Hi all,

For those who've read my other thread, I'm trying to improve the stock steering system. One of the obvious short-comings of the stock steering box is the slow speed. The easiest way to improve the speed is to install a smaller steering wheel. The general consensus seems to be that 350mm is the best size, everything else seems to be too small. I've got a few questions for those who've done this mod.

- It looks like both Nardi and Momo make a hub for our cars. It looks like the Momo hub is collapsible, whereas the Nardi hub is not. Does anyone know about this? Safety is a big concern for me, so this makes me lean towards the Momo hub.

- Both Momo and Sparco sell wheels broken up in categories of "Tuning/Street" and "Racing". What does this mean? Are "Racing" steering wheels inappropriate (or unsafe) for street use?

- What do people find works for steering wheel depth? I'm very short, about 5' 4", and I have to sit closer to operate the clutch, so I'm worried with the hub and a deep dish wheel the wheel will be too close to me. Sparco has some wheels that are 63mm in depth, has any shorter person had experience with a deeper dish steering wheel. The stock wheel is relatively flat.

Thanks!

 

A small steering wheel will give a smaller ratio but require more effort.

Check out this thread.

https://www.rx7club.com/interior-ext...-small-694389/

 

Right, that's what I'm looking for. Increased effort is not a big deal to me since the stock steering is pretty light anyways.

 

I believe Miata hubs may work as well. Generally the momo race stuff is not DOT approved, but SFI/FIA approved so its safe, the suede material will get dirty if you are not wearing gloves though.

If you can try and measure how much off the old wheel that would be best, I think the hub may add some distance as well.

 

Thanks, okay that explains what the difference is between the "Tuning" vs the "Race" steering wheels that are listed on Momo's (and other's) websites.

My understanding was that the hub might stick out a bit less than stock, but maybe I'm mistaken or not understanding something with this.

 

I am not entirely sure, It looked to me that the stock steering wheel is pretty close to the turn signal stuff, it seems like the momo collapsible hub is kinda tall, not entirely sure though

 

Just to make sure I'm not missing anything, the portion immediately behind the steering wheel but before the section with the turn signals and windshield wipers comes off? I haven't taken the steering wheel off yet, so I dunno what I'm dealing with at the moment.

 

Yes, there's a big (26mm?) nut with nylon lock insert to keep it secured and once that's removed, you can get a puller to remove the steering wheel. Know ahead of time that if you choose to go the 'low-tech' route and just pull heavily on one side then the other, you should wear a hockey mask or a football helmet to prevent eating steering wheel when it pops off violently - hitting you in the nose and mouth.

It's not like I know this from firsthand experience, or anything - but I do...

The plastic collar behind the wheel which butts up against the turn signal column is then removed with the wheel, allowing you to install a custom adaptor to match the steering column splines, then bolting your aftermarket steering wheel to the adaptor. Usually a trim piece is then installed over the center hole to cover the nut with nylon insert. Go slowly, make sure you get everything loose, and BE CAREFUL around the turn signal section - it will be brittle, and is no longer available to the best of my knowledge.

 

I'm fairly short also and didn't want the wheel to be sticking out really far as I sit far forward Ended up with a Works Bell short hub and Momo Prototipo wheel. I had to shave the threaded bit of the steering column down a few mm as the horn button was hitting it (short hub problems). Really happy with it though.

Install post/pics are here
www.RX7fb.com ? View topic - A Kiwis Series 3

 

efini FD steering wheel in my GSLSE

 

I installed an NRG adapter, quick release and Nardi wheel on my GSL-SE recently.

 

I am going back to the standard steering wheel after years using a 340mm wheel. It's not just about preferring the original aesthetic, visibility of the standard gauges and steering effort is much better with the 380mm wheel.

When you remove the steering wheel, loosen the nut so there is a bit of thread showing but leave the nut on. When the steering wheel dislodged, it will hit the nut and not your face. Simple.

 

Thanks for all the posts everyone!
My plans are to go with a 350mm wheel which I hope will be a little better in terms of dash visibility, I too am concerned about obstructing the dash. As far as steering effort is concerned, I feel that the effort is pretty light above 10-15 mph so it's not a huge concern for me. At the very least this mod is easily reversible should I not like the way it turns out.
Wow, that setup looks really great! I like the looks of that wheel, which looks almost stock and is flat enough that it shouldn't be too close to me. I too sit pretty close (although not all the way), so something near stock location is probably going to work best for me. Is the grip any chunkier than the stock wheel? I measured last night and it looks like the stock grip is 30mm in diameter which should be the same as the wheel you installed, but it sure looks chunkier than stock, maybe it's just the smaller diameter? I have pretty small hands, so I don't want the grip to be thicker than stock.