Since Mary is kicking everyones ass on the autocross, her opinion holds a lot of weight in my book. and she complained about almost every steering wheel being too small in the articles and reviews she wrote in super chevy.

i have the choice between a 13.75" and 15.5" budnik wheel and i am trying to choose the best size. the small seems too small, but the large seems too large?.?.?.?.?.

i pm'd mary and she said to go with the 15.5". it seems that with a quick ratio box like my 12.7 lee, guys say their cars are a little twitchy. with the larger wheel and more movement required, this may help that issue. so youre still picking up the advantage of less turns lock to lock, but your slightly decreasing response from your steering input. best of both worlds? anyone here have an opinion? im leaning towards the 15.5 right now.

btw, my silverado has a 15.5, my wifes lexus has a 15 and my chevelle had a 13.75.

Thanks, Tim

I see the wheel in a couple of different manners

-size can be used as a force multiplyer or divisor to taylor the PS feel
but thats a backwards way to get there

-size must fit the driver and cockpit

-size can mask or enhance any issues with steering gear ratios

IMHO...
I prefer the largeish factory size wheel on my 96 impala over the smaller aftermarket wheel on the wifes El Co.

the FEEL shape and texture of the wheel really concern me most.

keep everything in perspective..
I would rather drive the car with a 10" chrome lowrider style chain steering wheel than have to deal with poor seat height!

I went to one autocross with my 16" reproduction rosewood wheel, and I hated it... before every autocross, I now swap to a ~14" Grant wheel, which feels MUCH better to me.

Effort & feedback feels better, and it's so much quicker. I too have a 12.7:1 steering box (9C1 Caprice) and wish it was more like 10:1 or 11:1...

I think my steering ratio is still too slow for hairpin 180deg turns, where "looking ahead" means looking out the rear quarter glass. ;)

Effort & feedback feels better, and it's so much quicker. I too have a 12.7:1 steering box (9C1 Caprice) and wish it was more like 10:1 or 11:1...

I think my steering ratio is still too slow for hairpin 180deg turns, where "looking ahead" means looking out the rear quarter glass. ;)

I dont notice on track anything bugging me.
but in my videos I pre-clock my hands to the far side of the wheel before coming into the hair pin turns with the big wheel and 9c1 box.

no wonder why my passengers are screeming like little girls
I'm comming in hot suppended on the blets in negative g with my hands off the wheel!

http://www.youtube.com/protools4#p/u/24/VNuQu4XVBLo
watch my hands at 6-9 seconds

LOL

Another important factor is how your dash is laid out behind the wheel. I find that smaller Grant aftermarket wheel I have now is fine but blocks the gauges a lot more than the original SS wheel I had before.

I too have a 12.7:1 steering box (9C1 Caprice) and wish it was more like 10:1 or 11:1...


but does the box ratio and the wheel size correlate? a different ratio box changes the wheel angle for a 90* rotation of the wheel, but a 90* rotation of the steering wheel doesnt turn the tires any more btwn wheel sizes. rough math shows that your hands have to move 1.25" further for a 90* turn.

one of marys other thoughts was that the larger the wheel, the less your elbows will get crossed up.

more opinions!

I've used a bunch of those Billet Half wrap wheels, so I wanted something different for my '66 . I went with a Momo Retro, http://www.momousa.com/products/products/steering-wheels/retro-steering-wheel.html

It's 14.17" and the full leather wrap feels better then aluminum IMO. Those aluminum wheels can get a little slippery if you have sweat on you hands.

Another important factor is how your dash is laid out behind the wheel. I find that smaller Grant aftermarket wheel I have now is fine but blocks the gauges a lot more than the original SS wheel I had before.You shouldn't be looking at the gauges while autocrossing. ;)

but does the box ratio and the wheel size correlate? a different ratio box changes the wheel angle for a 90* rotation of the wheel, but a 90* rotation of the steering wheel doesnt turn the tires any more btwn wheel sizes. rough math shows that your hands have to move 1.25" further for a 90* turn.That's exactly why a smaller wheel will steer "quicker" than a larger one.

You shouldn't be looking at the gauges while autocrossing. ;)

That's exactly why a smaller wheel will steer "quicker" than a larger one.

the bigger the wheel the more lever you have

maybe grab a few different stock wheels from cars in a junkyard and try them out? i know that Monza's, Chevettes, and S10 trucks have smaller wheels than the bigger cars do, and they swap right on. also look at later model (early 90's)stuff like Luminas and Cavaliers what not might be a cheap way to figure out what size wheel you like.
last summer, i put an early 90's Cavalier Z24 wheel in my 74 Monte. the wheel is about 1" smaller, but it made the car feel quite a bit different. and it also looks pretty good in the car and fits in the hand better than the thin stock Monte wheel did.

http://inlinethumb51.webshots.com/5874/2826588220033772906S425x425Q85.jpg

just to add to my last post:
i measured the wheel i took out of my Monte and the wheel i put in it. the Z24 wheel has an outside diameter that is 15.25", the stock Monte wheel is 15.5" o.d.
but the car does steer different- i think it is the difference in the distance between the center of thel eft side of the wheel and the center of the right side- the Monte wheel is 15" and the Z24 wheel is right around 14".
the way i have my hands on the wheel, i'm rarely pushing on the outside of the rim. i grip it kind of straight on. it might be only a little bit smaller, but it does steer a little different. and the newer wheel is more comfortable with better gauge visibility, too.
since i had the tape measure out, i measured the stock wheel in my 84 T Type. it is slightly smaller than the Z24 wheel. you can find ok GN/T Type wheels for around $100 on ebay.

I don't autcorss but like to play around in parking lots when I get the chance:D

My experience tells me I like smaller wheels. Just the fact that steering a larger wheel feels less stable. IDK if it's the extra leverage or just the fact that my hands are further apart and my posture doesn't feel as "solid" if that makes sense.

IDK who this Mary is but I don't think there is any magic to choosing a steering wheel. It comes down to driver preference. As a girl, she may prefer a larger wheel for the increased leverage, idk, just guessing.

As novaderrick said, try different sizes and see which one you prefer.

i'm gonna guess that the "Mary" in question is Mary Pozzi..

if you hang out over on the Camaros.net or protouring.com you know who she is.

the bigger the wheel the more lever you have

Yeah, but effort only became a problem when I was cavitating my PS pump...

My 12:1 AGR box has a light feel to it so the stock wheel works pretty good (not sure what diameter a stock El Camino wheel is at the moment). I prefer it while on the street as the quick box is a bit twitchy so it is easier to keep straight on the road. For autox, I would like to try a smaller wheel to see how it feels.

I did drive a 90 Camaro CP car with a 12:1 box, 15" steering wheel and 2:1 quickener at the Dixie National Tour. WOW, that was quick steering, much like a go-kart. I had problems during the practice as I was turning too much (too quick) and then having to turning back to avoid hitting cones. Pretty easy to get the car to fish tail and spin out if you weren't careful. Once I slowed my hands down, it was awesome on course and slaloms were a lot of fun. Although you couldn't turn the steering wheel with the motor off. :noway:

i'm gonna guess that the "Mary" in question is Mary Pozzi..

if you hang out over on the Camaros.net or protouring.com you know who she is.

Got it.

Never been to camaros.net and only go on protouring.com when I want to feel depressed about my chevelle and see projects I could only dream about:D

Yes, Mary Pozzi, a 11 times SCCA National Autocross Champion. So her opinion is respected by many. As a personal friend of Mary, I listen to what she has to say.
Each person is going to vary on steering wheel size, what feel good to one may be too hard for another. I prefer a wheel around 14-14.5 in. It give a good enough leverage without feeling over-assisted. I have the DSE front suspension and their steering box. I like the Momo Retro, the one posted early.

Cliff
70 Chevelle

"Yeah, but effort only became a problem when I was cavitating my PS pump... "

So how would you keep away from this problem? If you ran a steering quickener wouldn't that just compile your problem of cavitation? Would a different pump change anything?

So how would you keep away from this problem? If you ran a steering quickener wouldn't that just compile your problem of cavitation? Would a different pump change anything?

The cavitation problem was caused by G-slosh... on left turns, the PS fluid would run from the pump up to the reservoir that is mounted on the right inner fender. I fixed it by mounting the reservoir higher and further to the left so that the hose to the pump was more vertical.