I took the plunge and replaced the plastic wheel with a aftermarket wheel. If anyone was considering trying this I took some pics of the disassembly. The slightly heavier nature of the real wheel does reduce the force feed back and I don't know yet the long term effect on the FF motor.
http://community-2.webtv.net/grumpy/GrantWheel/
http://community-2.webtv.net/grumpy/GrantWheel/