Hand over hand steering

For anyone who may be interested, the "ten and two o'clock" hand position sets the hands "twenty minutes" apart, so the third hand position winds up being at the "six o'clock" position at bottom dead center. As is happens I have a leather seam right there, so easy to confirm by touch. Also, when returning, don't avert attention from the road, while looking up ahead, when the car straightens, your hands go back to the by now comfortable "10 and 2." Installed a new Wheelskin leather steering wheel cover to match Classic Soft Trim leather over new foam cushions and came to understand the old method of "hand over hand" steering. BTW for anyone installing a Wheelskin, to get the stitching aligned just right, if you look carefully, there is an inside seam in the original steering wheel mold. Have a shop light nearby to view the slight change in vinyl "grain" and keep your newly laced seam exactly over the original factory vinyl seam for a result that is perfectly aligned.

Reply to
Daniel
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I think it was "Daniel" who stated:

Ten and two o'clock steering position is SO Twentieth Century.

Welcome to 2006 when nearly all cars have airbags so that a four-thirty and seven-thirty o'clock hand position is a better (safer) choice. Then the airbag has a better chance of cushioning you without breaking your arms . . . .

-Don

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Reply to
Don Fearn

I learned that the recommended and safer position was 10 and 4 o'clock. Not true anymore?

Reply to
Bassplayer12

Good drivers mostly suffer from the rear end collisions. Keeping hands between 10-2 or 9-3 positions will allow sharper turns and better steering control when driving over the uneven road.

Reply to
Doctor J

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Forget "10 and 2"

Many of us were taught to drive with our hands at the "10" and "2" (o'clock) positions on the steering wheel. Some drivers prefer to drive with one hand at the top (12:00) or the bottom (6 o'clock) of the steering wheel. Yet none of these are optimum positions for hand placement in today's vehicles. The current recommendation for hand placement (if you imagine your steering wheel is a clock) is anywhere between 7 o'clock and 9 o'clock for your left hand and between 3 o'clock and 5 o'clock for your right hand. Although it may feel strange to have your hands so low on the steering wheel, this actually provides better control than the "10 and 2" method. A lower hand position makes it less likely that you will overcorrect during an emergency maneuver, which is what often causes spins, slides, and rollovers. This position is also better from an ergonomic standpoint. In this position, the upper arms are closer to the sides of the body and the forearms are slightly bent, which alleviates fatigue on the shoulders and back.

Reply to
Bassplayer12

I prefer to drive with my left knee at about 6:30 while talking on my cell phone with my left hand and drinking a beer (or eating, smoking, or flipping people off) with my right. These are standard practice here in Maryland.

Seriously, the 10 and 2 positions seem likely to rip both your arms off if the airbag deploys. I imagine some people think of an airbag as a soft fluffy pillow... rather, it's like getting hit with a 60 mile-per-hour pillow. I keep my hands at the bottom of the steering wheel unless I'm getting stopped by a cop, then they immediately go to

10 and 2 (so they can see my hands... they appreciate these kinds of courtesies).
Reply to
Ben

I think it was Doctor J who stated:

Really?

Really?

Where is this information coming from?

Are you just making it up?

Or are they things that "everybody knows"?

-Don (curious to learn more)

-- Pooder approved this post . . . .

Reply to
Don Fearn

One question for ya'll. How often do your air bags deploy?

Ben wrote:

Reply to
ycleptor2

I think it was " snipped-for-privacy@cs.com" who stated:

Never . . . so far.

All it takes is once.

-- Pooder approved this post . . . .

Reply to
Don Fearn

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