People often ask: "Will this steering wheel fit my car?". We respond with "as long as you are purchasing the correct steering wheel, or steering wheel adapter it should". The thing is however, that customers don't always know what they have in their vehicles. For example, a customer may have a 1974 vehicle, in which case they could have either of 2 steering shafts. Other times customers are shopping for a replacement steering wheel for a baja bug, sand rail, or manx. We put together a short list of what size steering shafts originally came on different VW's.

If you are not 100% sure what steering shaft you have, take the time to measure your spline diameter. Don't guess based on looks alone, or what the title says on your vehicle. Parts on your vehicle may have been replaced by previous owners. Verifying parts before ordering saves tons of frustration if your parts don't match up.

VW Steering Shaft Sizes

Shaft ModelYearsSpline SpacingSpline DiameterMounting Nut
Early Years Beetle 1954-1959
Karmann Ghia 1956-1959
Type 2 1955-61
 Coarse Spline
I.D. Spline area is .863
O.D. Spline area is .982
24 Splines. 		25mm 31mm Nut
Mid Years Beetle 1960-1974 **
Super Beetle 1971-1974 **
Karmann Ghia 1960-1974 **
Type 2 1962-1973
Type 3 1962-1973
Thing 1973-1974 **
 Fine Spline
I.D. Spline area is .795
O.D. Spline area is .835
40 Splines. 		21mm
(13/16")		 27mm Nut
Late Years Beetle 1974-77 **
Super Beetle 1974-1979 **
Type 2 1974-1979 **
Thing Late 1974 **
 Fine Spline
I.D. Spline area is .652
O.D. Spline area is .680
40 Splines. 		18mm
(11/16")		 24mm Nut
**1974 is a split year. Measure your steering shaft. Don't guess based on looks alone.

VW Steering Shaft Sizes

Now that you can determine your steering shaft size, you have the option of installing aftermarket steering wheels. EMPI makes a steering wheel adapter kit for each shaft. Notice how each adapter matches up with the different steering shafts based on diameter & number of splines.

PN#: 79-4116 Fits the 25mm 24 Spline Shaft
PN#: 79-4115 Fits the 21mm 40 Spline Shaft
PN#: 79-4117 Fits the 18mm 40 Spline Shaft
PN#: 79-4058 (Polished Aluminum Adapter) Also fits the 18mm 40 Spline Shaft