Automotive steering system preferences evaluated using a driving simulator

The automotive steering system is the primary channel through which road and vehicle behavior feedback is transmitted to the driver. While the driver provides directional platform control through the steering wheel, perceptions of the vehicle’s handling responsiveness are simultaneously transmitted back to the driver allowing for correction of any instabilities the vehicle may encounter. Based on these factors, drivers often pay special attention to the steering system when deciding what vehicle to purchase. Therefore, a significant amount of effort and time is invested in attempting to determine the optimal design of steering system components and configurations. In this study, the determination of an optimal steering configuration was attempted based on responses obtained from questionnaires that subjects answered. The questions were designed to evaluate the degree of satisfaction regarding the “control”, “ease of operation”, and “fun” participants experienced after each driving run. During the study, human subjects drove a driving simulator for 15 combinations of 3 different roadway environments and 5 different steering configurations, filling out a questionnaire after each scenario. The subjects were also classified as a type of driver (“utility”, “enthusiast”, and/or “performance”). The study attempted to determine if the mean values of questionnaire responses for “control”, “ease”, and “fun” type of questions changed as the scenario and/or driver type changed. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to determine if the mean values of the three types of questions were statistically different. The overall results suggest that the average responses for vehicle “control”, “ease”, and the “fun” type of questions were dependent on the type of roadway environment; however, only the responses for “fun” type of questions were influenced by the given steering configurations. Indeed, the steering system can impact the driver’s perceptions of the vehicle’s operational experience.