The angle of the wheel... | FerrariChat
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The angle of the wheel...

Discussion in 'Ferrari Discussion (not model specific)' started by James_Woods, Feb 23, 2007.

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  1. James_Woods

    James_Woods F1 World Champ

    May 17, 2006
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    #1 James_Woods, Feb 23, 2007
    I somehow have this feeling that I am about to be blamed for a repost, but that has not stopped many of us yet...

    I was talking to one of the guys at the Ruf Porsche place on that thing with the 911 having the ignition key on the left side of the steering wheel.

    He gave me the standard answer as to how it was so that the Lemans winners could buckle up, get it in gear, and start the engine all at the same time. (as has been said before, the first 15 seconds are extremely vital in a 24 hour race!)

    So I just said, well - the legend would make more sense to me if one of the movers and shakers at Porsche just happened to be left-handed.

    So then the light bulb came on - in the same line of thought, is there really a good reason that many Ferrari road cars have the steering wheel angled so obliquely upward? It almost feels like a GM tilt-wheel put all the way up for exit-entry. I know some of the magazines have said this is "traditional Italian driving position"...but is it really? Their racing cars certainly do not all show this affectation.

    Could it be that this is just "style" for the sake of "style"?
     
  2. DGS

    DGS Seven Time F1 World Champ
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    #2 DGS, Feb 23, 2007
    Hold your arms straight out with the elbows locked. Now, without unlocking your elbows, drop your hands down to your knees. Notice that they're closer to your chair back? That's the traditional angle of the steering wheel.

    I think.

    Frankly, I don't notice anything odd about the wheel angle. But I've been driving Fiats, Alfas, and Ferraris since the early 70s, and the only non-italian cars I've had in that time had tilt wheels ... which I adjust to the same angle.

    I'm not sure where the straight-elbow driving position came from, but once you get used to it, it works pretty well. Okay, it's not so great for toodling along the freeway with one hand on the wheel. But when you're driving (rather than just along for the ride), it just feels "right". (IMO)
     
  3. Steve Magnusson

    Steve Magnusson Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #3 Steve Magnusson, Feb 23, 2007
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Although the adjustment range isn't huge (and it's shifted to the "up" direction compared to other cars), most F are adjusted full "up" so this makes it seem even worse -- add an extension and a slightly smaller diameter steering wheel and you can tilt the column full "down" and still be able to get in and out OK.

    Compare a stock TR steering wheel tilted full up (where the upper part of the wheel rim almost hits the instrument binnacle) and the "fix" ;):
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  4. 328

    328 Karting

    Oct 20, 2005
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    #4 328, Feb 23, 2007
    I heard somewhere that the angle of a steering wheel in a Ferrari was determined by Enzo Ferrari's (or maybe his perception of his clients') big belly and his difficulty in squeezing it under the wheel, thus the angle was changed to give more 'belly clearance'. Probably apocryphal but most of the good stories are.
     
  5. PAP 348

    PAP 348 Ten Time F1 World Champ
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    #5 PAP 348, Feb 23, 2007
    I love the driving postion in my 348. :):)
     
  6. PhilNotHill

    PhilNotHill Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #6 PhilNotHill, Feb 23, 2007
    Feels just right to me. :)

    360 F1 Spider
     
  7. pastmaster

    pastmaster Formula Junior

    Feb 5, 2006
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    Alma, Michigan USA
    #7 pastmaster, Feb 23, 2007
    I don't know how the angle of the steering wheels in Italian cars evolved, but when I learned to correctly drive one, it seems a naturally, relaxing position, for my hands and arms, and keeps shoulder and neck fatigue strains, from becoming big pains, when vigorous driving or long sessions, behind the wheel are experienced. I use the bottom part of the wheel and rest my arms and hands in my lap, when driving my other cars, because of it's natural and less fatigueing nature. I find it natural and optimal for me and the way I drive, with a manual transmission when I'm frequently shifting gears or casually driving with an automatic.

    My Uncle in Greece, Barba Spiro, taught me to drive on the mountain roads of Pelopponnisos, the Southern Peninsula of Greece, in Vasiliko, near Corinth, when I was a teen, when we would visit on vacations. He had a FIAT 850 Sedan, which I truly loved to drive as it was the perfect car for the small twisty paths they called roads in those days. ;)

    Ciao...Paolo
     

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