Welcome to SCoA.
Short answer, no. 451 to 453 - apples to oranges...
Anything is "possible" with a very deep bag of money!
Upgrade steering wheel?
I love the on the steering wheel controls found in the 453 models. I, unfortunately, have a 2014 451 model but am looking to install the aftermarket cruise control. I'm wondering if it's possible to install it and use the 453 steering wheel instead?
I've been looking online trying to find info but I'm really struggling to find anything helpful.
I've been looking online trying to find info but I'm really struggling to find anything helpful.
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Short answer, no. 451 to 453 - apples to oranges...
Anything is "possible" with a very deep bag of money!
Dang, I thought that might be the case but I was hopeful I might be wrong. Oh well, got too good of a deal on the car to even mind that much! Thanks!Welcome to SCoA.
Short answer, no. 451 to 453 - apples to oranges...
Anything is "possible" with a very deep bag of money!
It "could" work but I don't think anyone has tried it? Some parts from the 450 carried over to the 451 and some parts of the 451 carried to the 453, but I'm not sure if the steering column is one of them.
And even if you do get the wheel mounted, you'd have to do a whole lot of custom work to get the buttons to work, if that's even possible.
And even if you do get the wheel mounted, you'd have to do a whole lot of custom work to get the buttons to work, if that's even possible.
I doubt the steering column is one of the carry over parts. The 451 has the floor mounted key and the 453 has it on the column.
Simple solution. Just buy a 453.
First: Which cruise control module are you looking at? I assume the MDC controller, as I don't think Area451 are even available any more. I don't think would work well for this in any case.
The MDC connects directly into the stalk to get the controls it needs, reading the resistance across the connector wires to figure out what "button" has been activated. The stalk/unit uses three button-like mechanisms (ring-up, ring-down, cap press) as it's only input (minus the setting switch on the board).
There is a 451 variant of the wheel cover for cruise, as shipped on the early 451 ED, models that has four buttons, which may be better suited for an existing 451. That would be just a face-plate change, vs replacing the whole wheel.
The larger problem is getting the lines from the buttons to the MDC. The stalk has the advantage of being part of the column, and thus not moving. This allows the single line that comes up to connect to it and the head unit (to read the can bus signals to it). To get the lines from the wheel, you'd have to put it through the rotational ring, and I'm pretty sure the 451 doesn't have enough lines free to do that. That was part of why they didn't offer cruise in those models, since the lines were in use for the paddles and airbag, a then-new feature in the US only.
Even if you got a newer 451 face plate, and were good with electronics, it would still be hard to pull off. You'd have to patch the controls through the ring, then re-map the buttons to match the proper resistances the MDC expects to see from the stalk. And you'd lose the paddle functions. You may be able to pull it off as a custom job, but that's going to be a lot of work to put into a 451.
I was one of the first US folks to get/install an MDC on a 451, and can tell you using the stalk is pretty simple, and looks close to stock. In fact, I'd bet you could get a 451 stalk from a "current" ED model that would be far closer color wise than the one I had to use (from the roadster, only one available at the time). I'm pretty certain those would be cross-compatible, though the markings on the stalk wouldn't match their function.
Edit: Just seeing you said 2014 smart. Since 2013 onward supported cruise, it MAY be as simple as getting a dealer to replace the wheel with a cruise version and enable the feature via TAN code. The option for 2013 onward was you could have either paddles or cruise buttons, but not both.
The MDC connects directly into the stalk to get the controls it needs, reading the resistance across the connector wires to figure out what "button" has been activated. The stalk/unit uses three button-like mechanisms (ring-up, ring-down, cap press) as it's only input (minus the setting switch on the board).
There is a 451 variant of the wheel cover for cruise, as shipped on the early 451 ED, models that has four buttons, which may be better suited for an existing 451. That would be just a face-plate change, vs replacing the whole wheel.
The larger problem is getting the lines from the buttons to the MDC. The stalk has the advantage of being part of the column, and thus not moving. This allows the single line that comes up to connect to it and the head unit (to read the can bus signals to it). To get the lines from the wheel, you'd have to put it through the rotational ring, and I'm pretty sure the 451 doesn't have enough lines free to do that. That was part of why they didn't offer cruise in those models, since the lines were in use for the paddles and airbag, a then-new feature in the US only.
Even if you got a newer 451 face plate, and were good with electronics, it would still be hard to pull off. You'd have to patch the controls through the ring, then re-map the buttons to match the proper resistances the MDC expects to see from the stalk. And you'd lose the paddle functions. You may be able to pull it off as a custom job, but that's going to be a lot of work to put into a 451.
I was one of the first US folks to get/install an MDC on a 451, and can tell you using the stalk is pretty simple, and looks close to stock. In fact, I'd bet you could get a 451 stalk from a "current" ED model that would be far closer color wise than the one I had to use (from the roadster, only one available at the time). I'm pretty certain those would be cross-compatible, though the markings on the stalk wouldn't match their function.
Edit: Just seeing you said 2014 smart. Since 2013 onward supported cruise, it MAY be as simple as getting a dealer to replace the wheel with a cruise version and enable the feature via TAN code. The option for 2013 onward was you could have either paddles or cruise buttons, but not both.
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
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