Honda Fit (GK) Aftermarket Steering Wheel Install with a Spoon / WorksBell 226 Hub
Introduction
This guide covers replacing the factory steering wheel on a third-generation Honda Fit (GK / GK5) with an aftermarket wheel such as a Nardi, Momo, Sparco, or Grip Royal, mounted on a Spoon GK5 hub. That hub is the very same part Honda-scene vendors also sell under the WorksBell 226 and 226S labels. Because the Fit runs an airbag and electric power steering, this is as much an electrical job as a mechanical one: the SRS system has to be discharged and then faked out with resistors, and the steering-wheel-control connector must be handled or the EPS warning light will appear. Done carefully, the airbag reseats to factory fitment and the swap is clean; done carelessly, by hammering the old wheel on or off, you can wreck the steering angle sensor behind the horn and trigger random EPS faults. Read the full procedure, including the resistor and sensor notes gathered from members who ran into trouble, before you start. Be aware that removing the airbag deletes a life-safety device and may need to be reported to your insurer. Adapted from a community writeup by nisco on FitFreak (https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/3rd-gen-gk-specific-fit-interior-modifications-sub-forum/96339-diy-aftermarket-steering-wheel-install-using-spoon-worksbell-226-hub.html), including corrections from the follow-up discussion.
Reference
Tools Required
- 3/8" ratchet with extension
- 3/8" drive 10mm socket
- 3/8" drive T30 socket
- 3/8" drive 10mm six-point hex socket
- 1/2"-to-3/8" drive adaptor
- 1/2" impact gun with extension (or a long breaker bar)
- Small flexible ruler or straightedge
- Exacto / hobby knife
- Marker
- Needle-nose pliers
- 3mm hex key
Parts Required
-
Spoon GK5 hub (identical to WorksBell 226 or 226S)
-
Aftermarket steering wheel with a standard six-bolt face (Nardi, Momo, Sparco, Grip Royal, etc.)
-
SRS dummy resistors (typically two, one per airbag plug)
-
Horn button and horn adapter plug (confirm what your hub kit includes)
Safety Warnings
- ⚠ Removing the airbag disables a life-safety device and may need to be reported to your insurer.
- ⚠ Always fully discharge the SRS system (battery disconnected at least 10 minutes) before touching any airbag connector, and handle the module carefully.
- ⚠ Never hammer the wheel on or off. A damaged steering angle sensor behind the horn is the documented cause of the random EPS warning light and the 'loose' steering feel some members reported.
- ⚠ An EPS or steering warning light commonly appears after disconnecting the steering-wheel-control connector; do not ignore it long-term or drive on a genuinely faulty sensor.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1 Discharge the SRS system
Switch off the ignition, then loosen the negative battery terminal with a 10mm socket and set the cable aside where it cannot spring back onto the post. Let the car sit for at least 10 minutes so the airbag backup capacitor fully bleeds down before you touch any SRS connectors.
2 Free the airbag module
Rotate the wheel as needed to reach the two T30 fasteners hidden behind the spokes, one on each side. Back both out, then ease the airbag / horn pad straight toward you, supporting its weight and keeping tension off the wiring behind it.
3 Unplug the airbag and control connectors
With the pad tilted forward, release its plugs. Use needle-nose pliers to lift the white locking tab on each connector, then disconnect the horn feed (the orange wire) and the large white steering-wheel-control plug. Set the airbag face-up on a bench, clear of the work area.
4 Scribe a dead-center reference
Before loosening anything, leave the wheel bolted and pointing dead ahead. Lay a thin flexible ruler or straightedge across the alignment notches at the top and bottom edges of the wheel, then cut a small witness mark into the splined shaft at true top-center with a hobby knife. Darken it with a marker so the hub can later be clocked to the same point.
5 Crack the center bolt loose
Fit the 10mm six-point hex socket with a 1/2"-to-3/8" adaptor and run it off an impact gun with an extension. This bolt is torqued extremely tight from the factory; a hand ratchet almost never breaks it free, so use the impact gun or a long breaker bar rather than fighting it by hand.
6 Pull the factory wheel off the splines
Draw the wheel straight off by hand; most come free without a puller. Do not hammer or slap the wheel to unseat or reseat it. One member who smacked his wheel destroyed the steering angle sensor tucked behind the horn and had to buy new sensors plus pay for shop labor, and others chasing a random EPS light traced the fault to this same damage.
7 Dummy the SRS and control circuits
Plug the resistor(s) supplied with the hub into the airbag connectors to simulate the module and keep the SRS light off. Note the correction from the thread: both the grey plug and the green plug each need a resistor, so fitting only one leaves the airbag light on until the second is added and the code is cleared. Reconnect the white control plug to its harness.
8 Fit the hub
Slide the Spoon GK5 / WorksBell 226 hub onto the splined shaft with its top index lined up to the mark you scribed, feeding the airbag and horn wiring out through the rear of the hub. Refit the center bolt and tighten it firmly with the impact gun until it is solidly seated.
9 Bolt on the wheel and horn
Secure the aftermarket wheel to the hub face using its six hex bolts and a 3mm hex key. Run the horn lead across to your button; Nardi buttons earth themselves through the hub body, while other brands follow their own supplied wiring. Press the button home with its logo squared up.
10 Reconnect and verify
Refit the negative battery cable and tighten the 10mm terminal, then reset the clock. Test the horn and watch for warning lamps: expect to address the SRS light if the second resistor is still outstanding, and confirm the EPS light stays off. If it flickers or the steering feels loose, revisit the control connector and the angle sensor rather than driving on it.
Pro Tips
- 💡 To keep factory cruise and audio buttons on an aftermarket wheel, members point to a billet controller from The Steering Solutions (thesteeringsolutions.com); the unit is made for the 9th-gen Civic but works here because the switchgear is shared.
- 💡 Hub kit contents vary by brand. Genuine Spoon / WorksBell 226 kits include the small white two-wire horn plug and the resistors, but some hubs (for example certain NRG kits) ship with resistors only and no horn plug, so source a horn adapter separately.
- 💡 The airbag reinstalls to factory fitment without trouble; the real risk with this job is electrical damage to the sensors, not the mechanical mounting of the module.
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