I just picked this up today. Also got the ebay brand $30 quick release and $7 hub. Damn you guys and your free shipping. Those $37 in adapters becomes about $100 after shipping to Canada.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1339551670

I use this Works Bell:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1339552188

I don't have any other QRs to compare it with, but I can tell you there is zero play and it's a very secure connection.

So this arrived today. 350mm, feels sturdy. Happy. That horn button has to go, however. Hub should arrive tomorrow.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1339734699

Anyone have experience with NRG steering wheels? They have a few nice looking ones I wouldn't mind having on my car. Assuming they are sturdy and not flexible pieces of ----.

Examples: https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1339789029

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1339789029

http://www.advancespeedshop.com/imag...ring-wheel.jpg

These all retail for a little over $100.

NRG = ebay quality? Or better?

^I too would like to know. Those are attractive.

Actually just found the one I really like, this one! Only a 2" deep dish instead of 3, 350mm (better for stock cluster viewing, my cars mostly street oriented), and it kind of looks like a nardi or something.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1339790073

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1339790073

Found a few links on random forums discussing quality, seems good enough - at least much better than the "ebay" brand ones.

Heres a link to some prelude forum, guy wrote a brief review. Some other guy on a 240 forum said it was really nice as well. Hmm,

http://www.preludepower.com/forums/s...d.php?t=325871

Looks EXACTLY like the ebay one I just bought.


EDIT: I know the design is slightly different from mine...I mean the construction/materials/quality.

link to eBay goodness

My NRG wheel like the 2nd one flexed all over the place.

is it flexy?

No. It's not made out of billet steel, but it doesn't feel any different than the OEM wheel in terms of sturdiness.

If you're really concerned, though, wait until after I install it tomorrow and then I can tell you how it feels once it's anchored down.

I expect a review of that wheel in this thread, with pics! ...please?

I'm ready to buy one, please let me know how it is.

Thanks boo!

Was there a vendor selling those $7 hubs, or was that just an auction you got lucky with?

I just got my Works Bell hub/QR, pricey but very secure and easy to use.

Anyone try this? It should be here in a few days. I'm a bit worried that I just threw money away

http://www.ebay.com/itm/STEERING-WHE...b4f60e&vxp=mtr

Alright, as requested. Apologies for the somewhat terrible and fuzzy photos. My workroom was darkish and I didn't feel like moving everything to get better lighting.


I purchased a 350mm Deep Dish Style PVC Plastic Racing Steering Wheel JDM Black/Red Stitch and a 6-BOLT-HOLE STEERING WHEEL HUB ADAPTER KIT MAZDA MX5 NA NB on eBay. Total for the wheel and hub was $54.97. The wheel and hub arrived in 2-3 days.



First, the wheel.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1339900829

It's not terrible. The wheel appeared sturdy enough when I took it out of the box. The contact surface was very obviously synthetic, almost rubbery. You will not mistake it for fine Corinthian leather. However, it's actually not that offensive -- it has a pebbled surface, and has just enough give when you grip it. I don't know how it will hold up to hot Mississippi summers, but then, it's a $40 wheel. The horn button reads "T-Horn R" which is clearly nonsense, but marginally more acceptable to me than something like "Type R".

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1339900829

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1339900829



And now, the hub.

It's...well, it's a chunk of poorly cast metal with some poorly molded plastic bits on it. So, there's that. On the other hand, it's not required to do a terribly complicated or tricky job, so as long as the bits are mostly in the right place, it should work fine. The box was the most interesting part of the hub.

The English instructions, for example, were printed only mostly on the box.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1339900829

But my spirits were buoyed by the optimistic slogan on the side of the box.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1339900829



Install.

Installation of the hub was mostly straightforward, once I realized that I did not need one of the plastic bits that would have blocked the wires coming from the clockspring housing. The outer accordian-style plastic cover is a bit of a pain to refit over the hub if you happen to remove it (and I did).

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1339900829

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1339900829

Did I say mostly straightforward? Oh right. It would have been more straightforward had I paid attention to which set of screw holes I was supposed to be lining up.

Whoops!

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1339900829

Moments later, all is better.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1339900829

Both the wheel and the hub came with horn buttons; the wheel with the aforementioned "T-Horn R" bit of nonsense and the hub with a plain silver button. Oddly...the plain silver button looked much worse to me. I don't like that the button says "T-Horn R" but frankly, any text or design at all is better than a plain silver button. I don't know why this is.

The horn button electrical spade-tab thing had to be pried out a bit so that the wire had enough room inside the hub. Easy peasy.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1339900829

Tightening down the 6 screws is an exercise in frustration. If you overtighten one side even a smidgen compared to the other, it would jam up. For a while I was very careful and made only a few turns on each screw at a time. Then I got tired of that and started tightening down one side and then hitting the wheel with my hand to pop it free from the tension so I could continue tightening down the other side.

Finally, it was tightened down (or, at least, tightened down as much I could before the supplied Allen wrench was in grave danger of stripping the screws).

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1339900829

Gauges are easily visible from a normal driving position. Control stalks are definitely harder but not impossible to reach.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1339900829



Conclusion

When it was finally securely attached and anchored down, I gripped the wheel, and gave it a hard yank...and immediately stopped, for fear of bending it.

Uh, yeah.

It's most certainly not as sturdy as an OEM wheel. I did not want to destroy it, but I'm pretty confident that I could taco the wheel if I really wanted to. It is absolutely not an appropriate wheel for track use. If Braineack's similarly-styled eBay wheel is sturdier than this one, then it's made by someone else.

That said, I'm not entirely disheartened. For a street car, it'd be okay. For a street car you care about, it's pretty cheesy. But for a car that had a ratty, flaking, peeling OEM wheel and that you are planning on selling, it's just the ticket.

Moreover, it functions as proof of concept. I now know that the eBay hub works just fine for its intended purpose. I know that 340-350mm is indeed the sweet spot for me (at least for a street or dual-use car). I know that the deep-dish style wheel works well if you want to drive enthusiastically without inadvertently signaling a left turn or engaging the windshield wipers.

I also know that when I purchase a steering wheel for a Miata I intend to keep, it will be made by MOMO, Nardi, Sparco, or some other similar manufacturer, and I know that the horn button will not say "T-Horn R".



TL;DR -- The wheel is flexy. Don't buy it unless you are extremely cheap and undiscriminating.

i have an ltb qr - not using it since my car is on daily duties and it's awkward to use the indicators . i'm also shorter so it puts the wheel a tad too close for me. might sell if anyone is interested.

yo jefffrunt, props for the review, dog.