Left-Hand Drive and Right-Hand Drive

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This topic is about driving on whichever side of the car. Cars like the Chevy Corvette, Dodge Viper, Ford Mustang are left-hand drive, which favors right-hand shifting. Cars like the Toyota Supra, Ford Falcon, and Vauxhall Astra are right-hand drive, which favors left-hand shifting. Which style seems more comfortable to you? I've even seen some cars where the driver sits on the right, but the shifter is on the right side. And these were mostly vintage cars. I think people who aren't good using their left hand to shift for a right-hand drive car will have to practice getting used to such machines, and likewise for right-handers to shift in a left-hand drive car. I'm also kind of wondering if you can order cars to be right or left hand drive cars.

Well, the topic is about left and right hand drive, and what techniques would have to be employed if you are not experienced with a certain seating style. Think about being used to BMWs and Mercedes, but not experienced with driving in a right-hand drive car. Do you think car companies can offer cars to be driven on the left or the right based on which hand is better for the driver? Reply now. And a bit of just-for-fun, about the only car I know that doesn't really have this crisis is the McLaren F1. You sit in the middle. So, are you ambidextrous (meaning, both left and right hands can be used with ease) if you drive one? (^_^)
 
Originally posted by JohnBM01
And a bit of just-for-fun, about the only car I know that doesn't really have this crisis is the McLaren F1. You sit in the middle. So, are you ambidextrous (meaning, both left and right hands can be used with ease) if you drive one? (^_^)
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You sit in the middle, but I'm fairly sure the shifter is on the right.

I'm not sure what the point of this thread is. The only difference is the side of the car you sit on. (and the side of the road you drive on) The techniques are the same except that the shifter is on the other side. What else is there to discuss?



-Mark
 
Originally posted by JohnBM01
Cars like the Chevy Corvette, Dodge Viper, Ford Mustang are left-hand drive, which favors right-hand shifting.
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They don't favour right hand shifting. They force you to shift with your right hand.

(For road cars)
The left hand drive/right hand drive thing depends on what side of the road you drive on, not which hand you want to change gear with. The gear lever will be in the middle of the car. You should try driving a left hand drive car on the left hand side of the road. You can't see the same. Overtaking is a lottery (the whole car basically has to be out in the other lane before you can see if it's clear.

(Racing cars)
Single seaters have their gear change on the right hand side irrespective of which country they're from.

The McLaren F1 has it's gear change on the right hand side and it cannot be changed.
 
Every car in America is Left Hand Drive, unless you import one from the UK or Asia. And I can't think of many people who would import cars to the USA. Also if you've never driven outside of America like many of us haven't then you would have no idea what a Right Hand Drive even feels like.

daan is right those cars don't favour a side they are just that way. And every Supra I've seen you drive on the left side unless it's from Japan.

*and oh ya is this a Special Topic ???:confused: Because it seems like you have a lot of them.
 
Originally posted by JohnBM01
Cars like the Toyota Supra, Ford Falcon, and Vauxhall Astra are right-hand drive
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Except the Vauxhall Astra is also the Opel Astra, which is left-hand drive... :D
 
Think about being used to BMWs and Mercedes, but not experienced with driving in a right-hand drive car. Do you think car companies can offer cars to be driven on the left or the right based on which hand is better for the driver? Reply now.


You got it all wrong.

BMWs and Mercs come with right-hand drive also.
Over here we are used to driving right-hand drive Bimmers and mercs.
 
Originally posted by BlazinXtreme
Every car in America is Left Hand Drive, unless you import one from the UK or Asia.
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Actually, that's not true - several companies used to make vehicles for rural postal workers that were right drive so the post officer could just reach the box from his window. Jeep did this for years, as late as the late 1990s with the Cherokee, but it doesn't look like they do it anymore. Since these vehicles were government-only, I normally wouldn't mention it, but examples turn up on the used market fairly regularly - with hefty discounts, obviously.

rhd6.jpg
 
Ah damn I completly forgot about postal trucks. Ok I retract my previous statement. Almost every automobile sold in America is a Left Hand Drive.
 
They use to make RHD Legacys for postal useage. My dad's worked on atleast 1 such car, though I donno if he drove it on the street or not.
 
hiya! :D :O :lol:


I find it interesting how the shifter is always in the middle no matter which the driver seat is on :O :O . Except my cutay McLaren F1 oOOooohh :O : O :O Anyways, I wish I can customize my own type of shifter. It would be on the wheel and be in the setup and feel of a PS2 controller's R2 and L2 triggers. :D . But it will still have the shape of a modern car driving wheel.
 
Originally posted by MazKid
They use to make RHD Legacys for postal useage. My dad's worked on atleast 1 such car, though I donno if he drove it on the street or not.
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They have right hand drive Legacy wagons, or some ****, around here.
 
I've seen a right-drive Corolla All-Trac wagon, which was an old Corolla wagon with all-wheel drive - sort of the precursor to the Impreza Outback.
 
Whether the car is right hand drive or left hand drive is irrelevant. If I have grown-up driving RHD cars then that is what I am used to and best for me. Switching to a LHD car will feel awkward and un-natural.

Incidentally Doug, how come that Audi you are selling is so cheap? Second hand 1.8T's are easily $30000 here :grumpy:
 
I agree, its what your brought up with that makes the difference. I'm in the UK, so my gear stick is to my left (RHD car), and that what I'm used to, and thats what feel natural, despite the fact that I'm right-handed. When I drove a car in the USA last year, I found using the gear stick on my right very weird at first, even though it was an automatic!
 
We drive right hand drives in Australia so I am used to that. I have driven left hand drive cars quite abit when ive been to the US and it doesnt take very long to get used to ethier way. Its harder to stay on the correct side of the road though.
 
Originally posted by Mike Rotch

Incidentally Doug, how come that Audi you are selling is so cheap? Second hand 1.8T's are easily $30000 here :grumpy:
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Yeah - it's worth at least $18000 - it's got every option except power seats and a CD changer. But it's clearly in need of major work - my wife doesn't let me drive it because my driving style involves the car going past 4000rpm fairly frequently and it has trouble up there - and neither of us use Tiptronic anymore because the car jerks during usage. I don't know what the problem is and I'd rather replace it with either a new one or an old one without any problems.

When I drove a car in the USA last year, I found using the gear stick on my right very weird at first, even though it was an automatic!
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I would think that for someone who grew up on right-drive, left-drive would be a bit easier to get used to than for someone who grew up on left-drive learning right-drive (got that?) because the majority of people are right-handed. I drove a few right-drive cars over Christmas, and it's just easier to shift with my right hand - though after a while, both could be natural.
 
I didn't have much trouble picking up RHD when we visited England, because at least the pedals wer similar. I did however biff a few curbs with the left front tire because that side of me didn't have as good an idea of where the distant edge of the car was.
 
Originally posted by M5Power
Yeah - it's worth at least $18000 - it's got every option except power seats and a CD changer. But it's clearly in need of major work - my wife doesn't let me drive it because my driving style involves the car going past 4000rpm fairly frequently and it has trouble up there - and neither of us use Tiptronic anymore because the car jerks during usage. I don't know what the problem is and I'd rather replace it with either a new one or an old one without any problems.
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Wait, you say that I should drive an Audi when your's clearly isn't good? Ohh, damn.

Sorry to go off-topic, continue with regularly schedualed program.
 
my aunt was a mailman...err mail-woman, and she special ordered a subaru right side drive, but their an import so they probably just pulled a Japanese one off the line and shipped it to the US
 
Originally posted by MazKid
Wait, you say that I should drive an Audi when your's clearly isn't good? Ohh, damn.
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It's hers. It's been through at least three owners, and her father bought it wholesale for her at a dealers' auction in 2003. I've had an A4 before, I'm looking at A8s, and I'd replace this with another of the same age - they're solid cars - but for the price her father bought this it's a surprise the vehicle is intact.
 
Errrr....... Right or Right? Starboard? East? :lol:

I think the RHD was the first, i'm not sure though.
 
Who brought this thread back? It was dead for more than a year! I'm sorry, just didn't think VERY OLD threads would be revived for strange or no reasons. Well, go ahead and knock me about this post...
 
Incedentaly. Jeep recently began selling Wranglers in right hand drive for the north american market again, targeted obviously toward postal use.
 
JohnBM01
Who brought this thread back?
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I did!! Why?? Did I do something wrong reviving this thread???
I head a question about RHD and LHD drive. I did a search and found your thread and asked my question here instead of starting a new one (people would be :grumpy: at me for starting a thread when there is already one)
Sorry :scared:
 
Nothing to be sorry for. You added a question on the given topic. No problem.
👍
 
I'm pretty sure it started as rhd. I know that I've read something in autoweek where they cited a research that stated that rhd is more natural than lhd but it really doesn't make much of a difference.
 
How could right hand drive be more natural? I'm right-handed, so it's easier to shift with my right hand, right? It makes sense that, regardless of where you live, left hand drive is actually easier to do for the majority of the population (those who are right-handed).
 

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