Steering technique

[HDi fun]

I'll do a Waynne here and ask loads of questions

How do you steer your car? I'm totally ignoring positioning and all other road and anticipation techniques just for this purpose. I'm not suggesting that you should change your driving. I'm just interested in how we steer our cars.

Do you use the Roadcraft (Police driving manual) push-pull approach?

Is push pull too wearysome?

How about pull-push - starting from the opposite side - hand over and down?

Rotational - position hands before a bend or deviation from straight ahead?

One hand - and panning the wheel? If so, when? Reversing? All the time?

Like a yachtman - leaning over and steering on one side only, hand over hand?

Whatever techniques you use - tell us why you use them and of the comparative benefits.



I use pull push mostly - it allows me to get a strong and accurate turn into a bend or corner without crossing over hands.

Parking, well, anything goes, who the hell needs to suddenly change direction when reversing at 1.5mph? any technique will do that gets you swiftly and tidily into your space.

Over to you....

Rgds,

P.

[waynne]

Hmm. I tend to do a push pull most of the time. I aim to keep smooth and uninterupted steering motions on the wheel. I will admit to one hand driving at times which is a bit naughty - especially when I use that hand to change gear

When parking I am a bit fan of palm steering. I never do this on the road ever since I lost control on a bend which had a pot hole and adverse camber - that was a lucky escape.

On long journeys I grip the wheel low down so it is more of a push, but round town and on fun drives my hands stay at 10 to 2 position.

[Prince]

If I'm driving around town then I tend to put one hand on the wheel and the other on the arm rest (on the centre console)...but if I'm driving at higher speeds I tend to take up 2 and 8 position. I find this helps with a quicker gear shift and helps me steady the wheel a lot more than a 12 position!

[pgarner]

hands mainy sit around 9 and 3 for fun driving. 2 and 8 for motorway driving one hand supported on my leg with fingers only on the wheel. sharp corners yeap hands crossed all the way.
reversing palming easier for changing between 1st and reverse for parallel parking

[HDi fun]

It you start with pull rather than push you'll never need to cross 'em.

[pgarner]

yeah its force of habit now i can pull push when i try but push pull seems to come more naturally

[HDi fun]

Why not get the pulling hand over and next to the pushing one on initial turn in?

Turning right - LH still a 9 oclock - right next to it at 10 oclock. You can pull RH down all the way to 6 oclock in one move. That's your turn in done. Now you can control car and steering angle thought bend/corner with both hands planted either side of the wheel.

It's so much easier mate, hand over hand makes you look like a yummy mummy on the school run. And they are not good drivers around here. Looks as if they're steering a boat with a punctured hull.