Shuffle steering or not? Where to put your hands on the wheel.

So much depends on the car. Ratio, does it have power steering, amount of effort?

I feel like after a certain angle I can't maintain steady effort very well regardless. Crossed arms Would be kind of bad. 

Then again, the formula car has such high effort (lots of caster - for reasons) and just space for the arms and general driving position...  It would be tricky to not shuffle for tight stuff.

In reply to Apexcarver :

Whether it was autocross our road racing I never shuffle steered in my F500.  I'm 140lbs so not exactly the hulk. Of course as others have point it one has to do what works for you.

theruleslawyer kinda nailed it.  New students have to learn the dogma so they can stay out of their own way.  As skills progress and car requirement changes, the dogma can be broken in ways that benefit the driver.

The only other thing to add to the discussion is muscle power.  Steering involves simultaneously pulling in/down with one hand while pushing/raising the other.  The pulling hand always has more power.  It doesn't matter much in a modern car with power steering, but in a downforce car pulling 2G's with lots of caster and a 12" cut steering wheel, it matters a lot.  I simply wouldn't have the physical strength to hold the wheel through a long carousel on the 18th lap of a race unless I reset my hand position.  Myself and many other drivers in these cars also hook their thumbs through the wheel, which is dogmatically a no-no for new students (especially in cars with airbags).

I started shuffle steering after my first rally cross. I couldn't turn the wheel fast enough going from lock to lock. Shuffle steering made it much easier. As a bonus, I felt Ike I had more precise control with my hands in the best position mid turn to make small changes. 

Tom1200 said:

In reply to David S. Wallens :

I remember in car many years ago from a Toyota Pro Celebrity race where Parnelli Jones (I think) was driving with one hand on the wheel and the other on the shifter.

I never knew this was unusual until I popped into this thread. I am not especially talented or precise steering with my right hand, but left hand on the wheel, right hand on the shifter, that's how I've always gotten my best times in autocross. Less leverage, but in most cars I've had, you don't need two hands to steer anyway, and there's no delay going from wheel to shifter with your right hand...

Smart? Proper? Ideal? Can't say, but it always worked for me.

In reply to ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) :

Until you.drive these cars it's hard to imagine how.physical they are.

It's akin to the shape you need to be in to ride motocross.

We have a very fast local autocross regular, occasionally FTD for the event in his ND2, drives every run with his left hand at 12, right on the shifter. 

I start out at nine and three, adjust from there. I wasn't that sure how much I move my hands around, so I pulled up a video, driving my Miata in an autocross at the Firm. I had my hands around a lot, often at ten and two. It seems smooth and composed, and I've had positive feedback about hand placement from instructors, but I would like to know if this is a possible way to improve. 
 

Airport runway, lots of arm crossing, only shuffle steering at the turn around. 
 

It's interesting to go back to these two and three year old videos and see how much time I left on the table. 
 

J.G., this all makes sense.  One positive I often times heard from my driving instructors was how smooth I was with my inputs, even quickly executed ones.  This was while still in my very formative track episodes.  I of course practiced this constantly while driving to work or anywhere until it became second nature.  Another technique I read about from Ross Bently was to push the wheel with your palms using your pectoral and triceps muscles instead of actually trying to roll the wheel.  This allows for a lighter grip on the wheel, which allows for finer feedback sensitivity.  

Once I read this, I then started modifying my "wheel craft" paying attention to this technique.  It is certainly less fatiguing for longer duration event for sure.  Just thought I'd mention this, as it was kind of a revelation for me.   

The crux of all of this, which is correct in my experience, is:

To answer your next question, “which one is better?” I’ll refer you to my previous hot take. The car doesn’t care about the method, just the result.

Great article. relevant content. Thank you!