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Steering wheel is wild But those kind of dashboard gauges did make it to production. 80s digital dashes from GM were actually super cool. They have a few failur

Steering wheel is wild But those kind of dashboard gauges did make it to production. 80s digital dashes from GM were actually super cool. They have a few failure points but there are still some guys restoring them . I retrofitted the S10 model into an S10 blazer in high school and owned a factor Camaro with one. The S10 one was like driving a space ship at the time. Here’s some cool examples https://drivemag.com/red-calipers/the-definitive-collection-of-cool-1980s-digital-dashboards-in-american-cars/ https://drivemag.com/red-calipers/the-definitive-collection-...

rob74 2y ago
I'm not even sure I would call that a steering wheel, it's more of a yoke (like the ones used in planes). It was kind of ahead of its time, because more and more controls have moved to the steering wheel in recent decades, but if this appeared in a real car I would be afraid of accidentally pressing a button when I just want to turn the wheel. Also, I'm not a pilot but I think an airplane yoke is optimized for small but precise inputs, if you have to turn it around 180° or even 90° (like you often have to do with a steering wheel) you are probably doing something wrong - that's why having "handles" just in the places where your hands normally are makes sense for a plane, but not as much for a car.
- sandworm101 2y ago
  >> airplane yoke is optimized for small but precise inputs It's the opposite. Full left-right deflection on an airplane yoke is about 1/4 of a rotation, a movement measured in inches. Full deflection of car steering wheel is multiple rotations, a movement measured in feet. Car steering requires much more precision than aircraft. The yoke is optimized for rapid full-deflection with minimal control input. Fine control is accomplished through trim systems, which are effectively parallel input methods.
  - WarOnPrivacy 2y ago
    > Car steering requires much more precision than aircraft. This seems counterintuitive to me. I associate more movement (of the controller) with less precision.
    - foobarian 2y ago
      I think maybe OP meant that the airplane yoke is normally moved by very small amounts, unlike a car wheel which is normally turned even full rotations e.g. when making a tight turn.
    - sandworm101 2y ago
      >> I associate more movement (of the controller) with less precision. Think of a microscope. You have a course adjustment that moves the focus quickly, then a fine control that moves it more slowly. The former is less precise than the latter.
Tanoc 2y ago
The 1990 to 1993 Pontiac Grand Prix in SE and GTP trim has a steering wheel I love, because it and the steering column are adorned with buttons you can press without moving your hands. On either side of the gauges are even more buttons, making it look like some sort of arcade flight sim cockpit. The final generation Mazda Cosmo also did it, but in a more elegant way where the only giveaway that they were buttons and not trim pieces was the non colour matched black plastic of the bumper controls for the cruise functions on the right side of the wheel.
bluedino 2y ago
Looking back on some of those after not seeing them for 20 years is refreshing. Some of those are so bad, but a few of them are pretty cool. The 727/Space Shuttle styled, green cathode touchscreens are amazing though!

rob74 2y ago

I'm not even sure I would call that a steering wheel, it's more of a yoke (like the ones used in planes). It was kind of ahead of its time, because more and more controls have moved to the steering wheel in recent decades, but if this appeared in a real car I would be afraid of accidentally pressing a button when I just want to turn the wheel. Also, I'm not a pilot but I think an airplane yoke is optimized for small but precise inputs, if you have to turn it around 180° or even 90° (like you often have to do with a steering wheel) you are probably doing something wrong - that's why having "handles" just in the places where your hands normally are makes sense for a plane, but not as much for a car.

sandworm101 2y ago
>> airplane yoke is optimized for small but precise inputs It's the opposite. Full left-right deflection on an airplane yoke is about 1/4 of a rotation, a movement measured in inches. Full deflection of car steering wheel is multiple rotations, a movement measured in feet. Car steering requires much more precision than aircraft. The yoke is optimized for rapid full-deflection with minimal control input. Fine control is accomplished through trim systems, which are effectively parallel input methods.
- WarOnPrivacy 2y ago
  > Car steering requires much more precision than aircraft. This seems counterintuitive to me. I associate more movement (of the controller) with less precision.
  - foobarian 2y ago
    I think maybe OP meant that the airplane yoke is normally moved by very small amounts, unlike a car wheel which is normally turned even full rotations e.g. when making a tight turn.
  - sandworm101 2y ago
    >> I associate more movement (of the controller) with less precision. Think of a microscope. You have a course adjustment that moves the focus quickly, then a fine control that moves it more slowly. The former is less precise than the latter.

Tanoc 2y ago

The 1990 to 1993 Pontiac Grand Prix in SE and GTP trim has a steering wheel I love, because it and the steering column are adorned with buttons you can press without moving your hands. On either side of the gauges are even more buttons, making it look like some sort of arcade flight sim cockpit. The final generation Mazda Cosmo also did it, but in a more elegant way where the only giveaway that they were buttons and not trim pieces was the non colour matched black plastic of the bumper controls for the cruise functions on the right side of the wheel.

bluedino 2y ago

Looking back on some of those after not seeing them for 20 years is refreshing. Some of those are so bad, but a few of them are pretty cool. The 727/Space Shuttle styled, green cathode touchscreens are amazing though!