I may be mad but have recently been musing about putting a Motolita steering wheel onto my 2000 Xj8 X308. See pic of mock up. I think some will choke on their G & T but I am really not a fan of the stock steering wheel and the walnut on the dash is looking quite classic nowadays.
I know I would lose the airbag (would a 24 year old airbag still work anyway?) but I am more concerned that ECU may go nuts. The cruise control may be able to be reworked somehow but I am not overly concerned by this anyway.
Momo make a boss for the XJ8 which will fit a Motolita so somebody must have done it. The other issue is the horn, would this be a simple connection issue or are there more things to consider?.
Sincere apologies for any aesthetic offence caused !
Also apologies if the post is in the wrong place. I am slightly confused as to where things should go still.
I have moved your thread to the forum for the X308. This is the best place to discuss these kinds of topics.
I'm sure it is possible to change to the Motolita steering wheel, but as you've mentioned, you'll lose the driver's airbag, which will cause the airbag light to be permanently illuminated unless you can figure out a way to fool the computer.
The cruise control switches could be duplicated somewhere off of the wheel. You will also lose the remote audio volume controls. If Motolita or Momo offer a horn button to fit that wheel, wiring it up should be easy.
Have you considered finding a good used original Jaguar half-wood steering wheel? Used ones are generally available on ebay, though they may require some refurbishment. But they might get you closer to the look you desire while retaining all functionality.
I was looking at the half wood ones as you suggest but still feel they are quite chunky and wanted something more minimal and I just love the Motolita ones. They do a walnut version which would match the dash. I removed the original cd and radio and fitted a Blaupunkt Bluetooth DAB which meant the remote volume control has gone anyway.
I could live with the airbag light I think. Whether it would affect the insurance i am not sure and will check this. I think it would still pass an MOT easily but again will check this.
It would all be nothing that can't be put back to original if necessary.
This link is very useful. Thank you. It appears that it may not be possible to change it without contravening the MOT rules. I will start saving for an E-Type !
Personally I think it'd look awful & out of place to fit the wheel you want, it doesn't match the interior at all to my eyes.
However, you might be able to get an airbag emulator to solve the warning light issue. Something like this (not saying this one will fit, it's just the first hit on google)
It might look a bit odd since the steering column mimics the size and shape of the OEM wheel, you'd essentially have a minimalist wheel mounted on a big fat column thats about twice the diameter of the wheel hub.
I'm a little confused by this:
Quote: I was looking at the half wood ones as you suggest but still feel they are quite chunky
So do you NOT have a half wood Jag wheel in your car? I thought the only x308's that came without the wooden wheel was the XJR100, which has a nice all leather wheel (which I would consider changing to since the steering wheel doesn't match the dash anyway).
I thought the only x308's that came without the wooden wheel was the XJR100, which has a nice all leather wheel (which I would consider changing to since the steering wheel doesn't match the dash anyway).
My understanding from David Boger at everydayxj.com (who I very highly recommend) is that many or all of the Base XJ8s were originally equipped with all-leather steering wheels, but that many customers paid to have the standard wheel replaced with the half-wood style as a dealer-installed option.
At the time, David had several NOS all-leather wheels he had purchased from a dealership that had done these swaps for customers. I bought one of them for my X308 and it was literally in brand-new condition even though it was nearly 20 years old.
My understanding from David Boger at everydayxj.com is that many or all of the Base XJ8s were originally equipped with all-leather steering wheels, but that many customers paid to have the standard wheel replaced with the half-wood style as a dealer-installed option. At the time David had several NOS all-leather wheels he had purchased from a dealership that had done these swaps for customers. I bought one of them for my X308 and it was literally in brand-new condition even though it was nearly 20 years old.
Cheers,
Don
Agreed. My 2002 XJ8 I used in my swap originally had an all leather wheel that was in poor shape. One reason I switched the interior from my 2001 XJR parts car. My 2003 XJ8 with the Sovereign package had half wood half leather.
Thanks everyone for the comments and suggestions. I have decided to keep the original all leather one and just learn to love it. The UK MOT regulations seem to point towards it being not possible to change to one without an airbag and I wouldn't want to risk losing insurance cover in the event of an accident. Thanks again to you all for the great advice.
Now THAT might be something for me to look into so that I'm able to add a bluetooth paddle shifter kit to the LS-powered XJR. All of the shifter kits assume the wheel has one of the referenced bolt patterns in that adaptor.
