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Goal:
The goal was to design and build a new steering wheel for Olin’s Baja SAE team that improves comfort, control, and adaptability for every driver. We wanted a wheel that fits a wide range of hand sizes, survives long endurance races, and integrates useful telemetry in a way that supports the driver without distraction. This meant replacing a purchased wheel that many teammates found uncomfortable and redesigning it from the ground up with an ergonomic and driver centered approach.
Challenges:
One of the biggest challenges was finding a manufacturing process that produced clean geometry while still holding tight tolerances for the quick release hub and interchangeable TPU grips. Plasma cutting the 6061 T6 aluminum plate gave us the shape we needed, but the material thickness caused small inconsistencies in edge quality and hole precision.
We also had to manage competing priorities: making the wheel durable enough for harsh Baja conditions, keeping it lightweight, allowing fast grip swaps between runs, and leaving room for a built in telemetry display. Throughout the process we tested several prototypes with team drivers, gathering feedback on grip comfort, steering feel, and the reachability of key controls. Each round surfaced new mechanical and human centered issues that shaped the next iteration.
