Thin or thick rimmed steering wheel?
Discussion
redgriff500 said:
Do you have little girlie hands or big ones ?
With a thin wheel I'm almost making a fist holding it, it simply isn't good for driving nor comfortable.
I've yet to find any wheel too thick.
(and I'd say I've probably got average size hands)
Personally I tend to hold a wheel between thumb and forefinger with my palm resting against the face of the rim rather than clasping it with all fingersWith a thin wheel I'm almost making a fist holding it, it simply isn't good for driving nor comfortable.
I've yet to find any wheel too thick.
(and I'd say I've probably got average size hands)
The Wookie said:
Personally I tend to hold a wheel between thumb and forefinger with my palm resting against the face of the rim rather than clasping it with all fingers
Wow - do you drive fast as I can't imagine how you can holding a wheel like that.What about big bumps / potholes pulling it out of your very limited grip ?
)redgriff500 said:
The Wookie said:
Personally I tend to hold a wheel between thumb and forefinger with my palm resting against the face of the rim rather than clasping it with all fingers
Wow - do you drive fast as I can't imagine how you can holding a wheel like that.What about big bumps / potholes pulling it out of your very limited grip ?
I presume he means driving like this
rather than a limp dainty 2 fingered grip you are imagining.
I assume you mean you are driving like this
Which is a much worse way to hold a wheel.
I hold at 3 and 9 with my thumb on top of my index finger above the spoke and 3 fingers below the spoke.
I tend to use aftermarket (Momo etc) wheels as many of the modern ones stop your fingers going around the wheel as the "spokes" joining the centre to the rim are too thick (ie the first wheel pic would be fine, the second wouldn't)
I tend to use aftermarket (Momo etc) wheels as many of the modern ones stop your fingers going around the wheel as the "spokes" joining the centre to the rim are too thick (ie the first wheel pic would be fine, the second wouldn't)
Edited by redgriff500 on Wednesday 4th January 23:53
Mastodon2 said:
There was a car I sat in, can't remember if it was a BMW Z4M or an SLK, that had a comically chunky steering wheel, it was just ridiculous. My memory is leaning towards the Z4, but in reality both cars are probably guilty!
It must have been the Z4M, the steering wheel in that is like something out of a bus. What a clumsy move, a real blunder from BMW. And the centre section is awful too, with that daft looking 'dome top' over the airbag.My preference leans towards a wheel that is relatively small in terms of diameter/circumference but is about medium in terms of thickness. Overly thick steering wheels are the worst case scenario, though I've never known a wheel I couldn't drive (I have fairly big hands), I've felt a few that just made feeding the wheel feel clumsy. Thats the case with thick steering wheels (like in the Z4M) that are supposed to impart a feeling of 'sportiness' because they're so comically chunky. They might feel okay when you're holding on tight and steering with your hands fixed to the wheel but for fast road driving they fall down because they don't feed well.
My favourite steering wheel would probably be the one in my MR2 Turbo. It's just the right thickness to allow for proper grip (fingers clasped over, thumbs on the side as opposed to a sloppy hooked-thumb 'fist' grip). It does without a massive airbag section in the centre and the leather feels nicely glossed after 17 years, allowing for really smooth feeding. It's just the right diameter too, meaning fixed inputs steering is accurate but it's big enough to allow you to feed it back and forth without it feeling silly.
RB Will said:
redgriff500 said:
The Wookie said:
Personally I tend to hold a wheel between thumb and forefinger with my palm resting against the face of the rim rather than clasping it with all fingers
Wow - do you drive fast as I can't imagine how you can holding a wheel like that.What about big bumps / potholes pulling it out of your very limited grip ?
I presume he means driving like this
rather than a limp dainty 2 fingered grip you are imagining.
Never had a problem. To be honest, the only time I've ever done a fisted grip <fnar> on the wheel was in a Turbo, front-drive race car, which was a right handful.
redgriff500 said:
I hold at 3 and 9 with my thumb on top of my index finger above the spoke and 3 fingers below the spoke.
I tend to use aftermarket (Momo etc) wheels as many of the modern ones stop your fingers going around the wheel as the "spokes" joining the centre to the rim are too thick (ie the first wheel pic would be fine, the second wouldn't)
I can't even get my hand into that position I tend to use aftermarket (Momo etc) wheels as many of the modern ones stop your fingers going around the wheel as the "spokes" joining the centre to the rim are too thick (ie the first wheel pic would be fine, the second wouldn't)
Edited by redgriff500 on Wednesday 4th January 23:53
got a picture of what you mean?redgriff500 said:
Actually yes... just read the Harris Passat piece and he seems to hold a wheel like me (in the pic).
Ah, I read your comment as saying that your index finger was on top of the spoke rather than behind it. I don't really see why the thickness of the spokes or the rim makes any difference if you hold it like that? The tip of the thumb isn't touching the wheel and the fingers rest on the back of the spoke, by the looks of it.
Edited by kambites on Thursday 5th January 10:28
kambites said:
redgriff500 said:
Actually yes... just read the Harris Passat piece and he seems to hold a wheel like me (in the pic).
Ah, I read your comment as saying that your index finger was on top of the spoke rather than behind it. I don't really see why the thickness of the spokes or the rim makes any difference if you hold it like that? The tip of the thumb isn't touching the wheel and the fingers rest on the back of the spoke, by the looks of it.
I drove a MK3 MX5 the other day and all my fingers were on the back of the spoke rather than around the wheel and I didn't feel that I was in control of it so I moved my hands up above the spoke but that seems weird too.
Thumbs above the spoke means you don't have to firmly grasp the wheel all the time yet are in control should you suffer a blow out / pothole causing the to wheel twitche suddenly.
Thin means more information. Thick seems to be a recent fashion trend like big alloys. Wheels don't have to be gripped with a fist as wookie says and some race drivers drive on the public road with a thumb resting on the circumference for added feel.
Large diameter means inputs lead to more precise outputs. Ayrton Senna was an advocate.
Large diameter means inputs lead to more precise outputs. Ayrton Senna was an advocate.
Redgriff I thought you meant you had your thumb and forefinger in a circle around the wheel above the spoke and the spoke between your forefinger and middle finger which are below the spoke. What you are doing it pretty much the same to me and Wookie. The only reason I dont hook my thumb in like you is from my years of off roading growing up where people were forever saying not to hook fingers or thumbs over spokes as they can get broken if you hit a rut/ stone and the wheel spins.
RB Will said:
The only reason I dont hook my thumb in like you is from my years of off roading growing up where people were forever saying not to hook fingers or thumbs over spokes as they can get broken if you hit a rut/ stone and the wheel spins.
Same here but with karting rather than off-roading. 
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