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Would you buy a car without a steering wheel?

I wonder if it weaves in and out of traffic; runs up the left lane and cuts in at the last moment so it can turn right; speeds up when it notices the car ahead and in the next lane puts the blinker on to pull in front of you; drives threw parking lots rather than wait for the red light when turning right.

If not it will never make it in the fast pace of todays world.
 
John,
Are you a semi driver?
You just described a deadly form of road rage which kills as many as drunks. Sounds like you know first hand how crazies drive.
 
Mutt and Jeff.
How many post here are not tractor related? Do you complain about them too? Give me a break.
Go ahead and report this post for not mentioning a tractor. Bet my post doesn't go poof!!
 
Never, I won't even buy one with an automatic transmission. Wife and I have six vehicles and they are all straight drives. Cellphones and GPS are both about useless in my area, I doubt if a self driving car would get very far either.
 
I looked at Toyota Yaris and didn't think I'd like a center mounted dash. So no steering wheel or brake pedal , no way !
 
Russ from MN,
Some cars don't have an ignition switch. No key. Push button for start/stop.

Would you buy a tractor without a steering wheel?
 
I still just can't wrap my mind around how that would work.

Maybe in a totally controlled environment where every car was in communication with each other, on a set course or limited to the controlled area, yes.

But in the real world, where other drivers and pedestrians are doing what they do best, making bad decisions, no way!

I can see it avoiding collisions, as in stopping in time, but it can't think! It can't anticipate, it can't reason it's way around an unforeseen obstacle.

With no driver input, what happens if the chosen route is obstructed? Does it just sit there until the way is clear instead of taking an alternate route?

How would it respond to a police officer directing traffic? Would it know the difference in an officer and a car jacker?

I think I'll hold on to my steering wheel for a while yet!
 
(quoted from post at 08:50:58 10/04/18) Mutt and Jeff.
[b:ab38cbb8d7]How many post here are not tractor related?[/b:ab38cbb8d7]
Click to expand...

Too many. Why not use the Off Topic forum?

Looking forward to someone explaining why they don't use OT.

I do know the real answer to that.
 
Interesting.

On a lighter note, in the late 1960s, I helped a friend install a 62, dual quad 409/409 in a 57 Chevy. He was renovating the interior at the same time and the seats were out. The steering wheel was also removed.

After completing the engine swap, the owner could not resist taking it for a drive.

No problem. Vise grips on the steering column and a "bucket" seat. A real bucket seat, i.e., an inverted galvanized bucket, I rode along on my own bucket seat.

It was a HD three speed stick and quite a handful even with proper seat and steering wheel.

We all did silly things when young.

Dean
 
Maybe,I've bought lots of tractors that were missing steering wheels,some with no wheels,some with no motor,lot with no hoods or fenders,no steering wheel is a small issue(LOL)
 
GPS only needs a clear view of the sky to work. GPS operates off of satellites, independent of cell service. Now cell based location services, that's another story.
 
truthfully what a boring ride.. I personally like to drive.. however figure it this way.. most airplanes are on auto mode from take off to landing.. pilot is there just incase..
I ride once in awhile with a buddy who has a lear Jet. I get to ride up front with him.. AMAZING what these aircraft can do..

So figure that if all cars were automatic and talked to the ones next to.. prob would minimize accidents and would mostlikely have no need for traffic lights in the future..
 
My Father bought a S-10 Chevy brand new in 1987. The steering wheel was an extra charge and it was a plain old steering wheel. He was glad he bought it.
 
Buy one? I wouldn't even get in one, even if the ride was free.

Someone below mentioned just needing a clear view of the sky for GPS to work. They just finished a zillion dollar tunnel under Seattle that is several miles long. And there are several tunnels in the Cascade mountain passes. What then?
 


I like having something to hold onto--that actually controls where the car is going. I grew up driving in extreme conditions and see that many drivers now cannot handle driving even in the best of conditions. Doesn't help that I live in an area of Maryland that boasts some of the worst drivers in the whole USA.

There are going to be a lot of casualties resulting from these initial driver-less cars. I guess the car companies are just factoring the resulting costs/lawsuits into the overall cost of developing the technology. I for one don't want to be a crash-dummy.
 
(quoted from post at 09:18:56 10/04/18) You don't have to be semi driver to notice how the more-important-than-you azzwholes drive. TDF
Click to expand...
I think they are the same ones that where the black hearing aid thingy on there ear with a tiny mic coming out of it.

Often seen in Walmart in their wife beater shirts, jean shorts and lumber jack boots. Often times sporting a long greasy grey ponytail to distract from the balding dome.
 
I had a CASE VAO I hauled in a 30 mile tractor drive in the 80's to try to make the public aware of poor returns for Farmers. It had no steering wheel or seat. It had a sign that said "THIS TRACTOR NEEDS NO SEAT OR STEERING WHEEL. IT IS FOR THE FARMER WHO LOST HIS A-- AND DOESN'T KNOW WHICH WAY TO TURN"
Dave
 
Guys hate to be the bearer of bad news.......No, no it don't hate it!!!! But driverless cars are in the future, not too distant future...... They are going to be a tuff sell though. As someone noted it won't speed, will slow down during bad weather, won't tailgate, won't unless it's completely safe do do any number of dumb or illegal things we see every day now. For a certain segment of the population this is going to be unacceptable. How ever some are looking forward to it. My electrical engineer son in law thinks it will be great because he will be able to check emails and do online work related things while going to or from work. Yes, the younger folks will most likely love it.

For the folks that insist on manual transmissions? In a few short years if buying new the only way to get a manual is going to be in high end sports cars. Even now semis have been going over to autos for a few DECADES! Going to get harder and harder to find a used vehicle with a manual. Not trying to rub it in, just an observation.

Rick
 
Probably be a lot safer than the cabs in DC and NY are now.It'll be great for older people and if they make them run the speed limit and not get drunk it'll really cut down on accidents.
 
Don't forget this spring when the owner of that software company in Florida got decapped in his Tesla. They are not full auto pilot but he was playing a video game and broadsided a tractor trailer. Trailer was white. System didn't see it.
 
How many people have died at the hand of drunk drivers driving their own cars since then? Or have have run stop signs they didn't see driving their own cars? I'd imagine there will always be accidents since there always has been.Probably more people get killed driving cars now in accidents than when everyone drove a horse and buggy or we could lower the speed limit to 10 MPH that would cut down on traffic deaths.
 
I doubt if the autonomous car is guided by satellites alone. The car probably uses a combination of satellites and stationary towers scattered around the countryside. Tall buildings, trees, bridges etc can mess with satellite signal. When a farm tractor has auto steer it can be guided several ways. One way is the free satellite signal that is moderately accurate, maybe down to 6"-10" stray one way or the other because of satellite drift and atmospheric conditions. Another guidance method is called RTK or Real Time Kinnetics. This involves a combination of satellites and an earth based transmitting tower. The tower doesn't drift so the auto steer computer has one constantly solid point to triangulate on. This puts the steering and repeatable pass accuracy down to sub-inch and it can be remembered by the computer so the tractor can drive down those same tracks next year.


I read where Honda has invested with Chevy on this idea. I had to read it twice, couldn't wrap it around my head a Japanese car company and US car company are joining together in a new venture. Sometimes we don't know what goes on behind closed doors.

One of my tractors has auto steer. Getting used to turning around to look out the back window at the trailing implement while on the go took awhile, especially when the tractor is driving between the rows where steering needs to be accurate. However, I still have a steering wheel in front of me for emergencies and I'm running only 5-8 MPH and I'm not in crazy traffic.
 
(quoted from post at 11:06:28 10/04/18) I doubt if the autonomous car is guided by satellites alone. The car probably uses a combination of satellites and stationary towers scattered around the countryside. Tall buildings, trees, bridges etc can mess with satellite signal. When a farm tractor has auto steer it can be guided several ways. One way is the free satellite signal that is moderately accurate, maybe down to 6"-10" stray one way or the other because of satellite drift and atmospheric conditions. Another guidance method is called RTK or Real Time Kinnetics. This involves a combination of satellites and an earth based transmitting tower. The tower doesn't drift so the auto steer computer has one constantly solid point to triangulate on. This puts the steering and repeatable pass accuracy down to sub-inch and it can be remembered by the computer so the tractor can drive down those same tracks next year.


I read where Honda has invested with Chevy on this idea. I had to read it twice, couldn't wrap it around my head a Japanese car company and US car company are joining together in a new venture. Sometimes we don't know what goes on behind closed doors.

One of my tractors has auto steer. Getting used to turning around to look out the back window at the trailing implement while on the go took awhile, especially when the tractor is driving between the rows where steering needs to be accurate. However, I still have a steering wheel in front of me for emergencies and I'm running only 5-8 MPH and I'm not in crazy traffic.
Click to expand...

O yes, I mentioned farm tractor in my post so now this post is legal. LOL
 
(quoted from post at 15:36:28 10/04/18)
I read where Honda has invested with Chevy on this idea. I had to read it twice, couldn't wrap it around my head a Japanese car company and US car company are joining together in a new venture. Sometimes we don't know what goes on behind closed doors.
Click to expand...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NUMMI

http://www2.mazda.com/en/publicity/release/2010/201008/100826a.html

https://www.nytimes.com/1985/04/16/...-build-small-cars-jointly-in-the-midwest.html
 
Those 'left lane until cutting in at last moment to turn right' people, I do so enjoy spotting them coming and blocking them. It's become a hobby.
 
It ought to be a real circus when one of us old goobers, driving a 1967 Chevy pickup,towing a
trailer,with a tractor on it,(with non YTDOT tie downs) gets in the middle of a herd of self drivers and
tries to change lanes doing 20 mph under the speed limit.
 
fixerupper,
Do you think the YT police really cares if we mention TRACTORS??
If they did, many posts wouldn't be here very long.

KIM, do you care??
 
Yesterday the wife and I took a drive out to some out of the way places out in the desert... many of these places don't have real roads to them or the roads are rough and you have to navigate around rocks and holes. These are not "off road" trails, we took her passenger car. So, how would these driverless cars do this? Would I need to use some special off road vehicle to get off the road and explore? My family and I go out and explore, fish, hunt, whatever on a regular basis- I don't see how these driverless rigs could navigate to these areas and I don't think I should have to by an additional off road vehicle to go out and play in the woods or desert. So, I seriously doubt driverless cars will replace traditional vehicles- they may be an option but not for everyone.
 
"I doubt if the autonomous car is guided by satellites alone. The car probably uses a combination of satellites and stationary towers scattered around the countryside."

That's true, and even if the guidance system is dead on, it will have to have constant updates to guide it around temporary lane closures or detours, planned or unplanned.

How can that be implemented?
 
Here is your answer to driving in the desert.
I remember seeing a driverless car, Google maps car, going up
and down the streets of Terre Haute many years ago mapping and photographing everything.

Google maps has already done that years ago.
link
 
Dean I also bought a 57 chevy 210 model red in 1962 without engine,trans and front & back seats. Paid 25.00 for it and put a 283 bored to 301 with 3 on the floor. Was able to locate seats and then had a runner. One night missed a turn and car ended up on roof leaning against a house. No one hurt but sorry to see the car junked.
 

I will not own a car without a steering wheel, nor will I ride in any autonomous vehicle. If it comes to that, I will just place an order on-line for what I need and have it delivered.
 
Like I say guys they are coming. Not today or tomorrow but surely within the next ten years or so.

Rick
 
George I didn't mean anything against you. It was merely in jest. I've made quite a few non-tractor posts on TT myself.
 
The only trouble with that speed is the idiots on bicycles. That is about the speed they vear all over the road at.
 
fixerupper,
I posted self driving car because I feel Artificial
Intelligence is going to revolutionize everything in ways we
can't imagine.

A self driving semi successfully made a 120 mile beer run in
Colorado.

Google maps have over 1.7 million miles on self driving cars.

I can't wait for a self driving lawn mower.

I wouldn't be surprised if a self driving tractor couldn't do
everything someday while a farmer watches a monitor from a
recliner.

Not really sure I want to give up my steering wheel or ride in
a self driving Uber.
 
Since I don't like to drive drunk anymore than necessary there should something in it for me. Long as it does not tell my wife where we been, sounds good to me.
 
How would you control where you park? If you want it in the garage or in the driveway? Or pull it around to the shed? Park it off to one side of the shed or the other? I?m pretty sure my driveways are not GPS mapped but maybe they are
 
The self driving cars will be more expensive to purchase and more expensive to maintain.

For the self driving part to work, all the input sensors will need to be maintained in top order. It's not unlike the requirements for autopilots on commercial airliners (which can and do fail due to component issues). I don't know what or if any redundancy is built into these cars. Replacing sensors will likely require special calibration and/or procedures that is beyond joe bob's backyard garage. When the car with no steering wheel decides that it's too sick to drive itself then you are dead in the water, no reversion of any kind available.

Apparently there are still significant issue with these thing driving in inclement weather. Road salt? Mud? Flying Rocks? Cow Poo? I haven't seen any article where any manufacturers are addressing the needs and issues for rural customers. How do you meander through a pasture checking cows when you have no steering wheel?

For the money, I just don't see the average working class American being able to buy into these systems. IMO it's mostly media hype and "shiny new toy" syndrome.
 
Bingo!

In spite of their astonishing speed at executing millions of calculations, computers are still *reactive* rather than *proactive*. They are always slightly behind the most recent data; not good at filling in missing pieces.

When you see some kids playing in a yard near a road you instinctively slow down. You make eye contact with people wanting to cross a street or people pulling into traffic or entering the road from odd intersections. We "see into the future" so to speak.

When I was flying, we spent a significant amount of time in cruise flight reading the clouds to help find the best ride or if we needed to deviate around some of them, even if the radar wasn't painting them. In inclement weather we were quite busy driving around the worst of it. No autopilot can do that.
 
The real test will be if the public will continue to support them after someone loads one with explosives and sends it on a one-
way mission.
 
This summer I had to use a ride service to get to a Drs appt. that I was not supposed to drive home from. I told them Google Maps cannot find me when I out in my address. When they finally got here they said GPS took them nearly 3 miles away. My address is on my mailbox.
 
Google maps has a few issues.
It won't work in New Orleans.
It won't work at Mt Washington.
There are holes in a very small % of it's directions.
You have to be smart enough to know when it makes a mistake.
The thing about AI, programming mistakes can be corrected.
Humans will continue to make mistakes. Can't fix stupid.
 
(quoted from post at 21:53:58 10/04/18) Bingo!

In spite of their astonishing speed at executing millions of calculations, computers are still *reactive* rather than *proactive*. They are always slightly behind the most recent data; not good at filling in missing pieces.

When you see some kids playing in a yard near a road you instinctively slow down. You make eye contact with people wanting to cross a street or people pulling into traffic or entering the road from odd intersections. We "see into the future" so to speak.

When I was flying, we spent a significant amount of time in cruise flight reading the clouds to help find the best ride or if we needed to deviate around some of them, even if the radar wasn't painting them. In inclement weather we were quite busy driving around the worst of it. No autopilot can do that.
Click to expand...

Agree 100%. NO computer is any smarter than the HUMAN that wrote the programming.
 
Not in Texas. A 360 degree wheel is a requirement......Origin was back in the 50-60 era where custom shops were coming up with this and that to outdo competition. They would cut the top and bottom ⅓ off the circle making the wheel more like the looks of aircraft wheels. Texas said not on our state roadways....or something of the sort.
 


CenTex: Al good points but I assure you they have already addressed some of this and are working on the rest. Like I say it isn't ready for world wide deployment. The story linked by the OP states that they expect to release them in cities for cab companies first. I'm still guessing that one for everyones driveway won't be available for at least 10 years. No one really likes change. But it's going to happen, change that is. It always does. I personally think the developers of this are a little optimistic as to when it's going to be 100%.

As far as the sensors being replaced? From what I understand all they do is read stuff like an obstacle. Kinda like parking assistance on my wife's car. Because all they are is a reader as long as the correct diagnosis was made they should be pretty much plug and play.

Rick
 
Here's a recent article that originated from Jalopnik about modern car repairs. Now granted that these are outliers at this time
but I believe they indicate a trend.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/ownership/this-kia-costs-dollar34000-to-repair-and-its-not-alone/ar-BBNwb2u?
li=BBnb7Kz&scrlybrkr=968e2ae4

I agree the self driving cars can be made to work in stable environments where road changes and conditions can be readily
monitored and updated and where broken cars can be quickly retrieved. There's talk of "geo-fencing" the cars to keep them in
defined areas. Makes sense to me.
 
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