Prototipo size ??

[Josey Whales]

What size Prototipo are most you running? 340mm, 350mm, or larger?

[MrBonus]

I was running a 370mm Prototipo but I swapped for a 380mm Abarth. Both provide decent visibility of the gauges without feeling like you're steering a boat. The car had a 350mm Prototipo originally which I actually think feels better in the hands but does obscure the gauges.

[Schulisco]

I use a 350mm Prototipo in my car but with an eccentric spacer hub to raise it. The steering wheel is bowled with 30mm, so pretty flat.
It raises the pivot 15mm and it brings the steering wheel 10mm closer to my body. Direction and wiper lever still good to reach. This makes it fit very well for me (I'm 1.90m/6ft3in tall) and increases the space under the steering wheel that much that I can easily shift my right leg under it without any problem. With the original SC steering wheel I risked to have a black stripe on my pants...Car has the stock SC seats still. I never expected the eccenter would help that much. With the stock SC 3spoke steering wheel (380mm) it's a lot harder for me to get into the car...

[wazzz]

I'm about to pull the trigger on a Prototipo 370 with an eccentric adapter for better visibility.

But I'm also very tempted by this offer by our host which ends in a couple of days.
Price is nice, but shipping to France plus 20% added import tax makes it not so nice.

[Matt at Pelican Parts]

Rennline steering wheels are great! They're made in Italy in partnership with former F1 driver Max Papis and MPI. We have lots of happy customers running them

Originally Posted by wazzz

But I'm also very tempted by this offer

[Otter74]

I have a 370mm Prototipo from the early 80s and like it much better than the 350mm Momo I had in it before (and better than the stock wheel, which was big enough too far away). May add an eccentric spacer to move it up for gauge visibility, but I like the position as it is. I have a 380mm Ferrero that I got for my Fiat because it's nicer than the one already on the car that I may try just to see how I like the extra 10mm.

[Josey Whales]

Thanks for all the input guys. Think I'm learning towards a 360 or 370mm. The OEM wheel is way too big for my liking, and being at 380mm makes me wonder if I'd find the 370 too big too. The 350 I have is too small and feels like your wrestling a gator to make turns at speeds under 10km/h. Maybe a 360 would be better? Thoughts?

[PeteKz]

360 ain't enough bigger than a 350 to make noticeable difference in the parking lot maneuvering or guage visibility. Go 370 or keep what ya got.

[HarryD]

Went from a 350 to 370 this year. Should have done it years ago. Much better.

350mm Momo



370mm Momo



Orginal 400mm

[skinnerd]

I would agree that a 370mm Prototypo is better in many ways than the 350mm version.
Better view of the instruments and leverage for turning the wheel come to mind.

I went with a 370mm Tactico which has all of these advantages.

[Josey Whales]

Originally Posted by HarryD

Went from a 350 to 370 this year. Should have done it years ago. Much better.

350mm Momo



370mm Momo

[img]http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads26/370_mm_M

omo1724125643.JPG[/img]

Orginal 400mm

Must be a sign, that's the same wheel I have that he P.O installed. That 370 looks a lot better in the cabin too compared to the 350.

[David Inc.]

Do all these wheels use pretty much the same column spacer with the six bolt pattern as the Momo?

[MrBonus]

The 380mm Abarth.

[skinnerd]

Originally Posted by David Inc.

Do all these wheels use pretty much the same column spacer with the six bolt pattern as the Momo?

Yes they do....

[jac1976]

Originally Posted by Josey Whales

Thanks for all the input guys. Think I'm learning towards a 360 or 370mm. The OEM wheel is way too big for my liking, and being at 380mm makes me wonder if I'd find the 370 too big too. The 350 I have is too small and feels like your wrestling a gator to make turns at speeds under 10km/h. Maybe a 360 would be better? Thoughts?

I have a 360 Raid/Racemark that I find just about right. I was looking at 370s a while back, but the prices for Prototipos (vintage) were a bit much for me. I like to keep things relatively period-correct and the Rennline wheel wasn’t around. That said, it seems well-made, has a “vintage” look and seems a steal right now.

[wrxnofx]

If you're tall you might HAVE to go with something smaller than 370 or 380. At 6'6", if I don't use a smaller wheel (350mm Prototipo) the larger diameter splays my legs out so far the R and 1-2 shifts are not doable.

So keep that in mind. For me it's either don't drive the car or be able to drive it fun save for parking lots and parallel parking.

[skinnerd]

I’m almost 6’ 3” and have no problems with clearance. Depends on the seat setup too I’ll wager.

[RV Flyer]

I just added the Prototipo 370 with the extended hub adapter on my 78 SC, and it seems like a winner - a bit smaller than the 380mm factory wheel but still enough leverage to make low speed work comfortable, and the view of the gauges isn't mucb worse than the factory piece. For a few years I've had on the 930S replica wheel bought from our host some years back, and at ~360mm its just a little small for parking/low speed work and blocks more of the gauges - to my taste, anyway. Its is great shape, though, so will put it up on the use parts forum soon.

[rswannabe]

Thought I'd chime in with my thoughts. I've been driving 911's with 350mm prototipo's for years and love them. They are a classic look and feel good. However, in the past I've run with aftermarket seats with fiberglass shells that sit me lower in the car and visibility of the gauges never suffered too much. In my '74 I have factory sport seats and I sit higher and can't even see the 60 mph section of the speedo without rotating it. I considered going back to a factory 380mm wheel for better visibility and easier parking effort as my '74 is a widebody with 225's up front and requires more effort. But I didn't really want to give up the Prototipo as it really suites the hot rod nature of my car. Then I found out there was a 370mm Prototipo and ordered one up along with the eccentric (offset) hub adaptor. I'm really pleased with the change.

I'm 5' 10" and here was my view with the 350mm Prototipo.



Here was the view with the 370mm without the eccentric hub.



And finally, here is my view with the 370 on an eccentric hub adaptor.

[Otter74]

My 370mm Prototipo.