A smaller diameter steering wheel for my Z3.

[ARoosterinaRoadster]

Hi to you all out there. I have looked through the forum for the likelihood of changing my standard wheel for smaller steering wheel for my 2000 (W) Z3 and I cannot see anything specific other than a reference to a Schnitzer product.
My wheel is the 14.75" standard product with an 'M' badge at the bottom. I would like to see a 13" or 13.5" one instead of the original one.
Does anyone know of an after-market alternative that will still keep the car legal with an airbag.

[deni2s]

Jonttt has Raid steering wheel with an airbag, I think it was 340mm. Try to search on the forum. Someone has fitted also steering wheel from z4 (not sure if it is smaller).

[Southernboy]

......... yep the Z4 wheel is smaller, no problem with airbags... and it was me....

[Mike Fishwick]

You didn't look through the forum hard enough!

See my bit in the Z3 Knowledgebase about fitting a RAID steering wheel.

[Jonttt]

You have a dual stage system on your face lift car so bear that in mind. It means you can fit either a single or dual stage wheel but read the posts on doing it. Ideally you want smaller and thicker which is why the 340mm raid wheel is ideal.

[ARoosterinaRoadster]

You have a dual stage system on your face lift car so bear that in mind. It means you can fit either a single or dual stage wheel but read the posts on doing it. Ideally you want smaller and thicker which is why the 340mm raid wheel is ideal.

Hi Jontt. Thank you for that info but please pardon my ignorance but what is the Dual Stage with reference to?
I am actually going into Liverpool in the late morning to the Royal Hospital if you see me about give me a Hoot Hoot. I will be easy to recognise,a Topaz Blue Metalic with Black Hood and just the top of my head above the current steering wheel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Southernboy]

There are 2 types of driver airbag fitted... the earlier Z3 cars had what is called a "single stage " airbag... ie in a collision the bag would inflate...
Your car has a dual stage airbag... this is a system whereby the airbag is inflated in 2 different ways... 1. low impact collision and 2. high impact collision... the difference is the volume of gas created by the mechanism under the two different levels of collision.
So, since your system is a dual, ideally you want to retain that facility, and you need to ensure your choice of new steering wheel will accomodate that in it's airbag which is supplied with the wheel.

[ARoosterinaRoadster]

There are 2 types of driver airbag fitted... the earlier Z3 cars had what is called a "single stage " airbag... ie in a collision the bag would inflate...
Your car has a dual stage airbag... this is a system whereby the airbag is inflated in 2 different ways... 1. low impact collision and 2. high impact collision... the difference is the volume of gas created by the mechanism under the two different levels of collision.
So, since your system is a dual, ideally you want to retain that facility, and you need to ensure your choice of new steering wheel will accomodate that in it's airbag which is supplied with the wheel.

Hi again southernboy. Thank you for that very clear piece of info/advice.

[Jonttt]

You can fit a single stage airbag to a two stage system by simply putting a resistor in line with the 2nd stage circuit so you don't get error codes which would deactivate the system completely.

Have a read of my thread in the knowledgebase here which explains it all in depth with pics .......

http://www.zroadster.net/forum/viewtopi ... 18&t=23787

[lightning]

I have to say that the Z4 steering wheel does look nice in the Z3.

Big steering wheels seemed to be common in German cars of the time. My Porsche 928 S4 wheel was huge, and ugly. But that car also had speed sensitive power steering, so it was not necessary to have such a big steering wheel.

[ARoosterinaRoadster]

You can fit a single stage airbag to a two stage system by simply putting a resistor in line with the 2nd stage circuit so you don't get error codes which would deactivate the system completely.

Have a read of my thread in the knowledgebase here which explains it all in depth with pics .......

http://www.zroadster.net/forum/viewtopi ... 18&t=23787

Hi Jonttt. Thank you for pointing me towards this info. I have come to the conclusion that it is little short of a monumental task that is going to have me really getting my head around it all. Just now I am off for a triple whiskey possibly followed with a Draught Guinness chaser

[ARoosterinaRoadster]

I have to say that the Z4 steering wheel does look nice in the Z3.

Big steering wheels seemed to be common in German cars of the time. My Porsche 928 S4 wheel was huge, and ugly. But that car also had speed sensitive power steering, so it was not necessary to have such a big steering wheel.

Hi lightning. Yes. I think that it must have been a remnant from their tank making days. One of the scariest cars that I ever drove with exceptionally twitchy power steering was the late 70's Rover P6 in V8 Automatic form. A powerful car and steering as twitchy as a ballet dancer on her toes.

[Southernboy]

The Z4 wheel is smaller and thicker... and there's also the option of retaining the dual stage airbag as a direct fit. It requires a small mod to the Z4 center hub to accomodate the Z3 slipring, but it's a small engineering job and a small bracket. Other than that it's very simple to transplant.
Personally, I like the Raid wheel, although the cost is a tad scary if I include import duties VAT and shipping.

[lightning]

I was told that the airbag expires after ten years and should be replaced.

Not that anybody will.

[Southernboy]

I don't think that is true. The only part of an airbag which might be perishable is the bag itself. The mechanism which creates the gas is an electro chemical reaction and the elements involved are very stable until an electrical current is passed through the system to ignite the reaction. The fabric bags are made from 1 piece of material.. ie no joins / seams etc.
99.9% of all airbags are made in India - that is the fabric bag itself.
Consider the responsibility of BMW servicing your 15 year old Z3 and omitting to replace a potentially hazardous airbag which has surpassed a safe shelf life.... I doubt it would be in their interests to ignore such a possible catastrophe to their name in the marketplace.... so, whoever told you this story is probably also still looking for the people behind the Kennedy assasination...

[ARoosterinaRoadster]

I don't think that is true. The only part of an airbag which might be perishable is the bag itself. The mechanism which creates the gas is an electro chemical reaction and the elements involved are very stable until an electrical current is passed through the system to ignite the reaction. The fabric bags are made from 1 piece of material.. ie no joins / seams etc.
99.9% of all airbags are made in India - that is the fabric bag itself.
Consider the responsibility of BMW servicing your 15 year old Z3 and omitting to replace a potentially hazardous airbag which has surpassed a safe shelf life.... I doubt it would be in their interests to ignore such a possible catastrophe to their name in the marketplace.... so, whoever told you this story is probably also still looking for the people behind the Kennedy assasination...

Hi southernboy. I read/heard that one about 6yrs ago and someone that had read it before me had posted that it was an Urban Myth and also the only way to be assured that the airbags worked was to pile the car into a tree or a wall

[Southernboy]

Yep...airbags are pretty much bullet proof.... until they don't work...but then it won't matter too much anyhow.... I've read about "faulty" airbags going off without the car being bumped... what people don't understand is that it's not the airbag that is faulty, but the impact sensor which triggers the re-action.... Amazingly simple device that impact sensor... it's just a weighted piece of metal on a slide... hit a tree, the metal travels along the slide and closes the electrical circuit to the airbag detonator... the electrical current sets off the detonator and starts the gas creating chemical reaction which fills and pops the bag out... all in less than 1/200th of a second.... the oddest reality is that by the time one's body hits the bag, it has already started deflating... if it didn't, it would be as hard as hitting a concrete wall... The inflation pressure is as much to break the airbag cover first then secondly to cushion the occupant as it deflates... and it continues deflating so it doesn't end up being a hinderance to the occupant escaping the car after the impact if needed. The actual timing of the deflation process is as important as the inflationary reaction.... too quick and you may as well not have an airbag... to slow and you risk injuring the occupant by smacking into a hard bag at 30mph or more.... added to which is the temperature of the gas as it inflates...it's startlingly high which creates some extra pressure, but cools very rapidly.
Anyhow... enough about airbags... both those in cars and the ones who spread conspiracy theories.... all hot air really...

[Jonttt]

Cars used to have airbags with a 10 year expiry date. I've changed a few steering wheels over the years so lose track of which had the expiry stickers but I thought the Z3 did. I remember posting that it was a safety upgrade due to the sticker as a bit of a joke but maybe it was another car.

My porsche required dealer checks after so many years but I think that just meant them checking the diagnostic lights were working.

More modern cars are considered to have bags for life as technology has moved on.

So I think from memory BMW airbags of the era the Z3 was made did have expiry dates but that was probably to cover BMW mote than actual real risk of failure. There cannot be a real failure rate with age or the government would have made an issue of it ( or would they )

[Brian H]

Just had a look at the airbag that was in my car, it has a manufacture date but no reference to an expiry date.

[gIzzE]

Other option is to get yours retrimmed, £105 from Royal steering wheels.

I went double thick with perforated sides and M stitching, I thought if it still felt too big I would sell this and buy a smaller one, but it is bang on, feels chunkier and therefore somehow smaller.

[ARoosterinaRoadster]

Other option is to get yours retrimmed, £105 from Royal steering wheels.

I went double thick with perforated sides and M stitching, I thought if it still felt too big I would sell this and buy a smaller one, but it is bang on, feels chunkier and therefore somehow smaller.

Hi glzzE. Thank you for your reply and the attached image. Whilst I understand where you are coming from with the visual illusion of chunkier is smaller it is actually is not what I am after. This is quite simply a wheel that is above the curved top of the binnacle and is a visual hindrance.
As far as making a wheel 'Chunkier' goes - I was doing this back in the mid to late 60's and beyond with my Hairy Arsed Ford Thames 100E side valve van,my lowered and stiffened Ford Anglia vans and later with my extremely hairy 3ltr Ghia Auto Capri. It is all part of my skill base - now retired.

[velocemax]

Hi Chaps.

I've just ordered the Royal Steering wheel upgrade myself. This is only an interim measure, as I'm researching the use of the E46 M3 wheel steering wheel, which I believe is smaller. The RAID is the perfect size but formidably expensive. If I find and fit an alternative, I'll post the howto on here.

Pete.

[Mike Fishwick]

See my article in the Z3 Knowledgebase - viewtopic.php?f=18&t=9906

When I bought my RAID wheel the UK importers wanted about £650 - and only in whatever colour option they imported! I visited the factory, and would have bought one there and then for about £300, but they could not take plastic.



I eventually bought mine from Chrom-Design in Germany for £350, which just goes to show that the price can depend on who you ask!

Even at the current price (£650?) it is well worth it if you plan to keep the car for a long time, and in terms of driving pleasure I judge it equal to my 1.5 inch shortened gear lever, though that only cost me 50 pence - the cheapest short-shifter around!

[velocemax]

Does look the business ! Feel a sprint to the continent coming on !! Maybe get enough people and get a group buy from the factory

[ARoosterinaRoadster]

Does look the business ! Feel a sprint to the continent coming on !! Maybe get enough people and get a group buy from the factory

Hi velcemax. Now that sounds like a really very good idea. Start a list and count me in. Put a realistic closing date on it and then a figure can be calculated per each based upon numbers.
Mine would be plain black and the standard wheel with no intelligent steering wheel controls.

[Jonttt]

Gert carnewal is a good guy to source the raid wheels from. He specialises in porsche fittings but you can get the Z3 hub adaptor elsewhere or see if he can get one.

http://www.carnewal.com/

Alternatively search german ebay directly

[Jonttt]

Hi Chaps.

I've just ordered the Royal Steering wheel upgrade myself. This is only an interim measure, as I'm researching the use of the E46 M3 wheel steering wheel, which I believe is smaller. The RAID is the perfect size but formidably expensive. If I find and fit an alternative, I'll post the howto on here.

Pete.

I hope you have a facelift Z3 ie made >04/99

[Jonttt]

Just had a look at the airbag that was in my car, it has a manufacture date but no reference to an expiry date.

Yep checked some pics of mine removed and it shows production gate and not expiry date. I'd say its worth checking what the service book / owners manual says but does it really matter.