Steering wheels. What do we like?

I’m a sucker for a classic 60’s dished wood & chrome 3 spoke, shown here in its natural habitat.

OjaiM5 said:

I just got this from a friend for helping him work on hs truck. It was installed in a 1976 f250 lol

I don't have the correct car for it, I am thinking I need to buy a 2002 now.

That is beautiful. I had a Monte Carlo in my MG. Sure, the style didn't exactly fit, but I have never held a better wheel in my hands. #2 is our 2015 GTI, #3 our 02 WRX with the momo.  If you need to get rid of that, for the right price I can put it in another MG Midget, which is almost as preposterous as the truck it came out of.

Love that this thread came along just now. I've been trying to decide between a Momo Montecarlo and a Personal Grinta for my Conquest and it's nice to see both of them praised here; doesn't feel like there's a wrong choice.

I'm a pretty big fan of the momo prototipo 

I like original wheels in my 50s and 60s cars.  This one just looks right:

Unfortunately some of the early sports cars had very large wheels that do not accommodate large thighed drivers 60 years later, so one ends up going to a smaller diameter wheel with the higher steering effort involved.

A lot depends on the priority:  form or function?

When form is the question, it clearly needs to match the car and interior design.

When function (road course) is the question, I'm a fan of flat bottom three spoke wheels, in suede/alcantara.  I like the feel/grip with gloves on track.

This thread has made me realize I don't have a good picture of the steering wheel in our NA...

I have always preferred the rally style 2 spoke wheels.

Many many moons ago from AutoMod Atlanta got myself a Personal Dakar and ran that wheel for like 20 years, absolutely love it.

Age is evident with yellow stitching quite dirty, the crown and L fell off once when I was visiting a friend in Vegas and car was parked outside during a heat wave for a few weeks, and the midnight stripe is super dirty too LOL

That wheel is somewhat rare and hard to find. Since I loved it so much I did buy another but at the time leather was NLA so I had to get suede - don't think I'll ever use it though because I greatly prefer leather, so the new-in-box suede is going to get sold.

On my new car I've been running a Sparco 215 and I rank it highly but not as comfortable as the Personal due to thumb grip contour not quite as good.

One of my greatest regrets with regards to steering wheels is my stupidity of selling a rare Momo mod 02 Martini edition which I got through mailorder via an oldtimey paper catalog from Demon Tweeks in the UK. I sold it because I found it uncomfortable as the thumb contours were like harsh angle 90 it seemed and it just didn't jive with me, but dammit man those things are worth a pretty penny these days!

Dang.

Glad I got the Sparco in leather back when it was easily available, it looks like they discontinued it:

Sure you could find a new-old-stock one somewhere, but it'd be a hassle because I just tried and didn't find many - ones listed as in stock would require a phone call to verify it is actually in stock and that it's actually leather - price mark-ups happen too when crap is discontinued.

I guess suede is king!

While searching came across an article stating that these 2 spoke rally style wheels are very popular in drifting.

Other variants I'd like to try out:

The Momo mod 03 looks a bit more comfy than the mod 02:

Sabelt Turini looks pretty nice too:

OMP OD/1950 also looks nice:

But,

the Sparco 215 feels great plus it has an aesthetic advantage in my application because the circle cuts in the spoke fits very well with the rest of my cabin interior, so I likely won't be blowing money on a new steering wheel any time soon.

The smaller diameter version of the Momo Monte Carlo:

Momo Mod 78 in suede for aftermarket wheels for me.  I've had a few of them over the years.

I'm in the Momo Prototipo/Nardi Classic camp. Either looks good in almost any car.

In reply to Vracer111 :

That looks great. I almost corrected you that must be a Personal wiht a Momo button, but I would've been dead wrong.  350mm? How do you like the size with the AW11's steering rack?

z31maniac said:

The stock one with an airbag. 

Just saw a post last week of a kid in a local Miata group. He had someone pull out in front of him, smashed his head off his aftermarket steering wheel knocking him unconscious and going to the hospital with a concussion and a gash on his forehead. 

I have to think if he had the stock wheel with the airbag that wouldn't have happened. 

A lot of discussion on M.net about if you do that, you have to modify the seat belt - apparently it's got a fold over sewn together,  slows your timing to air bag contact or something. 

Wondered if a non-airbag seat belt might be an option, but decided not to monkey with anything for that reason. 

Would love a cool steering wheel, but I figured by 2000 it was a system, and apparently that's correct. 

It's a good looking wheel as stockers go,  and I'm old and less adventurous now, think I'll keep the air bag. 

About to put a wooden Nardi torino on my mercedes and having buyer's remorse seeing all to cool wheels out there.   

In reply to Matt B (fs) :

Pretty sure its 320mm diameter, it's a NOS one I bought a long time ago (maybe 15 years or so?) on ebay for ~$90 and have had waiting for the right car. I've not taken the AW11 out anywhere except around the driveway and no manouvering issues with it at all at at crawl speed, no difficulty at all to turn.

Only issue is not being able to see all the gauges since it blocks the upper half of them (6'2" with stock seat problems)... a race bracket and race seat (thinking Momo Daytona) with lower, more perfect seating position will fix that. It's nothing like the depowered /devalved steering rack was in my brother's '90 Integra RS with a similar Monte Carlo wheel... that was a workout when at a crawl but absolutely great once going.

stafford1500 said:

YES , a DS wheel

benzbaronDaryn said:

About to put a wooden Nardi torino on my mercedes and having buyer's remorse seeing all to cool wheels out there.   

Can't go wrong!

In reply to Vracer111 :

Man, 15 years ago or not $90 is a smoking deal. Those seem to go for $250 these days. Thanks for the steering effort review.

In reply to benzbaronDaryn :

Nah man - if that Nardi is going on a similar-vintage benz to the one that's in your avatar it's perfect.

I'm a sucker for a wood rim steering wheel in my classic cars.  Nardi or Mountney - especially if I can get a wooden shift knob to match along with some other trim in the interior.  Modern cars with aftermarket wheels generally don't look good IMHO nor would I want to lose the airbag unless there is a specific need to (QR wheel in a caged race car, for example).  

I've been very happy with the Momo "Race" wheel I put in my TA. The leather feels great, it's the perfect size in diameter and rim width, and the light gold anodizing works well. (In my use, anyways.) Especially considering how horrible the stock airbag wheel was.

Im admittedly a Momo fanboy though.

I'm getting the Miata back on the road, so I have been cleaning it up.

I forgot that I swapped out horn buttons.