alcantara STEERING wheels
 

are they pita to maintain?

how do they hold up to wear/UV/sweat over the years?

street use...might get driving gloves for canyon runs

They basically become leather wheels over time, if you don't wear gloves at all times.
You will also find your bare hands don't visibly go black while driving, but every time you get out of the car and wash your hands...the water coming off your hands is black.

*edit* I should add that the alcantara wheel in the Midget, which has no roof or windshield, went through multiple torrential rain storms getting sopping wet. I very rarely ever wore gloves while driving it, and a year later the wheel still looks brand new. The rally bug wheel is 12+ years old (used in multiple cars) and is no longer fuzzy. It's basically a leather wheel.

:suspicious:

oh... Steering wheels.

nvm.

Yeah I was totally imagining some weird Russian creation before clicking into this thread :heckno:

so alcantara seats wear/age better because of less skin contact? or also turns leather-like due to weight?

Out of all the weird shit I've seen during this quarantine, it felt normal clicking into this thread expecting some weird creation.

I'm a little disappointed

Well, it's not really "leather" its just smooth, not fuzzy, alcantara. I presume it's because there is skin contact / moisture / oils. Let me go collect some steering wheels for you...

"So Dave, just how bored are you with stay at home isolation?" Bored enough to collect, photograph, and then post photos of steering wheels on the internet.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2107641b_b.jpgDJHF4862 by Dave Hord, on Flickr

Bottom wheel is brand new. Middle wheel is the Midget wheel that has seen a year of use including a minimum of four complete soakings. Top wheel is 12+ year old from the Rally Bug.

Very slight loss of colour on the Midget wheel. Without the new wheel beside it, you'd never know it was used. Not so much with the Rally Bug wheel!

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2ffc4295_b.jpgDJHF4865 by Dave Hord, on Flickr

^ so the 12+yr old steering wheel is leather, not alcantara, right?

I want to get my Model 3 fake leather wrapped with Alcantara, but afraid daily dirty hand will ruin the whole thing.

can't decide if i want the grips to be perforated nappa or alcantara



leaning more towards the latter if i get the alcantara seats...i'm surprised alcantara shift knobs aren't more popular than shift boots, dash/door trims etc. or maybe it just looks awful after a while in high touch areas

Wrong. All three wheels started with the same alcantara finish. Old steering wheel has done over 500,000km in 3 different vehicles.

#metoo

#metoo

glad im not the only one

When I was looking at used CTS-V's for sale, many of them had gross looking steering wheels because of the Alcantara.

Same with my friend's CLA45.

Just disgusting.

Suede is terrible but alcantara holds up well and is easier to maintain compared to suede.

Here's mine after 3000 km.

https://scontent.fcxh3-1.fna.fbcdn.n...07&oe=5EC2B3E4

^ Oh, are we using this alcantara thing to flex our sick rides?

Heres my wheel.
https://www.windowscentral.com/sites...?itok=vNYc_Ncw

JK, no way I could afford this.

Found this from OG Garage: Steam it, apply product with brush, steam it, pat it dry, vacuum it dry, and when it is dry sand it down with a leather sanding block.

I'll probably try it one of these days considering my interior is 75% alcantara