AL13NV8D3R

When I was deciding to buy my 4GS it was a hard decision between Luxury Package or Fsport. The Luxury Package had more options and equipment while the Fsport had less luxury items but had better looks. I ended up getting the Luxury version. The only thing i hate about it was the Espresso wood steering wheel. Not only it scratches easily but very slippery during spirited driving and i also have sweaty hands so that does not help. I also have heated steering wheel but noticed that it only warms up the leather portion of the wheel which meant the wood part is cold. Not only did i wrap the steering wheel in leather but also made modifications to evenly distribute the heat through the whole steering wheel.

PLEASE NOTE: This DIY guide is for reference only and I am not responsible for any damages to your car if performed incorrectly or correctly. Attempt at your own risk. I am not affiliated with any of the products used in this DIY guide. Thank You.

First I bought a leather wheel wrap from ebay. There are many brands and materials available on ebay. I choose this one because it is perforated so that more heat can pass through the material and I just like the look better, also a thing to consider are the seams. The one I bought has only one seam and looks to be of higher quality than other brands i have seen on ebay. This wheel wrap kit is of "M" sized which means 15" inches in diameter. Here is the link to ebay item: http://www.ebay.com/itm/131111618195?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
1. Clean your steering wheel of all dirt and grease.

2. (SKIP to step "4" if you do not have heated steering wheel)First I take seran/plastic food wrap and cut sections to wrap the wood sections of the steering wheel. (This is to prevent scratches to the wood trim) Then I wrap the upper and lower wood trims in this plastic with two layers distributed evenly. (DO NOT WRAP THE LEATHER PART OF THE WHEEL WITH THIS PLASTIC)



3. Cut aluminum foil in long thin strips the length of the diameter of the steering wheel. (The pictures show that I cut a small section of aluminum but i decided to cut one continuous strip so it can be more efficient in transfering the heat) Then wrap the whole wheel with this aluminum.

4. Take the leather wrap kit and align the seam to your perfered location on the wheel. Then follow the instructions on a video on youtube. There are many instruction videos on youtube that you can use but i prefer this one.


5. Now you are done! Enjoy your leather steering wheel!

Note: The stitching part of this project is the most time consuming part and it took me a good 2 hours to finish. Make sure you pull hard on the stitches to make sure that the seams are flush together otherwise the results would be bad. The instructions on this video is exactly how I stitched my wheel but I deviated a little by using one long continous thread so the install would be more secure and tight. Make sure you do this parked outside in sunny weather because it was hard to see the thread because i use black leather on black thread. There are many color threads i could have chosen but decided on black thread on black leather because if i made a mistake during stitching it would be hard to notice them. At first I wanted to use grey thread to match the interior trim of the car but decided against this because this is the first time I did this. Next time I will go all out and use a contrasting color thread.

My results were very good, the stitching was flush throughout the whole diameter of the wheel but it was a very tight fit. This product does stretch so dont worry if you get wrinkles, that will stretch away. Also I tested to see if the heat from the steering wheel worked and I can confirm that the whole steering wheel gets warm. The heat is more hot on the sides and just luke warm on the top and bottom but that is a huge improvement. It takes about 20mins before the whole steering wheel gets evenly warm. Without this mod the wood sections never get warm not even after 1 hour of driving unless I blast the cars climate control heater at full blast.



Here is my steering wheel in its original form:



Here was my temporary solution before I decided to do this mod:



Here are my final results of my install:



Here is a close look at my seam:



Thanks CL Members viewing my DIY guide. I hope my guides will help this community better improve the quality and looks of our 4GS's!!

obturator

No drinking in car, bro.

J/k. Amazing job.

There's a company that does custom steering wheel: www.dctms.com

ItzFilyO

It looks nice but it will cover the FSport badge on the bottom of the steering wheel. I am using the slip on one like ur temp. cover but I got the perforated one cause it doesn't cover the logo.

AL13NV8D3R

I just checked www.dctms.com and they do not have one for our 4GS. Unless they do special orders.... i dont know. But anyways this mod is dirt cheap. Almost as cheap as my inside Trunk LED light strip mod i did a few months back.

obturator

Some member on the 3IS forum had a flat bottom carbon fiber made ala Audi rs. Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't the IS and GS wheel similar.

AL13NV8D3R

Now that you mentioned it, I do believe that they are the same. Can someone confirm this? I might make this upgrade after my leather steering wheel wears out.

All this thinking is making me thirsty, time to break out some more Starbucks cans!!

AL13NV8D3R

I've been driving around town and the steering wheel feels great! I am very happy with the results especially happy with the heated steering wheel warming the whole wheel instead of just the left and right sides. The extra layer of leather wrap makes the overall thickness of the wheel feel very beefy and sporty. The material is very grippy without being over doing it. I had my cousin (who also owns a 4GS FSport) sit in my car and did not even realized the wheel had been modded. He told me it looks and feels like stock. He was so impressed he ask me to wrap his wifes BMW x5. I am Very happy with my decision.

tknx

If you are replacing the wheel, then you might as well find an F-sport wheel at that point off a wrecked car.

jjscsix

I'd love to find one. Have not looked recently but did a few months ago. None to be found. You make it sound easy. Let me know if you come across one. BTW, a new one is right around $1000 for F Sport, $2000 for Luxury.

tknx

I think those CF ones were the same. I wonder if you took the lux wheel to a woodworker, had them thin down the wood a bit and then just wrapped those wood parts in leather while it was apart - you could probably get a more OEM look.

SW17LS

Not a fan, I've got to say. IMHO a car as classy as the GS deserves a more OEM looking mod.

Here's one on eBay, $350. I would do this long before I put an aftermarket wrap on. This isn't an F Sport wheel, its the all leather wheel from the Premium. Snap it up:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2013-LEXUS-GS350-STEERING-WHEEL-BLACK-390310-/151331300819?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item233c0c65d3&vxp=mtr