Steering Wheel Spacer for Tall Drivers

[BTB]

Was just reminiscing about when I ran a dished OMP racing steering wheel-- I put the stock wheel back some years back as I felt airbag, not to mention volume adjustment and cruise control (not that I use it much), was worth having. Now that I have Cobra Nogaro I'm feeling like an extended steering wheel/shaft would make the driving experience that much better (I'm 6'5", 200 lbs). BTW, the OMP wheel has been relegated to racing sim duty, so at least it's getting some sort of use still

Stumbled on this E46Fanatics thread. Anyone seen or used his products? Seems like an elegant solution, I'm tempted to pull the trigger...

https://spacershop.com/product/steering-wheel-spacer-for-bmw-3-series-and-m3-e46/

[Slideways]

https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/main-forum/member-build-journals/195928-black-tan-332it/page18#post272614

[Bry5on]

I purchased one of those spacer kits but found that it didn't fit very well and decided to make my own (the link above) from scratch. I'm much happier with my DIY version - it fits better/tighter and is just close enough to the stalks to make them every day reachable. If you want one of the spacershop spacers still, I have mine here and would be happy to let it go for a discount.

As for the wiring, head to a junkyard and remove the door airbag wiring harnesses. They have the same connections as the airbag in the steering wheel, but long wires, so you can build a longer harness by purchasing BMW pins for the steering column side and crimping them at the right wire length. Use any wires and BMW pins for the ibus connection. The wiring that comes with the spacer does not work for the application, you'll need to DIY that either way.

[LSB4Me]

I purchased one of those spacer kits but found that it didn't fit very well and decided to make my own (the link above) from scratch. I'm much happier with my DIY version - it fits better/tighter and is just close enough to the stalks to make them every day reachable. If you want one of the spacershop spacers still, I have mine here and would be happy to let it go for a discount.

As for the wiring, head to a junkyard and remove the door airbag wiring harnesses. They have the same connections as the airbag in the steering wheel, but long wires, so you can build a longer harness by purchasing BMW pins for the steering column side and crimping them at the right wire length. Use any wires and BMW pins for the ibus connection. The wiring that comes with the spacer does not work for the application, you'll need to DIY that either way.

If we asked nicely, would you make a few for us?

Like OP, I am vertically challenged and prefer steering wheels much closer than factory adjustments allow. Two of my cars have 30mm hub spacers on them. The stalks are a reach, but the wheel isn’t.

Seems like a 15-20mm spacer on the e46 would be prime.

[Bry5on]

If we asked nicely, would you make a few for us?

Like OP, I am vertically challenged and prefer steering wheels much closer than factory adjustments allow. Two of my cars have 30mm hub spacers on them. The stalks are a reach, but the wheel isn’t.

Seems like a 15-20mm spacer on the e46 would be prime.

I agree that about 20mm would be perfect, but because of the spline length, you're stuck with a minimum of 30mm sadly. It's quite a long run time and needs some attention on the EDM machine. Never say never but at the moment I don't think I can get to making any more. If I can get to it, I'll give you a shout.