first Laura says
> Someone at a car show a few weeks ago told me that a larger steering
wheel
> gives more control.
then Dan replies
<Snip
At the risk of sounding like a male chauvinist pig....<g>...!
a larger wheel will definitely provide more control. If you mean faster
response, then he was wrong, because a smaller wheel will give more control
.
To illustrate, lets consider two extreme examples. In the first, let's say
it
takes 10 ............................. plus or minus one inch.
Unsnip>
HUH??? You mean degrees of turn... Right???
<snip
has ten times as much precision.
Unsnip>
that might be good for a gun but with steering a car precision is.... How
do I put this. Your always correcting the direction so exact precession is
achieved through corrections in steering.
<snip
Again, assuming the driver can move his hand at the same speed, The smaller
wheel
has ten times the speed.
What do you want -- precision or speed? Evidently, race drivers want speed,
truck drivers want precision?
Unsnip>
Wrong...... The steering wheel in a truck is large because in the days
before power steering it took a lot of torque to twist the steering to turn
a truck. And it was kept large to reduce the effort because on a long haul
the driver needs to stay at peak. The steering wheel in an F1 car is small
because 1) the car is light, and the lock to lock is 1 turn, 2) there is
not much room and in some the wheel isn't round, 3) they have power
steering to reduce the effort. Look at an old F1 car and the steering wheel
is big. I replaced the 15" wheel in my Jag with a 13". The wheel kept
rubbing my right leg as I got in and out and would leave marks on my pants.
On the highway at 80+ there is no change in effort just a sort of "funny
feeling because my hands are closer together" but when I race it on a
slalom I found to my dismay that the hard turns require more effort, so I
may go to a 14" wheel.
Lastly the steering wheels on modern cars with power steering are the size
they are to make it EASY to steer. Auto makers call it comfort.....
Laura in this case some guys feel smaller is better..... <GGGG>
The arthur >;-} :4 O#:-)8<
kit car aka 69 GT6 (no steering wheel)
82 XJ6 Jaguar (13" steering wheel)
boxy thing on wheels aka ford aerostar (15" steering wheel)
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