This thread should also be called "Why did I buy a new steering wheel ?"
It's a good question, why did I buy a new steering wheel ?
Was the old one broken ? ... No
Did it steer correctly ? ... err Yes
Was it easy to turn ? .... Well,,, yes
Did it chaff your hands ? ... ummm No
Is your stomach touching it when driving ? ... NO !
So why are you buying a new one then ? .... errr, ummmmm because I want one (I offer weakly).
Perhaps this is all part of my midlife crisis, I remember my mate had a mini in the 70's with a steering wheel the size of a side plate - that was cool.
Maybe that's it .... i'm buying a new smaller steering wheel cos it's cool !
What about curtains ? she offers .. .. I ran away at that point, in all my years of living with wimmin I know that you can't ever have a discussion about curtains and come out on top.
So I chose a Richbrook R2, smaller than the original, quite smart without being overly "boy racer" and start looking for a boss.
There are several boss's to chose from ranging from around £30 to £70 they all seem similar, some sellers are more arrogant than others. The R2 has a 70mm PCD and I have the 48 spline column. I spy a bargain on ebay...
The wheel arrived and looks cool. I sit in the office "steering" around an imaginary course, I think it was the 'brmm, brmm' noises that my co-workers found amusing.
The boss arrived - it didn't fit, ye gods how can I tell her i've spend £80 on a steering wheel and a boss, it doesn't fit and I still can't come up with a rational explanation of why i've bought it in the first place...
Mild panic sets in.
I spoke with the seller, he apologises, I send it back and console myself by driving the off-road section of the Monte Carlo Rally around my office desk.
I choose a Sprigalex boss from Defender Bits, it's around 75mm tall so should be OK. A few days later, just as I was turning into a tricky uphill section after a tight left the postman brought the boss... (secretly I was pleased, my lips were numb and the office carpet was getting damp).
It looks OK, removing the old wheel I lay them on a bench and take a perfectly focused picture of a log ... however the difference in height can still be seen...
I can see that my sexy new wheel is taller than the original which to be honest I didn't expect, everyone had said that the wheel would be in the same place as the original.
They lied ...
When I fit it I find that my fingers can't touch the indicators or the windscreen wiper stalks - that's no good. The wheel feels in my chest rather than the relaxed driving position I am looking for - bugger.
I brace myself for a soft furnishings discussion.
The only thing for it is to reduce the height by 30mm.
The boss is made up of 4 parts.
The plastic/rubbers covers aside the alloy part fits onto the steering column and the black steel part to the wheel.
I get my rule out and design an adapter that will fit on the alloy part to give a reduced height.
All done in secret of course or it'll be curtains for me !!
So with the adapter plate on the old boss the height looks good so far ... a quick comparison (and in an focus picture later).
We are almost ready to go - it's interesting here that the OEM steering wheel is angled slightly upwards whereas the new one is flat. The height looks OK. To cover the adapter I remover the rubber sleeving and fitted it over the new boss assembly, bolted it to the wheel and hoped for the best.
It works !!
I can now reach the controls with my fingers, the wheel fits great and offers a completely different feel to driving. It's like the steering is more precise (it isn't) there's much more room and there is more 'feel' from the front end of the car. I think off road the bigger wheel would be better but for pottering about and jumping in and out the smaller wheel looks better and offers a more relaxed driving position and a more sensitive/positive feel to the steering.
I might cant the top of the adapter sometime so that the wheel sits slightly more vertical but for now it's a definite improvement over the original.
Luvvin it
It's a good question, why did I buy a new steering wheel ?
Was the old one broken ? ... No
Did it steer correctly ? ... err Yes
Was it easy to turn ? .... Well,,, yes
Did it chaff your hands ? ... ummm No
Is your stomach touching it when driving ? ... NO !
So why are you buying a new one then ? .... errr, ummmmm because I want one (I offer weakly).
Perhaps this is all part of my midlife crisis, I remember my mate had a mini in the 70's with a steering wheel the size of a side plate - that was cool.
Maybe that's it .... i'm buying a new smaller steering wheel cos it's cool !
What about curtains ? she offers .. .. I ran away at that point, in all my years of living with wimmin I know that you can't ever have a discussion about curtains and come out on top.
So I chose a Richbrook R2, smaller than the original, quite smart without being overly "boy racer" and start looking for a boss.
There are several boss's to chose from ranging from around £30 to £70 they all seem similar, some sellers are more arrogant than others. The R2 has a 70mm PCD and I have the 48 spline column. I spy a bargain on ebay...
The wheel arrived and looks cool. I sit in the office "steering" around an imaginary course, I think it was the 'brmm, brmm' noises that my co-workers found amusing.
The boss arrived - it didn't fit, ye gods how can I tell her i've spend £80 on a steering wheel and a boss, it doesn't fit and I still can't come up with a rational explanation of why i've bought it in the first place...
Mild panic sets in.
I spoke with the seller, he apologises, I send it back and console myself by driving the off-road section of the Monte Carlo Rally around my office desk.
I choose a Sprigalex boss from Defender Bits, it's around 75mm tall so should be OK. A few days later, just as I was turning into a tricky uphill section after a tight left the postman brought the boss... (secretly I was pleased, my lips were numb and the office carpet was getting damp).
It looks OK, removing the old wheel I lay them on a bench and take a perfectly focused picture of a log ... however the difference in height can still be seen...
I can see that my sexy new wheel is taller than the original which to be honest I didn't expect, everyone had said that the wheel would be in the same place as the original.
They lied ...
When I fit it I find that my fingers can't touch the indicators or the windscreen wiper stalks - that's no good. The wheel feels in my chest rather than the relaxed driving position I am looking for - bugger.
I brace myself for a soft furnishings discussion.
The only thing for it is to reduce the height by 30mm.
The boss is made up of 4 parts.
The plastic/rubbers covers aside the alloy part fits onto the steering column and the black steel part to the wheel.
I get my rule out and design an adapter that will fit on the alloy part to give a reduced height.
All done in secret of course or it'll be curtains for me !!
So with the adapter plate on the old boss the height looks good so far ... a quick comparison (and in an focus picture later).
We are almost ready to go - it's interesting here that the OEM steering wheel is angled slightly upwards whereas the new one is flat. The height looks OK. To cover the adapter I remover the rubber sleeving and fitted it over the new boss assembly, bolted it to the wheel and hoped for the best.
It works !!
I can now reach the controls with my fingers, the wheel fits great and offers a completely different feel to driving. It's like the steering is more precise (it isn't) there's much more room and there is more 'feel' from the front end of the car. I think off road the bigger wheel would be better but for pottering about and jumping in and out the smaller wheel looks better and offers a more relaxed driving position and a more sensitive/positive feel to the steering.
I might cant the top of the adapter sometime so that the wheel sits slightly more vertical but for now it's a definite improvement over the original.
Luvvin it
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