4 replies to this topic

[Sicey]

I was just catching up on reading my back issues of EVO and was reading the artical on the new 360 Stradiale or whatever its called, it said and showed a pic of a little blue strip on the steering wheel, is this some sort of race drivers tip for line of sight or something advanced drivers use?? I only ask this as before I picked my Subaru up from the dealers my car also had this strip on the steering wheel and I am wondering if the Subaru boss that owned the car beforehand had given the car a bit of stick before I bought it, not that its a real problem as it would have been looked after by the dealship very well as a directors car, just wondering. John.

[zuman]

Isn't it just a simple visual guide for the top of the steering wheel? The car I learned to drive in had one.

[Thorney]

They were originally for rally and trials cars so that the driver knew which way was forward but over time and quicker sterring racks they're less use than they were. I used to have one on my Caterham for track work as it was a useful (probably psychological) aid to wheel positioning and I'm wondering whether I'll put one on mine (if it ever arrives ) Nowadays the MP brigade like them so that may put me off

[Jase_MK]

My dad's a driving instructor and has one on his steering wheel so the pupils know which way is up when parking etc. Maybe the 360 was a driving school car

[speedyK]

Especially in a rally car where your wheels are rarely pointing in the same direction for long, it is useful to know where dead-ahead is. I believe Nigel Mansell once totalled some rally car he was guest-driving because he got confused and thought he was pointing the wheels straight-on when they were actually one full turn off that.