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Tesla CyberTruck on obstacle course ha ha

Effonefiddy Lightning

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Did anyone post this hilarity yet, lol!!!
Somebody did a few days ago. From what I read and heard, its not that easy of a trail and if it was, it wouldn't be much of a challenging course if every truck made it through without being challenged. Watching one video of tire slippage doesn't mean much.
 

Pioneer74

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I don't see the big deal. Some programming tweaks, maybe some better tires and it'll make it up easier.
 

Monkey

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People are overreacting to the Cybertruck clip, as expected. Based on commentary of other locals who go off-roading there and then seeing the Lightning do it and some other Jeeps and such also do it, there's plenty of wheel spinning with the loose silty dust on the hard trail. IMO, what the Cybertruck video tells me is that they probably needed a more experienced driver and/or the torque and traction control software is not well optimized just yet. And this testing could be part of that. Maybe air-down the tires a bit. This is a big nothing-burger. The Rivian R1T got laughed at and berated for months and labeled "unimpressive" or "lacking" in off-road performance.... But then once reviewers started driving them and customers started getting the trucks, the tune changed and it turns out they kinda kick some ass when off road. I will reserve judgement until CTs are in reviewer and customer hands. Regardless of what people may think about the looks of the CT. I don't think it's going to fall short in capability. Practicality of the sloped bedsides and other aspects due to its shape still remain to be demonstrated/proven...
 

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RickKeen

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ctuan13

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The article mentions the Cybertruck perhaps has no locking rear diff? They said it looked typical of open diffs. Could be a large differentiator for 4wd.
Well if the Cybertruck really does have a tri-motor setup with two motors in the rear like the Hummer EV, then yeah it definitely doesn't have a locking rear diff which honestly makes all the difference in the world. One of my favorite features of the Lightning is that it has a mechanically locking rear diff. All the extra power from an extra motor in the rear of the cybertruck is useless if the two rear wheels can't work together.
 

Snakebitten

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But wouldn't software make it possible for the rear wheels to behave as locked?

I'm guessing that there's a lot of potential flexibility if there's multiple motors to go around.
 

lightspeed

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Well if the Cybertruck really does have a tri-motor setup with two motors in the rear like the Hummer EV, then yeah it definitely doesn't have a locking rear diff which honestly makes all the difference in the world. One of my favorite features of the Lightning is that it has a mechanically locking rear diff. All the extra power from an extra motor in the rear of the cybertruck is useless if the two rear wheels can't work together.
If it has two motors on the same axle it doesn't need a locking diff -- 2 motors is better than a locking diff. The Rivian has 4 motors which is even better.

But if the 2 motor version doesn't have at least a locking rear it could be an issue depending on how good their traction control braking works.
 

ctuan13

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If it has two motors on the same axle it doesn't need a locking diff -- 2 motors is better than a locking diff. The Rivian has 4 motors which is even better.

But if the 2 motor version doesn't have at least a locking rear it could be an issue depending on how good their traction control braking works.
This is patently false and has been disproven in countless traction tests. Two motors on the same "axle" (I put that in quotes because there is no axle and no mechanical connection between both wheels) means both motors are mechanically independent of each other and the only way they can turn together is through software control. In principle, this seems like a pretty straightforward implementation. But in practice it is almost always inferior to a mechanical locking linkage.

The Hummer EV has this dual rear motor setup and it struggles immensely with dissimilar traction on the rear end. No matter what, the system can't figure out how to send power to the appropriate wheel while one is slipping. The same is shown to be true on the Rivian R1T and R1S. It struggles immensely with traction and correct power distribution.

Luckily for the Hummer EV it only has one motor in the front that is equipped with a mechanical locker, but the quad motor Rivians have no such saving grace and so they struggle immensely in uneven traction delta situations.
 

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lightspeed

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This is patently false and has been disproven in countless traction tests. Two motors on the same "axle" (I put that in quotes because there is no axle and no mechanical connection between both wheels) means both motors are mechanically independent of each other and the only way they can turn together is through software control. In principle, this seems like a pretty straightforward implementation. But in practice it is almost always inferior to a mechanical locking linkage.

The Hummer EV has this dual rear motor setup and it struggles immensely with dissimilar traction on the rear end. No matter what, the system can't figure out how to send power to the appropriate wheel while one is slipping. The same is shown to be true on the Rivian R1T and R1S. It struggles immensely with traction and correct power distribution.

Luckily for the Hummer EV it only has one motor in the front that is equipped with a mechanical locker, but the quad motor Rivians have no such saving grace and so they struggle immensely in uneven traction delta situations.
Rivian is not a good example because it's known for its weird/unexplainable off-road power control tuning. And AFAIK it doesn't have virtual lockers which it totally should so you can tell the truck how you want it to behave in more detail than just selecting a drive mode.

I haven't heard anyone complain about the Hummer EV virtual rear locker and there are plenty of vids of it doing what you'd expect it to do. But I also don't pay much attention to the Hummer. I'd like to know under what exact conditions it has issues.
 

ctuan13

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Rivian is not a good example because it's known for its weird/unexplainable off-road power control tuning. And AFAIK it doesn't have virtual lockers which it totally should so you can tell the truck how you want it to behave in more detail than just selecting a drive mode.

I haven't heard anyone complain about the Hummer EV virtual rear locker and there are plenty of vids of it doing what you'd expect it to do. But I also don't pay much attention to the Hummer. I'd like to know under what exact conditions it has issues.
Watch the TFL video on the Hummer EV. It was pathetic lol
 

lightspeed

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Watch the TFL video on the Hummer EV. It was pathetic lol
I've seen the Moab one. Don't know if there is another one.

They seemed to have issues with the power control programming, but not because specific wheels weren't getting power. Rock crawling with the Hummer EV is kinda crazy anyway.

In theory 4 motors should be the best possible 4wd system....with the right software tuning.
 

Aminorjourney

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This *feels* like driver differences too, and maybe power settings. Knowing how to feather the go pedal for smooth control is king.

Slow and steady versus get up quick? I’m no fan of the cybertruck, but I think there’s a lot of pressure being put on the engineering and test team.
 

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All indications are that the first to ship will be the 2-motor CyberTruck. So its a good question if it comes with any type of locking or limited slip rear diff.
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