Cross-posting this so the information has a more permanent home than the main Fiero facebook page.
I decided to do some digging into the background on the Fiero Store's reproduction GT steering wheels. After looking through some old catalogs and speaking to a member of the Fiero Store team, I managed to learn quite a bit. I even managed to purchase one to strip down and take extensive photos of.
These wheels were first offered by the Fiero Store in 2001 and the last purchase order to their supplier was placed in 2008. They were offered in black(75006), gray (75005), dark saddle (75004) and light saddle (75003) with approximately 1000 units produced overall across the four colors.
Gray and black were the first colors to sell out, with gray no longer being offered in the FS 2008-2010 catalog. Light saddle was the last to sell out, with the final wheels sold in 2013. Wheels were sold for $109.95, and did not include a splined hub or trim rings. Buyers would have to swap the old ones over from their original wheel.
Although details on the manufacturer are slim, it sounds as if an original Fiero NP5 GT wheel was provided to a third party company, who then used it to requisition reproductions from a manufacturer in China or Taiwan.
None of the design differences like the smaller diameter or finger notches along the rim were by request, and were likely holdovers from the manufacturer modifying an existing design to suit the Fiero. The only design request that was made by the Fiero Store was that no padding be used in the reproduction wheels, as the Fiero Store did not want a repeat of the brown goop that plagued OEM wheels.
These reproduction wheels are slightly smaller in circumference than a factory GT wheel (109cm vs. 116cm), have much shallower thumb notches on the left and right spokes, and have the aforementioned finger grip notches around the backside of the wheel.
Unlike OEM wheels which are injection-molded urethane around a steel core, these wheels are made from several wooden segments glued around a core. Two wooden rings make up the rim, with separate pieces for each spoke. On every reproduction wheel I've seen in person, the distance of the spokes varies widely, giving the spokes an uneven appearance.
Despite these difference from OEM wheels, I'd say that these wheels were an admirable attempt to remedy a real issue in the Fiero community. At the price they were originally offered, they were a much cheaper alternative to having your wheel professionally recovered. Unfortunately, there appear to be no future plans to reproduce any kind of replacement wheels for our cars.
These days, your best bet is to swap to an aftermarket wheel or have your OEM wheel recovered. Over the past 9 years, I've recovered over 400 wheels, with no signs of things slowing down any time soon. I stock a variety of different leather and thread colors, and offer additional options like extra padding, colored top markers, hub/spoke refurbishing, and 3D printed replacement trim rings.
If the is any interest, I may also post the info I've gathered up on the various different wheels that were offered in the Fiero across its 5-year lifespan. To those of you who took the time to read through this full post, I appreciate you taking the time and hope you found it insightful!
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Irrationable's Garage LLC - Steering Wheel Recovery
irrationablewheels@gmail.com
Instagram: @irrationablesgarage
1988 Fiero GT - 3.4 DOHC swapped
[This message has been edited by Irrationable (edited 12-18-2023).]
