Steering wheel options

[c_w]

Awful, and even the steering wheel doesn't look happy

[Dave P]

[Dave P]

[urquattrogus]

Been searching the hell out of this and still not much the wiser.

The 370mm standard wheel is just too big, my legs clash with the wheel and I would like something 340mm or so whilst retaining an airbag.

My car is November '99 build so presumably has a 2 stage airbag.

What are my options?

A raid wheel or nothing?

Can the standard wheel be re-worked to be a bit smaller?

I also find the leather of mine is too shiny/slippery after 90,000 miles.

I actually quite like a thin rimmed wheel but it's just too big!

[Fat Tony]

Originally Posted by urquattrogus

Been searching the hell out of this and still not much the wiser.

The 370mm standard wheel is just too big, my legs clash with the wheel and I would like something 340mm or so whilst retaining an airbag.

My car is November '99 build so presumably has a 2 stage airbag.

What are my options?

A raid wheel or nothing?

Can the standard wheel be re-worked to be a bit smaller?

I also find the leather of mine is too shiny/slippery after 90,000 miles.

I actually quite like a thin rimmed wheel but it's just too big!

Yeah I had the same issue with the size of the standard wheel, and while the retrimming option look and feel better than OEM, they probably actually make it a little larger given the additional padding.

Consequently I went with a RAID wheel and have no regrets at all - changed the driving experience for the better and no more issues with hitting my legs. Sounding the horn takes a little getting used to, with the buttons being pretty small.

[petecossie]

I had my OEM steering wheel refurbished by Jack at Royal Steering Wheels back in 2013 just after I bought my Coupe. After driving a E46 M3 for nearly 4 years I found the skinny/polished Coupe steering wheel spoilt the driving experience.
The finished wheel below.

[IMG][/IMG]

A friend on the Z3roadster.org site had his OEM Z3 roadster steering wheel refurbished at Royal more recently and one of the current options is to incorporate a flat bottom to the wheel, see below.

[IMG][/IMG]

Now whether that flat bottom would be enough to clear your legs, could be worth checking out. You could keep the original thin rim thickness which might mean that the flat section could be be slightly longer to give more clearance.

[137699]

I have a Royal retrimmed steering wheel with flat bottom - so much nicer to use than the bus wheel it came with. And no longer sits on my knees!



That said, looking back through this thread, I'd be interested to know what's involved in fitting a multi-functional steering wheel...

[urquattrogus]

Thanks Guys :)

Maybe I'll have a chat with Royal Steering wheels, but it's a bit of a dilemma as flat bottomed maybe is a bit to modern for my liking in style, and perhaps the wheel is still to large, I'm almost certain that a smaller wheel would give a nicer steering feel/interaction.

What about sourcing a Raid steering wheel in the UK, maybe German Ebay, doesn't seem to be many dealers in the UK.

It's surprising there are not more options, although I guess with an airbag wheel it's always tricky.