neilc Posted July 16, 2019 Share Posted July 16, 2019 Just a quick question , will this defender steering wheel fit directly onto as series 3 column , thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted July 17, 2019 Share Posted July 17, 2019 Yes. You’ll need to remove the indicator cancelling lug at the back and use the steel collar from behind the SIII wheel, with the lug at 3o’clock and find some method to secure the collar to the new wheel so they rotate together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilc Posted July 17, 2019 Author Share Posted July 17, 2019 3 hours ago, Snagger said: Yes. You’ll need to remove the indicator cancelling lug at the back and use the steel collar from behind the SIII wheel, with the lug at 3o’clock and find some method to secure the collar to the new wheel so they rotate togethe Thanks i appreciate that, I'll give it some thought , would the lug then be able to be re attached to the original as I will of course be keeping to re install as long term I would like to keep it as original as possible. Could I not just use the nut from the original ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordan_meakin Posted July 17, 2019 Share Posted July 17, 2019 The lug is on the wheel itself so you wouldn't be able to fit it back on a defender easily but you would be able to fit a series wheel back on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lo-fi Posted July 17, 2019 Share Posted July 17, 2019 Are you running PAS? it'll make the steering feel very heavy if not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted July 17, 2019 Share Posted July 17, 2019 30 minutes ago, lo-fi said: Are you running PAS? it'll make the steering feel very heavy if not These Tdi steering wheels have similar diameter to Series wheels, so diameter won’t cause much of an issue, but their chunkier rim and soft grip allow easier application of force. It’s a fair point when thinking of fitting Maestro/Montego/Metro wheels, though, for those with less brute force. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted July 17, 2019 Share Posted July 17, 2019 3 hours ago, neilc said: Thanks i appreciate that, I'll give it some thought , would the lug then be able to be re attached to the original as I will of course be keeping to re install as long term I would like to keep it as original as possible. Could I not just use the nut from the original ? No - you need the collar because of the distance from the back of the wheel to the indicator stalk, and also to apply pressure to the large spring that presses against the column top bearing to give it its preload. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonb Posted July 17, 2019 Share Posted July 17, 2019 (edited) Attach the self cancelling collar to the back of the Defender style wheel using self tapping screws. That's how I've done it on my series 3. You may need to gently bend the indicator stalk to clear the wheel, as it has less offset than the original wheel - so its closer to the bulkhead and hence the stalk. Edited July 17, 2019 by simonb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted July 17, 2019 Share Posted July 17, 2019 1 hour ago, simonb said: Attach the self cancelling collar to the back of the Defender style wheel using self tapping screws. That's how I've done it on my series 3. You may need to gently bend the indicator stalk to clear the wheel, as it has less offset than the original wheel - so its closer to the bulkhead and hence the stalk. That’s how I did it with Austin wheels on my 109 too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilc Posted July 17, 2019 Author Share Posted July 17, 2019 Ok , so apart from paying out for the new wheel is this worth doing , seems simple enough ,I'm driving to wales from Birmingham next week , just thought it would make things a bit more comfortable , I drove 600 miles last year with the current wheel on so it's not essential. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilc Posted July 17, 2019 Author Share Posted July 17, 2019 Ok , so apart from paying out for the new wheel is this worth doing , seems simple enough ,I'm driving to wales from Birmingham next week , just thought it would make things a bit more comfortable , I drove 600 miles last year with the current wheel on so it's not essential. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilc Posted July 17, 2019 Author Share Posted July 17, 2019 Snagger , after attaching the collar with self tappers and putting the wheel on , how did you secure the wheel , is it just a case of getting a large washer / nut ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted July 18, 2019 Share Posted July 18, 2019 Use the original washer and nut. How worthwhile this is is very subjective. Certainly, if you have a really tidy and original vehicle, it detracts from originality, but I think it makes driving more comfortable to have a chunkier and softer rim. Being set closer to the hub line, the rim will be closer to your thighs, so more arm room at the cost of leg room. How comfortable that’d be depends on your anthropometrics. I used the smaller diameter Metro and then a Montego wheel as they give more leg room too, but at the cost of heavier steering feel at low speed. I still preferred that to the original. Ultimately, it’s a quickly reversible mod if you decide you don’t like it, and an inexpensive one at that, so it’s worth a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilc Posted July 18, 2019 Author Share Posted July 18, 2019 The vehicle is very original apart from electronic points , someone has offered me the steering wheel for £15 so its worth a go and I will of course keep the original to replace , thanks , I appreciate all of your suggestions . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilc Posted July 19, 2019 Author Share Posted July 19, 2019 Just picked it up , might attempt to do it later , as stated is very similar in size , however wheel is chunkier Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilc Posted July 19, 2019 Author Share Posted July 19, 2019 (edited) Ok , I've done it. , There are a couple of things that you should be aware of that I wasn't , old wheel came off easily , indicator collar has two tabs that tuck into old wheel so that when wheel turns it turns the collar , these were preventing the collar being flush on the new one so I folded them back , they may snap when I put old one back on but the collars are only about a fiver . The second issue I had was that the circumference of the collar was a bit smaller than the circumference of the new wheel connection so I used a dremnel to file off 00000000.1 mm ( or something like that ) from new wheel so collar would lie flat and as mentioned before I then drilled 2 wholes through base of collar (dremnel) and used self tappers as it needs to be secured to do the job of the little tabs on the original wheel . Ideally it would be a good idea to buy a second indicator cancelling collar and put it on the new wheel before doing a quick change , also finally the indicator collar is a very tight fit so wd40 the column slightly before fitting it because if it's incorrect you will never get it back off. Below are pictures of the collar with the metal tabs bent level Edited July 19, 2019 by neilc New photos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilc Posted July 19, 2019 Author Share Posted July 19, 2019 (edited) Sorry one final , final thing , the indicator cancelling lug wasn't actually cancelling the indicator , the wheel doesn't seem to go as far back as the original so I loosened the indicator set up and pulled it forward about 1/3 cm and then tightened back up , you will then need to ( as previously mentioned by snagger) Bend the indicator stalk very slightly backwards as it will now hit wheel and casing . Edited July 19, 2019 by neilc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickl Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 Glad I found this post as I've been thinking of changing my S3 wheel and had the replacement "maturing" for a few years in the garage! The wheel I've got is the Puma type with the pad in the centre. I've got a few questions: How much clearance do you have between the wheel and the top of the dash? Do you hit the dash with your fingers when you're driving? Do you find you keep hitting the indicator stalk as you're driving? What is the offset on your wheel (distance on your wheel from the back of the boss to the inside edge of the rim) so I can compare with my new wheel. Do you find any problem with the wheel hitting your legs or getting in? I'm 6ft and have no problems at the minute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted August 13, 2020 Share Posted August 13, 2020 The Puma type won’t fit the SIII column - the splines are different. The TD5, Puma and the pre-Defender 90s/110s share a spline set that differs from the Tdi era and the SIII. Only the type shown above fits. If you want a steering wheel of comparable appearance and size, you’ll need something from an Austin Metro, Montego or Maestro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneandtwo Posted August 13, 2020 Share Posted August 13, 2020 (edited) 12 hours ago, Snagger said: The Puma type won’t fit the SIII column - the splines are different. The TD5, Puma and the pre-Defender 90s/110s share a spline set that differs from the Tdi era and the SIII. Only the type shown above fits. If you want a steering wheel of comparable appearance and size, you’ll need something from an Austin Metro, Montego or Maestro. Not really correct, the Puma type comes in 36 and 48 spline depending on what year it was fitted to a CSW or not. I have the later central pad type wheel in 48 spline off previous 2011 CSW, and later on the 48 spline central pad wheel became standard fitment across the range, my basic poverty spec 2015 hardtop came brand new with a central pad type wheel PS the later type Central pad wheel is much nicer to use than the TDi type Edited August 13, 2020 by oneandtwo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickl Posted September 27, 2020 Share Posted September 27, 2020 Yes, my Puma wheel is 48 spline so I think it should fit. Just not sure whether as a practical matter it will be good hence the Qs previously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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