# Why do car steering wheels turn so many times? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 19, 2014, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-car-steering-wheels-turn-so-many-times/698930 "2014-09-19T14:42:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-car-steering-wheels-turn-so-many-times/698930/21 "2014-09-20T02:14:29Z")
> [@Critical1](#): > > Because half a turn would make fine controls a lot harder. Tractors (as in farm equipment) turn something like 6 full circles in each direction (or maybe its 3 in each) to give them very fine control. > > I would guess that you could very quickly adapt to a much shorter swing on the wheel but it would certainly make over corrections easier. That may be one reason, but I’d also wager it’s the gear ratio. Turning those giant wheels in dirt/mud is going to take a lot of effort. But if they’re geared so you have to turn the steering wheel 3 or 6 times, it’s going to be a lot easier. Even with power steering, this is going to help you. Also, a big steering wheel (I don’t know if a tractor has it, but a truck or bus does) gives you more leverage. Same with cars. If you’re going 65mph and you nudge the wheel, you’ll end up in the wall. OTOH, if you’re trying to parallel park or doing something else where you’re turning the wheel while stopped or going very slowly, it’s easier to move the wheel, if it turns more then the tires. This is the same concept is using multiple pulleys (block and tackle) to lift something heavy. In both cases, you pull further or turn more, but it’s easier. ---
**Author:** ![rsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsa)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-car-steering-wheels-turn-so-many-times/698930/22 "2014-09-20T03:09:35Z")
> [@DingoelGringo](#): > > More like the handle bars on a motorcycle. One short movement is all it takes. My kids learned motorcycles before cars and they all three asked me the same question the OP is asking. I hoped you mentioned to your kids that in a car you have to steer in the direction you want to go, instead of counter steering in the opposite direction as on motorcycles. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-car-steering-wheels-turn-so-many-times/698930/23 "2014-09-20T03:38:08Z")
> [@rsa](#): > > I hoped you mentioned to your kids that in a car you have to steer in the direction you want to go, instead of counter steering in the opposite direction as on motorcycles. 🙂 Well, most of the time. Poking along under 5 MPH, not so much. Back wheel spinning to one side or the other with power applied in, gravel, dirt, or on pavement, I recommend not counter steering. :D:D YMMV ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_York](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_York](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_York)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-car-steering-wheels-turn-so-many-times/698930/24 "2014-09-20T05:35:14Z")
> [@Critical1](#): > > Oh the Brits and their “Push Pull” steering. The most awkward method of driving a car that actually involves hands imaginable. I agree. I consider rally drivers are the best drivers of standard type cars, just watch this guy steering, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCSAa5nOU64](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCSAa5nOU64) ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-car-steering-wheels-turn-so-many-times/698930/25 "2014-09-21T00:57:52Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > In the good old days, there were a lot more cars that didn’t have power steering. The hand-over-hand method gave you more torque and allowed you to more easily turn the wheel. These days, cars almost always have power steering, and they also have airbags. If you get into an accident and you are using the hand-over-hand method at the time, there’s a good chance that the airbag will break your arm. You also could end up with some pretty nasty burns on your arms. > > That’s why they changed it. The change in methods has a lot more to do with the changes in technology than a personal preference thing. When I took driver’s ed, they explained more in terms of being able to control the car. If you feed the wheel, you will always have both hands on the wheel if you hit something or a tire blows at the wrong time. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-car-steering-wheels-turn-so-many-times/698930/26 "2014-09-21T01:03:54Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > Your post reminded me of the one single moment when I truly thought I was going to die. > > I was teaching my daughter how to drive and we were going onto the freeway for her first time. I told her to floor it, explaining that this was no time for timidity and that we needed to merge at speed. > > She didn’t realize that tiny movements of the steering wheel have a greater effect at high speed. We started swinging wildly back and forth, me imagining us rolling and bursting into flames in a second or two, when she finally found the groove and brought the car under control. > > The point being, what seems like a huge waste in wheel turning provides the fine control at highway speeds—we only really need about 45 degrees of play on either side of center for most highway maneuvers. Imagine how tiny that sweet spot would be if the wheel only made one revolution from stop to stop. As I get older, I appreciate how much gumption my grandma had. When I was in grade school, there were times when she would demonstrate things like that to me. For this particular thing, she picked a time when the road was empty (out in the country), and then she _showed_ me how a wrong twitch of the steering wheel at a fairly high speed made the car react. I was about 4 years too young to get my drivers license, but that’s a lesson I never forgot. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-car-steering-wheels-turn-so-many-times/698930/27 "2014-09-21T02:47:04Z")
> [@DingoelGringo](#): > > More like the handle bars on a motorcycle. One short movement is all it takes. My kids learned motorcycles before cars and they all three asked me the same question the OP is asking. An experienced motorcycle or bicycle rider steers by applying force to the bars, upsetting the machine’s balance. they then move to the position required to maintain/restore balance. The required force increases with speed, automatically reducing the sensitivity of the steering. Until you attach a sidecar, then you have to steer it with motion, like a car. At extremely low speeds, or if the bike has horrible steering angles, you need to move the bars to maintain balance. All of this instinctive and many riders do not even realize this is how it works. With instruction and practice these learn to make the bike respond much quicker. Bicycles in particular are often steered with body English which results in dangerously slow response and poor precision. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-car-steering-wheels-turn-so-many-times/698930/28 "2014-09-21T02:53:26Z")
Steering rates vary greatly between models and types of vehicles. My wife’s Ford truck has a lock-to-lock spec of 3.82 rotations, my muscle car is 2.28 turns lock-to lock. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-car-steering-wheels-turn-so-many-times/698930/29 "2014-09-21T14:51:35Z")
> [@Duke\_of\_York](#): > > I agree. I consider rally drivers are the best drivers of standard type cars, just watch this guy steering, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCSAa5nOU64](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCSAa5nOU64) I’m always amazed at the people standing on the outside of the turns in those races :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-car-steering-wheels-turn-so-many-times/698930/30 "2014-09-22T05:36:32Z")
> [@Duke\_of\_York](#): > > I agree. I consider rally drivers are the best drivers of standard type cars, just watch this guy steering, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCSAa5nOU64](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCSAa5nOU64) I’m not about to enter into the substance of the debate but using rally driving (or any sport) as a basis for what one should do in ordinary life is usually inane. Rally drivers are _racing_. That means they would happily sacrifice some safety for a couple of seconds of time saved. Priorities in ordinary street driving are completely different. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-car-steering-wheels-turn-so-many-times/698930/31 "2014-09-22T06:34:49Z")
Many top spec cars have variable ratios depending on speed. Many also have variable power assistance depending on speed [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-car-steering-wheels-turn-so-many-times/698930.md?page=1)