Bill Babcock wrote (in part):
> I used to shuffle steer, now I don't . . .
> 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 defer without hesitation to Bill's talent and experience. But anyone who
finds themselves on-track with arms crossed and the steering wheel
approaching 1800 of rotation should have a ready answer for these questions:
1) What do you plan to do if MORE steering input is needed?
2) If (or--since you're driving a Triumph--"when") the trans slips out of
gear in mid-corner, which hand are you going to move to the gear lever?
I've seen the photos of Stirling with arms crossed. But when I tried it at
home, I found that the only thing still in contact with the wheel on the
"underneath" hand was my thumb. Your mileage may vary.
Jim Hill
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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