How Do You Hold Your Steering Wheel?

[wmenorr67]

All over depending on what I'm driving and doing at the time.

[Waitone]

Anyone out there use steering knobs?
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&rh=n%3A15684181%2Ck%3Asteering%20wheel%20knob&page=1

[brimic]

Anyone out there use steering knobs?

Hehe, illegal in my state.

[Hawkmoon]

On open roads and easy driving, I use my "incorrect" one hand hold, but when I'm, for instance, driving in heavy LA traffic, I automatically and subconsciously go to 10 and 2. At this point in my life, I would be hard-pressed to "automatically" switch to 8 and 4 during stressful driving conditions.

Any learned behavior can be relearned.

In the 50's and 60's, the spokes on steering wheels were positioned such that placing your hands just above the spokes put them pretty much at 10 and 2. Now, either the spokes are low enough that placing the hands above them puts the hands at 9 and 3, or there are two windows between four spokes and the windows are at 9 and 3. 10 and 2 doesn't give good control in an emergency maneuver, anyway. 9 & 3, with the two hands fully opposed, gives significantly better control.

[vaskidmark]

Hehe, illegal in my state.

Same here, but only when you get the annual inspection.  Also have to take the GPS off the dash/window/wherever for the inspection.  No, they do not bother to ask about the suction-cup marks.  (One time I left the GPS up - they took it off, let it hang loose, and passed the vehicle.)

stay safe.

[Perd Hapley]

don't get me started on left leg out the window foot on the mirror drivers

Never seen that one, myself. I've seen my dad do some mandolin-picking while driving. A number of times.

[zxcvbob]

I steer with my knees.

You don't want to know how I shift.

I used to drive like that when I was much younger.  If you still can, I salute you. (especially the shift part)

[Boomhauer]

Depends on the road. Curving twisties? 9 and 3. Cruising on the highway? two fingers of left hand resting at around 8 or 9 oclock.

[geronimotwo]

usually at the 5 and 8 positions on the highway, 10 and 2 around town or offroad.

[French G.]

8 and 4 for control purposes, very picky about steering wheel to body position. Often a very busy wheel jockey. Usuallly just 8 riding down the highway lesuirely, have to remember to switch arms.  Next up, we can start the war about mirror position and two footed driving! 

[grislyatoms]

A couple fingers and a thumb ~8 for cruising. Offroad 9 and 3, if my hand is on the shifter then 1it hand at 12. Depends on the situation.

[Boomhauer]

two footed driving

No need. The left foot is for operating the clutch (if equipped), dimmer switch (if equipped), parking brake pedal (if equipped), air horn (if equipped) and siren (if equipped). It is not for operating the brake(s) except for on heavy equipment and tractors.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

depends who you ask   was quite the spirited debate in the local paper over 2 footed driving

quite a few cabbies do it


was once part of the air force drivers handbook

[coppertales]

My left hand is on the clamp on knob about 9 oclock with my elbow out the window.  My right arm is thrown over the seat back............Otherwise, my left hand grips the wheel between the spokes and my right hand is on the gear shift lever.............chris3

[French G.]

No need. The left foot is for operating the clutch (if equipped), dimmer switch (if equipped), parking brake pedal (if equipped), air horn (if equipped) and siren (if equipped). It is not for operating the brake(s) except for on heavy equipment and tractors.

Well, I'm pretty slick with tractor differential braking except it's my right foot. Still a somewhat new heavy equipment op, that's all over the place, too many control schemes, many, like a grader, no feet needed.

I learned to drive from race cars. You run the brakes with opposite feet, keep your feet where they belong. No chance a one footed driver is going to be as quick to the brake or as smooth with brake throttle transition, no chance at trail braking under power, etc.  Yes, at corner mid-point it is many times preferable to be on both pedals.

[RoadKingLarry]

Anyone out there use steering knobs?
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&rh=n%3A15684181%2Ck%3Asteering%20wheel%20knob&page=1

My preferred method. Also as nothing I drive has an airbag unless the wife is in the passenger seat, I don't worry about hand placement too much.
One hand on the wheel somewhere, the other one holding my beer.

On the bike the throttle gets the friction lock and left hand on the bar so I can access the beer with the right hand,

[grislyatoms]

Some rockbuckets have variable speed rear-ends and transmissions. There were times I had hands on two shift levers in 50mph traffic with 9 yards( gross weight ~40,000 lbs) on. Don't even ask about when I ate lunch going down the road...

[BridgeRunner]

Well, I perused this thread waiting for kiddo at kindergarten, so I had plenty of driving left to figure it out.  

10 and 2 did not last as long as driver's ed.  I tend to go with one hand in the top half and one in the bottom.  Seems to be a good combo, keep control at the top half, precision at the bottom half.  Within that pattern, I vary a lot.  Depends on the road, mostly.  For bad weather, 9 is about perfect, right hand around 4 or so, but usually 2:30 and 7 or so.  I often default to one-handed, even when I'm not doing anything with the other hand.  

Maybe I'm careless, but it just seems to work better.  I am ill-at-ease when symmetrical.  On the morning drive, I'll often have left at 8 and hold kiddo's hand with the right.  The joys of a small car    

[Tallpine]

I have no clue.  I'm usually looking out the windshield instead of at my hands. 

[MechAg94]

8.   I'm left handed and it is convenient and comfortable for longer drives.  I'll go to two hands if I am doing much turning.

[sumpnz]

I learned to drive from race cars. You run the brakes with opposite feet, keep your feet where they belong. No chance a one footed driver is going to be as quick to the brake or as smooth with brake throttle transition, no chance at trail braking under power, etc.  Yes, at corner mid-point it is many times preferable to be on both pedals.

Knew a guy in college that drove his mini-van 2-footed.  Claimed it was smoother, and how Michael Schumacher drove.  Didn't seem to occur to him that there's more than a trivial difference between his 4000lb <200hp mini-van and Schumi's (at the time) 1320lb >850hp Ferrari.  Smoothness based on driving style is not much of a factor in that mini-van.

[Regolith]

My first vehicle was a manual, so I got into the habit of having my left at 12 and my right on the stick. Current vehicle has no stick, but I still drive it the same.

I do go to 10 and 2 (or sometimes 9 and 3) when the driving conditions get more difficult.

For interstate driving I sometimes do 8 and 4, or just 8.

I learned to drive from race cars. You run the brakes with opposite feet, keep your feet where they belong. No chance a one footed driver is going to be as quick to the brake or as smooth with brake throttle transition, no chance at trail braking under power, etc.  Yes, at corner mid-point it is many times preferable to be on both pedals.

I've tried it a few times, and I just can't get used to it. I can see where it can give more control, but I learned on a truck that had a manual transmission, and I still associated using the left foot to break with killing the engine.  

[French G.]

Old habits die hard. My absolute first wheel time as a kid was an old racing kart vs the local elementary school baseball diamond. Pretty sure I remember getting the stare of disapproval if I ever lifted the throttle, so it was all brake or steering.   My race cars were only 1600lbs/400hp, but you catch on pretty quick about what you can and can't do with a brake pedal. Bonus points if only 3 of the wheels carry brakes.

On any vehicle with a working non-blocked rearview I also set the mirrors to make everyone else cuss. Kick the left mirror out to where I can barely see the edge of the car with my head leaning on the driver's glass, lean to the right same amount and repeat. Takes a good while to warm up to, really a whole different scan pattern or concept. Blind spots are gone, the only way someone can sneak in is to be two or more lanes off and slightly behind and then slide over to you. Which you should have already seen them coming to that spot.... Between that and actively managing the space in front and behind my car I expect to know where everyone is at on the road. I will give a quick blind spot glance but if I need to change lanes in a hurry I know where the hole is already.

[HeroHog]

With a proper wheel in a high performance setting, 9 & 3, daily, depending on the wheel, 9 & 3 or 8 & 4.

[Jocassee]

I didn't know trail braking was a thing with cars, I used to do it with the bike in a tight corner especially on hills and found it useful but never tried in in the coupe.