What is full lock, and how many turns does the wheel take?

What exactly is “full right”?

When instructors say “full right” or “full left” they mean turning the wheel as far as it goes. This is called full lock. The wheels are at their sharpest angle and the car makes its tightest turn.

In Parking Trainer the wheel turns 1.5 times each way from centre. So full right is 540°, and full left is 540° the other way: 3 turns from one end to the other.

Reading the steering counter

The counter under the wheel in the game shows three things. In the tutorial you follow the instructor’s hands through it.

• Direction: left, right or centred
• Angle: for example “Left · 540°”
• Turns: for example “1.50 turns”

Straightening matters as much as turning

Most parking mistakes come from straightening the wheel too late. When parallel parking, if you do not straighten at the 45° point the car keeps turning; in a forward bay, if you do not straighten once you are in line with the markings you end up crooked.

Straightening means bringing the wheel back to centre, 0°. Coming back from full lock takes the same number of turns in the other direction.

Real cars can differ

How many turns full lock takes varies from car to car. In your own car, in a safe empty space and fully stopped, turn the wheel from one end to the other and count. It makes your instructor’s “full right” concrete.