How to Use Quick Release Steering Wheel?

Quick Release Steering Wheel Preamble:

Do you know what they say about life being too short to put yourself in harm’s way? Yeah, that statement also applies to the groove you share with your car.

You don’t have to get yourself a car you’ve always dreamed of only to have robbers hijack it from you. And if you’ve had such an experience, here’s your chance to turn the table around.

A quick-release steering wheel is not just about giving your car’s interior some classy look, it’s also the magic wand you wave to get rid of thieves.

So, I’ll walk you through the A-Z of what a quick steering wheel is, the best maker in the market, the tools needed for installation, and the step-by-step guide.

Tips 

It’s very common in the engineering world to get a new posh toy only to get back home, crack the manual open and discover it’s written in Korean or Arabic.

So you need to dot your I’s and cross the T’s by confirming the manual’s language.

What is a Quick Release Steering Wheel?

It’s a performance-enhancing steering wheel that you can easily and quickly detach.

Thankfully, the difference between factory-installed and quick-release steering wheels isn’t that hidden.

The former is secured by a nut located behind the trim pieces, while the latter is often fixed by pins, push or pull rings, or cams.

Best Quick Release Steering Wheel in the Market

NRG Innovations SRK-200BK Quick Release (Black Body/Black Ring), gen 2.0

It is built for street and racing applications by allowing you to quickly remove and replace aftermarket steering wheels from the attachment hub.

Features:

• It has the only dual spring self-indexing quick releases in the industry.
• The short hub permits quick release.
• Fit type is universal.
• Weighs 2 pounds.
• 5 × 5 ×5 inches.

Pros:

• Gives the driver a convenient steering position.
• Very strong and durable.
• Has a ball-lock feature for the best usability and locking fitting.
• Made of high-quality aluminum.
• Allows easy and safe operation of your vehicle.

Cons:

• Somewhat pricey.

Tools for Quick Release Steering Wheel Installation

• 3/8″ drive 6″ extension.
• 3/8″ drive ratchet.
• 3/8″ drive 22mm deep socket.
• A 3mm Allen wrench.
• A small flat screwdriver.
• A small hook pick.

You can also have a wire stripper, heat shrink tubing, and spare electrical wire nearby.

A Step-by-step Guide to Install a Quick Release Steering Wheel

To make this easier for you, I’ve broken the process into steps.

So you can read through as you install the wheel and check if you’re getting it right. Let’s start.

Step 1: Get Your Vehicle Ready

To get your vehicle ready, make sure it is parked in a secure place with the brakes activated.

And to avoid misalignment, the wheels also need to be set straight.

After that, make sure the horn is removed from the steering wheel.

Depending on your car’s make and model, you can do that with a portable screwdriver to remove the horn out of its plastic ring or your bare hand.

At this point, you should be seeing a bunch of wires. Have you seen it?

Great. Disconnect the wires and remove the horn (make sure you take a picture before the disconnection).

Step 2: Detach the Steering Wheel

After the separation, you’ll have access to all the mechanisms needed to install the quick-release steering wheel.

And all you need to do to remove it when you take off the nut that’s usually at the wheel’s center.

Once the nut, washer, and spacer have been carefully removed, you’ll be surprised to see the steering wheel pull itself towards you. Peachy!

Step 3: Fixing The Short Hub

Look for the hook pick I listed for you and check the rear part of the now-removed steering wheel assembly, you should see a gold ring there.

Get under it and carefully disengage it. Once the ring is out, there’s a fixed black wire right there. Thread the wire through the NRG short hub and slide the ring back to its position.

You can now connect the black wire with the yellow wire and the other black wire. Have you done that?

You can now put the first nut, washer, and spacer back onto the wheel and tighten it with a ratchet.

I’ll suggest that you tuck the wires into the short hub for proper attachment.

Step 4: Install the Quick Release

Your first step here’s to press the quick release into its correct position, and you shouldn’t stop until you hear or feel it forced into place.

What you need now is to reinstall the wheel. It can be very simple or difficult – it all depends on your car’s type.

If luck shines on you, your wheel should require ½” 3mm Allen head bolts and it’ll help you ease the installation while making sure the alignment is correct.

If you’re on the other divide, the hardware needed to keep the steering wheel might not work with your car’s mechanism.

So you’ll have to cut long screws short or get longer screws to fit them properly. After that, your next task is to put the horn back in.

You can fall back on that picture you took to know where the wires joined and where they should be.

If you could pull this through, hearty congratulations! You’ve just installed a quick-release steering wheel!

Meanwhile, there’s the last step if you’re struggling with unaligned connections like male-to-male.

Step 5: The Extra Lap

You should have male-to-male connectors here, right? That’s your ticket to finishing what you’ve started and it shouldn’t be a problem if you have all the needed tools with you.

Get a length of wire and cut it to two inches approximately and strip it at both ends. Carefully seep the wire through a female connection and confirm it’s perfectly positioned.

You can now wrap those two ends for security reasons. And you’ll only need almost a half-inch, so you can use a lighter to heat the tubing as it shrinks.

Make sure the second tubing is slipped on before you crimp the wire. That’s all!

You should have an adapter for male-to-male connections right now.

FAQs 

Are Quick Release Steering Wheels Legal?

Generally, getting a quick-release steering wheel is not legal but some states give jurisdictional waivers.

And if your factory-installed wheel has an airbag, your quick-release steering must also have an airbag.

Conclusion

No doubt, getting yourself a quick-release steering wheel will turn your driving life around but you need to make hay while the sun shines.

Trust me, it’s your chance to give your car some security and a classy interior. Go get it!