"Smart" Steering Wheel

  • Thread starter Thread starter LoudMusic
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LoudMusic

LoudMusic

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Lots of cars have steering wheels with all kinds of buttons and gadgets on them. But do any, other than the Enzo, have lights or gauges? Other than the problem of what you're looking at moving as you turn the wheel, I can't think of any disadvantages. But are there any real advantages? I guess it gets the information closer to the driver, but that's never been a problem. You don't have to worry about the wheel obstructing the view of certain things on the dash ... but in performance vehicles I've never known that to be an issue either.

Ferrari%20Enzo%20P1%204.jpg


Just curious.
 
AFAIK, the only actual instrumentation on the wheel itself are the shift lights. Since you have no business shifting in the middle of a turn, there is no disadvantage to mounting them there. That is the perfect place for them outside of a HUD.

The M3 has them in the cluster, which is not a very useful place. Top of the wheel itself is the way to go. 👍

I can't think of any other gauges I'd want to have on the wheel. Traction control status perhaps. Maybe a multi-digital data display on a track car that shows lap time, split time, oil temp, brake temp, etc.

On race cars with driver adjustable suspensions, there's a bunch of stuff that should be on the wheel... but for road cars, not much else.


M
 
daan
TVR Cerbera

http://www.davidanderson.org.uk/images/cars/tvrcerberawheel.jpg
(I'll not display the pic as it's a bit big)
Click to expand...

Ha ha! Fuel and clock? That's almost funny! And is that a speaker in the middle? How weird.

I think it might be cool to have a tachometer in the center of the wheel. It couldn't be analog, though, for obvious reasons. But a circle that expands might work. Like a bullseye style that grows and changes colors. That way no matter where you had the wheel turned to it would stay the same.
 
Smart? How's it smart? You do mean "Formula 1 technology carried over to production vehicles", right? A smart wheel will tell you exactly when the driver beside you is ready to cut you off.
 
LoudMusic
Ha ha! Fuel and clock? That's almost funny! And is that a speaker in the middle? How weird.

I think it might be cool to have a tachometer in the center of the wheel. It couldn't be analog, though, for obvious reasons. But a circle that expands might work. Like a bullseye style that grows and changes colors. That way no matter where you had the wheel turned to it would stay the same.
Click to expand...


It isn't.

Its just a camera 'trick'. It looks like it because of the way the photo is taken :)
 

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