Topic: Wood Grain Steering Wheel

[MWM]

Good Morning,
How does one discern a factory wood grain (faux) steering wheel from an aftermarket?  Besides an occasional crack?  Are there details that set one apart from the other?
thank you!

[CharlesTurner]

The repro wheel does not have the same satin finish on the spokes.  It's too shiny on the repro.  Also, the grain detail and color on the repro is not the same as original.  Originals have darker brown hues with detailed grain patterns.

[drummingrocks]

Also, though it may have changed now, there used to be a very obvious weight difference.  An OEM wheel is much heavier and feels much more solid.  The reproductions feel extremely light and cheaper made.

[C5ZZKGT]

Acording to what I've heard there are at least a couple of manufacturers of the repros.
Rick Schmidt of NPD explained the differences recently on anouther site's forum which I'll try to find and link and post.
I personally have seen many variations of the wheel and I must confess I can't tell/don't know what wheel is which.
I believe that both NPD/Rick AND VA/Brant carry a top quality reproduction wheel AND the usual dime store/WalMart wheel, so "we" just need to know what to ask for in obtaining quality reproduction parts.