The steering wheel is one of the most personal items in any classic-MG cockpit, the component the driver is in contact with every moment the car is moving, and the visual centrepiece of the cabin space. This section gathers classic wood-rim and leather-wrapped steering wheels in a range of sizes and styles to suit any classic MG's interior, from the period-correct full-diameter wood rim that matches an original-specification cabin through to the smaller deep-dished competition diameters used on sporting builds.
The original wheels fitted during production were typically large-diameter painted-metal-and-plastic items, the MGB using 16½ inches on early cars, reduced to 15½ inches from 1970 and to 15 inches from the 1977 facelift, and replacement with a wood-rimmed or leather-wrapped wheel transforms both the look of the interior and the tactile experience of driving the car, one of the most effective single upgrades to the driving experience by sharpening the steering response, opening up the cockpit, and giving the driving position a more purposeful character.
Brand Ranges
Several principal brand families are stocked. Moto-Lita is the benchmark name in classic-car steering wheels, hand-crafted in the UK since the late 1950s, with a heritage stretching back to the period works competition cars and a reputation for the highest standards of finish, materials, and construction, available in wood, walnut, and leather rim options across a wide range of sizes from 13 to 16 inches, in flat or dished profiles with or without holes, supplied with clamping ring and fixings. Mountney is a long-established British manufacturer providing wood and leather rim wheels at the more accessible end of the range, well-suited to road-driven cars where a quality finished wheel is wanted without the cost premium of the specialist brands. The Classic range provides a mid-priced option with a similar look and finish, offering riveted dark-wood rim wheels with polished alloy three-spoke construction in dished or flat designs.
Lecarra and Momo wheels are also stocked, the Momo range using a 12-hole mounting pattern with its own dedicated boss requirements, alongside the MGOC Club range.
Wood-Rim & Leather-Wrapped Construction
Wood-rim wheels use a polished hardwood rim, typically mahogany, walnut, or dark wood, bonded to a polished alloy or stainless-steel spoke frame, the visual character unmistakably period-sporting and the tactile experience similarly improved, the warm grip of polished hardwood providing better feedback than a plastic rim can offer, the natural texture resisting slipping under hard cornering, and the comfortable curve of a properly shaped rim reducing driving fatigue on longer journeys. A walnut-rimmed variant with a wider, more substantial rim offers a premium feel. Leather-wrapped wheels use a polished alloy spoke frame with a fine-leather covering on the rim, stitched in place along the inner face where the stitching is invisible from the driver's normal viewing position, giving a slightly different tactile character, softer, more compliant, and slightly grippier in cold or damp conditions, particularly suited to cars built to a more modern character where the wood-rim's clearly period look might feel out of place. Black is the standard leather colour with tan, brown, and other shades available for matching specific interior schemes.
Diameter, Dishing & Boss Kit Selection
Wheel diameter is a meaningful choice, typically 12 to 15 inches for most aftermarket installations, modern replacements being substantially smaller than the original full-diameter wheels which produces a more responsive steering feel and frees up cabin space, with the trade-off being slightly heavier steering at parking speeds on the unassisted racks. The right diameter depends on the owner's preference for steering weight and the visual character being aimed at. Flat and dished profiles are available, a dished wheel positioning the rim closer to the driver to improve the driving position and giving additional clearance between the driver's hands and the instrument panel, useful where the dashboard is relatively close to the steering wheel. Each replacement wheel requires a matched boss kit, the steering-column-end hardware that adapts the wheel to the specific steering column on the car, covered in the dedicated Boss Kits section, with the boss matched to the wheel's hole pattern, typically six-hole or nine-hole on most aftermarket wheels and twelve-hole on Momo, and to the specific column splines of the car.
Great care should be taken when changing steering wheels on collapsible steering columns, as undue force could cause the column to collapse, and indicator cancellation and horn-contact arrangements should be confirmed when fitting a new wheel.