I know this is somewhat controversial, but this is how I am using my LTA:

1. Hands off (ONLY on highways!! / Long stretches of driving)
2. Stay alert and eyes on the road.

Before ordering the LC, I used to drive a F83 M4 Convertible. While I loved the car, it lacked adaptive cruise control and driving assist features. I also test drove the 23 model year LC 500. But the lane keep assist was extremely poor. When my sales person told me that 24 year models will be equipped with the LTA (which I also tested on a RX), I fell in love. Many vehicles have too many nanny features on top of making you keep your hands on the wheel. So for me, LC 500 with LTA was the ideal GT vehile for long hauls, and day 2 day. Not to mention the improved comfort over the M4. I have other sports cars that I can slam on, but day 2 day, this was the perfect vehicle for me. Anyhoo, I saw many were either using a ankle weight, or even water bottle strapped to the steering wheel to turn off the nagging. I found a better way..

Based on some testing, and depending on where on the steering wheel you place the weights (outer-rim or inner), the weight that is needed is approximate 300 grams. I bought some velcro tapes (heavy duty ones in black) and carefully placed it on the black plastic of the gear shifter housing. I then took some tire weights and molded them into the shape and profile as to not interfere with the turn signal lever (or windshield wiper lever, depending on which side you prefer). Once the correct profile w/ correct weight was created, I taped the tire weights all around so they stay together, and finally wrapped it with velcro. Here is what it looks like (very simple):

As you can see, it's basically a rectangular bar (300 grams) which is just flat enough to clear clear the turn signal lever. I then carefully, and somewhat elegantly place the other velcro tape onto the shift lever 'housing' (which is already black in my case so it works out beautifully)

Took some doing to pre-position the velcro, and cut it perfectly into shape as to not ruin the beautiful wheel and make it look normal / natural.

Now simply place the weight:


While the weight is attached here is what the steering wheel looks like from the driving position:

I tested this last week and let the car drive itself for about an hour on an interstate doing 70MPH. The LTA function drove the car the whole time, and took some good winding curves as well. Of course, I had my hands at the ready to take over at any time.

I understand that this is a hot, controversial topic. But I'm SURE many are doing this already with a water bottle. And if you are going to do this, then this is much safer than using a water bottle, since the bottle can get jammed, and may restrict your abilty to take over safely.

Standard disclaimer applies: Do this at your own risk. And always keep your eyes on the road, and your hands on the steering wheel. By adding additional weight, this trick allows you to keep your hands on the wheel without the need to 'awkwardly' apply weight on the steering wheel while using the LTA function.

Adding too much weight can also be dangerous as the additional weight will nudge the vehicle in that direction. During my testing, 300grams seems to be the sweet spot. I've confirmed this on Acura and any vehicles that use Comma Ai OpenPilot system. Depending on where the weight is applied (more or less leverage based on the distance from the center of the steering wheel), add or take away 50 grams. Should work for most of the cars out there.

I've suffered spine damage about 2 years ago. So driving long distance without some form of autopilot is very difficult. Hence why I had to sell the M4 and get the LC instead. I skipped the newer BMWs due to excessive nannies (steering wheel touch sensor, and head tracking, not to mention the required subscription payment for the features).

I hope this adds some value to those who are already doing and insisting on doing this uisng unsafe methods such as unmeasured weights to veer the vehcle in certain directions, or jenky water bottles that can get stock by your thighs and potentially cause an unintentional accident.

This way, use it on long hauls with added comfort, or just put it away out of sight when driving in the city. Good luck!

 

An unintentional accident. Huh. Is there any other kind?

 

I guess you're right! You know what I meant. If you can imagine a situation where if someone got their water bottle stuck on their lap & the steering wheel, this can be a very dangerous situation.

 

Yes, there is another kind. Last year a young woman side swiped my bimmer. I believe it was on purpose. She was frantic to get me to admit that I sideswiped her (lmao). She drove an old junker and probably was looking to get a free new car. It was my word against hers, so the cop didn't write any tickets (no dash cam - big mistake on my part). There are some real dirtbags out there.

 

Wanted to provide an alternative to the OPs approach that I think is a safer and better option. It's called OpenPilot. It operates on the device from comma.ai . While LC500 is not on the officially supported car list (mostly due to rarity), I can confirm that 2024-year model is working with OpenPilot/Comma just fine.
I have received the comma3x device today and want to update anyone who is interested in my experience so far with the OpenPilot. Since LC is not officially supported, I used Corolla TSS2 FW with OpenPilot Comma device to make sure device knows what protocol to use on the CAN bus.

First impression - this is how a new premium car should have come out from the factory in 2024! Car stays dead center on the lane at any speed (from full stop to 95mph I believe, have not tested the top limit), lane centering operates even on unmarked neighborhood roads, can see cars parked on the side and navigates around them.

Stock LKA is bouncing between lanes and if anything, it taught me not to trust it at all. Comma and openpilot solves the long-distance driving issue for me and provides many more featured features for relaxed city driving. Oh, and it solved the annoying lane departure warning also.

This device helped to complete my vision of the LC being the ultimate GT machine to go places.

Now on to experimenting with different software "forks" to enable more features! For anyone who wants to explore further, check SunnyPilot fork and it's features. For example, you can use lane centering without ACC. Because device reads and updates CAN bus, you can read / update car functionality yourself.

 

Which harness did you order? for the LC

 

Toyota A harness.

 

Thank you or chiming in! I already have the Commai Ai. As matter of fact, I was the first to make Ram 3500 (unsupported at the time) work on it, working directly with the fork auther for 'Sunny Pilot' fork which also supports Lane-Less modes. It was a pain since my truck is lifted with 40" wheels + added steering stablizer which threw off the EPS data vs. required steering input. But we got it to work flawlessly.

My plan was to start working on the LC, and 23 MDX Type S starting this summer, but instead of using an alternative firmware, I was planning on working on this with the same fork / developer, and have it officially 'finger-printed' and get it introduced to the official open-pilot source code. Just FYI.. Sunny Habin (Author of Sunny Pilot, also goes by Jason) used to live in FL, but now has relocatd to Washington DC area. Since I'm in VA and FL back and forth, it would make it even easier to get this to work officially on Open / Sunny Pilot with it's own vehicle entry. Steering wheel weight hack is for those who do not want to take it this far + safer than water bottle method, and give me something to use until I can officially get the LC supported. Also, it will add value from time to time if you need to remove the seat belt while OpenPilot is engaged (for those times when you have to take it off to reach for something momentarily. As you know, if you have your hands off, and the seat belt off, OpenPilot disengages.

Having said all this, your comments are invaluable. I had no Idea what I was about to get into since several of the newer models are still ECM locked and many people with the newer Toyota models are unable to use the Commai Ai. I am so happy to hear that full stop-n-go is also working.

BTW.. I have another thread open in ih8mud to start collecting data for another project. I have 23 GX with adaptive cruise (hydraulic steering). According to Sunny, he can also make this work on the GX, as long as I do an appropriate EPS swap. So I am currently researching the feasibility to swap the EPS from either the new Tundra, or the new GX 550 (same platform, so assuming same part. Need more data). People swap out the GX steering rack with the Land Cruiser all the time for more beefier rack. Once the I choose the correct steering rack, I'll reach out to the popular steering rack mod-shops and get this done (custom if needed)

I have a suggestion for you. Since you were the first to take the plunge and report this openly here, would you be willing to open a new thread? Since this thread was meant to stop people from using the dangerous water-bottle method. Plus, I can join you there and help + share feedback. My Commai Ai currently stays in my truck full time, but I will be ordering another unit very soon for the LC w/ Type A connector as you suggested above. (I don't like to swap vehicle profiles everytime I move this thing). Until Comma implements multi-vehicle on the fly switching, I think having another dedicated unit is the way to go.

 

Pretty ingenious gizmo OP; thank you for sharing. I rarely use CC (or ACC), but the very few times is to eat a snack when traveling, when by myself on a long straight on the highway (no traffic). And obviously looking ahead all the time, ready to take over instantly. I can live with my '23 G70 SP, since it allows like half a minute before bothering me to put my hands on the wheel. The great thing about the G70 is it has a button on the steering wheel for LCA (lane centering assist), which instantly takes over the wheel without cruise control. Wish the LC was like that, but I don't believe it is. And the car tracks perfectly; even better than my ex-'21 Tesla with full auto-pilot (way overrated). For '24, probably due to further regulations, the time is like 5 freaking seconds. It's ultra annoying. So might try your solution, since it also has paddle shifters. I'm going to play with how much resistance is needed, to gauge if what you did works for that car.

 

Sorry for my ignorance, can you explain the purpose of that weight? It is sorta black magic for me. You have a software which is controlling the center of your car in a lane, and now you have that Velcro box helping to that.

 

So you don't have to keep your hands on the steering wheel... which pretty much defeats the purpose of having that feature. Otherwise, it squawks at you every few seconds, and disconnects shortly thereafter if you don't comply... which seems even more dangerous, if you ask me.

 

300grams is perfect. I've tested the weight starting at 200g, and up to 400g. 300g is pefect, and will not steer the car in one direction. just enough torque to let the EPS know that your hands are barely touching the steering wheel. Will drive forever this way unless you hit a sharp curve. On major interstates, it's a dream.

 

This is how level 2 autonomy works based on US regulations: Driver must keep their hands on the steering wheel at all times, and pay attention to the road / keep your eyes forward. Keeping your hands on the steering wheel is enforced for level 2, while paying attention bit is more of a 'choice' for OEMs.

1. Enforcing 'keep your hands on the wheel'
There are two ways this is implemented. Some german brands like BMW or Mercedes, employ electrical resistace measured on the steering wheel. It's calculated based on two sensors: a. Your body weight (yes, seats know how much you weigh). b. after obtaining your body weight, it calculates how much capacitative resisance our body / skin shold produce. In this case, when you take your hands off the steering wheel, it askes you to 'touch' the steering wheel to make sure you are awake and paying attention. Very difficult to defeat. If the resistance requirements was not dyamic, can simply tie a piece of hotdog, and fool the system. And no, hotdog does not work (haven't tried the smoked sausages "

The other way is the most common. Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, and just about everyone else uses this method. The EPS motors in our steering racks are extremely sensitive. It is constantly communicating it's positon, and reporting back how much force is being applied towards one direction or the other. If you hook up a scan tool and see the live data, just merely placing your finger somewhere on the steering wheel will offset the value. ECU looks for the value to make sure that your hands are at least resting on some part of the steering wheel. When people figured this out, they started to hang half bottle of water, or ankle weights to the steering wheel to defeat the system. Which is very dangerous, as too much weight will steer the car in one direction. Like pushing the steering down with your finger. If you push it down hard enough, you can turn the car right? Even with the Lane tracng on, too much weight will overrride and veer the car into the ditch if you are not paying attention. This is where 300grams come in. I've painstakingly mesured different weight increment to disable to warnings, and no more. At this weight range, the ECU does not process this as you are wanting to steer the vehicle. It simply senses that your hands are gently resting, and you are letting the car drive itself.

Second 'elective' method: Some cars have cameras built onto the steering column housing which monitors your eyes / retina. It can sense if you have closed your eyes and falling asleep, or looking somewhere else. We don't have this level of nanny on our LCs. But the newer models such as the highlander & GX 550 now all have these camera nannies. So consider yourselves lucky! BMW, Mercedes & most of the premium european cars already have this as well.

If you want the autonomy without the nanny nagging at you? Pay up. They all charge the subscription to enable hands free, no nagging auto pilot under certain conditions.


Now that you know how these things work, go back to my original post, and it will make a lot more sense as to what I'm trying to accomplish. If you must, do it safely and 'elegantly' without some ghetto looking, half-drunk water bottle hanging on the steering wheel that could potentially get caught on your thighs and limit your ability to steer. Very dangerous. The 300g weight was made with tire weights, cleanly wrapped with heavy duty velcro. So you can attach (elegantly), and detach when driving in the city. I only intend to use this when I'm doing long distance drives between VA to FL. I do this with my other cars, and the cars virtually drive themselves the whole way on I-95. Just don't fall aslepp

 

I'm still a bit confused about how LTA works on the 2024 models. Do you have to keep your hand on the wheel 100% of the time or just intermittently like Tesla Autopilot? Does it actually stay centered in the lane, or does it 'bounce' between the lane lines? I drove an Audi recently with the latter, and it was more annoying than anything. If it stays centered, does it handle curves on the interstate by itself, or do you have to add steering input?

 

Just like tesla. intermittently. tort the computer know that your hands are either holding or resting on the steering wheel.

LTA (Lane Trace Assist) is an active Lane ‘Centering’ tech. It works to keep your car centered in the lane. So no ping pong action like the old lane keeping assist which is what you’ve experienced with the Audi (I have a 23 A4), where it acts more like lane departure mitigation (doesn’t do anything to center you, but ping & pong action to keep you in the Lane.

It does a great job on mild curves. As i posted earlier, i tested. on my 24 model, it even slows down the vehicle a bit while on curves (selectable option on the gauge).

people use water bottles to trick the system to be hands off for longer drives. Hence my suggestion for who are doing this. use a smaller weight instead. With radar cruise on, LC drove over an hour with no problems until i canceled and returned home. It’s very good.

If you want something better than this (hands free), look into Comma Ai / Open Pilot system which i use on my truck for cross-country driving. very powerful system. it has a front facing camera to make sure you are looking ahead and detects if your seat belt is on or off. those are the 2 requirements. if it approaches a sharp curve, it will flash and beep to take over. Comma Ai also has much better AI and is able to figure out the lanes without having clear lane markers. It works with your blind spot monitor to make automatic lane changes + map based curve speed reduction. pretty advanced system. software is upgraded regular with improvements. Here is their ‘Drive to Taco Bell’ video which is a prototype software (not yet available) to enable full self driving to a gps location.


https://youtu.be/SUIZYzxtMQs?si=5PvOyxGfcPilpOHD


The company is started by George Hotz. Same guy who first jailbroke the iphone & PlayStation 3 years ago. Who used to work for Elon Musk (after he was arrested & sued by Sony). Then had a fallout, later he started his own company originally backed by Andressen (Netscape founder / Venture Capitalist).

I have one which stays full-time in my truck, and i just ordered another one after learning that it works on the LC unofficially using the Corolla driving model (cars are selectable within the device, which installs vehicle specific driving models accounting for height, weight, width & length and EPS strength). Pretty excited. will install next week to make the LC the Ultimate GT car.

Interesting thing about the Comma Ai is that the driving capabilities and smooth steering + accurate lane centering improves as you drive more and more. The Ai learns your car to improve itself and constantly makes adjustments for more accurate lane centering and how much power to apply for how long to provide a smooth lane centering and curves. Pretty awesome stuff.