Steering Wheel Audio Controls

[Munch69ProTour]

Tried searching here with no luck.

Does anyone make a steering wheel with audio controls?

Either my arms are getting shorter, my stomach is getting bigger or my car is getting louder, but I hate having to constantly lean forward to raise and lower the sound. Probably all three.

I am sure I am not alone in this wish, any vendors out there?

I have seen the old Panasonic clip on IR remote, looking for a more finished product.

Thanks in advance.

Marcel

[DarkoNova]

I know somebody makes a steering wheel where instead of one big horn button, there's 4 smaller buttons. You could use that and hook them up to your radio with some kind of PAC adapter.

I've always liked the look of E46 M3 steering wheels so I was eventually going to get one of those and make it work on my column, and of course get all the buttons to work. Most likely with a PAC adapter as well.

[wellis77]

I need to look into PAC adapter's (no idea what they are or do), I'm planning to pick up a wheel from the Gen V Viper and make the buttons work. I have heard of guys taking late model wheels and making the buttons work, but never heard of an aftermarket company building a wheel with them.

[DarkoNova]

If I remember correctly, it's not an actual wheel with buttons, it's basically the horn area. So it can be used with different steering wheels because it basically just replaces the horn button with multiple buttons.

It's bugging me, now I have to find it...

[Ravenworks]

If I remember correctly, it's not an actual wheel with buttons, it's basically the horn area. So it can be used with different steering wheels because it basically just replaces the horn button with multiple buttons.

It's bugging me, now I have to find it...
I know the remote you spoke of, mounted on the horn, I thought Dakota Digital made it but I looked at their site and couldn't find it.
You can take some factory wheels and make the buttons hard-wired, just make sure that the one you're looking at uses a "clockspring" which has the wiring in a ribbon arranged like a clock-spring. Splice into the connectors and you can use a harness adapter for your stereo that will work with it.
I put a late-model Lexus ES330 steering wheel in my 1992 Lexus and along with re-wiring the dual-stage airbag to work with a single-stage system I had to do this same project to make the stereo controls work, here it is all laid-out!

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/12/Stereowiring_zpsf1a99427-1.jpg

Not for the faint of heart, but certainly do-able!

[vette427-sbc]

Ive thought about how to go about doing this as well, except adapting to an old style steering wheel...
Use this to communicate with the radio, but replace the buttons with micro buttons glued to the back of the spokes on the steering wheel. Only problem is getting a clock spring wired up through the column
http://metraonline.com/part/ASWCSTALK

[nekkidhillbilly]

would be a headache really. grant does make wheels to replace new car steering wheels but you have a airbag on them. you could rig something up from gutting a wired remote. you can get remotes that mount on the steering wheel that are wireless but sometimes they loose signal when the wheel is cut. my advice is do what i do keep a wireless remote on your armrest center console.

[jon72vega]

Here's an inexpensive alternative that I have in my daily driver.
I'm using it with a Kenwood KDC-X994, but it's programmable to work with most of the aftermarket brands of head units.
Here's a link to an eBay auction for one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/STEERING-WHEEL-REMOTE-ALPINE-PIONEER-SONY-CLARION-JVC-PANASONIC-CLARION-TS-200-/360488695344?pt=Car_Audio_In_Dash_Receivers&hash=item53eeccf630

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

[MonzaRacer]

Actually most of the cars now use a system with slip rings and brushes OR a clock spring and when a button is touched it goes through a specific resistor and the BCM controls the radio. Most of what I have worked on they use a clock spring, like older cars, some use the brush set up like older horn buttons. Bad thing is the slip ring set up can give false signals. The other way to do it is programed if it sees a reference voltage ran though a specific resistance, it then instructs the radio that is multiplexed in to the controller area network. This is why so many recalls get issued for computer reflashing, to upday cars for software issues. I guess I need to do some more research,,,,.

[Munch69ProTour]

Here's an inexpensive alternative that I have in my daily driver.
I'm using it with a Kenwood KDC-X994, but it's programmable to work with most of the aftermarket brands of head units.
Here's a link to an eBay auction for one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/STEERING-WHEEL-REMOTE-ALPINE-PIONEER-SONY-CLARION-JVC-PANASONIC-CLARION-TS-200-/360488695344?pt=Car_Audio_In_Dash_Receivers&hash=item53eeccf630

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

Thanks for the link, I have seen similar units. The price on this one is cheap enough I am thinking of taking it apart and mounting it in one of the spokes of a wheel.

[MonzaRacer]

Good luck as most likely your gonna need to emulate the CCD bus like on a Chrysler car set up to get that to work properly. Chryco is BIG on bus wiring EVERYTHING over the CAN wiring and all modules talk to each other.

[no go nova]

Cant you add a head unit that adjust the volume by sound? Idle radio not to loud cruising radio adjust so u can still hear it good.

[Bmf5150]

Anyone??

[minendrews68]

I have one in my '07 classic Silverado, just don't know what it would look like in a car. Very handy indeed.