 Steering wheel
So that we do not misunderstand us, the two pictures above and below do not show steering wheels for sports cars, but for noble equipped trucks, provided they are of the right size. For
a long time, it was thought, only self-drivers afford that, but in sign of increasing aging of the population the haulage companies have problems to find drivers.
It used to be said: 'If you love your car, you push it'. Today, this affection manifests in money for the exterior and interior design. Thus the attractiveness is increased and here then also
the holder or the operating company benefits from it, because 'beloved' vehicles certainly will be treated better und with more maintenance.
But back to the steering wheel. In the picture below you can see that the entire interior is just designed as the external, and here the steering wheel has no special status. The two halves
of the clay or plasticine model yield a three-dimensional imagination. At this stage, improvements are still possible.
While preliminary drafts are still being created here, which are essential for brainstorming, we can already see a fairly advanced draft in the next picture. It probably won't come in series
with the angular surfaces in the bar downward.
In the next picture it's already about the production. Here the necessary substructure from metal at each steering wheel with the space provided for the airbag. From here there is a
continuous metal compound up to the wheel hubs. No manufacturer risks usually undersizing here.
Lightweight made of magnesium die-cast
'Colleague' robot does the increasingly important covering of the unfinished part, e.g. with leather In the next picture in the next picture. Wood as a steering wheel rim has become rarer. Leather is also
available stitched by hand in more expensive versions. Usually, however, the holes are prepunched already.
Something like this is even now retrofittable. When ordering one specifies the diameter of the steering wheel and the circumference of the steering wheel rim and gets a complete cover. It makes sense, to
inform yourself before sewing. So, the color and thickness of the yarn is very important. Also a blunt needle is used.
One threads with a lot more yarn than necessary after a certain scheme and tightens only afterwards with very specific and under constant visual observation. Very unsightly if in the one place the edges of the
cover overlap and have at the other a small gap. However, it can hardly be avoided that the pre-punched holes on the bars remain visible.
Not new, but with the increase of electromobility, the electrical heating of the steering wheel has attracted much attention, whereby some American testers complain that only parts of the steering wheel rim
are heated. Because actually should be achieved the opposite of wastefulness, namely a selective instead of a complete heating.
If not done already when charging the batteries, any heating is at the expense of range. But to heat electrically a complete, now even growing passenger compartment, takes a relatively long time and requires
a lot of energy. Therefore, the focus on seat and steering wheel, and possibly even only on the driver. Because somewhere well-being and safe driving also correlate.
There are even people who upgrade a heated steering wheel. That may still be acceptable at seat heating, but a steering wheel with airbag should not be de-/mounted of lay people. You can see that already at
their description. They are namely of the opinion, with the battery disconnected one is safe from the triggering of the airbag.
In other words, if in an accident, the engine is brought to a standstill first and then the battery destroyed, the airbag no longer triggers. Nothing of the sort! It is not enough to dismantle the airbag from the
openings at the back of the steering wheel and to disconnect, but usually the right short-circuit connection must also be plugged in for security reasons.
At the end of this chapter, here is another example of the joy of color on the steering wheel, which is also becoming more and more an option in the interior. Coming back to security, however, the classic
variant seems to be the most suitable. The gap between the memory is filled by the speedometer and tachometer as pointer instruments, whether conventional or animated. In between urgent onboard displays
and not too many buttons on the steering wheel.
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