What do racers/track ****** run?

Is there really that big of a difference between a $300 Momo wheel and a $30 eBay wheel?


We all know it's best to spend money on a quality hub.

 

NRG slim hub, $7 ebay adapter hub.

 

Standard nardi wheel and gloves

Really comfy, grippy and flameproof glove, I love it. The white version.

 

Sweet Manufacturing QR Hub with Sparco Monza wheel...

 

NRG Slim Hub
NRG QR
NRG 15mm spacer
Ebay 30mm spacer
Sparco Mugello steering wheel

I tried a friend's ebay wheel and it was floppy. The wheel would flex if you pushed/pulled on it.

 

Sparco 383 wheel, only used with gloves

Best wheel I have tried yet, and yes it does make a difference. Especially leather wheels with gloves = fail

 

Sparco 383 is what I have in both my cars. Awesome wheel. One car has a really nice SPA quick disconnect (weld on) and the other has a replica of an NRG that I actually like more then the NRG itself.

 

Pretty sure it's the other way around, ebay hubs are ok, but the wheels are flexible garbage.

That being said, I have a Momo hub and Competition wheel, LTB motorsports quick release.

 

I have this wheel and love it in my Auto-X mr2. Try to only use with same kind of gloves. The grip is so good I catch myself using one hand sometimes in the middle of a run (yeah I know it's not good)

Had an ebay hub on the miata that cracked in like 2 weeks. Got a Momo hub and it's fine now. Have a Momo 350mm race wheel on it....I don't hate it.

 

Ebay NRG knockoff, cheap EBay wheel. Working fine so far except for the POS horn setup which is an easy fix. Yanked on it pretty hard after I installed it and it feels stout enough.

Hub looks exactly like this one, except the brand is "JDM" mad tyte yo.
WHEEL QUICK ADAPTER RELEASE HUB CHROME MAZDA RX7 MIATA : eBay Motors (item 320420545012 end time Mar-03-10 18:24:08 PST)
Wheel looks exactly like this one
90-97 95 MAZDA MIATA QUICK RELEASE+HUB+STEERING WHEEL : eBay Motors (item 170435276822 end time Mar-21-10 17:17:18 PDT)

 

My egay wheel has not bended or flexed is rather sturdy, and yes I ********** it.

 

Ebay adapter hub, Ebay NRG knockoff quick release, and a Sparco Ring. I'm happy with it. No play or flex in any of the parts.

 

Everyone likes pictures:

Momo hub, nrg quick release with a nardi deep corn in leather. Had i known my car would eventually be a track car i would have gotten suede.

 

I have a MOMO steering wheel with a grant spacer and NRG quick release and for a daily it is amazing I would recommend suede or gloves for track use.

 

After test fitting my new seat i know I'm going to need a new steering wheel. Ebay might be in my future. Done spent too many monies lately.

 

For the track car, I prefer a quick release hub. Even better, one that has pass-through connections for buttons (horn, radio, timer, etc).

I've had a few different quick-release hubs. Here's my list of must-have features:

• Ball-bearing locking mechanism - NOT splined or hex. The ball-bearing fit in my quick release has always been very tight and slop-free. I've had a top-of-the-line splined hub that loosened and developed some slop over time. Another benefit of a ball-bearing type locking mechanism is that there is only ONE way to lock the wheel into position, you cannot be a tooth off, upside down, or whatever.
• Bolt-in, not weld-in. Welds can fatigue and break, and are more of a permanent change to the steering shaft.
• Pass-through wiring for at least one button. This is a very nice feature. Allows the use of a horn, radio comm button, etc.
• Solidly built release mechanism. I prefer the ring type, where you put your palms on the center of the steering wheel, then pull the release ring forward with your fingertips.

I paid ~$80 for my bolt-in quick release hub. The hub was made by SPWUSA.com a.k.a. SPWindustries.com, and I bought it from xperformance.com. Seems the SPW website is under revamp, and XPerformance doesn't have an online store anymore (they were also selling them through Ebay). SPW's site has a contact number to call them, they are in Cali.

For a track-specific car, a suede or alcantara covered steering wheel is a must. Nice and grippy. I've had leather wheels, they slip, even with suede or alcantara-palmed gloves. The Momos are great in my experience. I have a Model 78, and would buy another one tomorrow if I needed a steering wheel. I would like it to have a yellow hash mark at 12 o'clock, but that isn't a deal-breaker for me.

 

holy hell, I can't believe I made this two years ago.

I'm FINALLY getting around to choosing a steering wheel.

Have any opinions changed?

Hustler, what do you use?

 

Sparco 383 here.

 

My friend has an Ebay Sparco and it's not flexy at all. The wheel material is like a hard rubber or plastic though.

 

Same parts I mentioned above 2 years ago, still no slop in them. My <$40 ebay quick release is identical to the $80 one wildo posted, and identical to others listed on ebay for $60 with fake sparco logos. Most likely they are all made at the same factory in China.

The Sparco Ring wheel is D-shaped. I chose it for the extra knee/thigh clearance (I'm 6'3") otherwise I would have gone with a 383 or similar round wheel.