Shuffle steering questions

[gulfcat]

I was recently taught "shuffle steering" but am finding the more I try to do it, the more questions I have:

Is it OK to push up/turn with the hand that's on the side I'm turning away from?
I was taught to just pull down from 2 o'clock (or 11 o'clock) to almost 6 o'clock,
with the hand that's on the side I'm turning toward, and only use my other hand
to hold the wheel steady while I'm moving my turning hand from 6 back up.
However, I find that I'm turning with the hand I was taught to hold with, moving
it from about 9 (or 3) o'clock to almost 12 while I moving my (official) turning hand up.

How do I best cope with shuffle steering and shifting a manual?
I was taught shuffle steering in an automatic, and I'm having trouble coping with
corners (which I often shift in the middle of on the street) in everyday driving.
Which leads to my next question....

[b]Do you use shuffle steering for normal driving, and if not, how do you get good
at it without constant practice?

[b]Has shuffle steering really helped you, in everyday driving and/or in autocross?
Is it worth my time (and stickies to keep nagging myself!) to do it?

[reptar]

I haven't tried shuffle steering, but I basically know how it works. I think I may also start trying to practice it... I had a pretty rough time at the last autocross I did that had some very tight sections that required big steering inputs, and my hands basically couldn't keep up (I was driving with more of a hand over hand style).

As for your shifting question, I think it's best to do your downshifting while under braking before you add much (if any) steering input. In addition to being able to keep both hands on the wheel, you won't upset the balance of the car by downshifting in the middle of a turn. In all honesty, on most of the autocross courses I've driven, the best strategy seems to be to put it in second and leave it.

[gulfcat]

I phrased my steering and shifting questions poorly -- I'm actually thinking of upshifting while cornering.

For autocross, I often upshift while going through the first or second corner. (We race on an airfield, and the start of the course is at an angle to the rest of it, and our course designers usually take advantage of that to put in a lot of twists before we get to anything relatively straight.)

In everyday driving, I was thinking of corners where I'm pulling away from a stop light/sign, and usually going at least first to second while still in the corner.

[reptar]

OK... that's a more interesting question. I don't have a very good answer though. :) I will either shift early so I don't have to shift in the corner, or just try to shift as quickly as possible with only one hand on the wheel. I'm not sure what other options you'd have. (Well, you could complete the corner and then shift, but that seems like it would be slower to me.)

[GuidoThePenguin]

I've found I shuffle steer during normal driving, so its become habit for me.


The best is to push up on the steering wheel as opposed to pull down. It helps keep the steering smoother.

As far as shifting, just keep practicing trying to grab a gear with your left hand pushing up some, and pulling down some. Thats the only way to really get around it.



I have a good video of a friend of mine from in-car shuffle steering and shifting. It helps show you some things.

I had it linked here before, but the link is down now. If you want to see it, let me know and I'll try to send it to you.