How to Install a MOMO Steering Wheel: Wheels, Hubs and Adapters Explained
The most common mistake people make buying an aftermarket steering wheel is buying only the steering wheel. It shows up, it looks fantastic, and then it sits on the bench because there's no way to attach it to the car. A MOMO wheel doesn't bolt to a steering column — it bolts to a hub adapter, and the hub adapter is what's specific to your vehicle.
Here's the whole process, in the order you should actually think about it.
What You're Actually Buying: Three Pieces
A complete steering wheel installation has three parts, and only one of them is the wheel:
- The steering wheel — has a 6-bolt mounting pattern on the back (on MOMO, Sparco, OMP and most others).
- The hub adapter — vehicle-specific. Splines onto your steering column at one end, presents the 6-bolt pattern at the other.
- The hardware — six M5 screws. Normally included with the hub adapter, but worth knowing about.
Optionally, a fourth: a quick release, which sits between the wheel and the hub adapter.
Step 1: Confirm Your Wheel's Bolt Pattern
Nearly everything in our range shares the same standard: MOMO, Sparco and OMP all use a 6-bolt pattern, and hubs from any of those three brands will accept wheels from the others. That's why you'll see MOMO wheels running on OMP hubs and vice versa all over the paddock.
Two exceptions matter:
- Nardi and Personal wheels use a different pattern. MOMO hub adapters will not fit them. If you're switching brands, you're likely switching hubs too.
- MOMO's Formula wheels are different again. The MOD.12, MOD.27, MOD.27-C, MOD.29 and MOD.12C are not pre-drilled — drilling is required — and they're designed around 3-hole quick-release adapters with a maximum mounting diameter of 60 mm, not the 6-bolt road pattern. Don't buy one expecting a normal hub to work.
Step 2: Buy the Hub for Your Exact Chassis
This is the part that trips people up, because hubs are specific down to the generation and often the year range. A hub for a 1974–88 911 is not the hub for a 997. A Civic 1992–95 hub is not the Civic 2001–05 hub.
Our Steering Wheel Hubs & Adapters collection runs to 73 products across MOMO, OMP and Sparco, covering Porsche, BMW, Volkswagen, Audi, Honda, Acura, Nissan, Toyota, Subaru, Volvo, Ford, Mazda, Mini, Dodge and GM. Find yours by chassis and year before you order the wheel, not after.
 OMP Hub Adapter — BMW E46 / E90 $119.00 Shop on Enzuca → |
 Sparco Hub Adapter — Mazda Miata $105.00 Shop on Enzuca → |
 MOMO 3508 — Nissan 240SX / 300ZX $119.00 Shop on Enzuca → |
 MOMO 8014 — VW GTI / Golf / Jetta, Corrado $119.00 Shop on Enzuca → |
The Hub Is a Safety Part, Not Just a Bracket
It's tempting to treat the adapter as a dumb spacer and buy the cheapest thing that fits. It isn't. MOMO hub adapters use a collapsible design that absorbs impact energy through engineered deformation rather than transmitting it straight up the column into the driver.
That's the single best argument for buying a proper branded hub over an unbranded one. It's a part that sits directly between your chest and the steering column, and it's a $119 line item on a build that probably cost a great deal more than that.
Before You Order: The Airbag Question
On any car built with a driver's airbag, fitting an aftermarket wheel means removing that airbag. There's no way around it — the hub adapter replaces the factory mounting entirely.
Think this through honestly before you buy:
- You are removing a primary restraint system. In a street car that also carries passengers or family, that's a real trade-off, not a paperwork detail.
- Most cars will store a fault and light the airbag warning lamp once the driver's unit is disconnected, and that lamp typically stays on.
- Inspection, registration and insurance rules around airbag removal vary by state and country. Check yours, and if the car runs in an organised series, check the rulebook too.
None of this is a reason not to do it on a dedicated track car or a pre-airbag classic — which is where most of these wheels end up. It is a reason to make the decision deliberately on a modern daily driver.
Quick Releases: Worth It or Not?
A quick release lets you pull the wheel off in one motion. There are two good reasons to run one: faster egress from a caged car in an emergency, and easier entry and exit generally — which matters more than you'd think in a car with a fixed-back seat and a tight cage.
It sits between the wheel and the hub adapter, so you still need the vehicle-specific hub underneath. Note that a quick release also adds height, pulling the wheel toward you — factor that in alongside your wheel's dish.
 Sparco Quick Release — Bolt-On CNC-milled spline, zero-play $359.00 Shop on Enzuca → |
 OMP Quick Release — Bolt On Dual-prong, one-handed $449.00 Shop on Enzuca → |
The Sparco unit uses a CNC-milled aluminum spline connection for a zero-play interface and ships with the hardware to mount it to the wheel. The OMP uses a dual-prong interface instead of a spline, which OMP argues engages more smoothly and wears less as it beds in. Both use a 6-point base that bolts to your hub adapter and a 6-point face for the wheel, so both work with MOMO, Sparco and OMP wheels.
There's also the Rennline Quick Disconnect, machined from 7075 aircraft-grade aluminum with a tapered asymmetrical socket to stop it going loose as it breaks in. Two important caveats on this one, straight from Rennline: horn function is lost when installed, and it's designed for off-road use only. It stands 2.3" tall.
 Rennline Quick Disconnect — I18 7075 aluminum, Red or Black · off-road use only $441.00 Shop on Enzuca → |
Spacers: Use One Only If You Have To
If the wheel ends up further away than you want, a spacer will move it toward you. The OMP 60 mm spacer is hard-anodized aluminum with a hollow design, and works with MOMO, Sparco and OMP wheels.
That said, the better answer is usually to solve it with the wheel instead. A deep-dish wheel puts the rim in the same place with a shorter, stiffer mounting stack — the MOD.08 gives you 90 mm of dish and the MOD.07 gives you 70 mm, all within the wheel itself. Reach for a spacer when you've already got the wheel you want and still need a little more, not as your first move.
 OMP Steering Wheel Spacer — 60 mm $149.00 Shop on Enzuca → |
 MOMO MOD.08 — 90 mm dish built in $279.00 Shop on Enzuca → |
The Six Screws Nobody Thinks About
Mounting hardware normally comes with the hub adapter, so most installs never need to think about it. But if you've bought a used hub, or you've stripped one, or you're stacking a quick release and a spacer and suddenly need a different length, it's worth knowing the spec.
MOMO, Sparco and OMP wheels use M5 x 0.8 thread, and our replacement mounting screws are 12 mm long, black-oxide alloy steel with an angled hex head. They're sold individually and you need six per wheel — order accordingly.
Adding Buttons Without Changing Wheels
If you want horn or control buttons but you've already settled on a wheel, the MOMO Carbon Fiber Accessory Plate sandwiches between the wheel and the hub adapter. It's drilled for all 6-bolt MOMO and similar wheels, takes up to four buttons (not included), and at 2.5 mm thick it barely moves your wheel position.
Alternatively, buy a wheel with them built in — the MOD.80 and the MOD.30 with racing buttons both integrate two control buttons.
 MOMO Carbon Fiber Accessory Plate $169.00 Shop on Enzuca → |
 Replacement Mounting Screw — M5, 12 mm $1.00 each · 6 required Shop on Enzuca → |
Your Order Checklist
- Wheel — from the MOMO Steering Wheels collection.
- Hub adapter — for your exact chassis and year, from Hubs & Adapters.
- Quick release — optional; only if you're running a cage, sharing the car, or want easier egress.
- Spacer — only if dish alone doesn't get the wheel where you want it.
- Hardware — check it came with the hub; six M5 screws per wheel if not.
The Bottom Line
The wheel is the fun decision and the hub is the one that determines whether the car drives home that weekend. Buy them together, match the hub to your exact chassis and year, and treat the airbag question as a real decision rather than an inconvenience.
If you haven't picked a wheel yet, start with our MOMO Steering Wheel Guide. For classics, see Prototipo vs. Montecarlo; for track builds, MOD.07 vs. MOD.08 vs. MOD.78.