Deep-Dish vs. Flat Steering Wheels: What Changes Behind the Wheel?
Most people choose a steering wheel by diameter and looks, then discover dish exists after the wheel is already bolted on and sitting somewhere unexpected. It's the least glamorous number in the spec list and probably the most consequential, because it decides where your hands end up relative to your body — and that decides your entire driving position.
What Dish Actually Means
Dish is the distance between the mounting face at the back of the wheel and the plane of the rim. A flat wheel has the rim and the mounting face roughly level. A deep-dish wheel has the rim standing proud, closer to the driver, with the spokes angling back toward the hub.
The practical translation is simple: more dish brings the wheel toward you. A 90 mm dish puts the rim nearly nine centimetres closer to your chest than a flat wheel mounted on the same hub.
Why That Matters More Than It Sounds
A good driving position has your shoulders against the seatback, with a clear bend at the elbow when your hands are at the top of the wheel. From there you can feel what the car is doing through the seat, you can apply real force to the rim, and you can hold it for hours without fatigue.
If the wheel is too far away, you compensate by sliding the seat forward — which crowds your legs and ruins your pedal position — or by leaning forward off the seatback, which costs you both leverage and feedback. Neither is a fix.
Dish solves the problem at the source. It moves the wheel without moving you.
When You Want a Deep Dish
Deep dish earns its keep in three situations:
- Older cars. Factory wheels on classics often sat much closer to the driver than a modern flat wheel does. Fit a shallow aftermarket wheel to a vintage car and it will usually feel too far away.
- Fixed-back race seats. A proper bucket often sits further back and lower than the seat it replaced, and suddenly you're reaching.
- Drifting and rally. Both involve fast, large steering corrections, and both benefit from having the rim close where your arms have range to work.
MOMO's deep options cover the range. The MOD.08 runs an extra-deep 90 mm dish at 350 mm — MOMO's own framing is that it's built for older vehicle fitment, with the diameter chosen to give enough leverage for cars without power steering. The MOD.Drift pairs an ultra-deep 88 mm dish with a 330 mm diameter and a round 30 mm grip, aimed squarely at the quick corrections drifting demands.
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MOMO MOD.08 — 90 mm dish, 350 mm $279.00 Shop on Enzuca → |
 MOMO MOD.Drift — 88 mm dish, 330 mm $279.00 Shop on Enzuca → |
The Middle Ground: 70 mm
90 mm isn't always right. In a car where the column already sits fairly close, an extra-deep wheel can end up genuinely in your lap — uncomfortable, and it starts interfering with your thighs on the way in and out.
70 mm is the useful middle. The MOD.07 is the rally-inspired option here, with a traditional round rim at 350 mm — MOMO's stated intent is moving the wheel closer to the driver without resorting to spacers. The Gotham uses the same 70 mm depth with dark chrome styling, which is part of why it's a favourite among drifting enthusiasts.
 MOMO MOD.07 — 70 mm dish $279.00 Shop on Enzuca → |
 MOMO Gotham — 70 mm dish $289.00 Shop on Enzuca → |
When Flat (or Nearly Flat) Is Right
If the factory wheel position already suits you, don't change it. Plenty of modern cars put the wheel exactly where a well-set-up driver wants it, and adding 90 mm of dish to that is a downgrade, not an upgrade.
The MOD.69 is the shallow option in the MOD range at 39 mm, wrapped in suede with finger grooves moulded into the back of the rim. MOMO positions it for sedans and GT race cars — cars where the column geometry was already close to correct.
Shallow also wins where cabin space is tight. In a small cockpit, a deep wheel eats the room you need to get in past it, especially wearing a helmet and a HANS device.
 MOMO MOD.69 — 39 mm dish, 350 mm suede $279.00 Shop on Enzuca → |
Dish Is Only Part of the Stack
Here's the piece that catches people out. The final position of your rim isn't set by the wheel alone — it's the sum of four things:
- The hub adapter's depth. Hubs come in different lengths for the same car. Our Porsche 911 options are the clearest example: the L231 with an extended base pushes the wheel toward you, while the C231 short version keeps it recessed. Same car, same wheel, different result.
- The wheel's dish. 0 to 90 mm depending on model.
- A quick release, if fitted. These add real height — the Rennline unit, for instance, stands 2.3" tall on its own.
- A spacer, if fitted. Another 60 mm from the OMP spacer.
Add a deep-dish wheel to a long hub and a quick release and you can easily overshoot. Work out the total before you order, not after.
Dish Beats Spacers — Usually
If you need the wheel closer, you have two routes: buy a deeper wheel, or bolt a spacer behind a shallow one. The deeper wheel is generally the better answer.
A dished wheel achieves the position within its own structure. A spacer achieves the same position by extending the mounting stack, which adds joints, adds length ahead of the hub, and gives the whole assembly more leverage to flex. That's not a reason to never use one — the OMP 60 mm spacer is well made and hard-anodized aluminum — but it should be the fine adjustment after the wheel choice, not instead of it.
 MOMO L231 — Extended Base Hub $119.00 Shop on Enzuca → |
 OMP Spacer — 60 mm $149.00 Shop on Enzuca → |
How to Work Out What You Need
Before ordering, sit in the car with the seat where you actually drive, shoulders against the seatback, and reach for the wheel:
- Elbows comfortably bent, shoulders planted? Your position is right — match the existing depth. Look at the MOD.69 or a standard-depth wheel.
- Arms nearly straight, or leaning forward to reach? You need dish. 70 mm if it's marginal, 90 mm if you're properly stretching.
- Wheel already close, catching your thighs? Stay shallow, and check whether a shorter hub is available for your chassis.
The Bottom Line
Dish is the one variable you can't quietly fix later without adding hardware, so settle it first. Measure your reach from a proper seating position, add up the whole stack — hub, wheel, quick release, spacer — and choose the wheel that lands the rim where your arms want it.
See the full range in our MOMO Steering Wheels collection and the Hubs & Adapters that set the rest of the depth. For the full decision, see our MOMO Steering Wheel Guide, and for the racing wheels specifically, MOD.07 vs. MOD.08 vs. MOD.78.