Steering effort for manual 16:1 - should it be this high?

I just want to point out that the small diameter steering wheel is the easiest thing to change, and will have a large effect on perceived effort.

The whole point of a small steering wheel is that it enables quick turning WHEN YOU HAVE LIGHT STEERING EFFORT (as in a go-kart or small sports car). But the entire rest of your set-up is creating HIGH steering effort. So something has to give. If you are really in love with that wheel, I think you will have to go to power steering. The Borgeson quick ratio system is very nice — I have it in my convertible. My fastback has a factory manual box (24:1) and a stock steering wheel with 215/70-14 tires, and I find that makes for very heavy steering getting out of parking places, plus it is too slow to keep up with hairpin switchbacks on the road, which the Borgeson handles easily.