An Investigation of Automobile Handling as Implemented by a Variable-Steering Automobile

Steering tasks consisting of steady turns and fast passing maneuvers were performed by five drivers using an automobile with a variable-steering system. The experiment employed subjective evaluation methods to investigate the influence of (1) steering-force gradient and (2) artificial steering-system torques (with the force gradient held fixed) on driver opinion of vehicle handling in the selected maneuvers. The experimental data indicate that both the steering-force gradient and the damping of the steering system through its influence on the free control oscillatory mode of motion of the over-all vehicle have a first order effect on driver evaluation of the handling qualities of an automobile. A steering-force gradient of 17 ft-lb/g of lateral acceleration was found to be near optimum for the specific conditions investigated.