Steering techniques

From Trackpedia

There is a whole world of styles and techniques used to steer cars, on the track and road. Using the right technique can improve lap times considerably.

Steering must be smooth, but it should be decisive. It's a common mistake to believe you are smooth, but are actually "too" smooth. By being "lazy" with the steering, you enable the suspension to compress and de-compress, not generting a sufficient side weight transfer. If you act relatively quickely, though, you will cause the whole system of the chassis, springs and shocks to transfer weight as the car turns into the corner, generating more adhesion for turning is response to roll. It's the same as riding a bike, it's not enough to turn the wheel into the corner, you must lean it. Quickely turning the wheel does this. A second reason, is to induce more friction due a drastic change in the direction in which the front tires are facing. That frictions slows down the front tires, leaning more weight over them, to increase adhesion.

If the corner is wide and fast, you don't need to be as quick with the steering, because you actually want to unsettle the car to a minimum. Actually, most corner require a smoother and more gentle application. In sharp corners, however, the car must make a drastic change to the direction of travel, and must be forced to do so, under quick steering. The sharper (and thus slower) the corner, the faster the steering. It's better, in that case, to turn a bit too much rather than too little. If the car is rear-driven and tends to acute oversteer, you should consider being a bit more gentle.

If the track is slick (or if in a Rally stage), the method still applies, since it's even more important to force the car to change direction. A change which it is reluctant to make, due to slippage. Therefore, the car's reaction might appear to be "delayed", but, if don't steer even more needlessly, but wait for it to come around, it will do so ideally.

Clearly, this can be diagnosed by the car's turn-in. In other words, any tendency of [[Understeer] during the first half of the corner is more likely to occur to due to lack of steering smoothness or steering decisiveness, far more than it is likely to be a result suspension geometry and car setup.

Recommended method

Combining various steering styles is not recommended. However, for the best performance, the driver must make a balance of two methods. This combination will less or more fit any type of driving situation and car, and we highly recommend that you stick to it, as it can improve your performance and comfort.

Begin with always keeping the hands on the wheel. Even when starting the car, always keep one hand in contact with the wheel and keep it there as long as the engine is started. Don't place hands over the wheel, hook them inside it or through it. This limits control, comfort and can result in fractures.

Editor's note: I have seen many driver struggle and fail with skid control, evasive manouvering and several types of cornering scenarios, in addition to lacking any sort of tactile feedback through the wheel, due to the sole fact of not gripping and turning the wheel in an efficient manner. Sticking to this technique can make car control very easy and percise, along with an increase in confidence and comfort. It has been tried in various driving conditions and cars, and proven superior over other techniques.

Fixed-input steering

This is a simple method, and the most commonly used in motorsport. All curves, and most corners, can be engaged simply by gripping the wheel with both arms and steering it around. This way, the grip at the wheel remain good, and the driver always knows where the front tires are pointing.

It is important to state that the grip on the wheel should be just tight enough to keep it controlled. Any squizzing will not only prove uncomfortable, but will also damage the ability of receiving feedback through the wheel. While this point is easy to keep when traveling in a straight line, it is harder to keep during the sharper corners.

A common mistake is to grip the wheel with the palm resting on the face on the rim, possibly with vertical thumbs. It is both safer and more controlled to put the palm on the outside part of the rim, thumbs and fingers wrapped around. However, don't control and stabilize the wheel with only the thumb, as you will get tired. A good tip off, is to take a deep breath before turning into sharp corners and than exhale just before the corner.

Hold the wheel at 09:15 (9 & 3 O'Clock, with the wheel as a clock), with the wrists placed on the outer part of the rim, and the fingers and thumbs hooked around it. The tips of the thumbs should be able to contact the fingers, and the fingertips should be able to protrude undeneath the bottom of the spores on both sides on the wheel. Stabilize and guide the wheel with the wrist and fingers. Fingers are more sensitive that palms or arm muscles. Notice we say fingertips and not only thumbs, let your thumbs stabilize and guide the wheel and you are losing some feedback.

This means gripping the wheels with the hands at each side, at the center, as far from each other as possible, parallel to the front tires, and forming as great a base for an imaginary "triangle" with the steering column. This is the default driving grip. It allows the driver to operate the wheel with maximal sensitivity and leverage, with optimal reach to controls like a stickshift, gear paddles, lights and blinkers. The driver would typically hold the wheel at both sides, at the center, as far from each other as possible.

At that portion of the wheel, there will typically be two spores creating a flat "crossbrace". Just above it, the rim is often curved like two small "bumps". The spacing between the spores and bumps create padded thumb detents, that allow the driver to wrap his hand around the outside of the rim and wrap his thumb inside, without fearing thumb fracture, unless going off-road. The steering can be slightly adjusted with the wrist, or moved around with the arms quickly up to 270 degrees, with maximal stability and minimal wrist movement by keeping the thumbs hooked under the flat-top, even while turning. Regardless of this, the grip of the wheel should remain controlled but tender, and both hands should steer symetrically.

Fixed-input steering is used whenever the wheel has to be turned quickly and in succesion, or whenever the direction of driving remains straight ahead (fast curves). For small steering adjustments while making it through fast curves, steer gently, symetrically and slowely in and out of the curve. In this case, it's better to turn too little than too much. Adjust the wheel slightly with your wrists and fingers, rather than the whole arm. Let both arms share the load equally.

If you need to steer through a tight chikane, slalom course, or make a quick evasive steering manouver, also remain with fixed-hands. This time, however, steer faster (especially during evasive manouvering), and with the arm rather than the palm (keep the wrist steady). Keep the thumbs under the crossbrace for more stability. In evasive manouvering, begin by braking to wipe off speed, and than use a "Bump to-Bump" style: Turn the wheel at a certain angle to one direction, and than quickly in the opposite direction at the same amount, and than straighten. Don't be afraid of crossing your forearms.

If your hands get tangled but more lock is nessecary, resort to a hand by-hand operation. Your pushing hand (the left hand in a right turn) should roughly be at 6 O'Clock on the wheel. Now, place the other hand (the pulling hand) above it (close to 12 O'Clock) and yank the wheel down.

When you corner, and have to turn more than 90-100 degrees, it's recommended to use the "Pull technique".

Pull steering

This is a classic method in the world of WRC and from there is has spown and has become the method considered best for all motoring, even road driving. Under sharp or moderate cornering, it allows for maximum leverage with minimum hand movement, while always keeping one hand steering and the other at full control of the wheel or of other controls, if nessecary. This technique is about regaining the 9:15 position after the wheel is turned. However, to differ from most conventional techniques, here the operation is led only by the pulling hand (the hand in the direction of the corner), which has more sensitivity due to use of amr and palm muscles and nerve-endings. Additionally, by using back muscle strength, you are able to keep the wrist firm and the action quick and powerfull, as nessecary. It is also easier for the driver.

The pulling hand is relocated before the corner, to pull just enough to get the car to turn as needed and to go back to 9 or 3 accordingly. That is, if you wish to turn 180 degrees to the right, the right hand is being relocated (from it's position at 3 O'Clock) 180 degrees to the left (9 O'Clock), and pulls back to 3O'Clock. Meanwhile, the opposite hand keeps holding the wheel from where it is in 9 O'Clock. It than alternates grip to the pulling hand, which pulls under the stationary hand (which is now supervising the steering input), untill it returns to 9 or 3. You can relocate the pulling hand on top of the wheel (12 O'Clock) and therefore pull 90 degrees, or from across, just above the stationary hand, thus turning 180 degrees, or even place the pulling hand on the bottom of the wheel upside down (gripping it, not palming it), pull under the stationary hand and put in 270 degrees of rotation. After the hands have returned to the 9:15 position, stretch the arms and palms to make sure you are wrapping your arms around the rim, not on it's face. This will improve control and comfortability.

To undo the steering, the opposite hand is now relocated accordingly and pulls back to where it came from. Pulling into the corner is done smoothly but decisively, while taking the lock off is done more slowely and gently.

The stationary hand lets the rim run under it controlably. If, for the sake of disscussion, the input nessecary is smaller than intended, the stationary hand can grip the wheel and the opposite hand can slide back to the correct location. It can also straighten the steering or countersteer. Regradless, it allows to have better control and more feedback when pulling the wheel with less effort, and keep knowledge on the amount of steering input applied.

Note that, if the other hand is busy in shifting or applying the handbrake, a situation can arouse where the pulling hand will have to push the wheel. With a bit of practice this can be made smoother.

A 90-degree pull

The pulling hand goes on top of the wheel (12 O'Clock), pulls down to 9 or 3, when the other hand stays stationary. This sort of steering input is not recommended, as it is better, for these small leverages, to simply use fixed-input steering. For the same reason, relocating both hands before the corner (see "dual-movement steering") is not recommended here. Using the dual-movement method here will only result in more effort and a difficulty in retracting the wheel.

A 120 degrees pull

In most of the modern race cars, this is the amount of lock that should drive you through a hairpin or a very sharp corner. For this, the pulling hand is placed above the stationary hand, in 11 or 1 O'Clock or so and pulls back to 9 or 3.

A 180-degrees pull

In older cars with a greater steering ratio, or in road cars, the pulling hand goes across the wheel, just over the other hand. This is not going to be a full 180 degrees, so you might want to hook the thumb of the pulling hand under the spore of the wheel and pull with it, to reach a full 180 degrees of leverage. Now, streach your arms to make sure your wrist stays firm as you make corrections with both arms. Now, take the other hand and do the exact same drill, in reverse. Pulling is done quite quickly, while pulling back is done gently.

A 270-degrees pull

The pulling hand goes to 6 O'Clock (bottom of the wheel). The idea is to hold the hand with the palm pointing up, hand upside down, gripping the rim firmly. Now, pull all the way across the steering wheel, under the stationary hand (momentarily lift it) and back to 9 or 3. Pulling is done almost sharply turning in, and gently coming out.

A 360-degrees pull

If your car has an enormous amount of lock to-lock ratio, you might need to turn it 360 degrees. You will need to stay in 9:15, open the palm of the pulling hand while keeping the thumb hooked inside (with support of the stationary arm). This does not mean to "palm" the wheel. It means to turn the hand, with the palm around the thumb, grip the wheel and turn it 330 degrees (all together being 360), with the support of the opposite hand, than gripping the wheel and turning it around to complete a revolution of 360 degrees. Quickly turn-in, gently exit.

In theory, you can even turn more, by placing your pulling hand across, thumb under the crossbrace, turn 180 degrees, and than rotate the hand around the thumb to negotiate an extra 360 degrees. If the car has three spores you can begin by placing you hand further and pull 270 degrees before turning an extra 360. Any sort of turning for such large amplitudes, are better splitted into two or three hand movements by pulling 270 degrees or 360 each time.

Any sort of turning the wheel more than 270 degrees in one movement is not recommended, and should only be used in U-Turning or complex maneuvering in cars with a bad steering ratio.

Successive cornering

In the event of successive cornering, this method can be used to pull the wheel in great movements to overlap the initial turn-in without retracting the wheel between rapid corners. You can, for an example, steer 180 degrees right and than pull 270 degrees to turn a 90-degrees left, and than relocate the right hand to 12 O'Clock to take off the lock and back to 09:15. This way, only three hand movements are used to steer the car through two successive corners, with the hands kept most of the time at the correct basic stature. In any other technique, this manouver would require much more hand movements, and would have been much less accurate.

Alternativi Driving instructor Iay Alon demonstrating the correct technique:

Other techniques

There are, of course, other methods used to turn the wheel. These method are not recommended, because they usually involve successive and rapid motions (instead of one fluid motion), or use the brute strength muscles of the shoulder used when pushing the wheel along.

Hand by-hand steering

This is an improved method of fixed-input. In these techniques, the wheel is first turned with hands fixed in 9:15. Than, once they reach a certain point and have to pass it, the hands relocate to enable more lock to be put on more easily. One method is to let the pulling hand (in the direction of the corner) let the wheel slide under it with control, while pushing the wheel towards it with the other hand, reaching a state where one hand is in 9 or 3, and the other on 6O'Clock, allowing to keep the wheel turned 180 degrees more comfortably. This is not reconmended due to lost of grip, and the assymetrical work the hands do in this manouver, for a mere 180 degrees of rotation.

In another method, taught the BMW and Audi driving schools, both hands are used to rotate the wheel about 180 degrees or slightly less. Than, the pulling hand is relocated above the pushing hand, which than goes to complete a full revolvement of the wheel with the palm. This method has the same disadvatage, and can only be used for inputs greater than 360 degrees. It should only be used in slow speed manouvering with cars that do not have power steering.

Hand over-hand steering

Also called "rotational steering". For sharper corners, some drivers would use this habit, of crossing the hands over, pull, cross over and than push. This method is the most simple and maybe natural way of turning a wheel, and that is the reason that many people use it. It's generally reliable, and is also quick, but it consists of constantly pulling and pushing, for a generally small amount of steering input. It is therefore unsmooth and inaccurate. Some driver refine this method, and use fixed-input steering and than relocating the pulling hand or the pushing one accordingly to allow for more leverage. This should be avoided as possible. Another common mistake is to hook the hands inside the rim while turning. This is very dangerous, and while it makes for a better grip, it limts leverage and control due to wrist movement and use of unsensitive shoulder muscles.

Hand to-hand steering

This is another road driving practice that has, due to great popularity in that field, entered the realm of motorsport. This time, each hand stays on it's respectable side of the wheel, pulling down, pushing up and constantly sliding with the opposite hand, "feeding" the wheel through the hands in a "shuffle" movement, in smaller or larger movements. This practice is smoother than the previous method, but it is not the method for racing, since it still concludes of repitive movements. Indeed each hand remains on each side of the wheel, but this causes the wrists to twist when pulling down, disabling smooth control.

It has four general styles:

Push and slide

The pushing hand leading the action, pushing the wheel towards the other hand, which stays stationary. By prespositioning the pushing hand before the corner, this allows for some 200 degrees of leverage. However, there is a problem in taking the lock off, and control is not going to be as smooth. This is the classic hand to-hand method.

Pull and slide

This is a method used in Japanese Drifting. The driver keeps the opposite hand generally idle, letting the wheel slide under it, while rotating the wheel by yanking it around with the pulling hand. This movement still requires constant hand movement, and does not enable to use the sensitivity of the pulling due to rapititive movements and wrist movement.

Shuffle steering

One hand pulls down, the other pushes up, all between 11 to 8 on one side of the wheel, and 1 to-4 on the other side.

"Pull-Push"

This is a more refined method of this style, where the pulling hand is relocated before the corner, traditionally on top of the wheel, pulls down to about 7 O'Clock, where the oppositte hand grips the wheel and pushes it up to about 1 O'Clock.

One handed steering

We point this method out to make a statement that, "palming" the wheel along is not going to be smooth or safe in any driving scenario other than slowspeed or "dry" (static) parking manouvering, in which case it can be combined with the pull method (other hand idle, but in contact with the wheel). It's useless in any sort of advanced motoring.

Dual movement steering

This is a much more popular technique. It involves relocating both hands before the corner (preperation movement) and than steering into the corner (turn-in movement), ideally returning to the 9:15 position after the wheel has been turned, stable, in control and ready to put more or less steering lock in or out. However, this method is far from perfect. Relocating both hands makes for a slower application, and causes you to grip the wheel in a very loose manner for quite some time. Even after the wheel is gripped, all knoledge of the direction in which the front tires are facing is lost, and there will be a difficulty in taking the steering lock off. This is especially crippled in successive turns, or in rallly or autrocross driving, where there is a need to shift or apply the handbrake, even while turning.

Push steering

This is a method involving moving the hand in the direction of the corner untill it's just above the other hand. Than, push with both hands like a "handlebar", enabling about 220 degrees of rotation. The point of this technique being, that pulling down creates a bend in the wrist, thus disabling smoothness and control. However, there are other ways to manage the wheel without twisting the wrist, which do not include pushing, which is an action based entirely on muscle shoulders, which have brute strength and very little sensitivity. Also, this turning style, does not enable much leverage, and therefore has a very limited use, as it can't be used for the smaller curves, or the tight hairpins. Once the wheel is turned, the ability to control understeer or oversteer is minimal. Read here for more on this technique

Common mistakes

Not caring for steering techniques.
Keeping the hands fixed at 9:15 constantly. In a race, most of the steering inputs are done without hand relocation. However, when it is nessecary to apply a more complex technique, do it! Alternatively, some people would begin steering with the hands fixed and only than switch mid-corner to other techniques (hand by-hand or hand over-hand). This kills driving smoothness and control.
Being too smooth when a large input needs to be applied.
When you pull, you tend to apply the action against the face of the rim. This allows the muscles to be less tense and more sensitive. However, once the hands regain the 9:15 position, you must streach them to make sure the palm of your hand is just on the outer part of the rim, so that any further steering corrections will not create excessive wrist movement. One of the ways to make this effective is to keep the stationary hand well positioned against the outside rim, and than match the other hand to it.
Squizzing on the wheel during sharp cornering.
Trying to push the wheel from one hand to the other. In this technique altering the grip and relocating the hands is done after the car has turned into the corner, and is allows for more fatigue and less sensitivity.
Trying to pull a big chunk of steering and attempting to pass the pullling hand over the stationary hand. The idea is for the stationary hand to momentarily lift and allow the opposite hand to go under it. Another common mistake is to grip to wheel to loose on such pulls. Note that when pulling 270 degrees, the pulling hand goes on the bottom of the wheel, with the palm point up, gripping the rim firmly. With a bit of practice the whole procedure becomes very smooth.
Being either too agressive or sharp: On track racing, you will rarely meet a corner so sharp that the wheel has to be turned sharply. You can tackle sharp corners or banked corners that would require a "decisive" turn-in, but not a sharp one.
Shuffling the hands: Sadly, many people have become zealous of the "shuffle" or "pull-push" techniques. While these techniques are good (generally better, say, than hand over-hand), they are not perfect and are not recommended.
Having a difficulty in steering through successive corners. Drivers tend to take the lock off before they begin to steer the other way. However, the driver can pull enough to overlap the original steering input. However, he will need to pull quite a large amount of steering.
In hairpins, making the initial steering input with fixed-input and only than relocating the hands to tighten-up the steering. It has been found better to reposition the hands before turning in, and than using fixed-input.
Insisting on maintaining the 9:15 position by relocating hand on relatively small or fast curves and corners.
Letting the wheel slide under you hands. This should only used (to some degree) in professional drifting.
When you park the car, keep the wheel straight. Additionaly, try and avoid "dry" steering (steering when idle). It is not going to make a serious effect, but can increase wear to tires and steering arms. Additionally, try to avoid turning the whee agressively to the lock (the edge of the steering column) and try not to keep the wheel turned all the way for more than a moment or two.

External links

A how to article on steering, with specifications on different grips of the wheel.