Pull push steering - how to do it properly

[Mr Cholmondeley-Warner]

Having spent Saturday driving with some friends on here, and part of the route being up and down a hill with some very tight hairpin bends on it, I was struck once again by how what is a very simple technique shows many variations, and how it's easy to get frustrated with it, and lose the efficiency of what is a brilliantly simple and effective technique, when done well.

The bends on this particular hill needed, in my car, on average one big pull, and one push of the steering for each turn, and the same to take the lock off. Without having actually counted, I'd say one of my co-drivers was using more like 8 hand movements for the same amount of lock.

When large amounts of lock have to be applied quickly, more than is possible with one fixed hand position, a two handed technique is necessary. If we accept that crossing the hands over each other is inelegant, and at worst, dangerous, then there are really only two techniques available - pull-push, and what you could refer to as "repeated fixed grip", where the hands turn together, but then one hand is removed from the wheel and replaced at 180 degrees to where it started. It's hard to explain, and quite hard to learn, whereas most of us have learnt pull-push at some time in our lives.

How to pull push - assuming that more than 120 degrees of steering wheel input are necessary (less than that and you can use fixed grip anyway):

- Take the pulling hand up to the very top of the steering wheel - a little past 12 o'clock if you like. This first pull is your most valuable input, so make the most of it.
- Bring that hand all the way down to the bottom of the wheel, while at the same time sliding the other hand down to the bottom to meet it.
- When it reaches the bottom and comes into contact with the other hand, and NOT before, start pushing up with that hand, while sliding the first hand back to the top ready for another pull, if necessary.
- When unwinding the steering, do the same in reverse. Get a hand right up to the top, and make the first pull really count. Unwinding is often more difficult than winding "on", because it has to be done quickly, as the car is now accelerating away from the corner.
- Remember that only one hand is active at a time - either pulling, or pushing, but not both together.

How NOT to pull push:

- The "shuffle". The hands only complete half a pull, or push, at a time (or less). This is what makes pull-push look difficult - because it is, if you do it like that!
- The "hand over hand". Here the pushing hand is not "pulling its weight" , so the pulling hand has to rush back to the top of the wheel to start another pull. Imagine someone pulling a rope in, with one very weak arm. The other arm has to do all the work.

Occasionally I have to act as a temporary instructor (more of an adviser) to a young driver in a well known club. Invariably the one thing I am most frustrated with is their rigid adherence to pull-push steering, badly executed. I always try to encourage them to improve, and the phrase I tend to use is:

"Take BIG bites of steering".

So, if you're pull-pushing, take big bites.

Hope this helps some.

[martine]

...assuming that more than 120 degrees of steering wheel input are necessary (less than that and you can use fixed grip anyway):

- that would give our Chief Observer palpitations! (he likes pull/push for anything more than about 20 degrees).

Nice write up Nick.

[hir]

... and the phrase I tend to use is:

"Take BIG bites of steering".

So, if you're pull-pushing, take big bites.

Hope this helps some.

An excellent analysis of how pull-push should be used.

I would add only that which a gatekeeper of a "well know club" recently said - "I use pull push only in situations up to 20mph and second gear".

I would suggest that for anything beyond that, use an even "bigger-bite" pull-push [starting just beyond 12 O'clock] and "fixed-input".

The steering technique that I choose through a bend is invariably determined by speed; because my speed is in itself determined by the severity of the bend. If the speed is below (say) 20mph because the bend is quite sharp, then it's pull-push. If the speed is between (say) 20mph and 30mph, then it's "bigger-bite" pull-push. For a speed through a bend above (say) 30mph it's probably going to be "fixed input". But nothing is written in stone.

Have as many tools in the box as possible, don't rely on just one steering technique.

[Mr Cholmondeley-Warner]

2nd gear all the way up this particular hill - there may have been speeds above 20 mph, but it certainly wasn't in the bends

Oh, and I recommended bigger bites too - but you kind of have to read between the lines for that.

... up to the very top of the steering wheel - a little past 12 o'clock if you like ...

[Astraist]

I agree that big "bites" of steering should be applied, irregarldess of the exact steering method applied (whether pull-push or othewise). For my instruction, as long as the driver uses both hands, takes big "bites" of steering and does not palm the wheel or hold it from the inside - than it is legitimate.

For more advanced purposes, I instruct a different steering style which is a classic rally driving technique adjusted to road driving demands, and I use pull-push for some trucks with big and horizontial steering wheels, or when the driver's stature makes it hard to reach to the top of the rim.

Personally, I would not use absolute speeds as a means to determind the steering method. Instead, I use the radius of the bend and necessary steering amplitude. Fixed-input steering is usefull for very light bends, where the steering input is under 90 degrees, or when a sudden evasive manuever is required. For tighter inputs, predictive steering allows to extend the amplitude achieved by fixed-input steering to whatever degree necessary.

[hir]

Personally, I would not use absolute speeds as a means to determind the steering method.

I was not advocating "absolute" speed as the determining factor; I do not suggest that (say) 20mph always means pull-push whereas 21 mph always means fixed input. As with everything "advanced" it just depends. At around 20mph I would be considering each of the two options (pull-push or fixed input) and choosing the most appropriate. Whereas at (say) 50mph I would be considering only fixed input, predictive or otherwise.

Instead, I use the radius of the bend and necessary steering amplitude.

The radius of the bend (ie. severity/sharpness of the bend) determines speed through the bend. Therefore speed can be a good indicator of the best steering option, whether it's pull-push or fixed input. As I close in on a bend and it becomes clear that the required entry speed is (say) less than 20mph then I'm automatically thinking of going in to "pull-push mode". In other words, rather than thinking... "this bend is tight, I've got to reduce speed AND I'll need pull-push", a though process which requires two decisions to be made from the one piece of information (ie. this is a tight bend), I tend to think in a linear way - tight bend determines speed THEN the speed determines steering technique.

I think my linear mindset in this respect must come from the System of Car Control being linear in that each phase follows on from the next.

[Horse]

Instead, I use the radius of the bend and necessary steering amplitude.

The radius of the bend (ie. severity/sharpness of the bend) determines speed through the bend. Therefore speed can be a good indicator of the best steering option, whether it's pull-push or fixed input. As I close in on a bend and it becomes clear that the required entry speed is (say) less than 20mph then I'm automatically thinking of going in to "pull-push mode".

One of the ways I decide between rotational and push-pull is on whether it's a blind bend - ie if blind there's a higher chance of a head-on collision, so triggering the airbag - with consequent effects on arms etc. If there's no risk of a head-on, there's no harm to be done.

Another way I decide is to consider whether I'll need to signal or change gear mid-turn [linear system or no, there are still times when it happens, such as changing signals mid-roundabout, or tight. blind, bends on very steep hills]. If I am going to, then I'll not want my right hand to be nearest to the gear lever!

[Silk]

One of the ways I decide between rotational and push-pull is on whether it's a blind bend - ie if blind there's a higher chance of a head-on collision, so triggering the airbag - with consequent effects on arms etc. If there's no risk of a head-on, there's no harm to be done.

I find it rare, even in Advanced Driving circles, to see drivers get pull-push absolutely right. This is why I believe they often lapse into other methods when pull-push doesn't seem to be doing it for them.

Before I did my Advanced Driving Course, my steering technique would have made an urangutan proud, but once I'd mastered pull-push (not "shuffling"), which in reality I didn't get anywhere near right until a while after passing the test, I've never looked back. Now ten years and 500,000 miles later, I never use any other method for conscious steering -I say "conscious" because I believe there is always an element of fixed input used when driving on a relatively straight road, but this is only for very minor "automatic" corrections.

In my opinion, the problem with using different types of steering is you the have to decide which system you will use for each situation and you never really master any of them. Why make driving any more complicated than it needs to be?

[Custom24]

...I find it rare, even in Advanced Driving circles, to see drivers get pull-push absolutely right. This is why I believe they often lapse into other methods when pull-push doesn't seem to be doing it for them...
I never use any other method for conscious steering...
In my opinion, the problem with using different types of steering is you the have to decide which system you will use for each situation and you never really master any of them. Why make driving any more complicated than it needs to be?

You don't have to "master" fixed input. It's natural. And therefore pull push where it's just simply not required (e.g. a curve requiring say 45 degrees of steering wheel deviation) is a needless complication. I really don't understand why some people insist on it.

Edit - don't get me wrong. I like pull push where it's appropriate.

[Astraist]

One of the ways I decide between rotational and push-pull is on whether it's a blind bend - ie if blind there's a higher chance of a head-on collision, so triggering the airbag - with consequent effects on arms etc. If there's no risk of a head-on, there's no harm to be done.

I believe that the airbag or passive safety considerations, which have become much more popular in advanced driving worldwide over the last few years, can be a bit over-rated. Often I see drivers resorting to very poor steering management, such as holding the wheel on the bottom and shuffling it in small incerments while using only the lower part of the steering wheel's circumference -- all under the advent of not being injured should the airbag deploy, while comprosing primary safety (i.e. control over the car) for this purpose.

Also, one must bear in mind that when faced with a collision, you are likely to make sudden further steering inputs that will put your hand into the way of the airbag irregardless of the original location of the hands. Mind you, that when you pull-push properly, both hands reach near the top of the rim (12 O'Clock) and are, even if briefly, within the voulnrable area.

There are also other injuries that can occur during a collision. Hands placed low on the wheel can hit the door or be wedged between it and the ribcage, or be thrown forward and hit the dash, and there are other possible injuries, so the attempt to use hand positioning to avoid injury can never be done very accurately, so to speak.

I also believe in trying to keep the hands around the quarter to-three (or ten to-two...) position, with the airbag issue being one of the reasons, but definitly not the main one.

Another way I decide is to consider whether I'll need to signal or change gear mid-turn [linear system or no, there are still times when it happens, such as changing signals mid-roundabout, or tight. blind, bends on very steep hills]. If I am going to, then I'll not want my right hand to be nearest to the gear lever!

I do that too, but this does not require pull-push per se, but rather a predictive relocation of one or both hands (depending on the severity of the bend) which can be simply viewed as an enhancement of fixed-input steering, rather than a variation of pull-push.

[jcochrane]

Astraist, we have not always agreed but on this post I'm with you 100%

[ScoobyChris]

In my opinion, the problem with using different types of steering is you the have to decide which system you will use for each situation and you never really master any of them.

I don't really think that's a fair assessment and being able to distinguish situations where you'd use fixed input and pull/push is rather simple, imho - ie do I need a lot of steering or not. The big advantage of fixed input is it is natural and as a result you can (quickly) wind on and wind off steering in a single fluid movement without "thinking" about it. Pull/push for small amounts of steering is not and looks quite untidy .. again imho

I like to think I have mastered both techniques, although there is always room for improvement

Chris

[Gareth]

In my opinion, the problem with using different types of steering is you the have to decide which system you will use for each situation and you never really master any of them.

I think you're horribly over-stating your argument. Most drivers steer better using fixed grip, where it is appropriate to use it. I've seen this many times on ADUK days.

The problem with pull-push for small deflections is that it ends up being bitty as the hands release and re-grip the steering wheel in small increments. Most drivers don't realise they are unsettling the car when they do this, but it is readily apparent to a sensitive passenger. Since small deflections make up the vast majority of motoring a worthwhile gain may be had by addressing this issue.

I think a good way to approach this is to set an arbitrary limit for fixed grip deflection then work hard at practicing the transitions between fixed grip and pull-push. I suggest a good starting point would be to use fixed grip for up to +/- 45 degrees, maybe a bit less if you are still preparing for an IAM or RoADAR test.

[Silk]

The problem with pull-push for small deflections is that it ends up being bitty as the hands release and re-grip the steering wheel in small increments. Most drivers don't realise they are unsettling the car when they do this, but it is readily apparent to a sensitive passenger. Since small deflections make up the vast majority of motoring a worthwhile gain may be had by addressing this issue.

I'd argue that they're not doing it properly. I can't see how it's unsettling to pull the steering wheel down in one smooth motion with one hand and mirror the action, but not gripping, with the other.

The problem with using fixed grip for anything other than small adjustments is it's too easy end up with one hand at 12 o'clock and the other at 6 o'clock with nowhere to go. Of course you can drop the 12 o'clock hand to meet up with the 6 o'clock and pick up with pull-push - but why not just do that in the first place?

[Astraist]

Any steering method which involves turning the wheel at small incerment and alternating grip between hands is unsmooth, because alternating grip between both hands creates a pause in the steering motion, which is best done in one linear motion.

Also, by alternating grip you now must push up, which is considered a much less fine movement when compared to using both hands evenly or compared to pulling the wheel (down or from across). A third reason is that the opposite hand, which mirrors the steering hand, is creating a lot of friction as it moves against the direction of the rim's rotation.

I don't see the problem with fixed input. With the hands at 10-2 you can turn the wheel a full 180 degrees, with 9-3 you can turn it 260 degrees and still be in a position to change hand position to continue the rotation of the wheel. If you can do that, surely there is no problem in turning the wheel 90 degrees in either hand position and still have plenty more space to "go" to.