txjeeplover

I’ve wanted to convert my 2008 style steering wheel to the 2011 Jeep style since I first saw the re-design. I love my Jeep and its interior, but the new steering wheel with the three spoke design reminds me of the 80’s and 90’s YJs and XJs for which I have a great fondness.

I did tons of research before the conversion so I had an idea of what to expect. The only steering wheel that would work; would be the wheel from the 2011 and later JK or Liberty. I looked into purchasing a new wheel, but the total to build a new steering wheel came to over $1000. Instead, I waited months for the right deal to pop up on eBay. Eventually, I purchased a complete leather steering wheel from a 2011 Liberty for $80.00 and an airbag from a 2011 JK for $200.00. I had to buy bolts from Lowes to mount the airbag because these are not available from the dealer, but they were under $5.00.

The various steering wheel controls (radio, hand-free, etc.) WILL NOT FUNCTION for 2007 – 2010 JKs. The only way to get them to work; would be to have Chrysler re-program the pre-2011 TIPM to recognize the controllers. As someone else on the forum pointed out, the dealer cannot flash the TIPM to accept the input because it was not an option for earlier model years and Chrysler will only push out updates for electronics that were included in the Jeep’s model year sales code catalog.

The JK airbag connections are the same from 2007-2012, so the airbag was plug and play.

I spliced the connector for the 2011 horn into the wiring harness for the original 2008 steering wheel.

My Jeep came stock with cruise and I held out a glimmer of hope that the 2008 TIPM would accept input from the 2011 controller for the cruise commands, but it didn’t. I had to remove the cruise lever from my old steering wheel and mount it to the 2011 steering wheel frame.

So the functions that are working are the functions that I had previously. Considering that this was a purely cosmetic upgrade, I’m fine with that. No codes, no airbag light, horn works, cruise works, and of course it still steers! I’m now debating on whether or not to change out the shroud. I’ve ordered a charcoal one, but I keep changing my mind on whether or not to use it when it arrives.

BTW, the 2011 steering wheel is a bit smaller in diameter than the pre-2011 steering wheel. This gives the Jeep a sportier steering feel, which I have grown to appreciate.

Anyhoo, I know many others have had this same upgrade in mind, so I wanted to share my experience. Let me know if you have any questions.

John

Delux2769

Very fancy. Love how you made it work for yourself.

hombredelassrtas

Nicely done!

txjeeplover

Thanks guys! I'm pretty happy with the final product.

Rednroll

Thanks for posting!!! I was interested in doing this, just for the added steering wheel radio controls. So I'm glad you let us know, that won't work.

ZMagic97

Nice job! I personally like my '08 wheel more, but it looks great and props to you for doing a great job!

VirtualRussel

How were you able to determine what steering wheels would work for your JK? I absolutely love the look of the JK steering wheel and I'm trying to find if I can adapt one to work on my LJ.

Nice work btw.

Brasco

Love the look of the new wheel way more sporty.. Im on this one ASAP .

txjeeplover

I first checked to see if the airbag and horn connections would work. Based on a conversation with the parts counter guy at my local Jeep dealer, and some research on Ebay; I learned that the clockspring was the same for all years of the JK. I then learned that the Liberty and JK shared the same airbag while the Grand Cherokee has different airbag connections. My only requirement was that the airbag wires could not be cut. So I knew that in order to retain a functional airbag; I would have to use the steering wheel from a 2011 and later JK or Liberty. I also learned that I would probably have to cut and replace the horn connection of the 2008 steering wheel wiring assembly with the horn connection from the wiring assembly for the 2011.

I wasn't actually sure if the 2011 wheel would mount to my 2008 steering shaft until the day it arrived and I installed it. The steering shaft is keyed to allow the wheel to mount one way and thank goodness the two wheels were keyed alike.

If it's important for you to retain the airbag, I'd first verify if the LJ and JK share the same airbag connections. They will certainly have different clocksprings, but if the airbag connections on the clocksprings are the same, then you can use the JK's airbag with your LJ's SRS system. If you have cruise on your steering wheel, you may lose that function on your LJ. My 2008 had the cruise on separate controller arm that I was able to mount to the 2011 wheel under the airbag. The 2011 cruise controller cannot communicate with the earlier PCMs.

And as far as finding out if it will mount to the LJ's steering shaft, I guess the only thing you can do is buy one and mount it. If it doesn't work, sell it on Ebay.

Hope it works out for you!

txjeeplover

I received and installed the slate steering column shroud today to better complement the slate steering wheel. I'm thrilled with the final appearance! I'm also convinced that this color combination better matches the rest of the interior now.

For anyone with the 07 - 10 khaki interior that is considering this swap; you now have two visual options to consider.