Bumping this thread as I'm considering an alcantara wheel and have asked around and heard the horror stories ... it would seem @WestBank has it right: if you get Alcantara you have to take care of it.

Great video on taking care of it from Obsessed Garage:


Net-net seems like it's less recovering and more care

 

It seems like many of the folks that are against alcantara are people that have not experienced it first hand. My car was a 2016 GTS and the steering wheel looked brand new after 5 years . No special care was required. I wasn't eating fried chicken in the car, but I don't think many people do. I loved the feel of it and am speccing it in my 2022.

 

I LOVE it. I have had an alcantara wheel in every car I've owned over the past 6 years and find it very easy to keep clean. I do not have sweaty/oily hands though, which I thinik helps. Leather wheels will wear as well from the oils, they just get shiny, I hate that look just as much so I'd be very particular about taking care of my steering wheel regardless of what material I chose. The Porsche steering wheel also isn't very thick, so I find that the Race Tex wheel feels a bit more "premium" for whatever that's worth.

 

I researched alcantara too and decided that as long as you take care of it (clean it and avoid greasy hands) it is worth it. I just added the alcantara steering wheel and center console rest to my C2S build that locks in 3 weeks. The interior is basic black and this should accent nicely.

 

I agree 100%. From all my research, if you take care of it you will have no problems. I also have chosen the Race-Tex steering wheel in addition to the headliner and sunshades on my upcoming build, which I believe locks in a few more weeks. I have owned other sports cars with Alcantara on door panels and such and never had an issue. The non-touched surfaces stay new looking pretty much indefinitely. If you clean your interior at least every six months and use a quality Alcantara cleaner on the wheel it will stay nice and supple for a long time to come. It's worth the slightly extra effort for the lavish feel it provides under my hands.