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I live in Texas and I will be in Dallas this weekend and I am thinking about dropping my steering wheel off at the Dallas shop to have it redone. I have two questions specifically that I am not sure of and want some opinions.
1. Perforated leather or smooth leather?
2. 1/16" padding or 1/8" padding?
I went w/ the thicker padding when they did mine. Coming from ///M cars I’m use to the thicker padding. My car is a MT I just had to switch out my multifunctional steering wheel controls.
I never thought about it. I just wanted the all leather one. I originally wanted a alcantara wheel but the forum coached me out of getting it. I’m sitting in my 135i right now & it has both smooth & perforated & it seems fine also. I don’t see dirt getting in the little holes. It’s going to come down to preference. Feel confident buying from Donald at Dallas he is great to work with.
I got the thicker with smooth on top and bottom and perforated on the middle sides. Or, you can do the opposite. Any way I don't think you can go wrong...
I got the thicker with smooth on top and bottom and perforated on the middle sides. Or, you can do the opposite. Any way I don't think you can go wrong...
Ohh I didn’t know that would be an option. Will you please post a picture?
I have had 3 of my steering wheels custom wrapped from "Dallas Custom Steering Wheels". Google them and you can also see a lot on ebay from them. The owners name is Donald. Depending on what you want done his charges are not too bad, with a core exchange. Expect around $450 bucks. You can add thicker padding, thumb rests if you don't already have them, colored stitching, and wrap the wheel however you like with different colored leather or alcantara. Search his website and you will get a lot of ideas of what he can do. The combo of material, stitching, and color are all up to you.
Important, but just for reference, the custom padding on my steering wheels is called the 1/16 "Thin" padding" that adds about 1/4 inch thickness. I am not very tall, so the 1/16 thin padding feels great for someone my size. For those who are taller with bigger hands then the 1/8 "Thick" padding that adds 1/2 inch in thickness may be more to your liking. My wife has small hands so I got the 1/16 padding and I really like it too since I am not a tall guy myself. I do have the 1/8 thicker padding on my Cayenne suv steering wheel and it is noticeably thicker, but a nice fit for a truck/suv. Hope that helps. they do great work!
Also, another nice tip, they have different textures for the leather as well. I have "NAPA" leather in my C4S which has a bit of a grittier feel to it than the "smooth" natural leather that comes standard on most porsches. I used the more natural smooth black leather on my Cayman's steering wheel wrap job. I like them both very much and makes a really nice difference, but the NAPA has a bit more grip to it and feels a bit sportier because it's not as smooth. Either way you can't lose..
As far as perforated leather... I am OCD about cleanliness in my car. Steering with perforations can trap oil and dust in the small holes. It is only my preference, but I prefer cleanliness over ultimate grip on my steering wheel... That is also why I will never get a Alcantara wrapped steering wheel or stick shift in my car, but that's just me....hope that makes sense.
Gotta get the sport shifter. The Porsche 997 Short shifter is the way to go part # 997-424-983-00. You know it's the short version when you see a blue plastic base swivel at the bottom of the stick.. Google that part number and you will know what I mean. Makes a huge difference in the precision and quality feel when shifting. Really makes you feel more connected with the shifting mechanism and also works really great in merging all the controls better together. The relationship between clutch, steering, braking, shifting will feel more as one unit. I mention this in my Cayman one take review. It just works better all around with more precision and the pressure and tension you use between controls.. hope that makes sense. You can get lucky and find them used on ebay or at a porsche dismantler. New they will run you about $450 sunset porsche parts. Also, not sure what shift **** you have, but that can make a nice difference too in the look and feel of just holding the ****. My 911 car has the carbon fiber ****, but the "turbo" **** is a great one too which you can see in my Cayman interior shot below. Hope that helps!.
This was the wrap job done on my Cayman S.. The steering wheel had no thumb rests before. This is also with 1/16 "thinner" padding. which is still about 1/4 inch thicker than stock. Also have Short shift kit and "Turbo" shift **** in Cayman
I've got an extra wheel if you want to recover it while waiting for yours to get done.
Thank you for the offer. I also have an extra one. I have the triangle steering wheel. The one on my car has the steering wheel controls and the extra one does not. I wonder if I send the one with the controls and continue to drive with the one without the controls if the car will forget and I need to take it back to the dealer to resync it? Dealer is over 2 hours away. One way.
Qikqbn, your refurbished wheels look terrific. I will have to archive this thread if I ver need to have my wheel leather replaced. Thank you for sharing.
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Steering Wheel Wrap
