yungone501

iTrader: (4)

Ive been seeing alot of interest on here about wether or not 3G steering wheel fit the 2G TL/CL and also if there's any other modifications that will be required. So I decided to make a thread with some details and after install pictures. THIS IS NOT A DIY THREAD. If you have any questions you may post them in the thread and I or others can help answer any questions. So please no PMs, ask in this thread.

Firstly, the steering wheel I chose to swap over was from an 07-08 3G TL-S with paddle shifters. All 3G steering wheels are a DIRECT BOLT-ON (In terms of mechanical fitment. Not electrically) and require no modifications what so ever to install.

***Remember to disconnect battery and wait atleast 2 minutes before removing the airbag***

If you want all steering wheel controls to work you will also need to acquire a 3G clockspring (Acura dealer calls this a "cable reel") because 2G circuitry and connectors are different. In addition to the clockspring, you will also need the connectors that come from the dash harness of the 3G and connect to the back of the clockspring. This will alow you adapt the 2Gs harness to the 3Gs harness and circuitry. Unless you buy the $450 dash harness from Acura, it would be cheaper to cut these connectors off the back of the clockspring from a salvage yard...especially if you're already going there to pick up a 3G wheel. When cutting them off the 3G harness, besure and keep roughly 6-8" of wire to work with when adapting harnesses. The 3G clock spring and connectors MUST HAVE THE SAME FEATURES as the one wheel that you will be using (example: tiptronic, cruise control, radio controls, etc...) and I do mean feature for feature or it may not work correctly! You will need steering wheel control wiring diagrams for both the 3G and the 2G steering wheels in order to adapt their circuitry. Some of the buttons are direct adaptation and others will actually require desoldering certain resistors and resoldering in correct one's...VERY time consuming. Lastly, both the horn and airbag plug right in.

If you need diagrams, list the vehicle year and model for both the 3G (donor car) and 2G (your car) and their features that you wish to have operational and I will help by providing you with these.

Any other questions/comments please feel free to ask....IN THIS THREAD.

Thanks.

Here's a few picture's of the 07 Type S wheel on the car. They make a big difference in feel and appearance and by far one of the best mods Ive done yet. Enjoy...

anthracitecl

iTrader: (7)

Nice work there! Good job!
Maybe it's just me. 3G TL wheel doesn't look belong to 2G. I prefer RSX or S2K wheel over 3G TL wheel on 2G. And i also like smaller diameter. I actually miss my RSX wheel.

grammo

That looks nice.. I have a few questions...

I had a 4g tl loaner once and loved the smaller steering wheel (reminded me of my 02 rsx-s). Is this the same size?

Does the airbag connector need modification as well as the harnesses?

Are all your phone/bluetooth buttons operational with the harness modifications you made? (Assuming your stereo supports it)

grammo

lol... thinking the same thing

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

Through my research I have seen that a 2007-2012 MDX steering wheel will for sure fit on a 2G steering shaft. Ive been told that the steering shaft between last gen Tls and MDXs are the same size. I cannot personally say wether ornot they fit. If someone could get a 4G owner here at Azine to remove their steering wheel (hey, it could happen) and measure both the diameter and circumference of the shaft as well as counting the splines, I could find out for sure.

All 2G and 3G airbag connectors are the same. A quick search on my computer does show both 2G and 4G to have dual stage drivers airbags as well as the same internal resistances that the SRS module uses to check airbag integrity. Also, from what I can see on Google images the SRS drivers airbag connector on the 4G TL does have the same shaped yellow connector with press-release clip. Hmm, I quite sure it would work. If somebody here is adamant about knowing positively, shoot me an airbag for testing.

As for blue tooth compatability, yes but only if you have an aftermarket steering wheel control module for the aftermarket radio (in my case since I dont a factory radio).

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

Btw, does either one of those wheels have ALL wheel controls as the TL? Radio, cruise, tiptronic, bluetooth, etc...

anthracitecl

iTrader: (7)

They only come with cruise control, but you can use Odyssey radio control switch. It needs to modify little though.

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

What? That doesn't sound like "Agression in its most elegant form"! :wink:

Quite honestly, the feel of this wheel is very sporty and you maintain the luxury. I like all my electronic gadgets too much.

Stephen00TL

Did you get the paddle shifters to work? Just curious

CL-S progression 01

iTrader: (2)

u sprung for a steering wheel but no navi on the deck... kinda weird imho..

steering wheel is WAY ahead of the rest of the car. the fact it's only 3 point steering wheel is where i'd have to say it does not belong, i am a big fan of the regular steering wheel... hated the leather on top cause it would wear slowly but surely so i sprung for the mdx wood ebony wood grain one to match everything and i'm still loving it.

.. congrats on making it work tho.. it's a wicked install and the buttons are straight gangster in the 2g, compared to usual with 3 buttons

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

That was the easy part. On the 2G TL, pressing the shifter up or down basically sends a ground to the ECM in accordance to the gear you have selected. Two circuits thats it.

The 3G TL-S paddle shifter works the EXACT same way. I simply spliced into the two ciruits on the 2G UP and DOWN signals and ran into the appropriate terminals at the back of the clockspring. Piece of cake.

Funny you mention this as Ive already purchased nearly everything but the dash bezel to install factory navigation (which by the way is for sale) and was all for it. That is UNTIL I had a 2G TL come in my shop with navigation and seen how "Atari" like the graphics were....ewww! The little "stars" that are just little white dots and then how horrible screen resolution was. If I ever did decide to convert to a factory navigation, it would be something worth doing like 3G or newer...

As for the comments on the wheel, yes...I certainly do feel more "gangster" like now indeed. The wheel appearing to be "WAY ahead" is because it actually is. This, my friend, would be the soul purpose of doing a retro of any kind on any car. LOL... I did, however, have to change my column cover from the factory tan piece to a black one as it wouldve clashed way too much.

I to liked the MDX wood steering wheel but the 3G TL-S wheel called my name out with all those features. Who else has a 2G TL with paddle shifting?

Acurarings

thats really dope!

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

Thanks.

It was alot of fun doing it!

CL Juice

THAT SH1TS CRAZY. Gd job bro. way to be different

AnthraciteTypeS

Props! I really like it!

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

AH HAH! I figured thats how they wired the paddle shifters!

Its not bad, but a little "chunky" for the 2G IMO.

14thandeuclid

nice job man

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

I must say Civic, you have impeccable intuition!

As an electrical technician, I can say that almost all electronics operate off of a simple power and ground. The most difficult things I face at times are frequency (like from a key immobilizer) and fiber optics (light pulsing) for high speed module communication. Other than that, easy stuff.

Julius Friedman

I am getting a http://www.bossaudio.com/auto/in-das...cree-bv9370nv/ and I was wondering how you hooked up the steering wheel controls?

Although I have the stock wheel I cannot ascertain where the anode and cathode are to connect to the radio...

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

Some radio's use a direct connect feature and others must have a steering wheel control module (aftermarket component). I quick view at Boss' website states that the radio you're planning on purchasing is a direct connect. I personally am not familiar with this radio or Boss in general...they are known as a lower end electronics company. Saying that, my BEST personal advice (based on using brands like this) is that your choice in buying this radio will eventually end in disappointment. Usually much sooner than you anticipate at that. Anyhow, the website also states that the direct connect feature is designed to work with German cars so my assumption is you will end up possibly needing the module I fore-mentioned earlier in this post. There are several to choose from when searching in store/Internet but they all basically work the same. Included in the modules package is a guide that directly correlates certain makes/models of cars with known steering wheel control resistances for each button. Example: VOLUME UP=40 OHMs -or- CHANNEL DOWN=120 OHMS, etc... After locating your vehicle on the provided guide, it will then instruct you how to enter programming mode and then prompts you to press a specific button (usually by LED flashes) and thus learning it's resistance. That way, when you press that button, the module interprets that resistance into a signal (typically ground pulsation) that the aftermarket radio can interpret. All most ALL aftermarket radios today have a single wire at the primary plug to hook up this "ground pulsation wire" enabling it to be used with these types of modules.

c0v3rr1d3

iTrader: (4)

Nice job! Do you have to have the gear selector in SS mode first in order to use the paddle shifters, or can you use the paddle shifters regardless?

Any larger pictures you could post. I've been dealing with a crumbling oem wheel for over a year now, would love to do this.

azeezp13

iTrader: (4)

Have you noticed a major difference in turning the steering wheel? Cause I noticed compared to the 3rd gens, the 2nd gen steering is very light and easy to turn whereas the 3g's are a lot heavier in steering.

aznboi2424

iTrader: (10)

Steering feel has nothing to do with the actual wheel itself.

acura_dipset_tl

iTrader: (40)

Great work man, props for creativity.

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

Just wanted to say that since I will be doing an interior swap (tan to black) here in the next 1-2 weeks and plan on incorporating the 2g RL steering column with paddle shift into my 2g tl-s. Also, I will adding a custom digital instrument cluster that will be molded into a bezel with Navi given my source permits. When this car is pulled out of the shop again, it will have been wire tucked, new 3.5 motor, performance built auto trans with custom paddle shift controller, black interior and added factory navigation system...and over 450hp in nitrous. Oh yeah, bring it on you people with CT blowers....Lol

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

Changing a wheel dsnt affect the overall steering feel, but it does make a difference, especially when you remove 5 lbs from the wheel/airbag.

That is cool you figured out how to use the paddles. So many unneeded buttons and that 3G wheel looks enormous tho. I tried rsx wheel but aftermarket racing wheels are where it is at.

mikebikelife

iTrader: (3)

Steering wheel looks huge in the cl imo .
But your racing wheel goes with your car Brian. Putting it in a normal interior and plain car or sleeper at that just looks JDM af .

youngone you suck for getting black interior it's gonna look awesome .

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

Oh trust me, I've found a use for almost every switch on the wheel believe it or not. With all the things I've wired into my car, all but two are unused. I can even turn on the rear heated seats from the steering wheel. :-)

Although it is a bigger wheel, it has a great feel to it, carries a great luxurious look, paddle shifters, and has that added touch of uniqueness to it. I bought the 07 RL column today with paddle shifters and came with the woodgrain steering wheel too. It will be installed in its entirety with all plastics changed to black and have a friend who does pretty good suede/leather wrap jobs on just about anything. I've reviewed all the wiring diagrams already for the column and it will be completely functional. That is with the exception of the built in key immobilizer system. That will have to be removed and I will have to use the factory 2g TL-s ignition lock cylinder, switch and immobilizer ring. This is because the 2g RL immobilizer communicates directly with the immobilizer ecu and the PCM. Without having both of these modules installed it will not work. And making a unprogrammable J35A8 PCM work with a J32 would be impossible. The only way I could retain the built in key feature would be to deimmobilize the current J32 ECM and that WILL NOT BE HAPPENING considering all the crap I've done to this car and am still doing to it.

OperationDarkie

iTrader: (1)

Meh not a fan of the new steering wheels on any car from 2010 and up, too many fuckin buttons, I like a simple wheel, horn cruise and radio controls thats it.

But good on your for getting it to work.

frankjohnson8

He's the one on the right.

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

Can somebody please ban this moron for trolling.

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

Although neither of the columns above are 2010 and up (both are 07), I feel your drift. However, when done in a manner that compliments the driver and becomes more of a benefit...why not? I've got access to an an entire 07 RL and have really considered going extreme here by possibly transplanting the whole dash or atleast most of the components that give its essence. Would be ALOT of work but why not? It would all have to not clash with any other interior design that will remain inside the car and really not sure that's even possible...

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

I reported them. Apparently we are being hit by spambots again

mrfr3sh2d3ff

i agree it looks really bad. it looks out of place and too big in my opinion. sorry to the poster not bashing your car at all just dontlike the look of the wheel in it. i love tls =-p

broly

you deserve a thank you for sharing this information

*click*