posted by Scott on Jun 8
A steering wheel hub adapter is used to adapt your factory steering column to an aftermarket steering wheel, and so will need to have the correct bolt pattern to fit your wheel and the correct centre-hole to fit the spline on the end of the steering column. These are also known as a steering wheel boss.
The bolt hole patterns for steering wheels and hubs differ between manufacturers, and you will usually need to purchase the same brand hub as the steering wheel. There are of course some exceptions – Momo, Sparco,and Mugen are generally be the same, while Nardi and Grant hubs are unique to their respective brand of steering wheel.
When selecting a steering wheel hub it is important to keep in mind that some hubs available will not allow for automatic turn signal cancelling without modification.
Once you have everything in front of you, this shouldn’t take more than an hour. It’s pretty easy and straightforward.
Read this excellent guide by Todd Marcucci on installing a steering wheel hub in a modern generation car :
NTPOG 4th/5th Gen Steering Hub Install
posted by Scott on Jun 8
If you are thinking about replacing or upgrading your car’s steering wheel, then here are a few points to consider before handing over your hard earned money.
Some cheaper aftermarket steering wheels are only made to fit a particular car, and can come with the bosss kit attached, and so will have a limited range of applications. Most aftermarket wood and leather steering wheels will be sold as a separate item to the boss kit. When deciding on a replacement steering wheel for your car it is essential to check some important things to ensure safety, legality, and not to invalidate your insurance.
• The steering wheel must have a boss kit available that will fit the spline on the steering column of your car – fitting an incorrect boss may endanger your life, and those of other road users and pedestrians.
• The steering wheel boss kit must have the correct fitting to mate with the turn signal canceling mechanism, and also the horn plate (a round flat disc that is part of the horn’s power circuit).
• If the cars original steering wheel comes with an airbag, then according to law you must have a steering wheel that accommodates an airbag. You cannot simply replace an airbag-fitted wheel with a nice shiny spoked wood steering wheel with a metallic horn button in the centre.
• There are laws regarding the minimum diameter of a cars steering wheel, and you should be aware of your local laws to avoid grief from an inspector or police officer!
• Finally you need to consider your own driving comfort, such as position of the wheel (which can be changed depending on the dish of the wheel), and thickness of the rim.
Time for an upgrade?
