Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Steering Wheel shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Steering Wheel offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Steering Wheel at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Steering Wheel? Wrong! If the Steering Wheel is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Steering Wheel then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Steering Wheel? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Steering Wheel and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Steering Wheel wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Steering Wheel then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Steering Wheel site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Steering Wheel, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Steering Wheel, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
)
A
steering wheel (SW) (also called a
driving wheel or
hand wheel) is a type of steering control in
vehicles and vessels (
ships and
boats). This article deals with SW's in vehicles; see steering wheel (ship) for the use in vessels.
SW's are used in most modern land
vehicles, including all mass-production
automobiles as well as light and heavy trucks. The SW is the part of the steering system that is manipulated by the driver; the rest of the steering system responds to such driver inputs. This can be through direct mechanical contact as in recirculating ball or
rack and pinion steering gears, without or with the assistance of
hydraulic power steering HPS, or as in some modern production cars with the assistance of computer controlled motors EPS. With the introduction of federal vehicle regulation in the United States in 1968, FMVSS 114 required the imparement of SW movement, to hinder motor vehicle theft; in most vehicles this is accomplished when the ignition Key (lock) is removed from the
ignition system lock.
Remote car audio controls are often included on the steering wheels of newer vehicles.
History
The first automobiles were steered with a
tiller, but
Packard introduced the SW on the second car they built, in
1899. Within a decade, the SW had entirely replaced the tiller in automobiles.
C S Rolls introduced the first car in Britain fitted with wheel steering as he imported a 6 hp Panhard & Levassor from France in 1898.
Arthur_Krebs replaced the tiller with an inclined SW for the Panhard car he designed for the Paris-Amsterdam race which ran from the 7th to 13rd of July 1898.
Passenger cars
SW's for passenger automobiles are generally circular in form, and are mounted to the steering column by a hub connected to the outer ring of the SW by one or more spokes (single spoke wheels being a rather rare exception). Other types of vehicles may use the circular design, a butterfly shape, or some other shape. In countries where cars must drive on the left side of the road, the steering wheel is typically on the right side of the car (right-hand drive or RHD); the converse applies in countries where cars drive on the right side of the road (left-hand drive or LHD).
Besides its use in steering, the SW is the usual location for a button to activate the car's
horn (acoustic). Additionally, many modern automobiles may have other controls, such as
cruise control and audio system controls built into the SW to minimize the extent to which the driver must take his hands off the wheel.
An
airbag, used to protect the driver in event of a frontal collision, is mounted inside a cover in the center of the SW. Therefore, to prevent injury from the airbag deployment, it is important that the driver does not sit too close. Typical recommendations are a distance of at least 1-foot (30 cm) between the surface of the airbag cover and the driver's chest.
Before airbags, designs for
energy-absorbing hubs existed, but were not used in mass production cars PDF Page 4.
Power steering and power assist steering both give the driver an easier means by which the steering of a car can be accomplished. Modern power steering have almost universally relied on a hydraulic system, although
Electric Power Steering are steadily replacing this technology. Mechanical power steering systems (ex. Studebaker, 1952) have been invented, but their weight and complexity negate the benefits that they provide.
While other methods of steering passenger cars have resulted from experiments, none have been deployed as successfully as the SW.
Other designs
car's steering wheel has buttons and knobs to control various functionsThe SW is centrally located on certain high-performance sports cars, such as the
McLaren F1, and in the majority of single-seat racing cars.
As a driver may have his hands on the SW for hours at a time these are designed with ergonomics in mind. However, the most important concern is that the driver can effectively convey torque to the steering system; this is especially important in vehicles without power steering or in the rare event of a loss of steering assist. A typical design for circular SW's is a steel or
magnesium rim with a plastic or rubberized grip molded over and around it. Some drivers purchase vinyl or textile steering wheel covers to enhance grip or comfort, or simply as decoration. Another device used to make steering easier is the brodie knob.
A similar device in aircraft is the yoke (aircraft). Water vessels not steered from a stern-mounted
tiller are directed with the
ship's wheel, which may have inspired the concept of the steering wheel.
Adjustable steering wheels
Tilt WheelDeveloped by General Motors' Saginaw Steering Gear Division, the seven position Tilt Wheel was made available in several General Motors products in 1963. Originally a luxury option on cars, the
tilt function helps to adjust the SW by moving the wheel through an arc in an up and down motion. Tilt Steering Wheels rely upon a ratchet joint located in the steering column just below the SW. By disengaging the ratchet lock, the wheel can be adjusted upward or downward while the steering column remains stationary below the joint. Some designs place the pivot slightly forward along the column, allowing for a fair amount of vertical movement of the SW with little actual tilt, while other designs place the pivot almost inside the SW, allowing adjustment of the angle of the SW with almost no change it its height.
Telescope WheelDeveloped by
General Motors Saginaw Steering Gear Division, the telescoping wheel can be adjusted to an infinite number of positions in a 3-inch range. The Tilt
and Telescope SW was introduced as an exclusive option on
Cadillac automobiles in
1965.
Adjustable Steering ColumnIn contrast, an adjustable steering column allows SW height to be adjusted with only a small, useful change in tilt. Most of these systems work with compression locks or electric motors instead of ratchet mechanisms; the latter may be capable of moving to a memorized position when a given driver uses the car, or of moving up and forward for entry or exit.
Swing-away Steering WheelIntroduced on the
1961 Ford Thunderbird, and made available on other
Ford products throughout the
1960s, the Swing-away steering wheel allowed the steering wheel to move nine inches to the right when the transmission selector was in Park, so as to make driver exit and entry easier.
Buttons on the steering wheel
The first button added to the SW was a switch to activate the car's electric Horn (acoustic). Traditionally located on the SW hub or center pad, the horn switch was sometimes placed on the spokes or activated via a decorative horn ring which obviated the necessity to move a hand away from the rim. A further development, the
Rim Blow steering wheel, integrated the horn switch into the steering wheel rim itself.
When
Cruise Control#Trivia systems were introduced in the
1960s, some automakers located the operating switches for this feature on the SW. In the
1990s, a proliferation of new buttons began to appear on automobile SW's. Remote or alternate adjustments for the
car audio, the telephone and
voice control, acoustic repetition of the last navigation instruction,
infotainment system, and wikt:on board computer functions can be operated comfortably and safely using buttons on the SW. This ensures a high standard of additional safety since the driver is able in this way to control and operate many systems without even taking hands off the wheel or eyes off the road.
The
scroll buttons can be used to set volume levels or page through menus.
The buttons can be adjusted manually for
reach and
height.
Gaming imitations
Certain game controllers available for
arcade cabinets,
personal computers and console games are designed to look and feel like a SW and intended for use in racing games. The more inexpensive ones are just
Paddle (game controller) with a larger wheel, but some go so far as to employ
force feedback to simulate the tactile feedback a real driver feels from a steering wheel. This good feedback from the steering contributes to steering "feel" and is one of the
hallmarks of a true "driver's car" or sports car.
See also
)
A
steering wheel (SW) (also called a
driving wheel or
hand wheel) is a type of steering control in
vehicles and vessels (ships and boats). This article deals with SW's in vehicles; see steering wheel (ship) for the use in vessels.
SW's are used in most modern land
vehicles, including all mass-production
automobiles as well as light and heavy trucks. The SW is the part of the
steering system that is manipulated by the driver; the rest of the steering system responds to such driver inputs. This can be through direct mechanical contact as in
recirculating ball or rack and pinion steering gears, without or with the assistance of hydraulic
power steering HPS, or as in some modern production cars with the assistance of computer controlled motors
EPS. With the introduction of federal vehicle regulation in the United States in 1968, FMVSS 114 required the imparement of SW movement, to hinder
motor vehicle theft; in most vehicles this is accomplished when the ignition Key (lock) is removed from the ignition system lock.
Remote car audio controls are often included on the steering wheels of newer vehicles.
History
The first automobiles were steered with a tiller, but Packard introduced the SW on the second car they built, in 1899. Within a decade, the SW had entirely replaced the tiller in automobiles.
C S Rolls introduced the first car in Britain fitted with wheel steering as he imported a 6 hp Panhard & Levassor from France in 1898. Arthur_Krebs replaced the tiller with an inclined SW for the Panhard car he designed for the Paris-Amsterdam race which ran from the 7th to 13rd of July 1898.
Passenger cars
SW's for passenger automobiles are generally circular in form, and are mounted to the steering column by a hub connected to the outer ring of the SW by one or more spokes (single spoke wheels being a rather rare exception). Other types of vehicles may use the circular design, a butterfly shape, or some other shape. In countries where cars must drive on the left side of the road, the steering wheel is typically on the right side of the car (right-hand drive or RHD); the converse applies in countries where cars drive on the right side of the road (left-hand drive or LHD).
Besides its use in steering, the SW is the usual location for a button to activate the car's
horn (acoustic). Additionally, many modern automobiles may have other controls, such as
cruise control and audio system controls built into the SW to minimize the extent to which the driver must take his hands off the wheel.
An airbag, used to protect the driver in event of a frontal collision, is mounted inside a cover in the center of the SW. Therefore, to prevent injury from the airbag deployment, it is important that the driver does not sit too close. Typical recommendations are a distance of at least 1-foot (30 cm) between the surface of the airbag cover and the driver's chest.
Before airbags, designs for
energy-absorbing hubs existed, but were not used in mass production cars PDF Page 4.
Power steering and
power assist steering both give the driver an easier means by which the steering of a car can be accomplished. Modern power steering have almost universally relied on a hydraulic system, although
Electric Power Steering are steadily replacing this technology. Mechanical power steering systems (ex. Studebaker, 1952) have been invented, but their weight and complexity negate the benefits that they provide.
While other methods of steering passenger cars have resulted from experiments, none have been deployed as successfully as the SW.
Other designs
car's steering wheel has buttons and knobs to control various functionsThe SW is centrally located on certain high-performance sports cars, such as the
McLaren F1, and in the majority of single-seat racing cars.
As a driver may have his hands on the SW for hours at a time these are designed with ergonomics in mind. However, the most important concern is that the driver can effectively convey torque to the steering system; this is especially important in vehicles without power steering or in the rare event of a loss of steering assist. A typical design for circular SW's is a steel or magnesium rim with a plastic or rubberized grip molded over and around it. Some drivers purchase vinyl or textile steering wheel covers to enhance grip or comfort, or simply as decoration. Another device used to make steering easier is the brodie knob.
A similar device in
aircraft is the yoke (aircraft). Water vessels not steered from a stern-mounted
tiller are directed with the ship's wheel, which may have inspired the concept of the steering wheel.
Adjustable steering wheels
Tilt WheelDeveloped by General Motors' Saginaw Steering Gear Division, the seven position Tilt Wheel was made available in several General Motors products in 1963. Originally a luxury option on cars, the
tilt function helps to adjust the SW by moving the wheel through an arc in an up and down motion. Tilt Steering Wheels rely upon a ratchet joint located in the steering column just below the SW. By disengaging the ratchet lock, the wheel can be adjusted upward or downward while the steering column remains stationary below the joint. Some designs place the pivot slightly forward along the column, allowing for a fair amount of vertical movement of the SW with little actual tilt, while other designs place the pivot almost inside the SW, allowing adjustment of the angle of the SW with almost no change it its height.
Telescope WheelDeveloped by General Motors Saginaw Steering Gear Division, the telescoping wheel can be adjusted to an infinite number of positions in a 3-inch range. The Tilt
and Telescope SW was introduced as an exclusive option on
Cadillac automobiles in 1965.
Adjustable Steering ColumnIn contrast, an adjustable steering column allows SW height to be adjusted with only a small, useful change in tilt. Most of these systems work with compression locks or electric motors instead of ratchet mechanisms; the latter may be capable of moving to a memorized position when a given driver uses the car, or of moving up and forward for entry or exit.
Swing-away Steering WheelIntroduced on the 1961 Ford Thunderbird, and made available on other
Ford products throughout the 1960s, the Swing-away steering wheel allowed the steering wheel to move nine inches to the right when the transmission selector was in Park, so as to make driver exit and entry easier.
Buttons on the steering wheel
The first button added to the SW was a switch to activate the car's electric Horn (acoustic). Traditionally located on the SW hub or center pad, the horn switch was sometimes placed on the spokes or activated via a decorative horn ring which obviated the necessity to move a hand away from the rim. A further development, the
Rim Blow steering wheel, integrated the horn switch into the steering wheel rim itself.
When
Cruise Control#Trivia systems were introduced in the
1960s, some automakers located the operating switches for this feature on the SW. In the 1990s, a proliferation of new buttons began to appear on automobile SW's. Remote or alternate adjustments for the
car audio, the telephone and
voice control, acoustic repetition of the last navigation instruction,
infotainment system, and wikt:on board computer functions can be operated comfortably and safely using buttons on the SW. This ensures a high standard of additional safety since the driver is able in this way to control and operate many systems without even taking hands off the wheel or eyes off the road.
The
scroll buttons can be used to set volume levels or page through menus.
The buttons can be adjusted manually for
reach and
height.
Gaming imitations
Certain
game controllers available for arcade cabinets,
personal computers and
console games are designed to look and feel like a SW and intended for use in racing games. The more inexpensive ones are just Paddle (game controller) with a larger wheel, but some go so far as to employ force feedback to simulate the tactile feedback a real driver feels from a steering wheel. This good feedback from the steering contributes to steering "feel" and is one of the
hallmarks of a true "driver's car" or sports car.
See also
Steering
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