I Need Your Opinion on this Steering Wheel

JasonWW · 01-03-2007, 08:30 AM

Car is a 99 Trans Am. This is a completely different steering wheel I'm trying to decide about using. Yes, it is real wood grain and leather. Wood grain is the theme of the car.

Basically, how does it look?
Like it was factory?
Like an aftermarket?
Look nice?
Ugly?
Etc...

My other question is what can I do with the 12 buttons? I have 7 mapped right now.
Volume up/down
song up/down
page up/down
and pause

What are some commonly used buttons that I could program in?
(I'm using RR, BTW)

Oh yea, anyone know who can re-label the buttons for me? There must be some company out there who can do it.

RedGTiVR6 · 01-03-2007, 09:03 AM

it looks rather large IMO.

however, with everything else you have planned for the car, I think you should be able to pull it off.

for the other buttons, you could have a FF and a RW button(s).

a button to take you to nav, one to take you to sat rad if you're running it?

Midshipman Easy · 01-03-2007, 09:51 AM

It looks really snazzy to me.. How makes it? Does it come in non wood colors for the solid parts? thanks in advance for the info.

Ken

JasonWW · 01-03-2007, 09:52 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by RedGTiVR6

it looks rather large IMO.

however, with everything else you have planned for the car, I think you should be able to pull it off.

for the other buttons, you could have a FF and a RW button(s).

a button to take you to nav, one to take you to sat rad if you're running it?

It's the same size as stock, 15" diameter. I suppose a smaller diameter may look nicer, but the stock size isn't any kind of problem for me. If i were to use an aftermarket non-airbag wheel I might get a 14" or so, but that's another story. I'm not sure I want to ditch the airbag, yet.

I never really use the FF and RW buttons. Is it only for use in moving through a song or does it have some other function?

I plan to add XM and GPS later on. I think there is a direct button press that can take me those 2. Then a buttom press for Audio. Maybe I can take one button and have it cycle through Audio, Radio and GPS. That's all i would need, really. I'll have to try it out.

JasonWW · 01-03-2007, 10:21 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by Midshipman Easy

It looks really snazzy to me.. How makes it? Does it come in non wood colors for the solid parts? thanks in advance for the info.

It is not an aftermarket wheel. It's from a Cadillac Escalade. I would have to do serious modding to get it to fit. Basically cut out the center section from this wheel and from the stock wheel and then weld the stock center into the new wheel. It's far beyond what the average person would want to try. I'm considering doing it simply because I have all the parts. Caddy wheel, extra stock wheel and the airbag. It's just a matter of the labor for me.

Here's an old pic of the stock wheel for comparison purposes. I could have the stock wheel shipped off and converted to a wood grain, but I kind of like the caddy wheel better.

JasonWW · 01-03-2007, 10:41 AM

I don't think RR has a FF and RW button. It has that slider bar that you can click to move to any point in the song. Oh well, I could probably duplicate the volume and pause buttons to both sides. That would be handy, huh?

Pistolen08 · 01-03-2007, 12:44 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by JasonWW

I don't think RR has a FF and RW button. It has that slider bar that you can click to move to any point in the song. Oh well, I could probably duplicate the volume and pause buttons to both sides. That would be handy, huh?

..RR has FF and RW buttons, the skin you are using probably just doesn't use them.

JasonWW · 01-03-2007, 10:21 PM

I looked through all the commands in Girder as that is what will be doing the conversion and could not find any FF or RW controls. ?

Anyway, I just wanted some input on the look of the wheel.

The smaller airbag and the thicker rim really make a nice improvement in my opinion.

Charlie97L · 01-23-2007, 10:39 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by JasonWW

It is not an aftermarket wheel. It's from a Cadillac Escalade. I would have to do serious modding to get it to fit. Basically cut out the center section from this wheel and from the stock wheel and then weld the stock center into the new wheel. It's far beyond what the average person would want to try. I'm considering doing it simply because I have all the parts. Caddy wheel, extra stock wheel and the airbag. It's just a matter of the labor for me.

Here's an old pic of the stock wheel for comparison purposes. I could have the stock wheel shipped off and converted to a wood grain, but I kind of like the caddy wheel better.

wouldn't you negate the buttons if you did that? i don't see how you can make your stock airbag fit with the smaller caddy airbag without chopping up the airbag, which isnt' a good idea.

IMO, i wouldn't mess that much with an area containing an airbag and expect it to still function. if it were me, i'd just use the caddy wheel and have no airbag, if you want the wheel that badly.

JasonWW · 01-23-2007, 11:03 AM

I already have the caddy airbag, It plugs into the stock plug. No big deal there. You can see it in the pictures.

OK, I think you are overestimating what would be cut out. I'm talking about a 2" circle right in the middle of the wheel. Not a 12" circle.

JasonWW · 01-23-2007, 11:09 AM

Look at this pic.

I only need the nut and the area right around it.

JasonWW · 01-23-2007, 11:11 AM

I may just sell the caddy steering wheel and airbag and have the stock wheel converted to wood. It runs about $450-$525 depending on if I want the thickness increased. I haven't decided yet.

I also did a mock up up the stock wheel in wood. It's not the same exact wheel, but close.

turbocad6 · 01-23-2007, 11:39 AM

how much would you want for that caddy wheel?

JasonWW · 01-23-2007, 11:43 AM

You just yanking my chain?

turbocad6 · 01-23-2007, 11:44 AM

hell no, I could use it somewhere