Wood or Leather.. Steering Wheel?
Discussion
I too have a wooden steering wheel and I do like the look. When I drive the car, I normally wear leather driving gloves. This helps to grip the steering wheel easier as wooden steering wheels are normally thinner and harder to grip, and protects the gloss finish of the steering wheel.
Tony. TCB.
Tony. TCB.
Waynester said:
Preferences? I currently have a wooden wheel fitted, and it looks great.. but I'm not sure I like the wood 'feel' over leather? (steady) 
I have an original leather wheel.. 'Personal' is it..or 'Momo' can't remember? But I'm considering swapping. Just wondered what you guys prefer?
I'm with you on this one, leather for me, but I do think wood suits certain cars I'd have to see both. Now leather wheel with wood centre I have an original leather wheel.. 'Personal' is it..or 'Momo' can't remember? But I'm considering swapping. Just wondered what you guys prefer?
Yatesy350i said:
Leather every time for me as well.
I think the wooden ones look fantastic especially when there colour matches as well as yours. But I hate the feel of them!
Wood for the car shows. Leather for hooning around
I think the wooden ones look fantastic especially when there colour matches as well as yours. But I hate the feel of them!
Wood for the car shows. Leather for hooning around
+1
My wheels been recovered and colour coded to match the rest of the interior looks good feels great - but I think a nice wood one would add a bit of contrast and look better
Rockettvr said:
Looking at first weekend in April . Have replaced outrigger - just need to fettle a few bits for the mot but works gone mental so struggling to find the time to sort it.
Cool...Don't suppose you have the old gear lever and handbrake gaiters as i want to get some made but don't want to pull mine out yet?...Cheers...Ziga
...I think you are right mate...I thought you had it re-trimmed...Zigaadam quantrill said:
Wood is not nice for long drives - I end up with achey hands. So I prefer leather but have nevertheless lazily retained the wood one in the 400SX, it does look good.
My thoughts too.. I think exasperated by the fact I don't have power steering. Doesn't take long to swap over, so I will give it a try.
I think this reply is in the wrong part of the forum....I didn't notice it was for 'Wedges'. Please move if necessary!
I thought I'd resuscitate this poor old thread as I've been checking woodrims for a project car recently.
I have a 1960s Moto-Lita woody on a Caterham, it's a 13" diameter, I find the rim not too ergonomic as it's so skinny....but I love the retro look, which suits the Caterham fine...after all, it was designed in 1957. I mounted the wheel with a Momo quick release hub which was on the car, a 2002 SV wide chassis when I bought it.
The project is a 1959 Berkeley T60 with race mini 1275 engine, and a fully adjustable, big braked motorsport chassis which a friend had put in at vast expense.
I have a buddy who used to have a T60 back in the 60s, and he also started the original Astrali steering-wheel company.
He used a different construction method for the wheels to Moto-Lita. The Moto-Lita method is to cut the shape of the wheel in flat alloy sheet of 5mm or so, then cut two circles of ply, shape them to suit, with finger grips on the back surface, then glue and rivet them to the rim of the wheel, leaving the aluminium of the rim visible on both inner and outer sides of the rim sandwich.
This type of wheel can indeed be quite nasty in an accident, as if the wheel is bent, the ply will split and can form vicious shards.
Astrali's method was different. They started with a long strip of veneer, and rolled it, with the glue, inside a cylindrical two piece mould. Once it was thick enough to make a wheel, it would be left to cure, then taken from the mould, and sliced into circles. Each circle would itself be sliced into two semi circular sections, then these would be recessed on the flat interior face, using a spindle router, so that the wooden rim could, when fitted to the alu, completely enclose the aluminium rim.
Cutouts were made for the spokes.
This gives a nicely rounded shape, fatter than a Moto-Lita, and most importantly, it doesn't shard if bent in an accident.
Astrali, which started in 1964, supplied to Rolls-Royce, Aston-Martin, Lotus and many others as bespoke OE fitments.
They at some point bought the Les Leston concern, who had produced wheels using the same circular lamination method.
Later, my buddy sold the rights to his brother, another engineer, but they haven't been actively producing wheels for some time.
The wheels sold using the Astrali name currently do not appear to have permission to use the name, at least as far as my friend is concerned, and the wheels they are producing, while very nice in appearance and probably very well produced, are nothing to do with the original Astrali company, and are using the cheaper Moto-Lita plywood build method
Berkeley in preparation for 'Historic Rallying'
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Astrali 14" wheel
1960s Moto-Lita on my Caterham SV
Edited by unclefester on Sunday 8th September 10:00
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