Steering Wheels

An aftermarket steering wheel changes the car's main contact point with the driver, so fit and feel matter more than looks. Three things decide it: diameter, dish, and how the wheel mounts to the column.

Diameter

Wheels are sized by outside diameter in millimetres, such as Car Make T&E's 330 mm Vertex. A smaller wheel quickens the steering's feel and frees knee room, but needs more effort, which matters on a car without power steering. Check that the rim does not hide the gauges from your seating position.

Dish

Dish is how far the rim stands back from the mounting face. A flat wheel suits a car where the factory wheel already sits close; semi-deep and deep wheels, such as KEY'S Racing's Deep Type, bring the rim towards the driver, which helps with a low or rearward fixed seat and in drifting, where the hands move around the rim quickly.

Boss kit and bolt pattern

An aftermarket wheel needs a boss kit (hub adapter) made for your car's steering column and splines; the boss also sets the wheel's height from the column. The wheel bolts to the boss by six bolts. Many, MOMO among them, use a 70 mm bolt circle; Nardi and Personal wheels use 74 mm and need an adapter plate on a 70 mm boss. A quick release adds a detachable hub between the two. A horn button completes the wheel, often from its own maker.

Airbags

On a car with a driver's airbag, the airbag is in the steering wheel, and almost every aftermarket wheel has none. Fitting one removes that protection in a crash. Expect the airbag warning light to come on, and expect the change to matter at a roadworthiness inspection and to your insurer. Check your country's rules and tell your insurer before you fit it. An airbag module is an explosive device: remove it with the battery disconnected, as the workshop manual describes, and store or dispose of it safely.

See the rest of the interior range for seats and shift knobs.