Effective steering

[Astraist]

Following an extra ordinarily long thread about what should be taught about steering in the AD program, I figured it would be a good idea to upload this post on steering, not as to advocate any specific steering "technique" but to define measures for effective steering.

What is effective steering? Effective steering obviously allows to place the car at the desired road position continuously, simple, but it also allows to operate the steering in all different conditions: from slow, precise and little steering at speed to quick (and yet precise) steering with very large inputs. It should be smooth but decisive and it should allow for readiness to all sorts of surprises that require additional steering inputs in either direction and all ranges at any given moment, and it should require as little physical effort as possible.

Does effective steering matter? Yes, it does. Yes, proper observation is far more important and can even make up for the shortcomings of poor steering, but why not excel in both? Many single-car collisions that occur at bends are due to excessive speed and lack of proper observation, but could have been saved via effective steering.

Is effective steering associated with any particular steering technique? Not necessarily. Yes, some steering techniques are generally considered as ineffective, like turning the wheel in a reversed grip with the palm hooked inside out. Some techniques are more effective than others, but effective steering is one field where we shouldn't have to settle for a compromise when we could use more than one steering style, each in the appropriate situation.

Is effective steering a habit? Yes, but we should not let our existing habits limit us, even if it means changing habits and moving out of our comfort zone.

Is "getting away with it" good enough a test for effective steering? No. Steering should work well for everyday use, but it should also allow readiness to extremities. Merely "getting away with it safely" does not indicate effectiveness.

So, what are the criteria for effective steering?

1. Large sub-inputs
Some drivers steer by small repetitive inputs to the steering wheel, a series of short hand movements that take small bites of steering. This steering style is generally inefficient. It might have been desirable with old cars that had heavy steering mechanisms with very large rims, which made large hand movements awkward and fatiguing. With modern cars, a large hand motion reduces pauses and increase smoothness and linearity of steering.

Properly executed Pull-Push allows to make hand movements of 180 degrees. Other steering techniques even allow up to 360 degrees of steering, but with some compromise on other criteria. Fixed input is another steering technique that allows steering very smoothly, but depending on the amount of steering input required could compromise other aspects of effective steering.

2. Utilizing both hands
An effective steering technique utilizes both hands. That does not mean that both hands guide the steering simultaneously, because that can only be achieved in fixed-input steering, although it is obviously desirable. However, utilizing both hands also comes in a more general sense, which means keeping both hands on the rim.

Simply keeping the other hand on the wheel does a lot. The main issue with steering single handed is that the weight of the arm effects the accuracy of the steering. If you steer up-down than gravity creates a tendency to over-steer, which requires effort to cancel out. If it's from the bottom to the top, than the wheel tends to saw back down. Merely maintaining friction with the opposite palm cancels out the effect of the arm's weight.

Another meaning of the concept relates to symmetry. It's ideal to ensure that the hand movements when steering into the bend and back out of it mirrors each other. This means that one hand turns the wheel into the bend and the opposite retracts it, so both hands share the load evenly. This means that even if you drive around a mountain where most turns are, say, left handers, the right hand will still not become more fatigued than the left.

With that being said, a good steering technique should also allow to turn the wheel one handed if necessary. Of course we should avoid this, and try to keep gear changes to the straights, but it is a good idea to maintain the ability to turn the wheel one handed if necessary.

3. Maintaining readiness
A steering technique should allow to maintain readiness so that in any part during the steering maneuver, the driver is capable of readjusting and adding or removing steering lock in each direction. Some drivers reach very awkward hand positions mid bend, so that if something were to occur, their readiness to steer suddenly would be very impaired.

Some steering techniques like pull-push and even properly executed rotational steering allow to return to a quarter to three position after the desired steering input has been made, and some techniques are based on this concept and involve predictively propositioning the hands, even across the wheel (making a compromise over another aspect of effective steering which I will explain later), so they fall back at quarter to three.

4. Motor skill
Although secondary in importance to the previous criteria, proper steering should utilize the driver's muscles as effectively as possible, to produce the best accuracy and smoothness and yet allow to steer quickly on demand and require as little physical strength as possible.

Generally, we refer to a pulling motion as smoother and easier than pushing, even if pulling from across. Pulling utilizes much more muscles, including finer, smaller muscles in the forearm, rather than the brute upper body muscles with provide little sensitivity. The only exception is when you pull down towards 6 O'Clock. This leads to the arm's movement being limited by the trunk so you bend your wrist and lossen your grip on the rim.

Another bad habit is turning the wheel with reversed grip so the palm is holding the rim from inside. This position uses strong shoulder muscles which can be effective for old, heavy steering mechanisms or for feeble drivers who try to steer the wheel from across. But is compromises smoothness and feel, as well as greatly reducing freedom of movement.

One last aspect of properly utilizing the muscles is to keep each hand on it's side (as you do in Pull-Push). However, some techniques compromise this concept for making larger hand movements (1) or maintaining readiness (3). This is acceptable, with the exception of cars where reaching across the rim is very awkward like in lorries with excessively big and poorly positioned (i.e. very horizontal) rims.

Turning the wheel with the palm is another bad habit since it provides poor grip. It has the advantage of allowing limitless range, thereby enhancing point #1, so it can be used in precision maneuvers at near zero speeds.

5. Passive safety
This is one that many drivers have become aware of due to airbags, but I find that passive safety, also known as secondary safety, comes after primary safety. Many drivers have fallen into the habit of shuffling the steering wheel within the small confines of the lower third of the steering wheel, which keeps the hands free from risk of being injured by the airbag, but works against concepts 1, 3 and 4.

At that's how steering should be judged!

[Graham Wright]

That was a very complete dissertation and good sense. (I think I pass!).

I was intrigued by the apparent translations form a foreign language leading to "allows to" and the like as opposed to normal English "allowing"; a trait I find common in translations from French.
Does the "in memoriam" attribution explain this?

That was just a fascinated query.

However, to follow, I took a skid pan session together with a group from our IAM branch. Two in a car together with an instructor.

First off, my observer, an IAM Master, took the route and rapidly discovered that PP steering was not going to work. He extended his angles successfully but very uncomfortably.

On my turn, I used heel of the hand (once the skid had been induced) and it was very effective.

However, that is heavily frowned upon. Needing to apply a large rotation very quickly it was very effective.

What is the alternative? Hand crossing, equally frowned upon, was very jerky. PP impossibly more so.

(This query is not intended to invite comments on skid avoidance. With a castor type skid car, a skid could always be induced).

[Kimosabe]

Thanks, I found it a useful reference. Where did you find it?

At the 3:15 position, I can reach the horn buttons of both my cars without taking a hand off the wheel or moving anything but a part of my hand from that position. At night, that's equally true because I need fast access to raise and dip my beams and it's easier to do from 3:15. The only other alternative is to take one hand off the wheel while operating a control, which is necessary from the 10-2 PP position. So this means that in order to continue to steer safely and effectively while operating the controls, that I would need to change hand positions such that they mirror eachother from 10-2 to 3:15 but as some people consider the latter to be out of the question, I wonder how they manage this?

[TR4ffic]

Nice post, Astraist... although I'm tempted to describe it a full-on an article . Thanks. You'd be hard pushed to find anything in there to disagree with.

...take one hand off the wheel while operating a control, which is necessary from the 10-2 PP position

I don't want to turn this thread into another 20 page monster, but why to you believe P-P has to be done from
10-2 and not 9-3 (3:15)? ...or have I misunderstood that.

[Graham Wright]

What is the alternative? Hand crossing, equally frowned upon, was very jerky. PP impossibly more so.

Letting go of the wheel and letting the self-aligning torque set the steering to the recovery angle is ridiculously effective and removes any human error in setting the angle and any human input making the steering jerky.

Are you suggesting that the wheels will align to the direction of the skid? I hadn't considered that and it was not suggested on the course. I can't remember what the instructor did.

[sussex2]

Nice post, Astraist... although I'm tempted to describe it a full-on an article . Thanks. You'd be hard pushed to find anything in there to disagree with.

...take one hand off the wheel while operating a control, which is necessary from the 10-2 PP position

I don't want to turn this thread into another 20 page monster, but why to you believe P-P has to be done from
10-2 and not 9-3 (3:15)? ...or have I misunderstood that.

I wouldn't worry about the length of the thread as this is a specific interest forum and steering is fundamental.
Pretty much all forums of this type bang on about things

[Horse]

What is the alternative? Hand crossing, equally frowned upon, was very jerky. PP impossibly more so.

Letting go of the wheel and letting the self-aligning torque set the steering to the recovery angle is ridiculously effective and removes any human error in setting the angle and any human input making the steering jerky.

Are you suggesting that the wheels will align to the direction of the skid? I hadn't considered that and it was not suggested on the course. I can't remember what the instructor did.

I *think* that we were told that once the car gets past sideways (ie 90 degrees) then tread hard on both brake and clutch pedals and (possibly) let go of the wheel.

[WhoseGeneration]

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[fungus]

What is the alternative? Hand crossing, equally frowned upon, was very jerky. PP impossibly more so.

Letting go of the wheel and letting the self-aligning torque set the steering to the recovery angle is ridiculously effective and removes any human error in setting the angle and any human input making the steering jerky.

Are you suggesting that the wheels will align to the direction of the skid? I hadn't considered that and it was not suggested on the course. I can't remember what the instructor did.

I remember my Italian freind who learnt to drive in the winter of 1962/3 telling me that his instructor told him to let go of the wheel.

[Astraist]

First off, my observer, an IAM Master, took the route and rapidly discovered that PP steering was not going to work. He extended his angles successfully but very uncomfortably.

Of course. Pull-Push lacks speed since it also utilizies the lower portion of the steering wheel, where free movement of the arms is limited by the trunk, making steering slower. When I need to apply a lot of steering VERY quickly I do rotational, with sub inputs of 180 degrees for each hand movement.

On my turn, I used heel of the hand (once the skid had been induced) and it was very effective. However, that is heavily frowned upon. Needing to apply a large rotation very quickly it was very effective.

Of course it allows to apply a lot of steering, but it limits grip of the rim so it might slip. Also, it lacks another attribute of effective steering which is accuracy in the sense that you remain aware of where dead center is. On a series of skid pan tuitions, many drivers that used the heel of the hand got too much opposite lock and spun.

What is the alternative? Hand crossing, equally frowned upon, was very jerky. PP impossibly more so.

Crossing the hands, if the sub-inputs are large enough, can be effective and even quite smooth and accurate.

At the 3:15 position, I can reach the horn buttons of both my cars without taking a hand off the wheel or moving anything but a part of my hand from that position. At night, that's equally true because I need fast access to raise and dip my beams and it's easier to do from 3:15. The only other alternative is to take one hand off the wheel while operating a control, which is necessary from the 10-2 PP position. So this means that in order to continue to steer safely and effectively while operating the controls, that I would need to change hand positions such that they mirror eachother from 10-2 to 3:15 but as some people consider the latter to be out of the question, I wonder how they manage this?

This article did not refer to steering hand positions which are more closely related to the driver's positioning in the car. Yes, quarter to three is effective by providing good reach to ancillary controls, but also by providing more balanced steering and wider range of movement with fixed-input steering. Slightly higher or lower positions can be adopted when the shape, size and/or position of the steering wheel makes the quarter to three position awkward.

I fail to see the association between the ten and two position (which was used when all steering wheels made the quarter to three position awkward) and pull-push, which can be used just as effectively from a 3:15 position.

I *think* that we were told that once the car gets past sideways (ie 90 degrees) then tread hard on both brake and clutch pedals and (possibly) let go of the wheel.

This method is used in NASCAR racing where skids like these are unrecoverable and the driving position hinders quick steering. Letting the wheel sort itself out is something I was advised against, unless the skid is very dramatic. Even than you usually need to accelerate the wheel's rotation with your hand or retardate it with it.

[WhoseGeneration]

I *think* that we were told that once the car gets past sideways (ie 90 degrees) then tread hard on both brake and clutch pedals and (possibly) let go of the wheel.

I "think", vaguely remembering some past reading, that was old school racing driver approach, to attempt to induce a spin, hoping to stay on the black stuff.

[zadocbrown]

I *think* that we were told that once the car gets past sideways (ie 90 degrees) then tread hard on both brake and clutch pedals and (possibly) let go of the wheel.

I "think", vaguely remembering some past reading, that was old school racing driver approach, to attempt to induce a spin, hoping to stay on the black stuff.

Yes - the idea being to lock all wheels so that you go in a straight line and come to rest still on the tarmac (albeit facing in a random direction) rather than risking grip returning at the wrong angle and firing you off into something solid.

It's most suited to cars with no abs/esp, though I guess it will work even with those aids to an extent.

[jcochrane]

This method is used in NASCAR racing where skids like these are unrecoverable and the driving position hinders quick steering. Letting the wheel sort itself out is something I was advised against, unless the skid is very dramatic. Even than you usually need to accelerate the wheel's rotation with your hand or retardate it with it.

Not sure how recent your information is or whether different NASCAR schools teach different techniques when the car is out of control and I could now be out of date with my information. I used to go over to Charlotte, North Carolina (the heart of NASCAR) regularly in the capacity of a licensed race official a few years back. At that time the instructors would teach to let every thing go letting the car settle in its own way don't touch brakes or steering. Sadly, one year when I went over, earlier that same week someone was killed during training for not following that advice.

This advice was for racing on oval speedways and not necessarily applicable to road driving.

[WhoseGeneration]

Yes - the idea being to lock all wheels so that you go in a straight line and come to rest still on the tarmac (albeit facing in a random direction) rather than risking grip returning at the wrong angle and firing you off into something solid.

It's most suited to cars with no abs/esp, though I guess it will work even with those aids to an extent.

I'm not sure circuit techniques are appropriate for public roads, AD surely means not having to ever use such, although last resort might be all there is.
Esp?, how on earth can anyone explore its capability on public roads, just hope that if one gets it a bit wrong it will help and one will not confuse it with one's inputs, unless one has read the owners' manual. How many do that?
Of course, if you are one who wants to, you could use esp to help you to make maximum progress, that being the unintended consequence of legislation aimed at the "average" driver.

[zadocbrown]

Yes - the idea being to lock all wheels so that you go in a straight line and come to rest still on the tarmac (albeit facing in a random direction) rather than risking grip returning at the wrong angle and firing you off into something solid.

It's most suited to cars with no abs/esp, though I guess it will work even with those aids to an extent.

I'm not sure circuit techniques are appropriate for public roads, AD surely means not having to ever use such, although last resort might be all there is.
Esp?, how on earth can anyone explore its capability on public roads, just hope that if one gets it a bit wrong it will help and one will not confuse it with one's inputs, unless one has read the owners' manual. How many do that?
Of course, if you are one who wants to, you could use esp to help you to make maximum progress, that being the unintended consequence of legislation aimed at the "average" driver.

I think you misunderstand. Nobody is advocating this as a normal technique (road or track). It is a damage limitation strategy in the event that it goes seriously tits up.