Steering Wheels/Hubs
 

What do racers/track whores 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 :jerkit: 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 masturbate 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.

Attachment 199776

Attachment 199777

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.

http://www.miata.tv/post/spw-usa_qr_hub.jpg
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/ltbmotorsport_2094_8351095

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.

Momo Team wheel 300mm. I might be buying a Sparco 383 wheel

I have a sweet nardi deep corn with daikei or whatever hub. might be selling it soon.

Whenever I'll get around to buying a proper steering wheel (ebay special here), I'll get this quick release as well - http://ltbautosports.com/ltbquicrelsp.html

I hear it's souper-sweet. It's splined, like this
http://naritadogfight.files.wordpres...pg?w=800&h=531

no horn button but who uses one anyways?

Daikei Hub
NRG Quick Release
Momo Mod 69

Love the combination on track with gloves. Makes my hands dirty from the suede every time other than that :)

Ebay hub (decent quality) with quick release (sucks) and steering wheel (little design stripe is off center but I can't bend it forward and back like I've seen on line).
Would buy again w/o quick release.

Momo hub/NRG Quick release gen1/Momo 350mm Race Wheel

Has anyone used this? I'd rather not order another NRG but I'm worried that LTB one will bring the wheel way too close.

Just ordered this today. I've been looking for a girthy wheel for a while and for 170 shipped, I couldnt resist.

http://www.rhdjapan.com/hkb-sports-r...ck-300mm-50145

MOMO Mod 08 here. Needed the deep dish to get it close enough. No QR yet, but definitely could use one now that I'm using a HANS.

The wheel is one of the most important parts of the car. If I where you I would head up to the track and ask nicely to sit in various peoples cars and see what feels good to you. Also figure out how close you want it to be and calculate out how far your hub+QR+wheel dish will get you.

Anyone using a Works bell quick release? Just wondering if they are worth the extra coin over the NRG

What size steering wheel is recommended? I'm seeing between 300mm and 330mm mostly.

Matt Andrews had one and I didn't think it was anything special over the NRG that everyone else has.

I'm not sure, I find 300mm to be too small for me.

The seating position in my car is rather interesting and I sit as far back as possible. I would prefer to try an array of wheels before I invest $300ish in a wheel and take the risk of being unhappy with its size.

Anything under 350mm and I cannot see the cluster, even with the wheel moved up.

I have Sav's old leather Momo wheel.
Started out with an NRG suede wheel that flopped around like a wet noodle. I bent that thing with every turn, even with powersteering. Then bought a Momo suede Mod78, but felt bad trashing such a sweet wheel with my nasty man hands. Finally bought this leather wheel from one of the Miata gods and since then, the car loves me. The wheel alone gained me 4mpg and 10+ mph gain on corner speed. :giggle:

Also, the NRG thin quick release is junk. It irritates me everytime I use it. Eventually I need to get a thin wheel adapter to fit the larger, nicer NRG quick release.... Or just remove the quick release and quit being lazy.

I have a momo hub, LTB QR, and a momo champion, which is flat, if you'd like any measurements, ask.

Without the qr, my knuckles were activating the blinkers and wipers, or at least scraping them. With the spacer, it feels about an inch closer than a stock wheel, since the stock wheel is fairly heavily dished. I think it's perfect since I like to be a little closer to the wheel while racing compared to daily driving. So that's perfect so I don't have to sacrifice foot/pedal comfort.

An instructor once told me you should be able to fold your wrist over the 12 o'clock position of the steering wheel without bringing your shoulder blade off the seat back.

This is the wheel I have. Its comfortable, clean looking and wasn't too expensive.

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/gomiata_2214_153824430

http://www.gomiata.com/mocostwh.html

looks good Vash, I think I want to budget $200 for a wheel

NRG Slim hub and NRG QR with the stupid ------- pin removed.

I have one of the Ebay hubs, it just puts the wheel to close to me to be comfortable.

Buy a good used leather wheel. I got mine from Sav for a mere 100 dollars. Best money ever spent.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1339296809

Nuff said.

Same here.

300mm wheels are for felons (handcuffs). If you track the car, the 330mm wheel works. My old 350mm Momo was great on the street, but felt a little big on the track.

I run a 330mm Personal Neo Grinta with NRG slim hub and QR. They come in a few other colors then red as well. like everyone said if I had known my car would be more track then street like it is now I would have gone suede.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1339334760

I currently have a worn suede momo deep dish knock-off wheel on a quick release hub. I'd love to get the Sparco 383 wheel, but can't yet justify the $200+ it would cost me. Is it really that awesome?

Every penny.

Do these do a decent job of gripping a leather wheel?
http://www.saferacer.com/sparco-arro...productid=2143
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1339336835

+1 for Vag's wheel. I had that one for a time when I had my Fd and loved it. You can find that wheel now for around your budget Jake

I have that wheel with a different name and I like it on my green car. It would be good on a daily too.

Get a life. Leather is for street cars and you don't wear gloves on the street.
Suede/alcantara is for track cars and you use proper racing gloves with them.
http://www.vividracing.com/catalog/w...lovewhite1.jpg

330mm is a good diameter for me but the slightly smaller size can definitely create issues seeing parts of the cluster depending on your viewing angle. If you're tall and using stock seats, your eye level will be high enough that the tops of the speedo and tach will probably be cut off. Aluminum seats bolted to the floor get my eyes low enough to see the full cluster through the wheel. The ebay adapter hub combined with the NRG knockoff quick release space the wheel a couple of inches closer to me (I have to make a concerted reach to hit the signal/wiper stalks) which probably also increases the view through the wheel just a little bit.

For $180 they damn well better.

I have Sparco Blizzards which listed around $150 but I got them for $60 at OG Racing's Black Friday sale a few years ago. I use them 100% of the time when on track and they do provide a nice increase in grip on the leather wheel. Then again, I don't have any issues with lack of grip when street driving with bare hands. Mine also have the external seams like those, makes for a real comfy glove. I'm happy with my Sparcos but there's no way I would spend that much coin on gloves when there are decent grippy nomex options for $60-70.

I agree with you but I require external seams and that isn't cheap.

Ok, then buy me a truck, trailer, and place to store them.

I never have issues with my leather wheel with my sweat soaked gloves. However, I am looking for a smaller one. I get really hot and bothered at the track, am I just going to ruin a suede wheel in a matter of months?

I don't get all the hype for suede wheels. I have never once had an issue gripping my leather wheel and 95% of all the suede wheels I see are worn to the point that they are slicker than snot.

I will say that having a stripe of contrasting color at the top of the wheel is actually very useful. When studying tape It makes it a lot easier to tell exactly how much steering angle I had dialed in. (eventually I will invest in data logging and a sensor)

X2. Leather-palm gloves + leather wheel has been fine for me forever. If you're not man enough to hold the wheel with naught but cowskin between you and damnation, kindly drive yourself head-on into the nearest overpass bridge abutment.

My Sparco Grip gloves are external seam and they used to grip the leather Momo that I sold to chpmnsws6 just fine (for me - Nick refused to drive my car with the leather wheel). They are a bit worn in a couple of places on the palm/fingers, though, and I suspect that's from the grippy material on the palm being required to work overtime.

The other option is to just have two steering wheels and swap them for the street/track. I do vastly prefer the suede Sparco 383 to the leather Momo.

Two quick releases and a second wheel would be much better suited to your wallet.

Sparco hub, Snapoff quick release, and a leather 330mm Momo, I don't remember the model. The F-prod car is open cockpit I figure in case of rain, the leather would be easier to grip than suede, though I am not sure.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1339408233

my boss 302 had an alcantra wheel. over the year i had it the alcantra did get matted in about 6 track days and lots of street driving. people forget suede/alcantra requires some maintenance i think. I used a clean cotton hand towel and some interior cleaner and water to clean the alcantra and returned it to its grippy, fluffy former life. matted it is very slick IMHO. Looking back, i think a suede brush from the shoe section would have done the dead much more easily.

Says on the page - This item will bring the wheel closer to you about 2.75".
So just put some 3.5" bolts with 2.75" spacers on and see what it feels like? I think it will be too close with a 90mm dished wheel, but 60mm would probably work fine.