Steering techniques

jbsportstech · Joined: 19 Aug 2008 Posts: 347 Location: Somerset

What steering techniques do people use. Do some people agree with Sir John Whitmore and belief that pull-push is 40 decades out of date and no longer needed in modern cars. I am only concern for the basis of this thread with road driving.
_________________
Regards James

Member of Southwest RoADAR

www.fordstownersclub.co.uk

To the average driver 'safe' is not having accidents. To an advanced driver 'safe' is not being vunerable to an accident.

Porker · Joined: 04 Feb 2006 Posts: 533 Location: Essex

There needs to be an option that allows you to vote for multiple techniques, or at least combinations of technique.

That is, you might use "pull-push" and "fixed input" depending on circumstances.

At the moment, the options only allow you to vote for one technique and, in practical terms, no-one ever uses just one technique.

P.

Oddball · Joined: 06 Apr 2008 Posts: 72 Location: West Wilts

I must say, even though my observer said you should use push-pull for everything, I do use rotational for reverse parking, because it's much easier *waits for the purists brigade* and fixed input occasionally on bends.

I don't think it's really practical to tar all situations with the same brush.

chriskay · Joined: 31 Jan 2006 Posts: 427 Location: Shrewsbury

Agree with Porker & Oddball; let's have all the tools in the box & use the most appropriate one.

Cheers, Chris.

899cc · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 199 Location: Berkshire

In my group we get taught to use Pull-Push most of the time, but for very small changes we can use fixed input. I think fixed input is best for small changes eg. 5 to 15 minutes of steering (with the wheel as a clock face). Our examiner doesn't seem to be too bothered how you steer in reverse either.

I have found that rotational steering is good for very fast steering. When steering fast, pull-push seems to lack smoothness when you slow down at the top or bottom of the wheel.

TripleS · Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 11:37 am Post subject:

I don't use much pull-push, but that's not because it's alleged to be 400 years out of date. Smile

Actually I'd like to have voted for all four options, but I couldn't, so I didn't vote at all; but I suppose a form of rotational covers most of what I do.

My steering is an odd mixture of stuff that most people wouldn't recognise as being coherent from any viewpoint. I'm at a loss to know how to describe it, but to me the main things is that it works OK - or so I claim.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

TripleS · Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 11:42 am Post subject:

dth · Joined: 13 Oct 2007 Posts: 499

Pull-push is the safest and smoothest form of steering for the majority of normal road driving although 'fixed input' is OK in moderation in the correct place and manoeuvring is a different situation again.

I question why rotational steering is necessary if the appropriate and safe speed is being practised in normal situations?
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Life is not black and white - neither is driving.

firstmk1 · Joined: 04 Jul 2007 Posts: 87 Location: West Yorkshire

I tend to use the following:

Pull/push - for tight turns e.g. junctions. I will use the big bite technique when needed.
Fixed grip - for the majority of cornering. I may drop one hand before turning to prevent crossing my arms to much.
Rotational - for low speed manoeuvring.

I've yet to try steering methods in a skid situation, I mean on a skid pan or airfield, so I'm still open to ideas on this front. I have been told about the benefits of letting the wheel go and allowing the car to right itself, but I've yet to try this for myself.
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Ian

Gareth · Joined: 15 Apr 2006 Posts: 1238 Location: Berkshire

TripleS · Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 2:53 pm Post subject:

OH hello, David. Nice to see you back, but I see I'm going to have to sort you out again. Laughing

It's not a matter of rotational being necessary, regardless of speed.

Please can we get away from these attempts to tell people what techniques they ought to be using. Leave people to try them all, which means the generally recognised ones (and any others that a free thinking individual may adopt to suit himself) and then let them decide what best covers their style of driving and gives reliable results.

If you try forcing people to use pull-push, for example, when they’d be more comfortable using rotational (or whatever) you’re merely increasing the risk that they’ll end up in the hedge bottom faster than you can say “dth is a speed freak” and we really ought not to be increasing the risk of that kind of thing.

I don't care how people hold or move the steering wheel, so long as they evolve some method, or methods, that work well for them. That is all that matters, unless of course you wish to meet the required standards for the purpose of a driving test of some kind.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

Gareth · Joined: 15 Apr 2006 Posts: 1238 Location: Berkshire

zadocbrown · Joined: 04 Jun 2008 Posts: 147

I use all of them. In approximately descending order:

1. Fixed input
2. Pull-push
3. Combination of 1 and 2
4. rotational
5. Fixed input going to rotational

I don't think pull-push is out of date, and it feels perfectly natural to me. I do think some people need to be more flexible........

dth · Joined: 13 Oct 2007 Posts: 499

jbsportstech · Joined: 19 Aug 2008 Posts: 347 Location: Somerset

As said I use pull push for most of my road driving along with fixed input for smaller changes in steering.

Rotational has its place in advanced road driving at time I use when manouvering in tricky spots and if I was in a scenario where I wasnted to turn around and change direction in a hurry but only in exceptional circumstances.

If you put other I would love to hear of any other techniques use and where they apply them.

I would mainly use rotational and fixed for track use.
_________________
Regards James

Member of Southwest RoADAR

www.fordstownersclub.co.uk

To the average driver 'safe' is not having accidents. To an advanced driver 'safe' is not being vunerable to an accident.