Need help breaking a bad driving habit

[Marc-OS]

Well, as we know in autoX, hand over hand is your friend. My problem from all this city driving is that I'm too used to one handed turns. So when I'm going into a corner that needs hand over hand steering, I can't do it. Are there any ways to help break this habit, and make hand over hand more natural?

[Neutrino]

Originally Posted by Marc-OS

Well, as we know in autoX, hand over hand is your friend. My problem from all this city driving is that I'm too used to one handed turns. So when I'm going into a corner that needs hand over hand steering, I can't do it. Are there any ways to help break this habit, and make hand over hand more natural?

duct-tape and superglue...then you try taking your hand off the wheel







but seriously the only thing i can think of is self control...just be aware of your hands' position


also driving with two hands in the everyday situations will help break that habit

this is all i can think of...

[89Turbo944]

Ya drive like you are on your road test. 10 & 2. Just keep reminding yourself to put your hands there. Or put a post it on your guage cluster telling you to do it. Everytime you look at it you will be reminded to do that. And then it will jsut become habbit.

[Marc-OS]

I can drive with both hands on the wheel, I cured my one handed driving problem just recently. My problem is the hand over hand movement in a corner. When I enter a corner, I'm only steering as far as one hand can take me, and I know I should be doing hand over hand, but I just can't do it.

[originalmike]

I was taught 8 & 4 because the airbags can break your wrists in the 10 & 2 postition.

I'm used to both hand over hand and 1 handed though.

[r34-gts]

man just sit in ur car and turn the wheel over and over again until you get happy than take it for a lil ride and try it around you street.

[kfoote]

10 & 2 is what used to be taught in Driver's ed before air bags came out. 8 & 4 should be taught and used on the street in card with air bags (to reduce dislocated shoulders as well as broken wrists. For auto-x and track, 9 & 3 is really ideal because it allows the most steering wheel rotation without taking your hands off the wheel.

For practice with hand over hand and shuffle steering techniques, try keeping your hands between the 8 and 10/4 and 2 positions with both hands on the wheel. It's a good intermediate procedure before going all to hand over hand.

[Jet-Lee]

i dont autocross, but here in Arkansas we have plenty of windy pig trails that challenge my cars. I've found the best position for my hands is either 10 and 5 for left hand turns and shuffle to 7 and 2 for right hand turns...works great for me, LOTS of control throughout the turns.

[CBFryman]

Originally Posted by kfoote

10 & 2 is what used to be taught in Driver's ed before air bags came out. 8 & 4 should be taught and used on the street in card with air bags (to reduce dislocated shoulders as well as broken wrists. For auto-x and track, 9 & 3 is really ideal because it allows the most steering wheel rotation without taking your hands off the wheel.

For practice with hand over hand and shuffle steering techniques, try keeping your hands between the 8 and 10/4 and 2 positions with both hands on the wheel. It's a good intermediate procedure before going all to hand over hand.

I havent actually autocrossed on a track before in a race, just having fun at the local track, and i drift in a vacant lot in the middle of no where (its like a parking lot with no buildings around it at all and no cops go by so...) i also drift in my moms truck (before it got totaled by francis) out at my granparents feild...and when drifting i usually drive at 9 and 1.....when setting up for a right turn drift, and 11 and 3 when setting up for a left turn drift...then as im iniciating the drift (indicing over steer) i stitch to 9 and 3 getting ready to counter steer (power steering really helps wheel controll with this....tried to do an e-brak drift in my friends rex and it nearly broke my right wrist when i let go with me left hand to move it over)...same when driving on the road corse...of corse wih out the switch for over steer....and since im only 15 and only have my permit i drive with both hands 8 and 2 in drivers ed an with my mom and iwth my dad and grandparents i drive with one hand laid back...dont try what i do and expect it to work...since i am obviously in experenced and have had no training if you F*** up and flip....well all i can say is "told ya not too"

[yoshimitsuspeed]

I was taught not to do hand over hand for two reasons. 1 If your airbag deploys you will have the time of impact imprinted on your forhead from your wristwatch.
2 If you do hand to hand just conecting the two at 12 o clock and six o clock you always know exactly where your wheel is if your tires brake loose you know exactly where straight forward is. In hand over hand you can get lost easier as to where your steeringwheel position is.

Another technique I learned for programming your head is to do something specific when you are really happy with the way you did something. For example if it's tapping your thumbs twice on the steering wheel, every time you do hand to hand/ or over hand exactly how you want to tap your thumbs, when you take a corner perfectly tap your thumbs, when you make the best run of your life tap your thumbs.
It sounds kind of dumb but your mind will make an exta effort to remember these times. Now once it's incredibly programmed you can do the reverse. If you are going to race tap your thumbs and your mind will associate all the things you did well with right now and should bring it back a little bit.

[ledhedsymbols]

There are the two primary methods I am familiar with. Shifty Hands (hand over hand) and locked hand. With locked hand one hand maintains the same position (if physically possible) thoughout the turn. As mentioned, this is great for remembering when your wheels are straight. This is great when you lose traction and start to spin (if you haven't, you aren't driving hard enough ) Anywho, it takes practice to do well, and it help to stretch your wrists and forearms before you hit the grid.... It's my preferred method, but then again, I'm still getting my ass handed to me by Boxsters..... Ah well, take it for what it is work.