BlackRocket

Once more...why are the NASCAR type cars set-up so the steering wheel is "crammed" all the way back almost to ones elbows.

Is this for comfort or some other safety reason???

It would seem to me that a mid-reach would be the most comfortable and most accurate steering reach/distance.

steve J06

from what i see, it's because they lay their whole right forearm across the wheel in the turns. better control with less fatigue over 3+ hrs.

but then again nascar in general doesn't make much sense to me.

AU N EGL

The muscles in your arms.

It is much easer and your arm muscle are stronger when you pull the steering wheel DOWN. vs push over the top.

ie for a left turn,

Pull the wheel down with your left arm vs push the steering wheel over the top with your right. also having that 90* bend in your elbow provides stronger forearm muscles. If you dont have a 90* bend in the forearm you wind up using shoulder muscles which will fatique very quickly.

Being up close and personal with the steering wheel makes much easer to pull the steering wheel down

Bill Dearborn

The old style with arms stretched out doesn't work well. Most driving books recommend a seating position similar to the NASCAR drivers. However, they probably are closer to the wheel than other drivers since they have more need to get as much strength to bear on the wheel as it takes (even with power steering) a lot more force to steer their cars than other types of race cars.
Bill

BlackRocket

So what is the best distance/position for Road Racing???

Mid-Reach or Up against your forearm???

John Shiels

it's all about leverage to prevent fatigue in NASCAR and everyone would have a personal best in RR

wtknght1

Most of it is just comfort, but you should almost certainly be closer than your typical seating position when you're just getting groceries.

You will experience lots of G-forces and the further out your arms are, the more fatigued they will become. ...maybe not in 1 or 2 sessions, but definitely by the end of the day/weekend.

And you can't really think about just 1 session unless that's all you want to run. As the weekend drags on and you become more tired, that could result in just 1 mistake...and that might be enough to end your weekend or worse. When you're tired, hot, dehydrated, etc., you tend to make more mistakes.

If you're racing, and start making mistakes, you lose races...or worse. All this goes hand-in-hand with conditioning and driver comfort:
- Stay in good condition
- Stay hydrated
- Use a driver cooling system (I like the Cool Shirt)
- Use a good suit, gloves, boots, helmet, etc, etc, etc....

Poppy's Vette

I was always taught to have more bend in my elbows than I ever used in normal street driving. Quite difficult to get used to for me. Unless you body is perfectly suited, I doubt you can have both perfect arm positon and still have a good position for working your pedals. I am only 5'7" and I am too close to the pedals if my arms are a true 90 degree bend. Those cars have more customized seating possibilties than mine for sure.

mikahb

I'm limited by my knees hitting the dash and my helmet hitting the roof, but I try to get as close as I can to the wheel. Better control, less fatigue, and better visibility too.

I think the NASCAR guys sit that close so they can steer with their teeth if their arms get tired.

TRACKMAN2

i just put the new steering shaft /quick release wheel in the race car.. i set it up for a 90 degree bend in my arm i used a longer shaft to get the wheel out closer to me.. its feels much more comfortable than the one in the zo6....much more leverage...

NoOne

What I was told by an instructor was you sit in the seat and adjust the height of the wheel to be level. Then put your arms through the wheel, adjust it so that its just about 1" past your wrist and thats where you want to be.