I know the old tech steering can't be changed, but would a smaller steering wheel reduce the dead feel?

 

No ! Remember your geometry classes ? Smaller will travel further to complete the same rotation.

 

i'm going to disagree with you Derek, hopefully you can explain your answer.

a smaller diameter steering wheel will still turn 360° and that full revolution will turn the car the same no matter what diameter steering wheel you have. but the smaller wheel has "traveled" less circumference-wise (2*PI*radius). the smaller wheel will also require more force to turn (moment arm has decreased).

 

Thank you for clearing that up... So what you're saying is that all the tire manufacturers are wrong when they state tire rotation for various tire sizes. eg. smaller tires rotate more for the same amount of distance traveled... I may have gone to Berkeley 30 years ago, but I think that the same laws of Geometry still apply. A one inch circle will rotate ten times the amount of a ten inch circle to cover the same amount of distance... Maybe I was smoking too much pot during that class, but I'm do believe I am correct. If I'm wrong, oh well.

 

i think you are both right... a one inch tire would have to turn ten times to go the distance that the ten inch one could in one turn.
on the other hand, the steering wheel will turn the car the same amount if you give one full spin on a large or small steering wheel... think of it this way, does the emblem in the center turn any more then the part of the steering wheel that you hold on to?

 

i completely agree with what you've said above, and you’re right: a smaller diameter wheel has to turn more to cover the same distance as a large wheel... but we're not talking about tire rotation; Crisis asked about steering wheel 'feel' -- my only point was your hand would physically move less to turn the steering wheel 90° if you had a smaller diameter steering wheel, and that would make the steering "seem" quicker.

i'm not questioning your knowledge or picking a fight; i respect what you do for this forum. i was just looking for clarification on your points.

 

Oh heck, I don't know if a smaller steering wheel would make it feel more responsive... I do know that a rack & pinion system would be a huge improvement. I'll be pulling the box apart eventually and taking a look to see if the gearing can be changed without costing a fortune in machining...

This entire thread is a moot point since there are ZERO aftermarket racing wheels for this car... eg. Sparco, Momo, etc... ZERO ZIP NADA... The only thing you can do is remove your OEM wheel and weld an adapter spud to the steering shaft to accept the aftermarket wheels... and then you've lost your airbag, horn etc.

 

I guess that explains why Grand Prix cars don't all use "vintage" steering wheels off of 1958 Corvettes.

 

Getting back to the original point, the "dead feel" of the steering. I'm not sure if I would say its dead, but doesn't this all have to do with the type of steering (circulating ball vs. rack & pinion) that the xf has and the power steering setup found in the car?

Is it even possible to change the car to a R/P setup (money considerations aside)?

Just for fun, have a look at the steering wheel on 1950 Alfa vs. a 2006 f1 wheel...difference, power steering today - none back then.

 

Does This Apply To M-B SLK's Too?

 

From what I recall, there are a few tuners out there who make "sport" steering wheels for the Crossfire. I believe Renntech and Startech offer one. I think CTD-Germany offers one too. The steering wheel diameter is the same I think but the texture of the outer rim is contoured to fit a human hand better. Nevertheless, I have always thought that manufactures use larger-diameter steering wheels to make it easier to stay straight on the highway. In order to turn with a larger steering wheel, more steering input is required, therefore making it easier to keep going straight. The most extreme example is a simple 18-wheeler. Do they have a small-diameter steering wheel? I didn't think so. Look at the opposite end of the spectrum and take a look at the steering wheel diameters of an M coupe, Lotus Elise, and Honda S2000. I think steering wheel diameter is a great indicator of what the engineers wanted a car to be intended for. The Crossfire steering wheel is pretty large, meaning it was meant to be a GT car and not a true corner carver (this goes along with the "soft" suspension set-up). The diameter makes it a good highway car.

 

A smaller diameter wheel will increase the effort to turn the wheel since you have less leverage; you are turning the rim through a smaller distance for the same angle. This means you tends to make the steering feel more direct when making steering inputs. It also results in less wheel twirling when you are trying to control things after over cooking it! However, in terms of feedback with a smaller wheel, for a given deflection at the road wheel you get less movement back at the steering wheel rim, so you can loose some of the finer nuances of feel. As ever it is a compromise. But as HDDP pointed out there are no bosses (I've made several enquiries) directly compatible with our cars. I think you can get a Momo for a certain MB with the correct spline but the depth and diameter aren't correct so you would have to machine it and/or mod the trim, and live without the air bag. Personally I would prefer a more sporting looking wheel but I can live with it.

Whilst the I wouldn't describe the Crossfire's steering as razor sharp, I don't think it really lacks 'feel' except possibly at lower speed. Like Sennaspirit says the 'type' of feel is largely a function of the power assisted recirculating ball system it has. It's definitely not as sharp as a good r/p system but I would say that it feels just as good as some of the over-assisted r/p setups I've driven.

 

I wonder how a momo wheel would look against the column, and it might be a bit difficult to read the gauges with a smaller diameter rim.

I actually like the recirculating ball system, I find they are much more durable than a rack, and any slop is easily adjustable, also it's not so snappy as a rack and pinion. the recirc probably saves on weight too.

I have driven pickups with rack and pinion, and they are just awful to drive, way too sensitive for a truck steering.

 

So did you ever put your furry steering wheel in the car or was that going to be a neon red momo wheel I forgot.

 

Has anyone put a momo on a xfire? Which steering wheel? Would this momo TREK steering wheel work?