This is an old thread, I know, but I just recently followed up on it...
I pulled the panel off under the steering column and removed all 4 bolts that stick up. It made no difference in the travel. The steering column does not contact these bolts at all, at least on my car. If you remove the panel and use a flashlight you can see the tilt mechanism only has so much travel. On the left side of the column is a rectangular metal plate with a slot in the middle, and it has grooves or serrations on it. On the right side of the column is another rectangular steel plate with a slot in it but this one is smooth. There is a rod that runs from one side to the other and travels up and down in these slots, so the column will only move up or down as much as these slots allow. When you lock the tilt mechanism, it pulls this rod to the left, which pulls it tight against the right side and locks another grooved piece against the grooved slider on the left to hold it in place. I don't think you can gain more travel without modifying the slider things or fab some new ones. I don't know if I described it well, but pop the panel off and work the wheel up and down and you'll see what I'm talking about. That's one of my few gripes about this car is I can't get a wheel position that's comfortable without having to raise the seat up so high I either can't get in the car or my head is hitting the roof. No matter where I put the wheel it feels uncomfortable and awkward to me.