Weird. I don’t think I have driven a modern car that lets you put your hands around the wheel at 9 and 3 because that’s where the centre/airbag attaches. Most also have a third point at 6, so 10 and 2 or 8 and 4 seems more appropriate. Are you only supposed to rest your hands on the outside of the wheel now?
There are generally spokes at around the 9/3 positions, but it’s not terrible to also put your hands there usually. Still, my 2015 car has the steering stalks where they’re easier to operate at 10/2, and some extra tactile features on the wheel at 10/2, so clearly the auto industry hasn’t caught up yet.
e: Rereading that comment, maybe the connection didn’t make much sense. In older cars, 10/2 was a better starting place for doing hand over hand, because if you wanted to turn (say) left, you’d start by pulling your left hand down and right hand left. Then remove your left hand, pull down with the right while grabbing over with your left. Switch hands, left pulls down, switch, right pulls down.
Starting with hands at 9/3 means you would have less on that first down pull with the left, and have to push up with the right. When every normal turn required hand over hand steering, 10/2 was more sensible.
I was always taught that it was 10 and 2 in older cars mainly because they had much larger diameter steering wheels, and 9 and 3 would just be too wide so you had less leverage to turn the wheel.
It’s mainly for better control of the vehicle. At 9 and 3, you can pull the steering wheel straight down to turn.
Source: I teach advanced performance driving.
In a modern car, yes.
Weird. I don’t think I have driven a modern car that lets you put your hands around the wheel at 9 and 3 because that’s where the centre/airbag attaches. Most also have a third point at 6, so 10 and 2 or 8 and 4 seems more appropriate. Are you only supposed to rest your hands on the outside of the wheel now?
There are generally spokes at around the 9/3 positions, but it’s not terrible to also put your hands there usually. Still, my 2015 car has the steering stalks where they’re easier to operate at 10/2, and some extra tactile features on the wheel at 10/2, so clearly the auto industry hasn’t caught up yet.
Not many people are still driving cars from the 70’s.
I elucidated in another comment.
e: Rereading that comment, maybe the connection didn’t make much sense. In older cars, 10/2 was a better starting place for doing hand over hand, because if you wanted to turn (say) left, you’d start by pulling your left hand down and right hand left. Then remove your left hand, pull down with the right while grabbing over with your left. Switch hands, left pulls down, switch, right pulls down.
Starting with hands at 9/3 means you would have less on that first down pull with the left, and have to push up with the right. When every normal turn required hand over hand steering, 10/2 was more sensible.
I was always taught that it was 10 and 2 in older cars mainly because they had much larger diameter steering wheels, and 9 and 3 would just be too wide so you had less leverage to turn the wheel.