[2L8uLoose]

Thanks to whoever added 9-3.. been able to vote now.

[Sumed]

9-3 for me... I find it very comfortable and it is also easy to use the indicators in this position!

[2fast4u]

Originally Posted by Sumed

9-3 for me... I find it very comfortable and it is also easy to use the indicators in this position!

when i did my hours in the driving school it was always use of 2 hands 10-2 position as recommended by the trainer. after getting the licence this habit of 10-2 has been replaced with One hand on the wheel

I have been trying very hard to use Two hands on the wheel but feel very uncomfortable doing so.

It is recommended to use two hands on the wheel just incase of a burst tyre or sudden mechanical failure.

[kiranpashtakar]

Originally Posted by 1100D

9-3 for me as the weight of one hand balances the other. and for breif moments its the gear shift. But 10-2 gives better feedback. But with modern cars with airbags 10-2 can be dangerous. as the hands would be forced up on deployment of the airbag causing sever injury to both arms and shoulders

I agree with you, but also consider that on impact when the airbags are deployed, you may not be having that position, so there is no risk of injuring your arms

[arif_t01]

8-4 for me.......the idea is simple.........i rest my rigth arm on the door handle so that i can, relax especially on the highway ......otherwise, after some time i begin to feel ache/ my arm become tired !!!

[1self]

One handed is the way to go, once one has had a few years behind the wheel. in city traffic one handed is the ONLY way to drive without getting tired. i personally keep the other hand ready for action & not on the gear lever as in the car manual (elantra) it is given that if one keeps a hand on the gear lever at all times, it tends to damage the gear forks (read the link from the lever to the clutch plates), in the long term.

[arif_t01]

Originally Posted by arif_t01

8-4 for me.......the idea is simple.........i rest my rigth arm on the door handle so that i can, relax especially on the highway ......otherwise, after some time i begin to feel ache/ my arm become tired !!!

after posting this, i began to notice my driving style........its one-handed for me in the city and the left hand ever ready to change gears.....i hate to ride clutch or knocking the engine......so i change gear as soon as i slow down, as i like to be in the power band all the time......i know its not good for FE, but who cares!!!.....but when do i shift up??? you know when .........for the highway as mentioned in the previous post

[manveet]

most of the time it's one handed as i get greater manevourability thaways .. easier to zip and zig-zag through traffic ..

the only time i use two hands is if i'm really fast (say140+) .. then it's usually 9-1

[manveet]

Originally Posted by ballkey

Query to one-handers: what about the highways guys? Dont you geta pain in your right shoulder after a long drive?(3-4 hrs) Or do you switch back to two-handedness on the highways?

right hand stays at 1 ..

if the right shoulder gets tired give it rest by using the left hand at 11 .. still one hand though but as right is free usually keep a finger or two at 5 as dunno what else to do with it

[vinces]

my fav is 6:30 ; and 8-4 while turning. but always both hands on the wheel, except when changing gears. sometimes, i have my hands on the two "spokes" - this is roughly in the 8-4 region.

[manveet]

Originally Posted by rks

If you need to swerve sharply to left or right, (for example, while overtaking) it would not be ideal to have only the right hand or left hand on the steering wheel.

I disagree to this. Actually i've noticed that for sudden serves or overtaking one hand use is way more comfortable .. but i can't explain why .. two hand driving gives a very restrained feel in this case ..

what do you guys feel about the above point ?

Originally Posted by rks

Or while applying sudden brakes, when you hit a bad patch, a speed-breaker or a sheet of water on the road - car could pull in one direction or the other. The extreme emergency would be a tyre burst or puncture.

Yes. In this case two hands are definitely better than one. Infact as soon as I see an approaching obstacle/bad patch etc .. both my hands are on the wheel asap.

[gd1418]

Vinces: what position is 6:30? How could one drive with both the arms at the bottom of wheel overlapping each other...!!

Originally Posted by vinces

my fav is 6:30 ; and 8-4 while turning. but always both hands on the wheel, except when changing gears. sometimes, i have my hands on the two "spokes" - this is roughly in the 8-4 region.

[rks]

Originally Posted by manveet

I disagree to this. Actually i've noticed that for sudden serves or overtaking one hand use is way more comfortable .. but i can't explain why .. two hand driving gives a very restrained feel in this case ..

what do you guys feel about the above point ?

If your swerves are planned and you have the time to get your one hand in the right position, then one hand is fine. When two hands are on the job and when one hand gets into the wrong position for a particular swerve, the other hand will automatically take over -- this could easily happen when you do not have the time to anticipate.

Remember that in an emergency you may need to do a series of maneuvers. Say, you swerve sharply to the right because the vehicle you are overtaking does the same on seeing some obstacle on the road -- and your right hand is now at 4 O clock. You will need to immediately swerve sharp left to keep the car in control and there may be fish-tailing as well. Here you may be struggling with only right hand. Also remember that at any time and especially while overtaking, you may find yourself braking hard without expecting it, and the car may pull sharply in one direction or the other -- here you will need the added strength and control that two hands will provide in order to keep your car on course.

[gd1418]

Maybe, but always thought experience counts..Anyway, my first driving licence was in 1977 from Birmingham, UK. Cleared the test that consisted of theory, practical and basic knowledge of maintainence. The car was a Vauxhall. Cleared everything but the driving skill that was cleared on a second attempt. While every aspect of my driving was correct, I flunked while taking a turn. My instructor told me that I crossed the arms while taking a turn (that most of us here in India do) that is not allowed in UK.

So during the correction of that habit the 8-4 was explained and I found it quite comfortable and so did the most of the driving aspirants there. Ever since have stuck to 8-4 everywhere.

Agreed that over the years of driving here I, like many, have acquired some wrong driving habits like zig-zagging, encroaching zebra lines at a signal, honking unnecessarily & using musical and pressure horns, driving with high beam, using disco lights etc. etc..., have tried a lot not to follow them but get beaten by the system. That is the irony...!

Originally Posted by Samurai

This is one place where experience doesn't count, it depends on the physical build of the person, type of car, seat height, etc. I too have driven more than 50 models of cars, but I have seen my position change according to the placement of the spokes on the wheel and type of car. In fact I didn't even recall my steering postion until I consciously noticed yesterday while driving. BTW, I am still wondering about my steering position in my Santro, yesterday I drove the Baleno.

[ess_a]

After this thread i have noticed that i drive with various steering positions... Decreasing order of their usage:
1. One hand (0-3)
2. two hands (9-1)
3. two hands (12-3) with my right elbow on the door panel (or whatever it is called) Mostly used on an empty stretch of road...
4. left hand at 9 and right has the phone!!!