I installed a cheap steering leather cover from Ebay and it went great!

"Dasupersprint - base trim is enough" (dasupersprint) 09/06/2017 at 14:57 • Filed to: None

15

30

Seriously improved the feeling, looks, and my life in general. For 30$!

Let’s start with the standard plastic steering.

Yuck. crap.

Crappy crap crap

The kit included everything I needed and Youtube links for installation instructions. It looks like a big job, and it is. The chinese guys in the videos do it in like 15 mins. I took 3 hours I think.

The final result is awesome and in my head I added 5k of worth to my car

Tareim - V8 powered > Dasupersprint - base trim is enough 09/06/2017 at 15:03

2

why couldn’t they have just done that from the factory? it instantly gives it huge improvement

MonkeePuzzle > Dasupersprint - base trim is enough 09/06/2017 at 15:04

2

huh. came out great.

what kit?

Dasupersprint - base trim is enough > Tareim - V8 powered 09/06/2017 at 15:09

2

Because my Optima is a manual, and manuals are evil so they should be only available in the bare bones model

TrickJos > Dasupersprint - base trim is enough 09/06/2017 at 15:10

2

A+

Quadradeuce > Dasupersprint - base trim is enough 09/06/2017 at 15:10

1

That looks...fantastic. As Tareim said, why didn’t they just do that at the factory? The leather wrapped wheel in my Sierra is a nice touch, even if the rest of the interior is cloth. It’s just the right material for a steering wheel.

Dasupersprint - base trim is enough > MonkeePuzzle 09/06/2017 at 15:10

1

I just searched for “leather steering optima” and took the cheapest one. They had variable prices, but all the same pictures

CobraJoe > Dasupersprint - base trim is enough 09/06/2017 at 15:13

1

If your shift boot is a vinyl cheap thing, maybe consider doing a leather upgrade there too. Made my SN95 Mustang feel a lot fancier, and I barely ever touched the thing.

vicali > Dasupersprint - base trim is enough 09/06/2017 at 15:13

5

Much better than anticipated..

Dasupersprint - base trim is enough > Quadradeuce 09/06/2017 at 15:14

0

Well my car is a 2013 base model. Now I think plastic steerings are becoming rarer. Only other think that felt cheap was the shift knob and I changed that too.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Dasupersprint - base trim is enough 09/06/2017 at 15:14

0

Looks great! I thought about doing this with my Forester that was also only available with a plastic steering wheel if you got the manual, but I was afraid it would end up looking like crap. I ended up just getting a used leather wheel from a wrecked higher trim and swapping the whole wheel. I was also afraid of how long it would take, but 3 hours doesn’t seem that bad. I think you are crazy for doing it in the car. I still would’ve taken the wheel out and gone and stitched inside on the couch.

Dasupersprint - base trim is enough > CobraJoe 09/06/2017 at 15:16

1

I know it’s probably fake leather, but it’s not bad.

Dasupersprint - base trim is enough > vicali 09/06/2017 at 15:17

0

wow!

Andrew Pascarella > Dasupersprint - base trim is enough 09/06/2017 at 15:17

1

I wasn’t expecting that, nicely done. Looks great.

E92M3 > Dasupersprint - base trim is enough 09/06/2017 at 15:18

7

I would of never thought anyone could DIY and get the stitching to look that good.

Dasupersprint - base trim is enough > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com 09/06/2017 at 15:19

2

ah! I used the car for 2-3 days with it half-assembled cause I don’t have too much free time for these things

Dasupersprint - base trim is enough > E92M3 09/06/2017 at 15:21

1

Thanks! It’s not perfect at each ends, but I obviously left out those pics to show off my skillz

CobraJoe > Dasupersprint - base trim is enough 09/06/2017 at 15:23

0

Certainly looks better than the stamped stitching on the mustang’s vinyl boot.

Jesse Shaffer > Dasupersprint - base trim is enough 09/06/2017 at 15:39

1

Sir, nice work. You opened my eyes to the prospect of doing this myself!

Svart Smart, traded in his Smart > Dasupersprint - base trim is enough 09/06/2017 at 15:43

0

I knew these came in manual but I hadn’t seen one until seeing yours.

Dasupersprint - base trim is enough > Svart Smart, traded in his Smart 09/06/2017 at 15:50

0

They are pretty rare on the used car market, even in Canada where we typically buy more manuals than the US

syaieya > Dasupersprint - base trim is enough 09/06/2017 at 16:02

1

The leather on one of my steering wheels is in total tatters, i need to get it redone or make good friends with an upholstery person knowing all the things i need

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Dasupersprint - base trim is enough 09/06/2017 at 16:14

1

This is pretty sweet. Crappy steering wheels can ruin ANY car. This was one of the number one reasons I bought an NB Miata vs an NA Miata. I just couldnt get over the stupid stock steering wheels in the NA. Obviously I could have just swapped it but having it already in the car from the factory was just that added bonus.

Shamoononon drives like a farmer > vicali 09/06/2017 at 16:21

0

Hrrrmmm....

punkgoose17 > Dasupersprint - base trim is enough 09/06/2017 at 16:21

1

This looks really good. I was afraid a generic kit one of these would look bad and wear bad in my car so I bought 2 boxes of leather handle bar wrap. I don’t think mine will look as nice when it is finally done.

victor > Dasupersprint - base trim is enough 09/06/2017 at 16:29

1

Starz because the results look awesome

Quadradeuce > Dasupersprint - base trim is enough 09/06/2017 at 18:34

2

If you think about it, the steering wheel is the part of the car that you touch the most. Quality materials there must have the highest rate of return, so it’s amazing that any car company skimps on it.

Captain of the Enterprise > Dasupersprint - base trim is enough 09/06/2017 at 18:36

1

That looks fantastic! I’d love to do this to my Corolla’s wheel

404 - User No Longer Available > Dasupersprint - base trim is enough 09/11/2017 at 22:23

0

typically buy more manuals than the US

Is this actually true?

Most manufacturers don’t even offer a manual on models that they do in the US, e.g. as of now you can still get a full range of manual 3-series, but in Canada you’re limited to the 340i.

Dasupersprint - base trim is enough > 404 - User No Longer Available 09/12/2017 at 08:43

0

Well a bigger ratio doesn’t mean a bigger number, because the US still have 10x more people than Canada to buy cars. So it’s still expensive to offer an option that is not sold a lot I guess.

Cars like the Mazda 3 can be found at nearly 50/50 rate of manual/auto

Moves-Like-Senna > Dasupersprint - base trim is enough 09/15/2017 at 08:55

0

I’d note that Quebec is likely a big part of that manual movement. There’s just so many French (from France) and they all drive manual, and even the locals tend to for smaller vehicles.