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| How many of you drive cars with the steering wheel on the "wrong" side? (Page 1/3) |
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Patrick
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FEB 24, 08:45 PM
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I was originally going to title this thread... "How many of you drive cars that are RHD?" but I wanted to include those of you who drive LHD cars on the left hand side of the road (ie an unconverted Fiero in Aussieland).
What I'd like to find out is first of all, what do you drive (a picture would be nice but not necessary), and what are the greatest challenges you have faced while driving a vehicle with the steering wheel on the opposite side than usual?
I'll start. Five years ago I bought a JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) 1998 Subaru Impreza WRX STi 5-spd wagon. The turbocharged 2.0L boxer engine puts out a conservatively rated 280 HP. (It appears that during this era, it was common for Japanese manufacturers to "limit" the released HP figures for their domestic market.) I bought the car mostly for autocross... but hey, it's a wagon, it's practical! 
I initially thought that shifting the gears with my left hand would be awkward, but it was fine. However, the one difference that took awhile to get used to is that the turn signal stalk and windshield wiper stalk are on opposite sides of the steering column.  So what happens of course, is that the windshield wipers get deployed instead of the turn signals. Even after all this time, I'll still goof up now and then, especially if I'm in a stressful driving situation. Keep in mind I'm also still driving my Formula, so that doesn't help with keeping the left/right situation straight.
In regards to driving the car, it didn't take long to learn to keep the car centered in the lane (by using the side mirrors). The one thing I still don't feel entirely comfortable with though is merging into a faster lane on the far side (left side) of the car. It requires looking through the entire car towards the back to see faster travelling oncoming traffic, as opposed to simply looking over one's left shoulder and out the window. And yes, I use the left hand side door mirror as well of course, but it still doesn't feel very natural.
So what do you have, and what were the major challenges that you faced?
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My Subie and I at autocross...
 [This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 02-24-2022).]
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IMSA GT
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FEB 24, 08:47 PM
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I'm curious if anyone has reversed the gas and clutch pedal just for laughs. [This message has been edited by IMSA GT (edited 02-24-2022).]
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MidEngineManiac
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FEB 24, 08:48 PM
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Only ever had the wheel on the "wrong side' once in my life.......the car was on its roof after a wreck.
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cvxjet
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FEB 24, 09:46 PM
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A) The reason that the British drive on the "Wrong" side is because (Supposedly) when you were coming towards a person riding a horse, they could see that you did not have a weapon in your right hand.
B) I have never driven a road vehicle from the right side......But;
C) I have a CVX-20 Jet BOAT that I drive from the right side; I like that it is this way because 1) It reminds me that I am driving a JET boat- not a car)(Jet boats really drive differently) and 2) The Throttle/shifter mounts on the gunwale (Side wall).....If you sit on the left side the shifter would be in your left hand, so driving on the right side of the boat puts the shifter in my SHIFT hand.
D) Back around 1995, I was up at Lassen Volcanic NP camping- a guy pulled in with a new WRX >>WAGON<<.....I was talking to him about it and told him that I really liked the wagon the most; Better aero and more functional (I like seeing hot rodded wagons (Yes, including Nomads, but ANY wagon HR is cool)
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maryjane
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FEB 24, 11:52 PM
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Anyone have trouble posting new threads?
Just tried to post news of Sally Kellerman's death and it said the usual 'thanks for posting a new thread' but it doesn't show up in the ot index.
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Patrick
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FEB 24, 11:57 PM
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Don, it's shown up twice!
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maryjane
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FEB 25, 12:35 AM
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| quote | Originally posted by Patrick:
Don, it's shown up twice! |
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That's strange..
It doesn't show up here on my laptop but the new thread about the USAF museum does.[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 02-25-2022).]
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Patrick
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FEB 25, 12:42 AM
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 | | CLICK FOR FULL SIZE |
[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 02-25-2022).]
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maryjane
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FEB 25, 12:54 AM
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Mystery solved..sort of. Somehow had 'general' topics disabled. [This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 02-25-2022).]
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Patrick
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FEB 25, 12:58 AM
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Now you can fix the photo you posted there.
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