I used to shuffle steer, now I don't. It took me a while to get used to
it, but I'm certain I gain both precision and reaction time. If you move
your hands on the wheel you are always adjusting hand position for better
leverage. You move your hand in preparation for making the steering input
change, so your reaction time degrades. It's like telegraphing a punch by
dropping your shoulder. You might have more leverage, but the time to
deliver is longer.
Changing over made a BIG difference in driving Peyote since it is a
slider. To keep it anywhere near the max requires constant and sometimes
radical steering input. I pretend my hands are glued to the wheel. And
even cross over my arms when I'm steering the car around the pits. I think
if you look at the world rally guys you'll never see them move their
hands--they can't, they need rapid input to save the car in those sliding
turns.
It's easier to keep my hands still with the radical, since it has about
half a turn lock-to-lock and a tiny Momo sculptured wheel--there's no
where else to really grab.
I don't drive that way on the street--there's more than enough
testosterone fueled assh*le cachet involved with driving a Ferrari as it
is.
BTW, I drove my MV Agusta Senna crotch rocket to work this morning. I've
got to stay off that thing--I'll either wind up dead or in jail.
-----Original Message-----
From: Dave Riddle [mailto:dave@microworks.net]
Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2003 12:32 AM
To: wheeltowheel@wheeltowheel.com; fot@autox.team.net; f500@f500.org
Subject: Question on Steering
Ok, let's see what the collective wisdom of the list(s) is on hand
position
(this is a driving question so get your mind back out of the gutter).
With the recent passing of Carroll Smith I have been thinking more about a
conflict I have with one of the groups I instruct with. In the classroom
this group instructs the students to not let go of the steering wheel.
They
even demonstrate crossing up their arms while turning the a demonstration
wheel in the classroom. I do not drive that way on the street or on the
track. In fact it would be a very rare occasion for my right or left hand
to pass the 12-o'clock position. This is something that I unconsciously
do
and to me it feels right as I always have good leverage on the wheel and
feel that I have more control to correct with more subtle inputs since my
hands and arms are better positioned to allow me better leverage with my .
Since I could not find my copy of "Drive to Win" to look back and see what
Carroll had to say on the subject I turned to some of my other books to
see
what the authors had to say.
In "Secrets of Solo Racing" Watts says to not move your hands if you do
not
want to and actually wants you to practice turning the wheel 180 degrees.
Based on his book I would do something similar to Donohue and Bondurant in
that I will "shift" my hands to prepare for a turn, but unlike his diagram
I would probably not move a hand past the noon position except for the
very
rare 90 degree or greater turn.
Frere's book on "Sports Car and Competition Driving does not directly
address the issue but does show a picture of Moss at Monaco with his arms
perfectly crossed going through a hairpin turns.
Elford's book on "Porsche Driving" seems to advocate my own philosophy of
what he terms "shuffle steering".
Anybody want to look in Smith and see what he has to say or of course just
chime in with your own opinion.
If Smith backs me up I will search to find my copy and take it to the
classroom instructors the next time I am out with them to point out the
error of their ways by reading chapter and verse from the "Good Book" and
call them to repentance. Of course, if Smith does not back me up he will
be
a heretic engineer that had no business telling a driver how to drive. ;)
Also one big caveat. The driving style I have to use between my Triumph
TR-3 (even with the modified rack and pinon), Porsche 944 and Formula 500
Red Devil sometimes require considerable differences in style. In the
Triumph I will regularly go past the noon position and will find that I do
not "shuffle steer" (in fact I will have both hands on the same side of
the
wheel many times in some turns given the size of the steering wheel) as
much as I do in the Porsche and if I have to turn the wheel enough to
cross
my arms in the Formula car I am doing more fighting understeer than I am
in
finessing the turn. Plus the open top of the wheel on the formula car
limits hand placement in any event.
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