The steering wheel grip can be considered perfect or proper when the hands are at the 9.00 and 3.00 positions. In contradiction to the primitive 10 and 2 O’ clock positions, the range of motion and control with your hands is considerably greater with the hands in the 9 and 3 O’ clock positions. The driver should have his palms cupping the outer diameter of the steering wheel, with his thumbs wrapped around the ring and should be resting on the top of the cross brace. The position of the heel of the palm should be on the front of the wheel in order to apply a slight pressure for stabilizing the driver’s arm movements. Better be reluctant to make your thumbs do all the stabilizing. Today, the stock steering wheels in most of the sports cars and even in sedans are properly designed for the 9 and 3 position with padded thumb detents.
Be relaxed on the grip itself, but still be tight enough on the grip so as to maintain the control and good contact for sensory input. The arms of the driver will tire quickly with a tight grip on the steering wheel. More importantly, a tight grip on the steering wheel will significantly reduce the vibration feedback received to sense the vehicle’s control limit.
Most of the drivers show a natural tendency to grip the steering wheel more tightly while the vehicle is cornering. It should be noted that no amount of traction on the tires of the car will increase with the squeezing on the steering wheel!!! However, the driver will be aware of the increased traction with a more relaxed grip on the steering wheel. Relaxed grip on the steering wheel does not mean to loose contact with the steering wheel, so better the driver is careful on this matter. During high g-force cornering, to relax the hands is definitely a learned response. But it is very much recommended that a driver should force himself to learn it as quickly as possible. This will unquestionably increase the sensitivity of the driver to the traction limit of the car, and of course will improve the driver’s awareness of handling the car.
Another important tip for the drivers to practice, before entering a corner, to ensure that the hands, arms and the shoulders are relaxed, take a deep breath beforehand during the straight. The driver should take a deep breath; relax his muscles and then exhale. Another tip for the drivers to do while in a long enough straight, clear of other cars, is to relax one hand at a time, leaving the palm and thumb on the wheel wiggle the fingers. This technique will avoid the cramping of the muscles in the wrist, forearm and hand.
