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Love my N/A flat six. Hate the MF steering wheel that comes with it....
Let’s see how long I can ramble about my steering wheel....
This is very unfortunate, as my first foray into Porsche was the Macan when it just came out. So I had the new style Porsche wheel before most. As nice as it is, there was always “something” about it that didn’t click with me. The plastic silver spokes had horrible glare at sunset hours, it looked a bit too.... “of a mature age” with the silver and chrome ring around the Porsche emblem (the new sport steering wheel option with the matte black and steel spoke look on the other hand is perfection).
So when I got my 991.1, the MF steering wheel felt kind of fresh to me (funny how that happens), I even kind of prefer the radio-button pushes/feedback. I EVEN don’t mind the shifting buttons (don’t miss paddles too much)! I also like that it’s all black.
Yet all of a sudden, I’m feeling like the wheel is akin to a garbage plastic cup in a pristine garden. It feels so..... blech. The design of it I can get around, but the RIM feels so damn thin. Am I feeling correctly that said rim is thinner than the new standard steering wheel (which isn’t all that thick, but I remember feeling a bit more of it) rim? How about the .1 SportDesign wheel? Is the rim on that any thicker?
Anyone else feel bothered by this element in an otherwise magic machine? Or any way you can make me feel warm and fuzzy via redeeming qualities about it?
Finally, any recommendations for the cheapest option to correct it? Be it a quality thicker rim, etc. Steering wheels swap seems too much for such a thing to me, and ideally I wouldn’t want to even move the airbag. I guess a steering wheel being your worst favorite part of a car is a good thing.
I have the MF steering wheel. I don't love the look(but I don't hate it either) but I do love the functionality.I am constantly changing the radio station so I use it non-stop. Also, the heated steering wheel was a must have.Would order it again.
I think I know which wheel you're talking about and if I'm right, I can't stand those shift buttons. That alone would have me replacing the wheel. Unfortunately I think the wheel replacement is a pricey thing to do. It's easy enough - just see what Suncoast offers and pick the one you like. Have your dealer do the swap. For me, the best wheel is the GT Sport. Has the paddles and the smaller diameter.
Porsches have thin steering wheels. I dislike this as well.
Indeed. I loved my BMW M wheel. Soft nappa and massive thick. Too bad the rest of the car was a bore, lol.
Originally Posted by Bacura
I have the MF steering wheel. I don't love the look(but I don't hate it either) but I do love the functionality.I am constantly changing the radio station so I use it non-stop. Also, the heated steering wheel was a must have.Would order it again.
True. FUNCTIONALLY, it’s probably the best wheel I’ve used. I even have gotten slight use out of the heated aspect. It’s just that rim.... grrrr.
Originally Posted by tstafford
I think I know which wheel you're talking about and if I'm right, I can't stand those shift buttons. That alone would have me replacing the wheel. Unfortunately I think the wheel replacement is a pricey thing to do. It's easy enough - just see what Suncoast offers and pick the one you like. Have your dealer do the swap. For me, the best wheel is the GT Sport. Has the paddles and the smaller diameter.
What’s funny is that I don’t even hate the buttons (and use them often). Maybe (likely) it’s the feedback of how loud and barking my car sounds when pressing them, but it has a more visceral feel than I expected. Of course, I’d prefer paddles anyday, given the choice. My top beefs with it are: Rim and then maybe design. But it’s mostly the grip. I also miss how my Macan (now standard new 911 as well) wheel is concave (good for enthusiastic driving).
I have the .1 Sport Design wheel. love the feel. The "aluminum" could be nicer and I wish the airbag was smaller - which does date it but it's almost a 10 year old design. Eventually, I'll replace all the silver bits with carbon fiber. The feel is great. I also prefer for this car that there are no buttons and it's just there to drive and shift. If this was my daily I'd likely have different sentiments. I do wish it had the heat function but don't drive it in the cold so don't care enough to do anything about it.
The .1 MF wheel came with my car as well. The SD wheel was the one I originally wanted but the rest of the car's spec was perfect and I knew this could easily be changed so I didn't worry about it too much.
I don't like to write something off before giving it a chance so I gave the .1 MF wheel a 30-60 day go before switching it out... I couldn't get used to the shift buttons (probable because my other cars have paddles) and I didn't use the radio or MF buttons. The .1 MF wheel looks incredibly cheap compared to the .1 SD wheel and I prefer the no button look.
So I went with a .1 SD wheel from Suncoast wrapped in alcantara. The .1 SD alcantara definitely feels thicker compared to the leather on the .1 MF. Suncoast sent me everything I needed and the only inconvenience was finding time to have it installed at the local dealer (which took maybe 1-2 hours).
Switching to the .1 SD wheel is the single best change I have made to my 911.
^^^ This. I've used http://www.dallassteeringwheel.com in the past on other cars (BMW/Acura) and have been *very* satisfied with their work. Better quality than OEM IMO.
It cost me $3600 for a custom Alcantara wrapped .2 wheel, new airbag and GPS adapter with installation. It's the best $ I've ever spent on a Porsche. That .1 MF wheel is the biggest POS ever designed by Porsche IMHO. It brings back bad memories of the tiptronic wheel in the 996 I owned. Give me a .2 rear bumper and tail lights and I'd be in heaven.
01-17-2018, 09:49 AM
Love my N/A flat six. Hate the MF steering wheel that comes with it....
