After going back and watching some video from a track day my friend was telling my that i was holding the wheel improperly, and the week before an instructor at an autox told me pretty much the same thing. Is there a correct way or a better way to hold/manipulate the wheel on track and autox? I know its a stupid question but 2 different people telling me the same thing makes me wonder. Is there a "better" way to do it or is it kind of like "whatever works" sort of thing?

 

10 and 2. Shuffle steer. Sit close enough to the wheel so that you can rest your wrist on the top of the wheel while your shoulder blades are firmly planted into the seat back. HTH.

 

I use 9 and 3. Avoid the white knuckled death grip.

Warren

 

http://www.turnfast.com/tech_driving...steering.lasso

 

9:15 and 2:45 for me. I tend to wrap my thumbs onto the steering wheel spokes. Bad habit? Maybe a little but if the wheel jerks it will knock them off as opposed to breaking them - they aren't wrapped around the spokes. I do this for the anti-death grip thing as well. I find it much harder to hold on with serious force if my thumbs are taken out of the equation.

 

I tried (a while back) to drive a whole lap using the finger tips... it opened my eyes greatly.


Will
-who likes P.S. but removes the belt from time to time...

 

Yep - that is where it all started. I did the same thing. When on-track I tend to forget sometimes. The thumb thing is just a "secondary failover system".


Cobra - Who surprisingly has developed very few bad habits on-track with the exception of going slow

 

can you elaborate on this process , whats the purpose of this

i am now very interested in what this exercise offers

 

with out traffic... use the fingers (all 5) and get a frim hold of the wheel and drive the lap.

you will see that is does not take a death grip to make your turn in.

Will
-who would suggest using caution...

 

Steer the car for a lap, or a session using your thumbs, pointer fingers and middle fingers. It is an exercise to show you just how lightly you can and should grip the wheel.

Will can probably explain it better though.


EDIT: Wow - different exercises I guess!


[Modified by Cobra, 9:35 AM 4/16/2002]

 

not without my morning

Will

 

Might not want to try this exercise if you have manual steering... It is a great exercise with power steering though.

 

Another exercise that can really change the way you use the wheel is to steer with one hand. "Pull" the wheel downward (e.g., right hand down to go right) and let the wheel kind of float in your "upside" hand. You have more ability to control steering input when pulling than when "pushing" but the point about being close to the wheel will help this problem go away. The first thing that I always used to do when instructing was to get new drivers "up on the wheel", which is going to feel VERY strange to those used to that horrible, laid-back, straight-arm thing...

Kirk

 

I try that from time to time to let my left arm rest....
It has suffered a non-skin tearing compound fracture... (pieces everywhere) and gets tired during long sessions...

"Pull is good"

Will

 

Thanks to Will for this tip during a ride along at VIR in Feb!
My death grip on the wheel has been cured!

 

I use a similar technique...I usually rest my thumbs on the face of the wheel itself. The little bit of grip I use is with my four other fingers. I find this makes shuffle steering easier for me. I us my thumb to glidd along the wheel. Keeps me in contact with both hands to feel what the car is doing. Also cured me o fthe death grip even when I drive my Manual steering CRX with hoosiers.

 

i was just gettin ready to bring up that point , b16 with a lil neg. camber in a civic with manual steering is not exactly a feather to steer , but i dont think i have a death grip
Jamie - who will ask whoever teaches at CMP if he has a "death grip" or not

 

How about 9 and 3 with thumbs on the horn buttons?

 

Is that so you can honk easier to let those around you know thatthey need to look out?

 

It must be nice not to be tall and actually have a choice of seating positions...

 

I like to have my seat in the sleeping position, my left hand at 12 noon and my right hand holding my slushie...


9 and 3...

 

I use 2 O'clock, with the 10 O'clock hand out the window for the permanent point by...

Bryan

 

9 and 3 for me. And about "pulling" the wheel - I was told to push it in my karting class since you don't lean when you push like you do when you pull. Maybe that's just for karting, because when you lean you upset the weight balance. But this is probably not a very big deal in a car weighing at least 10 times as much and being seated on the left rather than the middle.

 

The adjustment that feels weird is to have the seatback more upright than seems normal.

I wonder if that is because you are not belted in when driving a kart? I've never heard that but it's interesting...

K

 

Let' see. I've been told 2 & 10, 3 & 9, thumbs on the spokes, hands at wherever shoulder height is on the wheel, arms straight, arms bent, shuffle steer, crossover steer, and about ten other things. The two best tips I've heard are: 1. keep both hands on the wheel as much as possible, and 2. hold the wheel as softly as you can. Both these seem to work for me.