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      12-08-2012, 07:14 PM   #1
Ron Scott
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Hand position on 3-series

I thought the more aggressive, sporty positioning was 9-and-3 vs. 10-and-2. But the 3-series steering wheels--basic and M Sport--place the hand rests at 10-and-2, and the 9-and-3 position is almost awkward, requiring you to sort of hook your thumb over the center brace.

Even my 1997 4Runner has a steering wheel build for 9-and-3...




Last edited by Ron Scott; 12-08-2012 at 07:20 PM..
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      12-08-2012, 08:15 PM   #2
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I can do 9-3 no problem in my Sport Line.
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      12-08-2012, 08:52 PM   #3
vern
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Thumbs up

Quote:
Originally Posted by bnekic View Post
I can do 9-3 no problem in my Sport Line.
10-2 Very comfortable,
cheers
vern

Last edited by vern; 12-12-2012 at 01:16 PM..
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      12-09-2012, 01:33 AM   #4
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9-3 difficult for me, too, and I totally see where you're coming from. Very awkward.
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      12-09-2012, 03:00 AM   #5
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Hmmm quite interesting, didn't actually think about it much.

Lol, read this and went to sit in the car to try. I agree, it is a tad awkward to do the 9-3 position. 10-2 comes naturally with the design of the wheel but constantly driving with one hand in the 12 position is most natural haha
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      12-09-2012, 09:23 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bnekic
I can do 9-3 no problem in my Sport Line.
Me too, but then I always tend to hook my thumb over the centre brace
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      12-09-2012, 10:31 AM   #7
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I don't understand what the OP is asking. Your thumbs go under the bumps and over the spokes. That's what's meant by 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock. The Toyota pictured is 8 and 4.
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      12-09-2012, 11:04 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Schott View Post
I don't understand what the OP is asking. Your thumbs go under the bumps and over the spokes. That's what's meant by 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock. The Toyota pictured is 8 and 4.
The clock-numeral analog refers to where your hands go, not where the center brace is. The beamer wheel has hand rests at the 10-and-2 position. The 4Runner has the brace at 8-and-4 so your hands fit nicely at 9-and-3 or any position above that.
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      12-09-2012, 11:22 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron Scott View Post
The beamer wheel has hand rests at the 10-and-2 position.
Or very nicely at 9 and 3, as Michael nicely describes: "Your thumbs go under the bumps and over the spokes."

Consider the Porsche Cayman steering wheel, perfect for 9/3:
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      12-09-2012, 01:04 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Schott View Post
I don't understand what the OP is asking. Your thumbs go under the bumps and over the spokes. That's what's meant by 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock. The Toyota pictured is 8 and 4.
This is the right way of holding the wheel. As I understand OP wants to grab the wheel with all fingers going inside of the wheel so he grabs it around the bumps.

By the way what kind of AC unit is in the pictures. It is auto but not two zone. Does anyone has it? Is it a Eurospec thing?
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      12-09-2012, 02:33 PM   #11
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I don't understand the issue... the BMW steering wheel allows perfect 9 and 3 positioning. The "bumps" at 10 and 2 are meant to be above your thumbs or, in some cases, people lift their thumb a bit and rest it on the hump in the steering wheel. So, you grip at 9 and 3 (which also correspond to the paddles coincidentally ) with thumbs over the spokes and under the bumps on the rim of the wheel... perfect 9 and 3. Most, if not all, performance steering wheels are identical.

Here is a picture with a different steering wheel but with the same thumb bump and spoke design. On the BMW wheel, the thumb bump is a little more pronounced but it's the same thing...

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Last edited by gthal; 12-09-2012 at 02:50 PM..
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      12-09-2012, 02:34 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron Scott View Post
The clock-numeral analog refers to where your hands go, not where the center brace is. The beamer wheel has hand rests at the 10-and-2 position. The 4Runner has the brace at 8-and-4 so your hands fit nicely at 9-and-3 or any position above that.
Those are NOT hand rests... your thumbs go UNDER these.
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      12-09-2012, 02:49 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron Scott View Post
The clock-numeral analog refers to where your hands go, not where the center brace is. The beamer wheel has hand rests at the 10-and-2 position. The 4Runner has the brace at 8-and-4 so your hands fit nicely at 9-and-3 or any position above that.
I'm sorry Ron but you are wrong. It's not an exact science to say 9 and 3 but putting your thumb on the 9 o'clock spoke is what is meant by that statement. Have you ever seen a sporty car with spokes like you show on the Toyota? Look at Porsche, Ferrari, Lotus, Lamborghini and BMW's for a long while. They all have steering wheels like the F30.
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      12-09-2012, 04:13 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gthal View Post
I don't understand the issue... the BMW steering wheel allows perfect 9 and 3 positioning. The "bumps" at 10 and 2 are meant to be above your thumbs or, in some cases, people lift their thumb a bit and rest it on the hump in the steering wheel. So, you grip at 9 and 3 (which also correspond to the paddles coincidentally ) with thumbs over the spokes and under the bumps on the rim of the wheel... perfect 9 and 3. Most, if not all, performance steering wheels are identical.

Here is a picture with a different steering wheel but with the same thumb bump and spoke design. On the BMW wheel, the thumb bump is a little more pronounced but it's the same thing...

The bumps are made for your thumbs, not the hand itself. I've being thaught that you put your thumbs on the bumps and don't clamp the steering wheel like you do in the picture above. This to avoid a typical complication in rally-style driving: broken thumbs by the spokes on a frantical turning steering wheel when you hit a rock or a curb. ANyway, like you demonstrate, the M-steering wheel enables a perfect 9/3 position.
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      12-09-2012, 05:10 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KoenG View Post
The bumps are made for your thumbs, not the hand itself. I've being thaught that you put your thumbs on the bumps and don't clamp the steering wheel like you do in the picture above. This to avoid a typical complication in rally-style driving: broken thumbs by the spokes on a frantical turning steering wheel when you hit a rock or a curb. ANyway, like you demonstrate, the M-steering wheel enables a perfect 9/3 position.
Yah, I was more demonstrating hand position as opposed to grip. I agree, a looser grip is preferred and some take the thumb out and rest it on the steering wheel. I think it is more about not having a death grip on the wheel than where your thumbs are located in particular. On my track car I grip very lightly as my gloves give me a lot of grip on the wheel without a lot of pressure.
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Last edited by gthal; 12-09-2012 at 05:26 PM..
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      12-09-2012, 05:15 PM   #16
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my house will probably be burned down by a lynch mob, but :

DAMN that porsche steering wheel is HIDEOUS

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      12-09-2012, 05:22 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ilhan1103 View Post
my house will probably be burned down by a lynch mob, but :

DAMN that porsche steering wheel is HIDEOUS

I agree... my least favourite steering wheels in high performance cars.
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      12-09-2012, 05:23 PM   #18
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Someone post a 4runner steering wheel retrofit please!!!!

j/k
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      12-09-2012, 10:00 PM   #19
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No disagreement. I posted it only as I doubted anyone would argue one cannot hold a Cayman steering wheel correctly due to its form.
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      12-10-2012, 01:56 AM   #20
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You put a mbz steering wheel pic on a bmw forum. Ban this guy!
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      12-10-2012, 06:17 AM   #21
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If you drive with your thumbs hooked through/around the steering wheel as shown in someone's pic you will have an unsteady ride and less control than if you place your thumbs on the thumb rests.

If you hook your thumb over the brace you will have the same effect

Perhaps more-so in the UK with our excellent road qualities; each bump or groove or pot-hole will jump the wheels, if you have your thumbs hooked you are more likely to turn the wheel slightly and exxagerate the movement. With a light grip (as mentioned) you have more contol.

In addition, if, god forbid, you have an accident in your car and you have your thumbs hooked, you will end up with bilateral radial fractures where the forces of the impact are multiplied through the inside of the thumb towards the joints and into the wrists. Chances are you'll also end up with painful trapezoid fractures in the hand and fracture dislocations of the carpo-metocarpal joint.

If you have an airbag that goes off whilst your thumbs are hooked inside the wheel you are almost definitely going to have the fracture dislocation of the joint as it forces your hand and arm sideways whilst your thumb is caught...

Edit; I'm good at being pessimistic is seems... BUT that all comes from experience
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      12-10-2012, 09:12 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pkim1079 View Post
You put a mbz steering wheel pic on a bmw forum. Ban this guy!
. It was all I had available for a picture. My BMW is in storage!
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