I’ve been thinking about upgrading my head unit, and the lack of modern options with physical volume knobs (especially for RHD vehicles) got me thinking about steering wheel controls. Even with physical buttons on the head unit, it’s quite a way to reach, so SWC would be a fantastic convenience factor.
I’ve had a brainstorm about a few ways to implement this, with a wide spectrum of cost, simplicity and professionalism, but would love to hear any ideas or solutions from the rest of the IH8MUD brains trust
1) An aftermarket steering wheel upgrade kit. These usually include a boss for older vehicles, a wireless SWC module, and a new steering wheel. A fair few companies make these, but I’ve confirmed with PVS Automotive that their kit for the 1984-2007 70 Series will work on the 60 Series out of the box.
Downside for this option is price, and a bunch of buttons on the wheel that do nothing on the 60 as we don’t have a digital dash
2) Genuine Toyota wheel with wireless SWC module. Grab any newer Toyota wheel you like with SWC, find a compatible wireless module and boss (if needed) and slap it on. The PVS wireless module only works with 12-pin steering wheels, but 10- to 12-pin adaptors are pretty cheap if you want an older Toyota wheel
3) New steering wheel with clockspring. As above, but fit the matching clockspring from the new steering wheel and hardwire it to the headunit. Seems more complicated (and possibly more expensive) than the wireless option, as am not sure what sort of adapter would be required to fit a clockspring to the 60 steering column.
4) New steering wheel without clockspring. If you want to hardwire SWC from a newer wheel without messing around with a clockspring, you could use the ‘curly cord’ method that rally cars sometimes use and just wrap the cable around the steering shaft. No idea how reliable this is.
5) Wireless universal SWC. There are a few designs out there that have a ‘remote’ which you stick onto your steering wheel, but they almost all look pretty goofy
6) Wireless universal SWC (integrated). Get one of the aforementioned wireless SWC remotes, gut it, and then 3D print or otherwise fab new buttons/housing to make it more integrated into your wheel. This style wheel would be the easiest for this as it has nice flat metal sections to place the buttons
7) Complete DIY. As above, but you’re an electronics wizard and can build all the components yourself instead of modifying an existing SWC remote
Have any of you put steering wheel controls into your 60? Is there an established solution here that I’ve somehow missed while searching?
I’ve had a brainstorm about a few ways to implement this, with a wide spectrum of cost, simplicity and professionalism, but would love to hear any ideas or solutions from the rest of the IH8MUD brains trust
1) An aftermarket steering wheel upgrade kit. These usually include a boss for older vehicles, a wireless SWC module, and a new steering wheel. A fair few companies make these, but I’ve confirmed with PVS Automotive that their kit for the 1984-2007 70 Series will work on the 60 Series out of the box.
Downside for this option is price, and a bunch of buttons on the wheel that do nothing on the 60 as we don’t have a digital dash
2) Genuine Toyota wheel with wireless SWC module. Grab any newer Toyota wheel you like with SWC, find a compatible wireless module and boss (if needed) and slap it on. The PVS wireless module only works with 12-pin steering wheels, but 10- to 12-pin adaptors are pretty cheap if you want an older Toyota wheel
3) New steering wheel with clockspring. As above, but fit the matching clockspring from the new steering wheel and hardwire it to the headunit. Seems more complicated (and possibly more expensive) than the wireless option, as am not sure what sort of adapter would be required to fit a clockspring to the 60 steering column.
4) New steering wheel without clockspring. If you want to hardwire SWC from a newer wheel without messing around with a clockspring, you could use the ‘curly cord’ method that rally cars sometimes use and just wrap the cable around the steering shaft. No idea how reliable this is.
5) Wireless universal SWC. There are a few designs out there that have a ‘remote’ which you stick onto your steering wheel, but they almost all look pretty goofy
6) Wireless universal SWC (integrated). Get one of the aforementioned wireless SWC remotes, gut it, and then 3D print or otherwise fab new buttons/housing to make it more integrated into your wheel. This style wheel would be the easiest for this as it has nice flat metal sections to place the buttons
7) Complete DIY. As above, but you’re an electronics wizard and can build all the components yourself instead of modifying an existing SWC remote
Have any of you put steering wheel controls into your 60? Is there an established solution here that I’ve somehow missed while searching?
