williambnj

Hey everyone. I have on P-9 for some years now and stalked this forum but have finally joined the party. I have an order in for the GT4 (was on waiting list for 1.5yrs as soon as rumors started). I was wondering what you all plan to do regarding the Alcantara steering wheel and shifter? I think I will be selecting the no cost leather steering wheel and shifter as that is what I am used to with my 981 CS. Also I have read a bunch about how the Alcantara wheel and shifter wear poorly. Any thoughts on what you are choosing or past experiences would be greatly appreciated!

ktrainman

I will be going Alcantara, no personal experience. I plan on do what I can to protect the interior, perhaps driving gloves and keeping my hands clean. I agree wear and tear may be an issue but I'm going with the extra alcantara interior bits and love how special the alcantara make the interior feel.

PistolPete

If I'm lucky enough to get a allocation I plan on keeping this car for a long time.

A friend of mine had a leased 997.2 GT3 for 3 yrs and I found the material looking beat up at the end. He wasn't as **** with cleanup as I would be however.

After thinking for a while, I decided to go with the leather options.

matttheboatman

I love the feel of the Alcantara. I've only had my GTS for 4 months so far so good. But, if the Alcantara did wear out, I would simply have it re-covered by one of those steering wheel recovery specialist.

BryanCO

I've also selected the leather wheel and shift **** option. More of a personal preference wrt the feel of leather as opposed to wear concerns.

CAlexio

Just clean it once/yr.. It's a simple process with a towel, toothbrush and some mildly soapy water... Can keep it looking fresh for years even when driving it with dirty hands. Worth the effort in my opinion for the beautiful look of the wheel

khooni

Use driving gloves all the time. Different set for track and street

GT4000

no alcantara for me... prefer the leather and won't have the wear issue

NateOZ

Alcantara for me - I really don't like leather wheels.

Can clean it up with this, but I don't do a lot of miles so I'm normally out of cars before the need arises. I keep some on hand for emergency seat spills etc.

http://www.sonaxusa.com/blog/product...antara-cleaner

ilko

Alcantara looks cool, but wears poorly. I had it on my 997 Turbo and now in my 997-2 GT3. On the GT3 I had new steering wheel, shifter, and Ebrake made in leather. The feel is much nicer and they wear much better.

Dimmu

Not a big fan of alcantara, so went with leather.

consolidated

Alcantara needs some care but feels so good. Sunscreen, sweaty people and hand lotion users should stay away.

Schmidts Cat

One huge benefit to alcantara is that if you live in a place where it gets really hot, the seats, wheel and shifter won't burn your hands after sitting in the sun. I've also had no problems with wear. Easy to clean once or twice a year if needed. I'd choose it every time.

Phokaioglaukos

Ordered, but not fixed yet, leather options.

drdonger

Got Alcantara. I live in Texas and don't like putting my hands on hot leather.