Hand on Shifter

["Tony McNamara" <tonym@BVU.SCSCOM.COM>]

Two things:

1) I don't believe that the hand on the shift knob actually causes 
any wear.  It may have 20 years ago, but cars are designed to survive 
normal, inadvertant, inputs now.  

I have 108000 miles on my cheap Ford Escort stickshift.  I typically 
rest my hand on the shift lever.  No problems yet.

2) That bit about less control is a bit silly.
I'd give it all due respect, but it really isn't due any.  Are you 
telling me that you are INCAPABLE OF STEERING WITH ONE HAND?  That 
you can steer twice as well with two?!!!

I fly airplanes.  I'm a licensed pilot (PPL).  Pilots are taught to 
keep one hand on the other controls - throttle, mostly - most of the 
time.  You also  control radios, trim, transponder, and flaps with 
that other hand.  And keep in mind that this is in a vehicle that not 
only steers sideways with the yoke, but also up-and-down.  (Of 
course, we do USE both hands for a lot of it - but we also lack power 
steering.)


I'm not saying that there isn't wear-and-tear from keeping the hand 
on the knob, but it may be like the difference between using 
Synthetic vs. conventional motor oil: moot.  (For reference, said 
Escort has been driven extremely hard, never had Syn, and still is at 
original factory-spec compression.)  Alternatively, I may just have 
been lucky.  But I'd like to see some actual recent evidence rather 
than fire-and-brimstone proclaimations.  And I'm also not saying that 
you don't maneuvre better with both hands, but you don't do it twice 
as well, you usually have plenty of time to adjust, and sometimes you 
need to downshift suddenly and quickly also.  That's just a matter of 
paying some attention.

Regards
  Fringe
  '97 A4Q 2.8L V6, std tranny, blk/blk leather
  '87 Ford Escort Pony, 1.9L I4, std tranny, white/dusty grey mold-eaten fabric

From: "Al Powell" <apowell@agcom.tamu.edu>
>> It's not. You will tend to destroy the sync rings in the 
transmission, which are MUCH more expensive and harder to replace! 
Riding the clutch will kill it - resting your hand on the gearshift
can add loads to the gears/syns rings in the tranny.  Both are BAD
practices. <<

>> When you're driving, your hand should never - ever - 
touch the gearshift unless you are actually shifting.  When it's on
the shifter, you have reduced your control of the vehicle by 50%, as
it means that hand is not on the steering wheel, nor is it anywhere
near it.<<