear locking differentials. They just haven't been activated yet.

 

[cybercoffee]

what does “offroad” mode do, if not make it send power to all 4 wheels?

if its true that the other 3 tires were in contact, then I still don’t get pointing to lockers.

pardon my ignorance because I haven't offroaded seriously--just easy trails with my taco off-road --but I was always under the impression that, if you don't have lockers, and one wheel is off the ground, then that wheel gets all the torque, so you spin and you get nowhere. if you have a locking diff, then power will go to the left front wheel in the video, and that may be enough to get you over--which didn't happen in the video. as I understand it, AWD teslas typically use braking to "lock" the free spinning wheel, and maybe that's not optimized or implemented yet in the cybertruck in the video, but I was also under the impression that that was an imperfect solution to the problem even when it is implemented.

 

[cvalue13]

This “Subaru made it hahah” talk only shows more inexperienced 4x4ers on this forum. … Or should we talk drive dynamics of a 6600lbs 18 ft long vehicle vs 3300lbs 15 long vehicle ?

(Yes, sub has shorter wheelbase but…)

obvious that different vehicles do things differently, that wheelbase matters, etc.

the equally obvious and relevant point, instead, is that the CT is expected to be a far more capable a vehicle.

The obstacle isn’t that great - as shown by the Subaru. The driver’s inexperience isn’t the difference maker - as shown by the Subaru.

And the CT didn’t fail to get up once, on a bad line. It tried many times. The Subaru got up first time.

so the point isn’t that the Subaru is better. Or that a bicycle is better.

it’s that the Cybertruck is supposed to be so much better, that narrow explanations like wheelbase aren’t needed.

or tires? They’re ATs. Aired down to 30PSI. What’s the Subaru on?

More important: does it matter?

 

[cvalue13]

pardon my ignorance because I haven't offroaded seriously--just easy trails with my taco off-road --but I was always under the impression that, if you don't have lockers, and one wheel is off the ground, then that wheel gets all the torque, so you spin and you get nowhere. if you have a locking diff, then power will go to the left front wheel in the video, and that may be enough to get you over--which didn't happen in the video. as I understand it, AWD teslas typically use braking to "lock" the free spinning wheel, and maybe that's not optimized or implemented yet in the cybertruck in the video, but I was also under the impression that that was an imperfect solution to the problem even when it is implemented.

mom not trying to suggest this video and its context is the sum total of the Cybertruck’s “rating” offroad.

Yes, for all the reasons you stated, lockers would’ve helped in this situation.

So would’ve better articulation. Better tires. Bigger tires. Better software. A shorter wheelbase.

Or, just instead being a Subaru.

Which is sort of the (limited) point: this is the Cybertruck, taken as found.


But hey, I and others have long said if you want an offroad vehicle don’t select a long wheelbase truck, with an OEM independent air suspension.

Said over the loud objections of of hopium-fueled assertions that the CT would leap tall buildings with a single bound, be a Rivian-killer offroad, etc.

Which is describing a sort of thing that shouldn’t need lockers to get up that obstacle.

 

[dandor]

The Cybertruck is a 6600 lb vehicle with a long wheel base and sporting road efficient "all-terrain tires." What do people expect???

I guess people were expecting the Cybertruck to be the following $50,000 to be happy. One of the best off-roading vehicles ever made, 0 to 60 in 3 seconds, 500 mile range, efficiency of 3 mi/kWh, be able to tow 400 miles non-stop, and have an 8 foot bed. Even if all those were true at $50,000, people here would still complain.

 

[cvalue13]

The Cybertruck is a 6600 lb vehicle with a long wheel base and sporting road efficient "all-terrain tires." What do people expect???

can you help me to understand how the 6600lbs, in a truck with this hp/torque, aired down to 30PSI, is such a downside for it in this scenario that it just brushes away the other factors at play?

 

[SentinelOne]

Not overly impressive but it's early still. Tesla is a sw company, I have faith that Tesla will refine / add features to the software that will enable the CT to be competitive with Peers (and definitely better than a Subaru)....activation of the lockers is a big step, refinement of the traction control / off-road modes is a big step, adding / activating downhill mode (can't think of the name) is a big step, suspension refinement is a big step, tweaks to charging/bms is a big step - by the time most of us get our trucks it will be much more sorted and far superior than today! All that being said, my off-road skills are about like the video so it may not be enough ....but I learned a long time ago that taking an expensive vehicle offroading breaks things and get's pricy...best left to my dirt bikes with some CT moderate / non narrow trail offroading (gotta test it to know). I may bitch about range / towing because I wanted it, but regardless I CANT WAIT!

 

[Woodrick]

I get your sentiment but it's natural for people to compare things. Essentially every car youtube channel exists to make comparisons. I could walk up that hill in $5 shoes from the thrift store but it doesn't change the premise of why people make the comparison to other vehicles - some buyers want to go remote places and bring their family/things along with them.

They expect this truck to be capable and to see it fail when another vehicle most would consider less capable makes it is tough to watch. You can say weight or length and yes they play factors, but that CT not getting up that hill was far more software/systems kicking in and restricting the slip then anything else which is why I have hope they'll be able to fix these things. This is Tesla's first vehicle designed to go off-road, they're going to need to tweak things.

On roads, Tesla has one of the most advanced traction control systems out there. Try to spin the rear tires. It's obvious that the motor has enough power to easily do so. Try to do a donut, the vehicle just won't do it.
Have you seen the drag races where the other car loses wheel grip and just spins at the start? But the Tesla never does? In a Tesla, you can completely floor the car and the wheels won't spin. Try that in any other muscle car.

When the Model S came out and for years after that, it wasn't a track car. Sure, it does well in a drag race, but once the road bends, it wasn't that great. I think that it was even after Plaid was developed, and people started complaining, that Tesla added "Track" mode. "Track" mode does a number of things, but one of the bigger things is that it changes the traction control routines.
This was done because sliding in the curve is something that does help with speed and before track mode, the car just wouldn't slide, the traction control kept it from doing so. So Track mode changes the traction control to be optimal for track conditions.

This is an example of how Tesla can indeed optimize the vehicle for different environments. I'm sure that they got a lot of information from the Baja run and the other well publicized not so great runs and are working on solutions as I type.

Heck, they are probably also sitting there thinking of how autopilot/FSD could just analyze and do it for you.

So with 99.99% certainty, wait for "More to Come!"

 

[Woodrick]

So tesla just installed some lockers in the CT without thinking about whether or not the diffs / cvs could handle it or when and how to use it ? And they just sell off vehicles that have features/selling points that are incomplete ?

And that's the MOST AWESOME THING ABOUT TESLA!

They aren't complete. They are forever changing. You have to get rid of that old world thinking.
The hardware has the ability. It's now time for the software folks to have some fun with it.

A Tesla is not like any other legacy vehicle where you know what features it will have in 10 years, because they are the exact same as the day you bought it.

 

[Baldyloxx]

Hurry up and wait…

 

[Coolbreeze704]

Concerning but early. I don't want to react yet much like I have held back on the early range threads.

I do desire great off-road performance from the CT within the limits of it being a truck. It is not a Wrangler or a Bronco but I would like to see solid performance as Tesla dials in this platform.

 

[OIIIIIIIO]

And that's the MOST AWESOME THING ABOUT TESLA!

They aren't complete. They are forever changing. You have to get rid of that old world thinking.
The hardware has the ability. It's now time for the software folks to have some fun with it.

A Tesla is not like any other legacy vehicle where you know what features it will have in 10 years, because they are the exact same as the day you bought it.

trucks from the 90s had e-lockers. Its not rocket science. Tesla obviously shit the bed on this

 

[Defiant]

trucks from the 90s had e-lockers. Its not rocket science. Tesla obviously shit the bed on this

I agree that e-lockers are not new, at the same time there is a tremendous amount of torque that is instantly available that was pretty unheard of in the 90’s.

It could be a possibility that Tesla is trying to have the software recognize when to safely engage/disengage the lockers so that torque doesn’t damage them. It may not be a simple on off switch. If they’re trying to make it to where the software can detect when to automatically engage the lockers, that could be a whole other issue.

As others have mentioned, that is one of the beauties of owning a Tesla, it keeps getting better. ?

 

[OIIIIIIIO]

I agree that e-lockers are not new, at the same time there is a tremendous amount of torque that is instantly available that was pretty unheard of in the 90’s.

It could be a possibility that Tesla is trying to have the software recognize when to safely engage/disengage the lockers so that torque doesn’t damage them. It may not be a simple on off switch. If they’re trying to make it to where the software can detect when to automatically engage the lockers, that could be a whole other issue.

As others have mentioned, that is one of the beauties of owning a Tesla, it keeps getting better. ?

I agree that will all the torque the CT has it will absolutely destroy the diffs and probably the cvs. Ifs/irs does not do well locked. Even if a rubicon came with 1000 lb/ft of torque it would snap axles and blow ring gears and dana 44s are much beefier than the CTs axles/suspension. So perhaps tesla found themselves in a bit of a pickle with this one because they know that customers are going to be destroying their new vehicles.