Steering Column Extension interest?

[Brianthechemist]

Hi everyone,

Like many of you, I've wanted to get into the "proper" position for driving (bent elbows when holding the wheel).

Unfortunately, my 6' tall frame is all legs so to sit in the E92 (or E46 actually) requires me to push the seat back so that my knees don't hit the steering wheel. Oddly, my z4m and Wife's 640 don't have this issue.

I've looked for a solution to get more extension for the e9x steering column and haven't found anything good.

I've decided to take it on myself. I have a solid concept for a small retrofit that would move the entire column (not just the steering wheel) towards the driver. I'm going to design and prototype this in the next few weeks.

Is there any interest in a mod for this within the group?

I'm thinking to shift steering column mounting points by ~3 inches towards the driver. This will require fabrication of a set of plates with mounting holes, a spline extension and some leather bellows extensions so there isn't a noticeable gap where the column meets the dash.

[Scrippy]

I was literally wanting to do the same thing! I'm 6' as well and I seem to be leggy also lol. I usually set seat distance based off my pedals and then push the seat back up to get my arms closer but I feel like I'm going for a posture award or something. I was really hoping that one of the columns from a 5 or 6 would get us more wheel "pull out" and hopefully mount in without a fight. My only concern is angle for the airbag to still save my life and not kill me. My mom has a 650 and the electric column lets you move the wheel towards you and I'm able to touch the wheel with my elbows while my back is against the seat. In conclusion count me in!

[Grip Addict]

I am 6'6. I feel all this pain.

[Brianthechemist]

Cool. The way I currently have it designed, it will have the same up and down positioning capabilities but have 2-3” extension towards the driver.

No changes to the steering column itself or the wheel. Airbag position will be the same as it would be if you moved the seat closer to the wheel (cramped knee in ceiling style), so no concerns there.

I just bought a junkyard column to do my reverse engineering from.

I’m not sure how much the final parts will cost, but i forsee the cost of the custom splined parts being the bulk of the cost.

I’m also going for as stock of a look/quality as possible, so i’m planning to source anthracite leather for the ‘boot’ part.

[Scrippy]

Originally Posted by Brianthechemist

Cool. The way I currently have it designed, it will have the same up and down positioning capabilities but have 2-3” extension towards the driver.

No changes to the steering column itself or the wheel. Airbag position will be the same as it would be if you moved the seat closer to the wheel (cramped knee in ceiling style), so no concerns there.

I just bought a junkyard column to do my reverse engineering from.

I’m not sure how much the final parts will cost, but i forsee the cost of the custom splined parts being the bulk of the cost.

I’m also going for as stock of a look/quality as possible, so i’m planning to source anthracite leather for the ‘boot’ part.

If you figure this out let me know please! If I can't help let me know.

[Brianthechemist]

Hi Guys,

Quick update: I got my spare steering column and it looks like my design will work. The only catch is that it requires a "core" u-joint assembly to get the steering shaft spline from:



To have the splines machined will be easily more expensive than buying these parts new.

How much of an extension do you think would be best for you? It looks like we can probably go 3-3.5" before you would need to extend the leather "boot" piece between the dash and the steering column. The good news is that the ability of the existing column to extend won't change, so you can still adjust it to be shorter if you like.

I might set up a group buy for the machined parts, as the cost for machine setup time is easily 5X the cost of the actual part.

It looks to be somewhere in the $500 range at the moment due to the small number of pieces.

[Scrippy]

Originally Posted by Brianthechemist

Hi Guys,

Quick update: I got my spare steering column and it looks like my design will work. The only catch is that it requires a "core" u-joint assembly to get the steering shaft spline from:



To have the splines machined will be easily more expensive than buying these parts new.

How much of an extension do you think would be best for you? It looks like we can probably go 3-3.5" before you would need to extend the leather "boot" piece between the dash and the steering column. The good news is that the ability of the existing column to extend won't change, so you can still adjust it to be shorter if you like.

I might set up a group buy for the machined parts, as the cost for machine setup time is easily 5X the cost of the actual part.

It looks to be somewhere in the $500 range at the moment due to the small number of pieces.

I'm in!

[Brianthechemist]

Sounds good. Any place else I should cross-post this?

I found out that the same design would work for 1M steering columns as well.

With some small amount of changes, it could fit all e9x cars. still working out the details.

[Brianthechemist]

Hi Guys:

Quick update, I've 3D scanned and reverse engineered the steering column so that I can check the geometry and make the adapter plate. I've also designed the steering column U-joint extension (I picked 90mm extension).

It looks like I will be able to rework the U-joint part above to incorporate the extension.

[aus]

Nice. Interested as well.
.

[CHE///MIST3]

Awesome thread !! I don’t need this piece myself, but love seeing enthusiasts getting together on a common topic.

GM

[Brianthechemist]

Its coming along quite well actually. Chemists...

I’ll post some cad tomorrow. We need at least 10 people so that we can get a reasonable price on machined parts

Brian

[Bartledoo]

Interested. I'll have to sit in my car and imagine what 3" would do for me.

[aggieshan]

Subscribed. I am in the bay area and I am in the same situation.

[Brianthechemist]

Progress update: Design is coming along, i've got a prelim configuration. I'm trying to balance the maximum tilt with the need to clear some parts in the dashboard. Time to take the car apart...

In the design below, the blue is the OEM setup and the shaded is after the mod. The new part (green) is the yoke extension. Once I work out the geometry at the column mount, I'll be able to design that part as well.

[Brianthechemist]

Forgot to mention: It looks like this mod will work with non-M cars as well.

[Brianthechemist]

Hi guys, quick update: still working on it. Measuring for the column mount bracket right now!

[tree233]

How's it going?

[Brianthechemist]

Originally Posted by tree233

How's it going?

It is all designed and the proto is sitting on a shelf! Unfortunately i had it 3d printed so I can’t drive around with it. Is there still interest?

[Bimmer Barney]

I'd be interested

[amrazM]

Youre designing a completely new steering column? did you consider running a different steering wheel?

[tree233]

Originally Posted by Brianthechemist

It is all designed and the proto is sitting on a shelf! Unfortunately i had it 3d printed so I can’t drive around with it. Is there still interest?

Yes definitely!

Have you tried test fitting the prototype?

I'm curious where it is in relation to the firewall, as I think the cylinder that sits on the splined shaft pushes into the rubber boot to create the seal. If that is moved 90mm toward the driver will it still seal?

This video shows the cylinder/rubber boot interface well:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M3kZLum6Ok