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I used to drive a cargo van at work that had a knob installed. I think it was the prolonged version of Renault Master, or something similar. It was actually gre

I used to drive a cargo van at work that had a knob installed. I think it was the prolonged version of Renault Master, or something similar. It was actually great to have in that vehicle. The steering wheel was a lot more horizontal than in a normal car and much bigger. You wouldn’t use the knob at speed, but it was pretty indispensable when manoeuvring in tight places.

sandworm101 3y ago
They are great, but only in vehicles with little "road feel". Road feel is forces experienced by the tires being transmitted up through the steering system. Say you hit a pothole, on a forklift you won't feel the wheel move. In a road car the steering while might jump a couple inches. If your arm/hand gets between the knob and something solid, that pothole just broke your thumb. Note that vehicles with brodie knobs rarely have solid arm rests. Similarly, you can always spot an Auzzi because they steer while keeping thumbs outside of the steering wheel. In a country with a greater offroad tradition, kids are taught to keep thumbs outside the wheel in case it jumps.