Custom steering wheels look and feel right because, once upon a time, craftsmen realized wood, polished metal, and leather made the best and most satisfying steering wheels. Drivers eagerly took to them because they discovered that few things feel as good in the hands as natural materials. It's unfortunate that generations of vehicles with hard-touch plastic surfaces have caused us to forget this truth.
This article takes a look at the Custom Steering Wheels we offer - ones that are complete wheels designed for older vehicles without airbags. Custom versions of newer steering wheels where the existing center airbag gets transferred over have been excluded.
For safety reasons, we advise against removing an airbag-equipped steering wheel and replacing it with a non-airbag wheel.
Many of these wheels come with a center horn button standard. In some cases, you'll find buttons with various colors and logos to choose from. We've got a custom horn buttons section that you won't want to miss browsing through.
Racing Style Steering Wheels
If want to replace your vehicle's plain-Jane steering wheel with one that feels good in your hands and looks sportier, you'll enjoy the sporty-looking choices we offer in our Racing Steering Wheels section.
To add a luxurious, modern look, see the Spec-D Millenium EVO Style Black Leather Steering Wheel. Would you prefer a steering wheel that looks and feels like the controls of a jet plane videogame controller? You'll appreciate the game controller-styled Spec-D F-16 steering wheel, with simulated carbon fiber accents and a choice of colors on the perimeter grip area.
Spec-D's Technic 3 wheel stylishly mixes available colors with silver accents and black. And if you want an aggressive-looking wheel but suffer from a cramped passenger compartment, you'll find their Technic wheel's flat shape along its bottom edge provides extra leg clearance - especially while you're sliding in and out of the seat.
Suede
Do you enjoy the luxurious feel of suede in your hands? GT Performance offers their GT3 Drift Aluminum Steering Wheel with lightweight aluminum spokes in your choice of blue or black anodized finish. The steel rim is wrapped in Italian "napped" suede which offers a plush feel and easy-grip surface for rapid steering maneuvers. Colored marks inspired by pro-touring competition are positioned at top center on the steering wheel to indicate wheel angle. Should you prefer an all-black version of this wheel without colored marks, see their GT3 Pro-Touring wheel. Similarly, the GT Performance GT3 Switchback offers an all-black look with a single yellow top center mark.
"Custom" Steering Wheels
We've grouped classic-looking steering wheels together with ones featuring uniquely expressive custom designs in our Custom Steering Wheels subsection. These make a perfect finishing touch for any vintage car, sports car, hot rod, low rider, or 4x4.
Metal
There's something classic, sporty, and timeless about an all-metal steering wheel with thin spokes. That's why Grant offers its Banjo Style steering wheel in a pure, unadulterated form. If you prefer black leather wrap with type of wheel, check out the GT Performance GT9 Retro Banjo Leather Steering Wheel.
Rubber- and Foam-Wrapped Steering Wheels
Because rubber and foam are extremely grippy materials, steering wheels wrapped with them are the most popular in racing applications everywhere. GT Performance offers the GT3 Competition Bell Style Rubber Steering wheel in traditional 3-spoke design with slotted spokes. Should you prefer the look of vintage racecar steering wheels, you'll like the 4-spoke pattern.
Wood-Rimmed Steering Wheels
A wood-rimmed steering wheel adds elegance to any vehicle, and we offer a number of choices. If you've already got a wood steering wheel that's cracked, discolored, or stained with oils transferred from human hands, restoring the look of fresh wood is easier than you think. Or, replace that existing unattractive wheel with a gorgeous wood one.
For starters, there's the Grant Banjo Style Wood Steering Wheel with 3 spokes comprised of 5 elegantly slim metal bands. Spec D's Wooden Steering Wheel offers thick wood surrounding three slotted spokes, set off by a round centerpiece finished in chrome. GT Performance's GT3 Pro-Touring Autcross II wheel features round perforations in the spokes, while the GT3 Classic Slot Style features elongated slots).
Wood steering wheel rims with pressed-in metal studs exude the type of confidence that classic American performance cars were about, and we offer designs that reprise this look without compromise. The GT Performance GT3 Retro and Grant Classic Wood wheel celebrate iconic American classics of the 1960s such as the original Ford Mustang and Shelby Cobra, but you don't need to own one to enjoy the aura that's conjured up.
We would say that the "best" wheel is in the eye of the beholder, but we really mean that it's in the hands of the beholder. Leather, metal, foam, or wood, you're sure to make the right choice with a custom wheel that connects you to your machine, literally.