Steering column switch upgrade
09/05/2019
Steering column switches became fashionable in the sixties and seventies. Initially, they were simply used to switch simple functions on and off. In particular, the turn signal control was moved to the steering column, and in some cases the switchover from high beam to low beam or other lighting functions were added.
In the 1980s, more and more functions were shifted to the steering column switches, and the windshield wipers could now also be operated in this way on many cars; on the Toyota Celica (1984-1989, picture above), for example, both the front and rear wipers were operated by the same rotary lever. In addition, these more modern levers could now be turned not only in one axis but also in two axes, as already mentioned.
Whether the ergonomics have really benefited in all cases is not clear in all cases of sometimes completely overloaded steering column switches.
Modern cars, however, take things much further. Up to four of these steering column switches are grouped around the steering wheel, and there are also many buttons on the steering wheel. It takes time to learn how to operate them and the manual often contains dozens of pages of explanations.
On the Triumph TR6 of the early seventies, it was much easier with a simple steering column switch on the left and right ...
