Steering wheel lowering or tilting - 911SC

bbh03 · 12-07-2006, 09:25 AM

In lowering my seat to the floor to gain the necessary head room with helmet on in my track car (and to get my body closer), I'm left with the problem of the wheel being a little too high up on my chest. Has anyone dropped the angle a bit? Is there a kit for this or replacement anything? I've come across nothing for this (not even one post) but I'm sure some other tall guys have run into this before...

bbh03 · 12-08-2006, 04:25 AM

Bump

gestalt1 · 12-08-2006, 05:26 AM

It's an interesting idea but i think it would be difficult. the steering shaft going to the rack basically is just above the top of the foot well sheetmetal. i think lowering it would involve a lot of cutting and welding. if i had my car back from the bodyshop i could do a little experiment to see how much it could be lowered. have you tried a larger diameter steering wheel?
-matt

bbh03 · 12-08-2006, 09:33 AM

I don't have a problem with cutting if it is necessary. I think a larger steering wheel would interfere with my legs. I really need to get it lower to reduce arm fatigue too.

petrolblue83911 · 12-08-2006, 10:48 AM

That's a big project,

-when did Porsche start using a tilting wheel? - 964:, 993? -your best bet may be to replace the sc linkage with a newer one that already has tilt built in..of course you don't want power steering so the whole mechanism may be different. anyway I'd pursue an option like this before trying to modify the existing linkage assembly

bbh03 · 12-08-2006, 11:16 AM

Anything more than cutting and then fabricating a new bracket at a lower angle is probably more trouble than it's worth. I was hoping someone had done this before. I'm actually kind of surprised no one else has encountered this problem when lowering their seat.

Rick V · 12-08-2006, 02:53 PM

Well you could replace the wheel with a Momo type of thingie. They make a spacer that is not centered. You could mount it with the "cam" down and it will lower it some.

bbh03 · 12-08-2006, 03:21 PM

I have a Momo wheel, but I've never seen what you are describing. Do you know who sells that?

Zeke · 03:57 PM

I don't see a problem at all. With longer bolts and custom cresent shaped spacers, plus some standard round spacers (or a stack of washers), you should be able to change the angle that the steering comes off the under side of the dash. That doesn't seem to be most people's problem, that's likely why you don't hear about it.

The fabrication of the spacers could be an intersting job from an engineering standpoint. If I had a bare chassis, I'd give it a shot myself.

I'm not sure you would like an eccentric wheel, and mounting the offset spacer turned 180 degrees would offer a wheel the rose in height as you turned. Your leverage would suffer, IMO.

bbh03 · 12-08-2006, 04:01 PM

I'll have to take a look at that when I get the chassis back from the cage builder.

Zeke · 12-08-2006, 04:14 PM

Well, it bolts up into a cradle. Just think about how you would fill a cradle with the shape of the shaft housing. The upper steering shaft housing goes right to a u-joint. The jointed shaft is, of course, attached to the rack. The upper shaft housing and the rack are both firmly bolted, the jointed shaft floats, allowing you to go anywhere you want with the housing. Long bolts, washers and the stock clamps should make this a very easy project on the finish side. Be safe with the design.

Won · 04:39 PM

Quote:

-when did Porsche start using a tilting wheel?

It was the all-new 996, was it not?

I'm interested in the same topic as well. I'm short and I would like to lower the steering wheel for a more comfortable driving position. A friend who drives a CJ told me about the "shimming the steering column support" trick that apparently people do on those cars. I took a look but the "knee pad" trim was in the way; I don't know if any sheet metal has to be cut as well, i.e. is there enough clearance for the part of the steering column past the U-joints up to the steering wheel to swing down?

Walt Fricke · 12-08-2006, 04:40 PM

You could drop the cradle with washers and longer bolts. In my race car I drilled a bunch of holes in the cradle (lighter, you know) with no ill effects, so my guess is that the bolts are good for it. Might be better to weld an extension onto the cradle, so that it emerges as a longer version of itself. The sides of the cradle act as tubes through which the bolts pass. All that may reduce bending/buckling loads on things, which suggests considering the welding route.

Dropping the rear of the assembly means the front will raise up. While the bolt and fitting that holds it to the chassid there can probably take the angle change, that will change the angles of the U joints. Given how we torture them when we raise the steering rack, perhaps this is of no consequense. But a guy would want to check on that, too.

I, too, have not heard of tall guys having this problem. Somehow I'd expect that by lowering the seat (and the driver's seat), a tall guy would just end up at about the same driving position relative to the wheel that the rest of us have. But you are right - a comfortable driving position is pretty important, on the track and off.

Walt Fricke

Rick V · 12-08-2006, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by milt

I'm not sure you would like an eccentric wheel, and mounting the offset spacer turned 180 degrees would offer a wheel the rose in height as you turned. Your leverage would suffer, IMO.

Agreed It was just an option. I had one of those spacers and I sent it back.........Couldn't deal with it. I have a friend who has one and he likes it. It is on a 930 wheel

bbh03 · 12-08-2006, 05:32 PM

Thanks Walt, as always. When sizing it up with the seat mock up, the wheel was uncomfortable high, so we raised the seat until it was marginally okay, and could go no higher due to headroom.

I'll be going by there soon to double check the fit of everything once he tack welds it in (before permanently welding). At that point, I'll see if it can be lowered enough to be more comfortable. Maybe he can fabricate a new bracket for it.

Now that the car is not in front of me, I'm having a hard time picturing the linkage!

Bolts may do the trick too, if I don't lower it too much, as you and Milt suggested.

Walt Fricke · 12-08-2006, 06:20 PM

Looking at pictures in another post (yours, as a matter of fact), gave me some pause about lowering the steering column. The column has the steering wheel lock bolted to it. The lock is attached to the ignition switch. If you lower the column you will affect the placement of the switch.

In your case, this may not matter. I'd toss the steering wheel lock (ignition switch, too, for that matter), so it wouldn't be an issue.

In fact, I'd do what I did: pull the steering column and figure out what I could cut off of it. No need for turn signal brackets, as you will junk those (won't you?) for a future GT car. Maybe you'll want to keep the stock windshield wiper switch, maybe not. And remove some weight by drilling holes.

Walt

Walt

bbh03 · 12-08-2006, 08:01 PM

Walt, Yeah, those switches are out of there. I'll simplify the wiper switch and mount to the dash, probably without an intermitant setting, just high and low. The ignition key will be replaced with a push start panel and the lock will be removed too. So your pause wasn't for any safety reason, was it?

Walt Fricke · 12-08-2006, 09:27 PM

No - at first I hadn't digested the GT racing future for this car, and overlooked the kneebone connected to the thigh bone.

Hell, for a GT style car you could just rip all that out and design your own with a big Heim joint for the steering shaft bearing, roundy-round style. You could put things wherever you wanted. Have the cage maker make a bracket to hold steering stuff to go on a knee bar.

Walt

PcarPhil · 04-01-2015, 04:51 AM

Bump - I'm bringing a thread back from the dead. 9 years later... has anyone successfully lowered their steering wheel and/or added a tilt mechanism?

I'm running an aftermarket seat in my '87 turbo without seat sliders so I can sit comfortably in the car without hitting my head on the roof/sunroof. Ideally I'd love to lower/tilt the steering wheel 1" or so however from reading the posts above this doesn't sound like it's easily accomplished.

Thanks for any info you can provide!

TheSt|G · 04-01-2015, 06:15 AM

I used this combined with a 2" or 3" spacer on my Momo hub to set everything up for my 6'5" self:

http://www.jwesteng.com/shop/index.php?id_product=15&controller=product