The "butterfly" style steering wheel

[Starship]

I like the way the butterfly/airplane yolk-style steering wheel looks, but I've always been reluctant to make this modification to any of my cars because I'm concerned about losing control of the car in an emergency. I could imagine trying to do a quick lane change, and then reaching for a part of the steering wheel that's not there and losing control. Plus, I'm not sure how legal such a steering wheel is.

So, does anyone out there have any experience with these? Do you get used to it pretty quickly? Or is it best to just leave the steering wheel alone on a daily driver and only put the butterfly wheel on a vehicle that is used mainly for show?

Thanks for any input!

[aussie.kitt]

This is probably the question that I have to answer the most when the car is on display " isnt it hard to steer ??". I have now driven the car almost 8000 miles & have never encountered any problems with the steering.
Think about it this way, when you drive with a "normal" wheel you would normally hold it in the same place everytime, and even when you turn a corner you will find that your hands will remain on that same part of the wheel, so using a butterfly wheel is not an issue. It may be a little difficult if you didnt have power steering.
With regard to its legality, that depends on your local laws, but you will find in most areas it isnt road legal, but as long as your not driving like a hoon, then they probably wont worry about it, but it can swapped over for a normal wheel without to much trouble if need be.

[James_kr]

When you do a lane change it doesn't usually take much to turn the gull wing steering wheel from what I remember about it. You would get used to it I imagine and you will probably get the hang of it quickly.

Tint the windows so the cops can't see the wheel otherwise

[Lost Knight]

Tint the windows so the cops can't see the wheel otherwise

Window tinting is illegal too.

[FuzzieDice]

Some states window tinting isn't legal. I read the NYS DMV that you have to have the front windows mostly clear though. As for the wheel, that would be illegal in NY state, I think.

Besides, I'm mostly used to 10 & 2 position or 12:00 one-hand sometimes, so a gullwing would be a bit hard for me to get used to. Personally, if I had a KARR replica, I'd use an interchngeable and keep the gullwing only for shows, and never for when driving around a lot.

Daily drivers should be designed for the most comfort of the driver and what the driver is used to. If you're uncomfortable with a gullwing, keep a regular on except when you do shows.

And be careful when you do have to use one.

[TurbomanKnight]

Might be hard for me to get used to. I drive with my hands on 9 and 1.

[corlando52]

When I was modifying my '74 Corvette interior to look like KITT, I called Albany and spoke to their DMV legal department. The lawyer there said there is no law regulating steering wheels. THat's why you can see all the weird stuff, like chain steering wheels, etc. The Gullwing Steering wheel is legal in New York. The only chink in the armor is for newer cars, which MUST have airbags on the driver's side.

Chris

[Starship]

That's one of my concerns -- the driver's side airbag. I have a 2002 Ford Escort ZX2. I have modified its interior to be similar to KITT's, though it's certainly not an exact copy. If I ever decided to do a butterfly steering wheel, I'd probably just cut and modify the existing, air-bag equipped steering wheel to look like a butterfly style one. Of course, this could cause trouble should I ever decide to sell the car!

As for quick lane changes and the like, I'm not talking about simply wanting to change lanes to make a turn. I'm talking about an emergency situation where you have to make quick maneuvers with no time to think about it. I'd be concerned about trying to grab a part of the steering wheel that's not there. That's why I'm curious if anyone here has ever had to do such maneuvers in a car with a butterfly wheel.

As for window tint, it's legal where I live, as long as it's not darker than a certain level.

By the way, do you have any pictures of that 1974 Vette with the KITT interior? I'd like to see that!

[corlando52]

The only thing I can say about the steering wheel is that I absolutely LOVED the feel of it. It seemed easier to maneuver the car, and since the top and bottom were cut away, it opened up the whole dash and even the windshield, for some strange reason. I have to say I really miss it. The only thing that was bad, was when you go to back up. Your hand automatically goes for the top of the steering wheel, which just isn't there. But you adjust and I'm telling you, it's well worth it.
I took a steering wheel from another car (can't remember which), and cut the top and bottom, put grips on it, painted it, put a "VETTE" in the center, and I was all set. The soft center of the wheel still worked as the horn.
Here are pictures of the '74 Vette:




And the overhead console:


Chris

[Starship]

That's great! I love it! Did you design the electronics on those digital gauges yourself, or did you adapt them from something else? If they're from something else, what did you use? And is that a Compu-Cruise in the center console? Also, what does the keyboard on the overhead console do?

I always love to see other KITT-inspired cars! If you browse the Internet, you can see thousands of cars with big stereo systems or big engine mods. It's always nice to see something different.

[corlando52]

Good eyes! Yes, that is a Compu-Cruise (I think) in the center console and it's what started the whole "conversion". I used to get a catalog called "Alden's" and would lust after that for my car, but, if I remember, it was very expensive...maybe even $200, which was a lot in the '70's. Then Alden's went out of business and this thing ended up in Odd Lots for around $30!!!! I went nuts! Anyway, after installing that - cutting into the gas line, putting sensors on my driveshaft- I knew I couldn't stop. I found someone selling the aftermarket Digital dash for a '78 and up Corvette. It could never fit directly into the '74, but I made my own "face" for it, built the electronics for the LED bar graphs for the tach and speedo (I learned a LOT about electronics that year!!!), and put them in. The hardest part was taking off the dash!!!! Anyway, I took off the original Dash and top panel, as well as the side pillars, overhead and center console,and the steering wheel, and stored them away in the basement. I found people selling used dashpads, etc. and bought everything second hand, in black...the original was Oxblood. I looked in every kind of car to see what shape would look best if cut down into the "Gullwing". Then I had my friend pick it up at the junkyard, and cut it. That was tough! It was blue, so I had to paint it black, and add the "VETTE" logo in the center. The overhead console I just found what I thought was a cool multiswitch from JC Penny, and then found a keyboard ignition cutoff...you had to punch in a 5 digit code before you could start the car. The multiswitch I hooked up to the foglights, which I installed behind the front grill, and various parts of the stereo, like the subwoofer and the amplifier. I started working on my own scanner for the front (they didn't sell any back then), and still have it semi-completed. I used a pingpong circuit like they use in the Ertl and Japanese KITT models and R/C cars, only used transistors to drive a series of red side marker lamps I bought from JC Whitney. I think I used vinyl capping like they use in siding a house, bent it to the shape of the from of the Vette, and put the side marker lamps side by side in the capping. I never got to finish it or install it, though. I got married, had 2 kids, ended up paying my cousin to restore the Vette back to original and sold it on ebay. The only thing I have left is the steering wheel and the unfinished scanner...oh, and my pictures. Sad, huh?
PS...My wife is an X-Ray tech, and for the dashboard, to have a place to put the electronics behind, I had her bring home a large piece of unexposed X-Ray film. It was a dense black, and thin enough to fit behind the dashboard. I just painted on the lines and used presstype for the lettering and numbers.
Chris

[David]

I've tried driving my car while keeping my hands at 9 and 3 (or at least one or the other) and I have to say, I found it really hard to control. Basically, there's a good reason that most steering wheels are round!

However, I often wonder how hard it would be to come up with some sort of speed adjusted power steering. For a gullwing (butterfly) wheel, at low speed you'd want a system that would deliver bascially full left or right lock with only a 90 degree turn of the wing, while for the highway obviously a lot less power assist would be required.

Surely a system like this either already exists, or could be designed for practical use with a replica?

Anyone? Maybe the folks at the Knight Foundation boards would know?

[snafu]

I went thorough the Master Drive academy to get my license. The founder was a race car driver.
Anyway, they taught us to do quick maneuvers (ie. swerve to avoid stuff) with our hands at 10 and 2. It is the most stable position for driving. I almost think the gull-wing would make for better driving habits because one wouldn't be tempted to drive along with *cough* one hand *cough* at 9 o'clock...

The only speed-steering system I heard of on a street-legal vehicle is the GM truck that has the back wheels that turn. At high speeds they do something different than at low speeds, but I can't remember specifically what it is. The bottom line is the truck has a smaller turning radius and better control.

[black knight2000]

mm dont know what the laws are in your neck of the woods see what they say