Community Member Credit: 95maxrider
After much internal debate, I decided I wanted an aftermarket steering wheel to replace the stock wheel. My hope was that it would make the car a little easier to drive at auto-x, due to my hands having to travel less distance.
The install was pretty straight forward, and taking the first turn the difference was immediately noticeable. I was secretly hoping that the wheel would increase turn-in sensitivity/quickness, but this didn’t happen, as I suspected. However, the “feel” of the wheel is now (comparatively) incredible. I’m not sure if it’s just the extra effort needed to turn the wheel (stock wheel is 390mm–>350mm, a roughly 10% decrease also corresponds to a 10% increase in effort), the thickness of the wheel, the thumb grips, or the lack of vibration caused by the loose damper thingy inside the stock wheel, but the car is 100% more fun to drive now.
The wheel has changed steering feel more than all of my other mods combined. No joke. I’m still not happy about driving around without an airbag, but the enjoyment I get driving the car now makes up for it. I drove my buddy’s 97 SE after my car and it felt like I was driving a toy. It reminded me how I felt after I drove an BMW M coupe then got in my car (with the stock wheel). If I think of any better descriptions I will post again…
Oh, BTW, my self-canceling turn signals still work 50% of the time (only on hard turns). Also, I bought the wheel with a quick release, but found it pushed the wheel too close to me so I removed the quick release, and it’s now where the stock wheel was. I’m guessing taller drivers won’t mind as much, but I’m 5’10”. I’m pretty sure it also weighs about 10-15 pounds less than the stock wheel (with airbag).
Credit: Jungmin Lee
Finally did led retrofit without making it look obvious
I know most people like the cool white(5,500~6,000k) look of led but I like it for the efficiency.
Community Member Credit: Craig Fogel
Nissan 720 ST (polished with a leather rewrap), on a works bell hub and rapfixx II quick release.
Credit: Jungmin Lee
I installed a MOMO PROTOTIPO aftermarket steering wheel using a newer Nissan hub (for the Z/V chassis) because it’s designed to work with the clock spring. I had to make some small modifications to fit it on my SM525V, and you’d need similar changes for 4th gen models.
Steps I Took:
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Aligning and Drilling:
I matched the hub cutout to the clock spring nub. I drilled three holes for the cancel cam (for the blinker auto-cancel). You can skip this if you don’t mind losing auto-cancel in certain positions—you can just rotate the cancel cam to line up with existing holes. -
Shaving the Hub:
The hub didn’t seat all the way because a wall around the clock spring harness was in the way. I used a Dremel to carefully shave down the hub until it fit. -
Keeping Audio Controls:
I wanted to keep the steering wheel audio controls (SM5s have these instead of cruise). I used a Fanatec paddle shifter adapter bracket, PCB support bolts, and figure 8 fasteners to attach the controls. I also extended the harness to run through the hub’s skirt, and trimmed part of the skirt so the SWC connector would fit. -
Wiring the Horn:
I added a horn harness while extending the SWC harness. The hub is anodized and not conductive, so I gently sanded the shaft contact edge to make the horn button work. -
SRS (Airbag) Light:
To cancel the SRS warning, I plugged a 2-ohm resistor into the SRS connector.
Final Result:
Only the SRS (airbag) was deleted. Everything else stayed in its original factory location.
Credit: Alejandro Filpo
For all 4th generation owners who swap to 8th generation steering wheels and find that the turn signals don’t turn off after a turn, here is the reason why. The 4th generation wheels have holes drilled for the combination switch. To make the switch work on the 8th generation wheels, you need to drill the holes for the switch.
4thgen Steering Wheel
8thgen Steering Wheel
Here’s a picture of the combination switch. The nubs need to fit into the holes on the steering wheel for the switch to function properly.
Reference
