I love my 997 C2, but the leather on my steering wheel feels kind of plastic-y. My wheel (which is a round airbag model with thumb grips in sea blue) is in good shape so it's not a question of mods or wear. The other 997s I test drove had a similar feel.

Is there a way to clean/restore the leather on the wheel to make it, well, more leather-like?

if not it seems that there are three basic options
a) have the wheel re-covered in better leather (it seems like the quality can vary depending on who's doing the job, and the car is sidelined while the work is being done.)
b) install a Porsche wheel from a 991/Macan/etc. (more expensive and there may be some issues with fitting a wheel with multifunction buttons, but it keeps the original wheel original, and ultimately it's a Porsche wheel)
c) source a third-party wheel, like a Momo Prototipo (cheaper, very cool -- even Singer, 5001 and CSR do it--but you do lose the airbag.)

I know that the steering wheel is a popular mod, so I'd love to hear your thoughts about which route will deliver the best results.

 

As leather steering wheels age they get slick and less leather feeling, it’s just what happens.

I recently upgraded to a 991.2 wheel and it’s like a new car when I touch the wheel.

It wasn’t cheap because I bought all new parts. $1k for the GT MF Heated Wheel, ~$1,300 for a new factory airbag, then another $200-$300 for blanks to delete the MF and the black airbag ring. So if you were ok with risking a used wheel and airbag purchase you could probably do it for 1/2 of what I paid.

At least know the airbag isn’t some repackaged airbag from Estonia and I didn’t have to deal with a scuffed up used wheel.

If I ever get rid of my car I can swap back in the old wheel and probably sell this one for good money, since it’s a new airbag from a dealer.

So not all sunk costs.

Retaining MF and adding the heated function wasn’t a concern for me since the MF controls are limited in the 997. I can always swap the modules back in and get a $400 box to make it work if I ever care.

 

I went with alacantara for same reason. Wheel is plush, thick, and feels great

 

All that is needed is water with some liquid soap and sponge.... that should remove the oil build up and return to matte color and leather feel...

 

I went the momo route, but as said early a little warm soapy water cleans the leather wheel up nicely.

but in my opinion nothing beats a 997 w a proper momo wheel I have both a Protipo CF and the Porsche classic mod 7




makes the feel of the car so much better

 

I sent mine to DCT Carbon to be redone. It's fantastic with the flat bottom, thicker grip, and carbon accents that go with the rest of the interior. I aelected the perforated leather so I didn't have to worry about smooth leather perfectly matching the rest of the interior.

 

Love that Momo wheel! F'n hot!

 

I have that one for sale in the classified if you want one

 

With a car that has the speed capability of the 997 and very little mass up front (no engine) to take the hit, no way I'd downgrade the safety equipment in my car that might save my life without having a 4 or 5 point racing harness in the car instead, but maybe that's just me.

When buying my son a 944, I only looked at cars new enough for them to have airbags for his safety, so he ended up with an 89 S2.

 

I went with a 991.2 heated multifunction. Got the leather airbag to match. Total was probable $2500 but looks so nice.

 

I custom ordered (leather color, stitch color, center ring color) mine from a guy from Germany, he also sells on ebay. All in was under 900 bucks, I have to reuse all the buttons and airbag.

 

My impressions were similar. I then decided to have the steering wheel upholstered in its thickness. Now it is much better. I had thought about alcantara, but that is quickly worn off if you don't wear gloves all the time. But I wear gloves normally. Steering wheels should be round, so I took off from other variants.
Gloves that match the car and interior (and taste): https://tinyurl.com/2nano8jn

 

Thanks everyone. This did help me clarify my thinking. I don't think it's just that the existing wheel needs to be cleaned.
As for replacements, I love the Momo but I drive the car a lot and safety's an issue (despite the fact that people play $1 million for a Porsche without an airbag from Singer/5001/ et al )
Which takes us to the Porsche wheel options. FWIW, this wheel (and the interior) is sea blue. So I think it's going to be hard to find a blue leather that matches perfectly, and doing black wouldn't be the greatest look with the blue airbag.
And the wheel is in good shape except for the feel so it might have some value going forward.

So I think I'm leaning toward (of course) the most expensive option, a black GT wheel, with no multifunction, probably with the black trim pieces like the 911 R.

I have to say that the touchpoints are tremendously important in any car.
I swapped in an M3 wheel and a ZHP shifter on my e46 wagon and it transformed the car.
And the fwooden grenadillo and maple shift **** is one of my favorite things about the car.

So thanks as always.

 

Hey ATX_Native, is that your Sea Blue 991.2 wheel? Would love to buy that wheel off ya if you happened to move on from it. I'm in Austin and just got a Sea Blue car.

I'm guessing the $1300 factory airbag was from Suncoast? Did you buy the GT MF wheel in Sea Blue as OEM as well, or get it reupholstered?

I'm trying to figure out what looks good enough, what's cheap, and what will feel nice. I'd love a 987.2 wheel in black with reupholstered leather in blue, but then I see your full blue wheel and melted a bit.