# Flat Bottom Steering Wheel - Love 'Em Or Loathe 'Em?



## Bristle Hound (May 31, 2009)

Flat Bottom Steering Wheel - Love 'Em Or Loathe 'Em?



Me? I don't mind TBH as I have one in my S4 :thumb:


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## pee (Apr 6, 2009)

Never used one so can't really comment but I do like the look of them


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## Kriminal (Jan 11, 2007)

Got one in the TT. I wondered what all the moaning was about when I was reading the pro's and con's on a TT site....that was until I got mine. Although I like the styling, they're a pain in the butt when you want to make a full circle type manoeuvre as you run out of wheel when feeding it!

Still, nice styling.  :thumb:


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## WhiteRoc_170 (Jan 31, 2013)

Love mine in my scirocco. I think they look great.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

They look good, but their function isn't as good as a round wheel.


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## andy665 (Nov 1, 2005)

Form over function - totally pointless in my opinion


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## 182_Blue (Oct 25, 2005)

I have one and don't really notice it, i can't say its any better or worse than a round one.


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## RisingPower (Sep 21, 2007)

Can you control a drift easily with them?


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## baxlin (Oct 8, 2007)

Flat bottom steering wheel? I had a square one in a 1974 All-aggro....


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## Harry_p (Mar 18, 2015)

Stupid and pointless


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## dillinja999 (Aug 26, 2013)

load of barry white


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

Traditionally flat bottom steering wheels are for those high performance models, just for that visual look and to stand out from the crowd from their lesser siblings. All part of the game so to speak.


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## President Swirl (Oct 23, 2011)

Can't be worse than what Michael Knight had to contend with. Back on topic, I think they look smart in the right car.


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## robertdon777 (Nov 3, 2005)

My C1 1.2 Beast has one. 

But I do think it's to allow your legs to get under it rather than the sporting nature and link to motorsport. LOL

But I'd rather a good round one tbh.

The new Fiat Panda 4x4 thingy has a quadratic wheel exactly the same as the design legends at BL and the Allegro.


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## Blueberry (Aug 10, 2007)

I have one. Like the look of it but agree with the comment earlier that I don't notice it as being a hindrance.


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## chris.t (Jan 18, 2014)

Can take them or leave them


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## legs (Nov 3, 2011)

I've got one in my fiat 500s, quite like it actually


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## fatdazza (Dec 29, 2010)




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## Kimo (Jun 7, 2013)

I think they look cool but never used one to comment how they feel


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## robertdon777 (Nov 3, 2005)

Certain ones feel odd, take the ones in a VW polo base models. Really flat on the bottom and quite sharp too, they feel odd, the VW and Skoda GTi/R/VRS are only slightly flat and much smoother and feel better.

They still don't make a poor feeling wheel any better though.

Get in a Z4 MSport of the previous generation and that is a fantastic feeling wheel, with no flat bottom.

Most Porkers have very slim round wheels but still give great feel.

By adding a thick flat bottomed wheel to say an A3 Audi will never change it from an understeering mess into a well balanced, neutral handling car.


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## SteveTDCi (Feb 8, 2006)

Kriminal said:


> Although I like the styling, they're a pain in the butt when you want to make a full circle type manoeuvre as you run out of wheel when feeding it!
> 
> Still, nice styling.  :thumb:


This pretty much sums it up for me


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## Guest (Sep 26, 2015)

Pointless marketing gimmick. Form over function imho. Taken from single seat racing cars where space is limited and there is little need to turn the steering wheel that far either.


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## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

baxlin said:


> Flat bottom steering wheel? I had a square one in a 1974 All-aggro....


Little known fact, but the Austin Allegro was one of the safest cars on the road with a feature that still hasn't been used in any car since.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

Shiny said:


> Little known fact, but the Austin Allegro was one of the safest cars on the road with a feature that still hasn't been used in any car since.


What feature was that, the fact they hardly ever worked, so you were very unlikely be able to move to crash the thing? :lol:


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## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

It was a crash prevention feature. If a wheel falls off...









...a-leg-grows!

:tumbleweed::tumbleweed::tumbleweed::tumbleweed:


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## CaptainKirk95 (Jun 27, 2013)

robertdon777 said:


> Certain ones feel odd, take the ones in a VW polo base models. Really flat on the bottom and quite sharp too, they feel odd, the VW and Skoda GTi/R/VRS are only slightly flat and much smoother and feel better.


This^ I can remember taking a corsa vxr out before buying the vrs, i really liked the look of the wheel but didn't enjoy using it, on a different story i'm now looking at an s3 to replace the vrs and quite like the feel of it in that, so for me it depends on the car.


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## Bristle Hound (May 31, 2009)

Someone mention the square Austin Allegro steering wheel ? :lol:










Apparently is was officially named by Austin/Morris as the 'Quartic steering wheel' :doublesho :lol:


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## robertdon777 (Nov 3, 2005)

Someone post a pic of the new Panda 4x4 steering wheel. Perfect copy of the BL one.


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## Paul04 (Jul 26, 2013)

Don't have one but they look cool!


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## GleemSpray (Jan 26, 2014)

Never used one, but I honestly know that I couldn't.

Spent way, way, way too long practicing pull-push steering when I taught people to drive and its burned into my brain now to use the top and bottom of the steering wheel.

PS before anyone says it - I don't drive slowly either.


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## m4rkymark (Aug 17, 2014)

I don't find it any different to using a normal wheel really. A wheel is a wheel is a wheel.


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## Hufty (Apr 27, 2015)

Blueberry said:


> I have one. Like the look of it but agree with the comment earlier that I don't notice it as being a hindrance.


I'd agree got one in my c class coupe and OH has exactly the same wheel but fully round in her gla and I have never really noticed a difference. :driver:


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## PugIain (Jun 28, 2006)

My 508 has one.


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## Alex_225 (Feb 7, 2008)

I fitted a flat bottom wheel in first car and because I missed the bottom of the wheel, kerbed my first set of alloy wheels pulling into a space! Haha

I actually have one in my CLS63, which I think is a factory option. It's ok bit would be happy with a normal round wheel. Pure novelty and makes feeding the wheel a bit annoying, looks pretty cool though.


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## CoOkIeMoNsTeR (Mar 6, 2011)

I was driving my mates new 308 with that oval shaped wheel the other day. It is a great size; other cars should have wheels like that as it made the car IMO; ok it's no 306 to drive, but it's streets ahead of the old 308.

Flat bottom wheels can do one; they are a PITA in everyday driving and feeding the wheel is a pain. My DB9 has a perfect wheel; thick rimmed, small circumference and good weight and feel. It's also the only part of the car that hasn't broken or fallen off yet I think :wall:


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## Tricky Red (Mar 3, 2007)

Min is a flat bottomed wheel. It is good to look at but doesn't change the driving experience. I prefer a thin rimmed wheel which is what I have in the Golf


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## alan hanson (May 21, 2008)

new car has one looks sweet and works


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

I've had a couple in my MK5 and MK7 Golf GTI's. I like them, I like the fact that it takes up a little less room as I like to have it set as low as possible (I'm quite tall and like the really low set driving position).

So much so that I do notice the fully round wheel in my Wife's 1-Series BM whenever I drive that, occasionally feels a bit cumbersome.

What I'd really like is a slightly smaller diameter wheel like Porsche now have as an option in their GT3 RS at 360mm as opposed to 380mm (wouldn't mind the car either!) :driver:


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