GBOLT Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 Looking to purchase a steering wheel soon. What are the favorites you guys have used? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slomove Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 I have a flat bottom SPA Alpha with 270mm diameter. Cost about $110, e.g. from Merlin. I bought it in black suede and probably I am going to swap it for a regular leather one soon. The suede works well with racing gloves but on the road I drive often with bare hands. The suede is very slick with bare hands and requires a real hard grip. It also leaves a black residue on the hands after driving for a few hours. Gert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian7 Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 I have a flat bottom SPA Alpha with 270mm diameter. Cost about $110, e.g. from Merlin. I bought it in black suede and probably I am going to swap it for a regular leather one soon. The suede works well with racing gloves but on the road I drive often with bare hands. The suede is very slick with bare hands and requires a real hard grip. It also leaves a black residue on the hands after driving for a few hours. Gert Well, here's my other side of the coin... Had a leather wheel, but quickly swapped it for suede; found the leather wheel too hot to handle when parked outside in the sun. No grip trouble with the suede, very happy. Mine's a "Racetech" if I recall. cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowflyer Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 Another vote for the suede. I've had the smooth leather wheels in other cars and they tend to get slippery when you're hands are sweaty. As for the black residue, I have it all over my face after a couple of hours driving, why not on my hands? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davemk1 Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 I found a 10" Momo suede wheel on eBay a few years back for pretty cheap and it works very well. The thing I like about it is that it has no dish which in effect gives a longer reach and more arm room. A good thing considering I'm 6'5". The suede is a bit slick at times without gloves but has never been an issue on the street. I always use a suede glove when autocrossing and the tow together work very well. So if you want to fine tune your reach consider if the wheel is flat or has dish and how much dish. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowss7 Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 And another vote for Suede. I have a 280mm Momo model #28 wheel in Suede. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHKflyer52 Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 Boy all you guys with expensive steering wheels. I have a cheap ($48.00 from NAPA) Pilot GT steering wheel (330.2mm a bit large, 13" for us from the USA or math challenged) on my 7 that has a simi-hard rubber grip that dose get hot when sitting in the sun and gives good tactile feel with or without gloves. Looking for a smaller wheel to replace what I have but still have not found what I want or should I say want to spend. http://www.usa7s.org/aspnetforum/upload/1901870559_DSCN1805.JPG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestTexasS2K Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 I have a Sparco flat bottom in leather. I believe it is a 270mm. I never had alot of problems with grip or slipping it does get hot if it sits in the sun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowflyer Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 One other consideration you may wish to make is that the smaller wheel also requires more "Oooomph". I ended up with a 10" Formula car wheel, simply because the larger wheels cost too much in thigh room. The downside is that the steering has a much heavier feel than if I had used a larger wheel. It all has to do with leverage, but I will leave that discussion to the engineers in the group. If you have the chance drive cars with different sizes of wheels before you make a final decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian7 Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 I ended up with a 10" Formula car wheel, simply because the larger wheels cost too much in thigh room. The downside is that the steering has a much heavier feel than if I had used a larger wheel. Yup, effort is inversely linearly proportional to steering wheel diameter. Don't know what options you are willing to explore, but if your car has adjustable caster, try reducing the caster a bit to lighten up the steering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowflyer Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 Yeh, that's what I meant.... that whole "inversely linearly proportional" thing. You're also right about caster settings The negative side of reducing the castor is that you also lose some of the steering "self-centering" effect, as well as a little bit of steering stability at speed. This, like most things in life, is a tradeoff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian7 Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 You're also right about caster settings The negative side of reducing the castor is that you also lose some of the steering "self-centering" effect, as well as a little bit of steering stability at speed. This, like most things in life, is a tradeoff. Trade offs for sure... ... self centering and stability I like in my Hyundai; 'quickness' in the Caterham is my goal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderbrake Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Caster is your friend. Taking your hands off the wheel at 100+ mph, it's nice to know it keeps going straight ahead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian7 Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 ...100+ mph... My [1600 with clamshells ] wouldn't do 100 falling out of an airplane :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBOLT Posted December 30, 2008 Author Share Posted December 30, 2008 Thanks to all for your suggestions. The Merlin site was interesting and I'll have to spend a little more time there. I do like the flat bottom wheels, also partial to the grant 1030. I start fianl assembly of the Stalker when I return from the inlaws. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbanker Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 I go back and forth between a 12" and 13" Grant GT wheel....Currently using the 13". You would not think that 1" diameter would make much difference regarding input effort, but it does. Normal driving 13". Autocross 12". That is the nice thing about quick release wheels. Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solder_guy Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 I have the 13" Grant Signature series .. with removable lockable hub. Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnK Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 Yeh, that's what I meant.... that whole "inversely linearly proportional" thing. You're also right about caster settings The negative side of reducing the castor is that you also lose some of the steering "self-centering" effect, as well as a little bit of steering stability at speed. This, like most things in life, is a tradeoff. Quoting from the Woodward catalog: "Once the ratio [ the steering ratio determined by rack and pinion ratio and steering arm length] has been established, the actual distance your hands move can be adjusted somewhat by changing he diameter of the steering wheel. Contrary to a persistent belief, the size of the steering wheel has no influence on the ratio - 90 degrees is 90 degrees, whatever its diameter - but it does determine the linear distance your arm must extend during the movement. The wheel's radius is also the input lever for the steering, but with power assist the leverage of the wheel doesn't matter. Probably the most important feature of a steering wheel is how its diameter causes your arms to align with your shoulders, and how efficiently the resulting posture utilizes your upper body musculature. It's not a substitute for having the right steering ratio, but it will help you extract the best performance from your equipment." Note the mention of "power assist". Having really quick steering allows you to toss your car around like the pros, but it wears you out in the process, as lowflyer points out. The guys who are real champions when it comes to tossing their car around are the Dirt Trackers and they have unbelievably quick steering - and it's power assisted. This giving any of you Autocross guys ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slomove Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 I have a flat bottom SPA Alpha with 270mm diameter. Cost about $110, e.g. from Merlin. I bought it in black suede and probably I am going to swap it for a regular leather one soon. The suede works well with racing gloves but on the road I drive often with bare hands. The suede is very slick with bare hands and requires a real hard grip. It also leaves a black residue on the hands after driving for a few hours. Gert Maybe I should qualify my judgment of the suede wheel now. Since I posted that I finally bothered to brush up and roughen the 5-year old (and much used) steering wheel with a brass wire brush. In the first place it now does not look that ratty anymore (almost like new) and also the grip has much improved. I guess the sweat and dust just smear up and clog the suede surface after a while and it needs that regular brush-up. Gert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitcat Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Steering wheel? I thought all you high-powered Seven owners just used the accelerator pedal to steer:)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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