Steering colums

[dam-mad]

Please excuse me if this is a stupid question.  :-/

What are the benifits of changing a standard steering colum with one of a later model?? I have a HR colum fitted but want to run an orginal steering wheel which means changing back to a standard steering colum, just want to know what I'm sacrificing if I do... Confused!!

[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

Space!!!
My wagon with original column and SAAS wheel is 43cm from dash to horn button (along the top of the column). The FE with HR column and aftermarket wheel is 30cm from dash to horn button.

[zulu]

In a word....LENGTH, if you want a looong one put it back in. As a rule, later columns are about 4 inches or 100mm shorter than FE FC columns.

I would prefer that mine was shorter (column) as I am overweight and the steering wheel sticks in my guts. It could also a problem for people with short arms to reach all the knobs.

Make sure if you are changing it back that no mods have been done where it bolts up to the sub frame as 1 of the bolt holes on the EH & maybe HD-HR does not line up with the holes in the sub frame.

FB - EK are the best to use as they line up and are also shorter.

Have fun, Gary

[dam-mad]

Thanks Guys,

You both have solved my mystery, anyone had sucess in shoterning a steering colum? Or does anyone know how much shorter a ek/fb colum is?

[RET]

About 4 inches.  The FB/EK column in shorter to accommodate the dished steering wheel of those models.  You can put an FE/FC wheel on an FB/EK column to move it closer to the dash, but it also means the wheel is closer to the seat.  After a few hours of driving like that you'll swagger like John Wayne ;D

A smaller circumference wheel will negate that effect, but it makes the steering a lot heavier.  Parallel parking or 3-point turns aren't much fun in an FE/FC with a 10" steering wheel, I can tell you from experience.

cheers
RET