[roy@gambitmotorsport]

I mostly autocross and canyon drive, but I'm interested in high-speed track experience, as well.

When I autocross, I start with 9-o'clock/3-o'clock positions on the wheel to start, but liberally hand-over-hand it when necessary - although, always at as slow a rate as I can: you don't need to be tearing your tires from the road.

When I canyon drive, I never have to hand-over-hand the steering wheel, but in setting up for every corner, I lower the outside hand "one hour off", to get it under the steering wheel's column on that side, I guess just for a secure feeling that no matter how my hands slip I'd always have control.

What's your experience with what's best in these situations? Should I be contorting my arms in what feels like un-natural positions during autocross or wearing racing gloves to greet the local enforcement on canyon drives? Thanks for any input. In the next year or so, once I really feel I've got autocross down, I do plan on heading to BMWCCA track events and later possibly SCCA.


Roy

[sg335]

Research shuffle steering.

[longodj]

I use shuffle steering a lot but have been messing with my technique a bit. I think it was in "Speed Secrets" that they mention a technique where you always leave one hand on 9 or 3. Let's say you are taking a wide right turn. Leave your left hand at 9 O'Clock and shift your right hand to 1 O'Clock. Now when you are in the turn you right hand will be moved to 3 O'Clock and your left hand will be at 11 O'Clock. This way when tracking out you know exactly when you are straight by your hand positioning. This strategy also makes me much smoother than shuffle steering. IIRC one of my instructors yelled at me when steering hand over hand and I haven't done it since.

[BlueLion]

Originally Posted by longodj

I use shuffle steering a lot but have been messing with my technique a bit. I think it was in "Speed Secrets" that they mention a technique where you always leave on hand on 9 or 3. Let's say you are taking a wide right turn. Leave your left hand at 9 O'Clock and shift your right hand to 1 O'Clock. Now when you are in the turn you right hand will be moved to 3 O'Clock and your left hand will be at 11 O'Clock. This way when tracking out you know exactly when you are straight by your hand positioning. This strategy also makes me much smoother than shuffle steering. IIRC one of my instructors yelled at me when steering hand over hand and I haven't done it sense.

happened to me at my first autocross event by a female instrusctor....haven't done again.....even on the road

[roy@gambitmotorsport]

Originally Posted by sg335

Research shuffle steering.

Copy that. But, in a right-hand turn with your hands at 3 and 9 on the wheel, if you had to rotate the wheel 120 degrees (so you're steady 9 is at "1"), would you keep the hold or shuffle? At BMW CCC they were telling me to keep it, at least with the top hand, maybe letting the bottom hand slide "an hour or two".

It sort of feels sort of unnatural to me, but if it works best once you get the hang of it, I should just adapt to it. At what point would you begin to shuffle steer and would it matter how quickly the turns were coming (autocross vs track)?

[roy@gambitmotorsport]

Originally Posted by westwest888

They beat it into my head at Road Atlanta that I should not be shuffle steering. For the first session, I was sitting so close to the wheel that I couldn't turn it without my elbows hitting the bolsters on the seats. So I was moving my hands around in the turns. Moving the seat back a couple of clicks helped, in addition to raising the tilt steering wheel as high as it would go and telescoping it as close to the dash as it would go.

I think the steering ratio on our cars is good enough that just slightly over 90 degrees is as far as you need to turn on any track. Perhaps 110 is accurate. If I'm doing a 110 turn, I'll loosen my grip on the inside hand (for ergonomics) but keep it in position.

I do shuffle-steer at autocross and in the canyons, a little. Sometimes just to get my upper hand on the pushing side of a beam on the steering wheel. It's probably not necessary. I agree hardly any turn (taken properly) takes much more than 90 degrees of movement.

I've had instructors say never move hands, but others say "at autocross, anything goes". But they all agree on the point being to keep a slow and steady control over the rotation of the steering wheel, so as to not break traction in transitions. I guess I'll keep playing at it.

[S4to335]

FWIW, I shuffle steer..but have been instructed to teach 9X3 crossover steering.

[TSM330i]

9 and 3, unless you get into massive oversteer.

http://www.sumo.tv/watch.php?video=3409088