Here we see another modification I made to the
driving position in my M3. I new as soon as I got the car that the
steering wheel had to go. It felt like a bus! Of course, I
had been driving the Rabbit around everyday for a few years with a Momo
Monte Carlo steering wheel, so I was used to something smaller. For
the M3 I took the advice of my friend Randy Walters and got a Momo Competition
wheel. It is similar to the Monte Carlo, except that the cross-section
is circular, not oval, and it does not have the ergonomic shape changes
at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions. It is also perforated, which makes
it less slippery when you hands are moist.
I mounted a home-made 1.25" spacer between the steering wheel and the hub. On my old Rabbit I used a 4" spacer, but the BMW facory driving position is closer to what I like, so a real big spacer is not required. Even with the spacer, which moves the steering wheel up as well as out, the view to the gauges is a little obscured at the top. This will be solved when I install a race seat and mount it lower down then the factory seat will allow. I had a Sparco Pro 2000 in the Rabbit and really liked it. So this may be what I get for the M3. |
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Also note the Momo Tall Anatomic shift lever. The stock lever was trashed when I got the car so I needed to replace it. The tall anatomic brings the shift lever closer to the steering wheel, where my right hand is. So I do not need to move my hand as far when I shift. True, the throw is a bit longer, but the feel is very good, not notchy at all. I have had my fill of super short, super notchy shifting. There really is no way to shorten the throw without increasing effort. It's just simple physics. Although I am very impressed with the UUC ERK. This was a brilliant observation on their part. Eventually I plan to get a UUC short shift kit, but I will probably opt for a mild reduction in throw. The speed at which you can shift a synchromesh tranny is largely governed by the tranny in any case, regardless of how fast you try to move the lever. So there you have it. I am very pleased with the driving position in my M3. It is so nice to get into it after a week of commuting in the GTI. The driving position in the GTI is not at all to my liking (steering wheel too low and too far way, seating position so high my head rubs the headliner and a brake pedal offset way over to the right). Still, the M3 can use further improvement. When I cinch the harness down real tight for an auto-x run it pulls me into the seat (compressing the padding) and moves me away from the steering wheel. So I have to move the seat forward one notch. This of course brings the pedals too close. But I can live with it for now. When I get the hard-shelled race seat I will have the driving position perfectly arranged. |
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Click here to view the quick-release steering hub which I have added since this article was written. |