the* DEFINITIVE* alcantara/ suede/ leather steering wheel wrap guide...

iSpeed said:

OP: What brand is your cover and where did you get it from?

Click to expand...

yeohong1 said:

Link to high quality pictures (including back of wheel):

http://imgur.com/a/pgpse9K

So I'm writing this out because there is no where on the internet that really goes into detail about wrapping your steering wheel. I've done over 10 hours of research and pretty much watched all of the Chinese youtube videos and slo-motioning it to collect information on how to wrap this steering wheel. Most people commented on how it's not perfect, it's hard to tuck (especially near the 9 and 3 o' clock positions, etc). However, as you can see, I have done it PERFECTLY. There are zero air gaps (more on this later), zero moving, and my stitching looks OEM.

This is the Xuji steering wheel wrap. you can buy it on amazon. I "customized" mine by ordering it and messaging the seller (as per instructions). FYI, this is black suede and LIGHT GRAY stitching. I almost bought white thread but noticed that our OEM color is a light gray/ silver.

Here are the steps, including things to watch out for:

#1. Plan to spend multiple days.
I spent a total of 10 hours on this project over the span of 2.5 days. I am a powerlifter and I boulder around V7-V8. That being said, my fingers were SORE (if you do it properly). Most of the youtube videos shows people just stitching away and it may look decent from the front, but if you look back near the back, there is a ton of slack, air gaps, etc.

#2. Put wrap on your steering wheel and take your time measuring twice on both sides so that it's perfectly symmetrical. I used a paper ruler and spent a good 30 minutes measuring every possible point to make sure it was even.

#3. Tuck in wrap material on bottom and side trims. It does not need to be perfect as you can tuck it more or loosen it later as you go. I find that over-tucking works better since pulling on the thread as you go will pull the material out anyways.

#4. Watch this video on how to tie a knot, but instead of 3 times, wrap it 4 times:

Also, instead of double stitching, GO SINGLE THREAD. OEM is single thread, there is no need for double. With all of the cross-links, the single thread will NOT break. You can pull super hard, it will not break. Go single thread (looks better too).

#5. Watch this video for how to START:

Do NOT do everything else he's doing. Just the first stitch. I found this way to be a very solid start.

#6. Make sure you grip super hard on the steering wheel in order to match the two ends of the material together. Do your best to follow the OEM stitching layout. I highly recommend LATEX/ NITRILE gloves for the hand that will do the gripping. You need to grip super tight and your fingers will hurt sooner or later.

#7. You want to start from three points: 2 from the 6 o'clock position (1 going left and 1 going right). 1 from the 9 o'clock position (going all the way to the 3 o'clock position).

#8. Initially, go every thread (follow OEM pattern), then once you're out of the curvature, go every other. Once you read the curvature again, go every thread. One side will not match perfectly with the other (ie: one side may have a few more threading holes compared to the other- that's fine).

#9. DO NOT TIGHTEN OR CUT THE STRING. Do ALL three positions before you go back to tighten. If you tighten one section, you may have material piling up on one section of the wrap.

#10. Go back and using the top of the needle (side with the hole), tighten each thread. You must grip super hard to put the ends of the material together, so you go back and tighten each thread.

***#11. MOST IMPORTANT PART that the internet does not tell you: Do your best to tighten each thread up till the end. However, you must do this several times (I had to start from the start and tighten till the end about 5~7 times per section). You absolutely cannot remove all of the slack with 1 or 2 times of going back and tightening. You will notice that for each time you tighten, it's easier to put the ends of the material together and the slack (back sections of the steering wheel) is completely removed. Literally go back until you have ZERO slack. The thread is extremely strong so don't be afraid it'll break.

#12. Watch the END of this video on how to finish:

I highly recommend use the lighter but be careful. I was wary of doing this but the lighter really works (only takes a split second for the string to burn, so be quick. I used a kitchen lighter since it was easier to reach).

#13. Protect your wheel. 303 fabric guard. I looked all over the web. Some say do it, some say don't. I took the gamble and used it. There is zero difference in texture, color, etc. Be gentle and blot/ gently wipe with microfiber towel.

Ask away with any questions.

Click to expand...