Comma Ai / Comma 4 drive on unmapped roads (video)

[gerrylum]

Thanks Gerry.

I'm not having issues right now but if I have time today I might try and adapt the harness.

I really don't want to take that connector out of the AXM There's not a lot of slack on the harness but hopefully I can get enough purchase to remove the power pins.

I'll have a play with the models you suggested.

While I'm here - I had an interesting exchange with Lukas about the Long Upgrade. There was a problem with my order, anyway, I was asking him about power options for that module as the Janka Hub Box solution is not currently available. He stated that the module needs to be connected to the secondary usb port but only initially for set up. After that it can be powered by a regular USBC power feed which could be done as another fuse tap. I'd rather not run 2 wires up to the mirror so thought that was an interesting option.

Oh, if you've already installed it just leave it alone! If you start to experience issues, then maybe you can revisit it. And you don't necessarily need a second fuse tap - I *think* you could power the harness and the upgrade from one fuse tap that has two outputs (micro molex and USB-C).

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[Singletracker]

2) Is there a consensus about the best driver model for Rivian? I know this is somewhat driver specific. I have stage sunnypilot intalled and the default driver model currently. I've done a few drives and things work well overall but my car has overshot a couple of moderate speed / curves which was surprising.

Cheers
Mike

I agree with your assessment of the stock staged Sunnylink. I just installed my Comma 4. I drove around some with Open Pilot. It handled lane centering and corners very well. I then installed the Sunnylink version and it was noticeably worse. It seemed to be a tad late in initiating corners and sometimes completely blew them. I’m going to give it another shot, today, but am hoping to find a better version. I’ll probably try one of Gerry’s suggestions.

I’m also wondering if these versions evolve with use. Do they adjust in real time to one‘s driving and vehicle. I noticed, when I first started driving with the Sunnylink that it seemed to very, very subtley bob around at slower speeds in a straight line. After awhile, that seemed to stop.

 

[gerrylum]

I agree with your assessment of the stock staged Sunnylink. I just installed my Comma 4. I drove around some with Open Pilot. It handled lane centering and corners very well. I then installed the Sunnylink version and it was noticeably worse. It seemed to be a tad late in initiating corners and sometimes completely blew them. I’m going to give it another shot, today, but am hoping to find a better version. I’ll probably try one of Gerry’s suggestions.

I’m also wondering if these versions evolve with use. Do they adjust in real time to one‘s driving and vehicle. I noticed, when I first started driving with the Sunnylink that it seemed to very, very subtley bob around at slower speeds in a straight line. After awhile, that seemed to stop.

Yes, there is a "torque learning" feature for Rivians that learns and tunes your steering torque over time. It typically requires around an hour of driving to dial itself in.

 

[narmstrong79]

2) Driver model:
There isn’t really a single consensus “best” model for Rivian, but a couple that consistently perform well are:

• Down to Ride v6
• WMIv12

Both of those have excellent lateral control, which is the main thing you care about if you’re using the stock harness and relying on the Rivian’s built-in ACC.

I'm still running basic DEV.SunnyPilot.ai that installed when i got the comma 4. I have yet to try and figure out how to install and use other models. I have been running this from the start. I didn't even try standard openpilot Now that its been running a while, i really should explore.

 

[Singletracker]

I tried Down to Ride v6. It was good (love MADS) but pretty lethal on mountain roads. It failed at sweeping 90 degree turns, often crossing well over the center line on left turns and nearly off the road on right turns. It just didn’t want to stay in its lane. So, I decided to download WMlv12. Haven’t had much chance to test it out. But, I suspect is not going to be much better. One problem is, I thought it would automatically go into a recalibration mode when I first drove this new model, but, as far as I could tell, it did not do that. As I understand it, it should always be recalibrated after installing a new model. I can’t seem to find out how to do that.

 

[godfodder0901]

I tried Down to Ride v6. It was good (love MADS) but pretty lethal on mountain roads. It failed at sweeping 90 degree turns, often crossing well over the center line on left turns and nearly off the road on right turns. It just didn’t want to stay in its lane. So, I decided to download WMlv12. Haven’t had much chance to test it out. But, I suspect is not going to be much better. One problem is, I thought it would automatically go into a recalibration mode when I first drove this new model, but, as far as I could tell, it did not do that. As I understand it, it should always be recalibrated after installing a new model. I can’t seem to find out how to do that.

They don't always need recalibrated. If the model is an update of a model you've used, or built from that model, the calibration will remain. You can force it to recalibrate from the main menu in always off-road mode (at least for the 3x).

And tight turns will not work without intervention unless we get angle-based steering and overcome the 90 degree limitation. You should be getting feedback from the device when you have reached the torque steer limit.

 

[Singletracker]

And tight turns will not work without intervention unless we get angle-based steering and overcome the 90 degree limitation. You should be getting feedback from the device when you have reached the torque steer limit.

I don’t think I made myself very clear on the turns. This was a wide, 2-lane, mountain highway, with sweeping turns. Posted speed limit 45 mph, while most are doing 50+. To stay in my lane, I would have likely had to slow to about 25 mph. I would have been run off the road.

 

[gerrylum]

I don’t think I made myself very clear on the turns. This was a wide, 2-lane, mountain highway, with sweeping turns. Posted speed limit 45 mph, while most are doing 50+. To stay in my lane, I would have likely had to slow to about 25 mph. I would have been run off the road.

If you'd like, I can see what kind of torque performance numbers you're getting from your setup. Seems like that's a curve that the Comma should be able to handle fairly easily unless you're on some tires that aren't so great.

 

[Singletracker]

If you'd like, I can see what kind of torque performance numbers you're getting from your setup. Seems like that's a curve that the Comma should be able to handle fairly easily unless you're on some tires that aren't so great.

I ditched WMlv12. It was horrible. Went back to Down to Ride v6. Just got back from another 40 miles round trip in the mountains. This road was a little less demanding than my previous reported drive. On the tighter corners I still had the take over, as it would crowd/cross the middle divider line or crowd the right shoulder - maybe 5-6 times each way. It would enter the corner just fine but gradually drift/pull off line. Of course, I was using MADS to control speed. Other than these scenarios, the Rivian tracks straight and remarkably true! I’m running Bridgestone A/T Ascents size LT 275/65-20, set to about 57 PSI warm, per the TPMS.

How can you tell my torque performance? Do I send you a screen shot? Seems I saw an option in the Sunnylink menus that referenced torque tuning However, as with most things on that site, there is no clear explanation for what all these options do. As always, any incites you can provide are greatly appreciated. I think it’s time to buy you some more coffee

 

[gerrylum]

I ditched WMlv12. It was horrible. Went back to Down to Ride v6. Just got back from another 40 miles round trip in the mountains. This road was a little less demanding than my previous reported drive. On the tighter corners I still had the take over, as it would crowd/cross the middle divider line or crowd the right shoulder - maybe 5-6 times each way. It would enter the corner just fine but gradually drift/pull off line. Of course, I was using MADS to control speed. Other than these scenarios, the Rivian tracks straight and remarkably true! I’m running Bridgestone A/T Ascents size LT 275/65-20, set to about 57 PSI warm, per the TPMS.

How can you tell my torque performance? Do I send you a screen shot? Seems I saw an option in the Sunnylink menus that referenced torque tuning However, as with most things on that site, there is no clear explanation for what all these options do. As always, any incites you can provide are greatly appreciated. I think it’s time to buy you some more coffee

You just need to send me a route with uploaded logs, and I can see what kind of torque results you're getting. Here's a tutorial on how to do that:



Something else that seems to help with crossing over divider lines or shoulder lines, even though Comma says it's not needed, is an 8-degree wedge mount.

 

[Singletracker]

Oh, man. I guess I’ll have to work on that. This whole Comma thing just keeps getting crazier. I’ll be glad when it is all sorted out. BTW, I do have the 8º wedge.

FWIW, this is a local street that I regularly travel. It is a 45 mph zone leading into an arcing corner with a recommended corner speed or 35 mph. At 35, a very comfortable speed for this corner, there is no way my Rivian stays in its lane, either coming or going. This is a very similar scenario to those mountain highways.

 

[Singletracker]

Here are my current steering settings.

 

[godfodder0901]

I don’t think I made myself very clear on the turns. This was a wide, 2-lane, mountain highway, with sweeping turns. Posted speed limit 45 mph, while most are doing 50+. To stay in my lane, I would have likely had to slow to about 25 mph. I would have been run off the road.

Sure.

Oh, man. I guess I’ll have to work on that. This whole Comma thing just keeps getting crazier. I’ll be glad when it is all sorted out. BTW, I do have the 8º wedge.

FWIW, this is a local street that I regularly travel. It is a 45 mph zone leading into an arcing corner with a recommended corner speed or 35 mph. At 35, a very comfortable speed for this corner, there is no way my Rivian stays in its lane, either coming or going. This is a very similar scenario to those mountain highways.

Yeah, you'll learn where it cuts out and it'll be more natural and smooth. That corner looks like it is too sharp at that speed and I would fully expect it to fail there. Bottom line is, you have to pay really close attention until you get a good feel for it's limitations. Once you have it down, it can be a really chill ride.

 

[Singletracker]

Sure.

Yeah, you'll learn where it cuts out and it'll be more natural and smooth. That corner looks like it is too sharp at that speed and I would fully expect it to fail there. Bottom line is, you have to pay really close attention until you get a good feel for it's limitations. Once you have it down, it can be a really chill ride.

I’m beginning to sense that, but would like to get it as close to dialed as possible. I don’t expect perfection. As for the mountain driving issues, I’m in the mountains a lot, all year round. I enjoy driving myself, hands on (Sport Mode ). I agree, Comma is a chill ride, indeed. It seems to foster driving patience, and that is a good thing

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