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I have a suggestion that I don't think anyone has made before. Over the years much has been said by GM and others about the corvette having an aircraft type cockpit. In this vein is not a round steering wheel old fashioned and out of date. Formula and Indy cars have a yoke. The new Ford GT has a yoke. Anyone who has been to a recent performance driving school knows that the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions are the preferred and recommended positions. To me the round wheel is old fashioned and out of date and certainly not esthetic; that is what they used to use on WW1 bomber aircraft. And while they are at it when the C8 comes along (and it will be a mid engine--not much of a secret any more!) why not add serious paddle shifters (the manual is going to be history folks), like almost all the competition (Ferraris, Lambos, etc) instead of the small and cheap looking ones that are on the present corvettes. It will be interesting to see how much negative blow-back I get from the purists (living in the past) out there.
Yokes are only used on aircraft that don't require more than one revolution lock to lock. The yoke on a C172 and most other light planes only turns 90 degrees either way. A large plane with unassisted aileron control will have a wheel, like used in a PBY.
And while they are at it when the C8 comes along (and it will be a mid engine--not much of a secret any more!) why not add serious paddle shifters (the manual is going to be history folks), like almost all the competition (Ferraris, Lambos, etc) instead of the small and cheap looking ones that are on the present corvettes. It will be interesting to see how much negative blow-back I get from the purists (living in the past) out there.
Here is some blowback! Ferrari, Porsche etc are using a manual transmission with dual, more conventional automatically activated clutches, simply high efficiency constant mesh gears that are just shifted automatically- Not a "slushbox" with a less efficient torque converter, planetary gears, internal multi-plate clutches that generate more heat!
However would not even be as happy with those in a car where I am cruising in 7th, in a triple overdrive trans (like my M7) and have to downshift through two other overdrives, 6th and 5th to get to direct drive 4th for an Interstate exit ramp - like I do now! Rev Match makes the 7th to 4th shift a perfectly smooth transition! (Best thing that happened to a manual trans since syncro's IMO!)
With all these overdrives mainly to get better gas mileage, as I enter an Interstate I usually go from 4th up to 70 mph (sometimes use 3rd to have fun, that is only 4300 rpm, 2200 from redline! Could actually use 2nd, 6300 rpm for more legal fun!) then shift directly to 7th. Yep, I prefer a third peddle, select your own gear, manual! That is one reason I am changing my planned GS from 2019 to 2018 - and maybe sooner! Concerned that once GM has their own 10 speed "slushbox" they may stop offering the Tremic manual! Agree with the mid engine it will probably be only with their own trans! Maybe they will have most problems solved by then!
The term 'yoke' in aviation is synonymous with big, slow, lumbering cargo haulers. Tactical jet aircraft don't have yokes, and neither should screaming hot sports cars like the vette...
"it turns out it makes the car terrible to drive. That aircraft yoke-like steering unit is all but useless in turns, and it has a tendency to smack its driver right in the genitals."
Yes round steering wheels are out of date. So are the out of round variety, tried by Chrysler in the fifties. Currently there are no better solutions without major steering changes in technology. Turning rates would have to be computer controlled and varied by driver input, a totally drive by wire system (don't forget the mechanical back up). Question; is it worth the cost? The current steering wheel (D wheel) offers no advantage, could actually hinder during rapid steering demands. A design change without any advantage (unless your fat).
The term 'yoke' in aviation is synonymous with big, slow, lumbering cargo haulers. Tactical jet aircraft don't have yokes, and neither should screaming hot sports cars like the vette...
JV
What Jet Vet said. Yokes might be OK for some cars and planes but real aircraft have flight control sticks, just like the Schweizer 2-33 glider I learned to fly in.
I would think that with electric power steering this would be doable with the right sensors.
Now whether it SHOULD be done is another matter.
EPS doesn't have any ability to affect turning circle an entirely mechanically driven thing.
Steer-by-wire where there is no physical connection with the rack could do this, which is not the same as EPS.
Turn circle is based on 2 things, c-factor (that's rack to pinion ratio) and tie rod angle (different tie rod angles translate to different angles on the road wheels for the same lateral motion on the rack. When take together c-factor and tie rod angles can give you the overall steering ratio.
The only other way to do that is with an "adaptive" steering system which is a mechanical system that puts a planetary gear set to change the ratio on the fly (allowing for less lock to lock turns at low speeds and more lock to lock turns at high speeds). However this won't change the overall turning circle (which is still determined by steering ratio) it just changes how you the driver get to a specific road wheel angle.
09-10-2016, 12:24 AM
Aircraft type yoke vs steering wheel
) then shift directly to 7th. Yep, I prefer a third peddle, select your own gear, manual! That is one reason I am changing my planned GS from 2019 to 2018 - and maybe sooner! Concerned that once GM has their own 10 speed "slushbox" they may stop offering the Tremic manual! Agree with the mid engine it will probably be only with their own trans! Maybe they will have most problems solved by then! 
You just knew that line was coming.
