Steering techniques
04-12-2013, 12:25 PM
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Steering techniques
Do you know how to steer your car? I have seen and compared the different styles and techniques to steer a car (on the road and on the track) and came up with a lot of results:
1. Fixed Input steering
This is a method used in highway driving and in race driving, and it involves holding the wheel with both hands (usually), preferably at the 9 to-3 position, but also in 10 to-2 (which releaves the shoulders) and even 8 to-4.
This way, you have a lot of turning force and accuracy, because both hands remain on the wheel and hold it firmly. Particularly in the 9 to-3 position, where you have up to 270 degrees of amplitude, and a lot of control and feedback through the wheel from the front wheels and suspension.
Another advantage is the ability to "find" the center of the wheel quickly, because the angle of the front tires is parallel to the angle of the arms.
However, tighter curves, especially in road, autocross or rally driving, require a more complex hand work to be applied, to increase the leverage.
2. Hand over-hand steering
This is a traditional road driving practice, that is in times adapted in autocross and rally driving. It involves crossing the hands one over the other and rapiditly push and pull. This method is generally reliable, but it makes the driver make quite a lot of movements for relatively small steering inputs, with a lot of affort and reduced accuracy. Rally drivers sometimes refine the method by making larger movements, and by "preparing" the hands by lowering the pushing hand before the curve.
3. Hand to-Hand steering
This is a newer practice, that was originally brought up in pursuit training in the British police, and quickely started to replace the hand over-hand method in road driving, and later in advanced driving courses. I have even seen this method being applied in autocrossing and rally driving.
Indeed, this method, of "feeding" the wheel, enables for more accuracy, less affort, and less movements (and therefore, more smoothness). It usually begins by pulling down from the top of the wheel, the push from the lower opposite side. However, it's not ideal because of multiple movements, and it's generally slow, so it's bad for quick turn-in.
4. Push and control steering
This is a relativly rare method that is being applied by some race drivers. This time, a single, long, pushing movement is being applied to steer the car round some of the tighter curves. The pulling hand is brought just above the pushing hand, and than both are being used like a handlebar to push the wheel about 220 degrees. Pushing gives you a lot of brute strengh, but less accuracy, and you need to feed the wheel back. Even so, the method is useless for some of the tighter hairpins, where other techniques, like rotational (hand over-hand) steering is brought into use.
5. Dual-movement steering
This is a classic racing method, with some practice is road driving. It involves two movements: first, the preperation movement, sliding both hands, from the 9 to-3 position, over the rim, against the direction of the oncoming bend, and than steering with both hands, idealy apexing the bend with both hands in 9 to-3 again, ready for any need to adjust the steering.
This method, however, involves two seperate movements, and creates a difficulty in bringing the wheel back straight. Also, in the rally or road driving aspect, it is less usefull when a greater leverage is nessecary.
6. Pull steering
This is a classic method for rally driving, and has always been my favorite method. It is generally considered to be the best technique. This time, the pulling hand is sliding on the rim, against the direction of the bend. Than you turn the wheel with the pulling hand, while the other hands stays stationary and lets the rim slide under it controlably, so that you are apexing with hands in the 9 to-3 position. When you pull, you are using the subtle muscles of the arm and palm, so you can be more accurate and smooth (but still fast and decisive) and not put in too much affort.
In a road driving context, for an example, a wide open turn in an intersection or highway ramps, a 90 degree turn of the wheel is applied. For such a movement, the pulling hand goes on top of the wheel and pulls down back to where it started. Afterwards, you pull back with the opposite hand.
Most slow turns, for an example, can be made by turning the wheel 180 degrees. This way you are moving the pulling hand just above the stationary one. Tighter corners, cornering with cars with more steering lock, or making a U-turn, will require a movement of 270 degrees, which is done by moving the pulling hand on the bottom of the wheel (not with the palm, but holding it) and pull under the other hand (which lifts momentarly) and back to where it started. With a bit of practice, one can make the operation quite smooth, and with a steady wrist, and even manage two 270 degrees rotations, thus making it through a tight U-Turn.
No technique is perfect. Pulling the wheel is the best for most bends, but sometimes, the dual-movement method and fixed-input, or even other methods, are nessecary. When you are traveling in a generally straight line, or in small bends, it is preferable not to insist on maintaining the 9 to-3 position through the whole thing, but to just use fixed-input steering. In the parking lot, pulling with a single hand (and not involving the other hand at all) can be efficient, unless you have no power-steering, whereas you need to cross hands or "shuffle" the wheel. In most race cars, in most tracks, and in wide bends on the road, the dual-movement steering is usefull.
1. Fixed Input steering
This is a method used in highway driving and in race driving, and it involves holding the wheel with both hands (usually), preferably at the 9 to-3 position, but also in 10 to-2 (which releaves the shoulders) and even 8 to-4.
This way, you have a lot of turning force and accuracy, because both hands remain on the wheel and hold it firmly. Particularly in the 9 to-3 position, where you have up to 270 degrees of amplitude, and a lot of control and feedback through the wheel from the front wheels and suspension.
Another advantage is the ability to "find" the center of the wheel quickly, because the angle of the front tires is parallel to the angle of the arms.
However, tighter curves, especially in road, autocross or rally driving, require a more complex hand work to be applied, to increase the leverage.
2. Hand over-hand steering
This is a traditional road driving practice, that is in times adapted in autocross and rally driving. It involves crossing the hands one over the other and rapiditly push and pull. This method is generally reliable, but it makes the driver make quite a lot of movements for relatively small steering inputs, with a lot of affort and reduced accuracy. Rally drivers sometimes refine the method by making larger movements, and by "preparing" the hands by lowering the pushing hand before the curve.
3. Hand to-Hand steering
This is a newer practice, that was originally brought up in pursuit training in the British police, and quickely started to replace the hand over-hand method in road driving, and later in advanced driving courses. I have even seen this method being applied in autocrossing and rally driving.
Indeed, this method, of "feeding" the wheel, enables for more accuracy, less affort, and less movements (and therefore, more smoothness). It usually begins by pulling down from the top of the wheel, the push from the lower opposite side. However, it's not ideal because of multiple movements, and it's generally slow, so it's bad for quick turn-in.
4. Push and control steering
This is a relativly rare method that is being applied by some race drivers. This time, a single, long, pushing movement is being applied to steer the car round some of the tighter curves. The pulling hand is brought just above the pushing hand, and than both are being used like a handlebar to push the wheel about 220 degrees. Pushing gives you a lot of brute strengh, but less accuracy, and you need to feed the wheel back. Even so, the method is useless for some of the tighter hairpins, where other techniques, like rotational (hand over-hand) steering is brought into use.
5. Dual-movement steering
This is a classic racing method, with some practice is road driving. It involves two movements: first, the preperation movement, sliding both hands, from the 9 to-3 position, over the rim, against the direction of the oncoming bend, and than steering with both hands, idealy apexing the bend with both hands in 9 to-3 again, ready for any need to adjust the steering.
This method, however, involves two seperate movements, and creates a difficulty in bringing the wheel back straight. Also, in the rally or road driving aspect, it is less usefull when a greater leverage is nessecary.
6. Pull steering
This is a classic method for rally driving, and has always been my favorite method. It is generally considered to be the best technique. This time, the pulling hand is sliding on the rim, against the direction of the bend. Than you turn the wheel with the pulling hand, while the other hands stays stationary and lets the rim slide under it controlably, so that you are apexing with hands in the 9 to-3 position. When you pull, you are using the subtle muscles of the arm and palm, so you can be more accurate and smooth (but still fast and decisive) and not put in too much affort.
In a road driving context, for an example, a wide open turn in an intersection or highway ramps, a 90 degree turn of the wheel is applied. For such a movement, the pulling hand goes on top of the wheel and pulls down back to where it started. Afterwards, you pull back with the opposite hand.
Most slow turns, for an example, can be made by turning the wheel 180 degrees. This way you are moving the pulling hand just above the stationary one. Tighter corners, cornering with cars with more steering lock, or making a U-turn, will require a movement of 270 degrees, which is done by moving the pulling hand on the bottom of the wheel (not with the palm, but holding it) and pull under the other hand (which lifts momentarly) and back to where it started. With a bit of practice, one can make the operation quite smooth, and with a steady wrist, and even manage two 270 degrees rotations, thus making it through a tight U-Turn.
No technique is perfect. Pulling the wheel is the best for most bends, but sometimes, the dual-movement method and fixed-input, or even other methods, are nessecary. When you are traveling in a generally straight line, or in small bends, it is preferable not to insist on maintaining the 9 to-3 position through the whole thing, but to just use fixed-input steering. In the parking lot, pulling with a single hand (and not involving the other hand at all) can be efficient, unless you have no power-steering, whereas you need to cross hands or "shuffle" the wheel. In most race cars, in most tracks, and in wide bends on the road, the dual-movement steering is usefull.
