C2Dude

Am considering swapping out my OE imitation wood steering wheel (poor condition) with a new Grant 14.5" Walnut unit. My 66 Vert has manual steering. Has anyone made the swap to a 14-ish" wheel on a manual steer car? If so, was she substantially harder to steer at slower speeds?
Thanks in advance.

woodsdesign

I went with a 15" Freeman Fat Boy Teak wheel. I love it . However, I have Borgeson steering. I wouldn't think the steering would be that hard giving up one inch. I really like the extra leg room and it also has about a 2" less dish which also gives you more room. I wouldn't go smaller then 15" with manual steering. JMO

FLYNAVY30

I went with the Grant wheel on a stock manual steering car....no noticeable increase in effort from stock. I actually liked the feel better as I always found the factory wheel flimsy feeling when really pulling on it in a parking lot. I am in the process of going to a manual rack and pinion set up, so we'll see how that works...

toddalin

I have a Grant 14". It is a bit harder to turn when sitting in place, but not notable when moving.

kellsdad

Mathematically the force (f) with the new wheel will be the force with the old wheel (F) times the diameter of the old wheel (D) diviided by the diameter of the new wheel (d). Or f = F x ( D/d). For example, if the old wheel is 16" and the new wheel 14", the new force required will be about 1.14 times the old force, an increase of 14%. Whether you describe that as significant or not is a matter of opinion.

C2Dude

So just to be clear, your Grant wheel is 14.5" diameter? I know they have larger wheels as well.

C2Dude

Thanks for quantifying that mathematically, although as you point out, academia and real world applications are different things. 14% dosn't sound to bad and could help me finally develop Popeye arms!

Avispa

I put in a Grant 930, 14 1/2 inch wheel and the feel is quite good. It mounts on the stock wheel hub and uses the stock horn contact/button, and has close to the same dish profile (not the same total amount of dish) as a stock 16" wheel, but the rim position lines up much better with the turn signal lever than the stock wheel. Grant has a 14 inch wheel, but that one is flat. No noticeable change in steering feel or effort. The only "complaint" is that the rim is thicker than stock so the wheel looks a bit "off."

blue67ragtop

kellsdad

I reworked my interior three years ago when I installed a power steering conversion in my 63 coupe. I used with my aftermarket steering column. It looks close to original (except for the diameter) and even uses the original horn button. I have no info on how well it fits on a stock steering column.

RJ1

Went to a 15 with manual steering and 2:25 front tires. Slow speed no problem but sitting still it is tough! Your going from 16 to a 14 may be really tough at very slow or siting still. Only place I have a problem is in out on a tight garage.