944 steering wheel

[kabul]

Hello,
Can someone tell me what years of 944s steering wheels are compatible with each other. Mine is non-airbag 1984.

Thanks

[jcommin]

It is my understanding that the early Porsches 83 - 84 and the later 85 1/2 w/o air bag are different. I'm not sure if it the spline shaft/length or depth of the wheel. They have different part numbers; I verified this at my local Porsche dealer.

I recently replaced my 3 spoke wheel with the 4 spoke wheel (smaller diameter) and I made sure it came from an early 944.

Now if you are looking for a 3 spoke wheel for an early 944, I got a very good one. No cracks/stains in the leather, no scratches in the plastic. You can use it as is.

[nynor]

i had a three spoke 911 wheel in my '83...

[ERAU944]

my '84 came with the same 3 spoke wheel. my father's '83 has the 4 spoke. the 4 spoke wheels in later cars are a little different, the tab that resets the turn signals is on the opposite side, so if you were to use that wheel you'd have to mount the tab from your early car. some of the later steering wheels feel a little thicker as far as hand grip goes, but the diameter is the same. also, the later wheels have a leather wrapped horn pad as opposed to the plastic ones on the early cars, just a slight difference.

[kabul]

thanks for the replies...

So...does anyone know if the late model wheel will work on an early model? They may be "different" (leather horn, bigger grip) but still work just fine?
For the record, I have a 4 spoke that is just worn out (just the leather) and wanted to find a scrap wheel.

thanks again

[ERAU944]

the wheel will work just fine, you will need to use the turn signal tab as i said, make sure it lines up as it did on the early one, but the wheel itself is the same diameter and has the same splines. i have several 'scrap' four spoke wheels that are in need of recovering. one of which is a late model wheel with a hub extension on it (this was an option).

as i said, i have used late model wheels on my '84, so with a little ingeniuity, you should be able to make it work.

[Eldorado]

my early (83) came with a 4 spoke leather wheel.

[djnolan]

Can they be recovered? Mine is a little frayed. advice appreciated...

[jcommin]

the 928leathershop.com did mine. Rob did a fantastic job.

[Grandad#3]

It will be easier to resew the leather wheel cover that is already on, If there are no worn thru spots. You can use Lexol Leather conditioner when the wheel is off. Put the conditioner on the inside of the leather. After it is all restitched, clean the out side with a mild soap and water. Wring out the cleaning cloth until it is just damp, do this several times and then rinse. Let the leather completely dry. At this point you can redye the leather and let dry. Then use the Lexol on the outside around the wheel. Let it soak in for a bit and then wipe off excess. It will look better than new.

Cheers,
Larry

[Lapponia]

+1 Grandad! I did resew my wheel myself and it took about 6 hours to do with my wife´s needle and thread, but result was good. Which I had the right thread from the beginning thogh. Would have been sailmakers thread I think.
Lapponia