Custom-Molded Steering Wheels Improve Steering Feedback
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Ed Dellis, The Steering Wheel Guy, explained how the human brain initially associates increased grip tension with more control...which is BACKWARDS when you're trying to read and feel the steering wheel feedback so you can drive closer to the limit with more confidence.
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With a standard steering wheel, friction is the primary control mode and this consumes significantly more extra effort since the control forces acting on the wheel are 90-degrees from the opposing force (steering resistance in rotation)...not so when you have a custom-molded steering wheel that's molded properly.
Sensitivity comes from the potential force remaining in a driver's hands/arms after wrestling with the wheel into a command position. This means less grip effort gives you an improved SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO on the steering feedback signal...so drivers report that the feel improves. Blisters are evidence of hands working past that limit -- because pain now limits the ability to provide an accurate input. This friction paradigm happens when using a regular racing steering wheel made of leather, suede, plastic, or rubber that relies mainly on the friction between the hand, glove, and the steering wheel. |
