Peteski wrote: ↑Wed May 23, 2018 12:11 pm
Well if that scares you then you probably don't want to go on a modern passenger jet.
It isn't usually the technology that is scary - more who makes and maintains it
Modern jets have a much more rigorous maintenance schedule than cars, carried to a higher standard than garages do, back up systems and highly trained people in control (how many drivers are trained to handle skidding?), problems identified can trigger immediate checks and any serious incidents are investigated and no one trying to fob off to avoid warranty costs.
Paul wrote: ↑Wed May 23, 2018 10:09 am
Agree, you'd be surprised (or not) just how many “ ordinary” cars out there do not have a physical connection between the brake pedal and the hydraulic system....
Frightening.
Well if that scares you then you probably don't want to go on a modern passenger jet.
But
Inbuilt redundancy systems are incorporated within aircraft.
Col
Macan Turbo
Air, 20” wheels, ACC, Pano, SurCam, 14w, LEDs, PS+, Int Light Pack, Heated seats and Steering, spare wheel, SC, Privacy glass, PDK gear, SD mirrors, Met Black, rear airbags
Col Lamb wrote: ↑Wed May 23, 2018 11:38 am
Frightening.
Well if that scares you then you probably don't want to go on a modern passenger jet.
But
Inbuilt redundancy systems are incorporated within aircraft.
Same with brake-by-wire systems too. Engineers have given some thought to potential failure modes so you will always be able to brake the car. It's really not an issue. The bottom line is that modern cars are far more safe than anything built in the pre-computer era.
Couple of days later... software fix sent out OTA to Model 3 fleet. Consumer Report re-tested and change their report to "Recommended". Braking distance improved by 20 feet.
Good that Tesla can respond in this way. However, it's a bit scary that software tweaks can have this effect on braking performance, given what history tells us about software reliability.
Also, what does it say about Tesla's product development and testing when they release a car with below par braking that can be solved with a quick OTA software update?
Nuclear Nick wrote: ↑Thu May 31, 2018 7:47 am
Good that Tesla can respond in this way. However, it's a bit scary that software tweaks can have this effect on braking performance, given what history tells us about software reliability.
Also, what does it say about Tesla's product development and testing when they release a car with below par braking that can be solved with a quick OTA software update?
It's fair to say that some Tesla owners get frustrated with the way they go about software development and there are certainly some bugs in it and plenty of work in progress. But overall I wouldn't swap it for anything else on the market. It's not like everyone else's software is flawless anyway. Our Nissan has a habit of randomly rebooting the main screen and service couldn't fix it. A quick Google suggested it was a feature of the model. It had a recall for some dodgy parking brake behaviour too. These things happen to all manufacturers, not just Tesla.
If we turn to Porsche then their flat 6 engine was suspect for many years in the 996 and 997.1 era. The likes of Hartech and Autofarm had good business fixing their fundamental flaws. But there was hardly any media attention at all and Porsche never even officially acknowledged a problem. It was only fixed with the DFI engine in the 997.2 onward. So what does that say about Porsche testing and development?
Quite agree that such things are not confined to Tesla. My BMW GSA bike has pretty ineffective grip heaters. It was the first of a new model (2014) and despite BMW's marketing hype that they'd tested it over millions of miles in all climates they still got it wrong. They fixed it the next model year but refused to do anything about existing bikes, claiming there was no design fault! And of course there are similar stories about many manufacturers, hence the common advice not to be an early adopter.
It's one thing though to have non safety related issues, but to have software bugs in critical items like braking systems seems a little risky. I am no doubt old fashioned but I like the idea of a pretty solid hydromechanical connection between my size 10 boot and the brake pads!
Don't get me wrong though, I'm no unswaying fan of Porsche believing they can do no wrong. I've long been impressed by the performance figures for the Teslas and took a test drive quite a long time ago when they first appeared in Bristol. I like the concept a lot but it's going to take a while for me as a lifelong petrol head to get into owning one!
Nuclear Nick wrote: ↑Thu May 31, 2018 5:59 pm
Quite agree that such things are not confined to Tesla. My BMW GSA bike has pretty ineffective grip heaters. It was the first of a new model (2014) and despite BMW's marketing hype that they'd tested it over millions of miles in all climates they still got it wrong. They fixed it the next model year but refused to do anything about existing bikes, claiming there was no design fault! And of course there are similar stories about many manufacturers, hence the common advice not to be an early adopter.
It's one thing though to have non safety related issues, but to have software bugs in critical items like braking systems seems a little risky. I am no doubt old fashioned but I like the idea of a pretty solid hydromechanical connection between my size 10 boot and the brake pads!
Don't get me wrong though, I'm no unswaying fan of Porsche believing they can do no wrong. I've long been impressed by the performance figures for the Teslas and took a test drive quite a long time ago when they first appeared in Bristol. I like the concept a lot but it's going to take a while for me as a lifelong petrol head to get into owning one!
+1
Well said Nick.
It took BMW 6 months to sort out a tyre sensor on my RT, glad to get rid of the agricultural tractor in the end.
Col
Macan Turbo
Air, 20” wheels, ACC, Pano, SurCam, 14w, LEDs, PS+, Int Light Pack, Heated seats and Steering, spare wheel, SC, Privacy glass, PDK gear, SD mirrors, Met Black, rear airbags