Steering wheel: Make it thicker?

After doing a search on this topic I learned a couple things: 1. There are a good number of 987 owners who feel their steering wheel is too thin. 2. The only fix for a perceived thin steering wheel is to buy a different one for huge money! I belong to the "steering wheel is too thin" camp. I have a 2007 Cayman S with whatever was the standard steering wheel for that model. I was watching a youtube video reviewing a 2008 Cayman S , and the owner, in the course of the video, mentioned sending his steering wheel in to have it thickened, but he did not go into any detail. So I don't know if he sent it to Porsche or an aftermarket place. In any event, I don't want to remove my steering wheel. I don't trust my steering-wheel-removal skills. So how can I thicken my steering wheel? I found wheelskins.com but they said their leather skins will not significantly increase the thickness. I suppose I could buy four skins, but that seems like a half-*** solution. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaHteRAkhjA (go to 1:08) PS... I have the same steering wheel as what's in the video. Has anyone found a way to increase the thickness of their steering wheel without installing a completely different steering wheel? If so, please share what you did! Thanks!

I have used Wheelskins for years, as I prefer a thicker wheel. It has been a real thickness improvement on my 987 - well worth the money. Still, a bit more would be helpful for my arthritic hands on long drives. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Interesting. So you feel the steering wheel is noticeably thicker with the wheelskin installed? When I spoke to wheelskins, the woman didn't think I would feel any noticeable difference in thickness. Did you get perforated or standard leather?

try Dallas Custom Steering Wheel quality work!

Looks like they do quality work. But more money than I wanted to spend. I wonder if there's a way to put some foam around the wheel then install the wheelskin over it?

Wish I could help. This always bugged me on my 987. Not only did it feel too thin, I noticed that the bottom half of the wheel was thicker than the top half. What's up with that? Fortunately this was solved on my 981 . Good luck with your hunt.

Could someone who has a thicker steering wheel either from Dallas Custom or ordered from Porsche please measure the diameter of your wheel at 10 o'clock. If you have the bump outs at 10 and 2 o'clock, please measure at 12 o'clock. I'm trying to get an idea how much thicker a "thicker" steering wheel is compared to my 987CS standard steering wheel. Thanks!

I had mine replaced with a smooth leather thicker flat bottom wheel which gives a little bit more room for my legs. The thin oem wheel gives the classic look and the new thicker wheel gives the modern look.

For $60 or so, and an hour or two of your time and effort, why not try the Wheelskins product? It'll add about 1/8" overall thickness (i.e. cross-section) to the steering wheel, which is noticeable, and provide a more pliable feel. I've purchased and installed Wheelskins on two of my BMWs, and I like the difference it makes. They make a fine quality product. If you don't think that +1/8" is thick enough to meet your requirements, I'm sure you could call them and solicit their help to find a solution. Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

I'm definitely leaning toward the Wheelskin product, but I have my doubts it will provide enough thickness. So I'm considering either buying two Wheelskins to place over the top of one another, or finding a foam-type 3M tape to wrap around the wheel then put the wheelskin over the top. But calling wheelskin is a good idea. I'll give them a call this week and see what they have to say.

I have Wheelskins on all my cars. I think you will like it and I'm not sure the skin will fit properly if you try to put a layer underneath to make it even thicker.

Would require a larger size. Wheelskins could probably provide guidance. Sent from my SAMSUNG -SM-G891A using Tapatalk

Here's what I've decided to attempt. I purchased some 1/8" thick (about 1/2" wide) weather stripping (advertised to remain supple and not crack even at sub-zero temperatures). I tentatively wrapped it across the top of my steering wheel. The thickness was perfect! After consulting with Wheelskins, I ordered an appropriate size wheelskin (perforated). Since the thickness of the wheel with the weather stripping was perfect, I'm a little concerned the wheel may be a bit too thick after the wheelskin is installed, but we'll see! Once I get the wheelskins and the weather gets a bit warmer, I'll get started on the installation. I'll post pictures and provide a review, whether results are good or bad.

I suspect it will work out fine. Most weather strip will compress just a bit. Sent from my SAMSUNG -SM-G891A using Tapatalk

I just swap it

I'm very happy with my Dallas steering wheel, one of the best mods I've done. Look and feel are a huge improvement over the stock. 4 5/8" circumference all around .

I think once the weather stripping (+1/4") and wheelskin (+1/8") is installed, I'll be pretty close to 4 5/8", given the stock wheel is 4 1/4". Good to hear you like the 4 5/8" circumference. Thanks for taking the time to measure.

Before I start this post I want to thank Wheelskins for their outstanding customer support. They truly value customer satisfaction. When I had questions, my emails were answer same day. When I screwed up my the order, they sent out the correct wheelskin before I even had the incorrect one in the mail. I paid no restocking fees. An absolutely wonderful company to deal with. Thank you! I've finished my steering wheel thickening project, and I am very pleased with how it turned out! The wheel is now not only thicker and softer, it feels so much nicer in my hands. There's a couple things I'm not totally pleased with, but, overall, I think it turned out wonderfully. I'm not the best at explaining stuff like this, but I'll give it a try. The process is pretty straight forward. I wrapped a weather stripping around the steering wheel then installed a Wheelskin (wheelskins.com) over the weather stripping. Photos should provide a good idea what I did. Parts I used: One and a half packages of weather stripping (specifics in photo) Black wheelskin (14.75" diameter, 4.25" circumference, perforated sides) with included needle and thread Magnifying, palm-size mirror from my wife's bathroom drawer (don't tell her) Scissors Painter's tape to wrap around my pinky finger General cleaner to clean the steering wheel before starting The weather stripping I used. The stripping can be torn in half, which I did. The smaller strip allowed for an easier wrapping of the wheel, but not halving it would work fine too. When I got to the spokes, I cut the strip and wrapped it about half the way around the wheel. I also had to cut the strips wrapped tight to the sides of the spokes because they showed when I attached the wheelskin. If I did it again. I would wrap the weather stripping to about a quarter inch of the spoke.

I'm glad you're happy with the results, and looking forward to seeing pictures of the final product! Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

Here is where the mirror comes in handy. When sewing the wheelskin you'll need to find the needle holes in the rear of the steering wheel. The mirror (try to get one that magnifies) was a huge help. When I got all the way around to the 3:00 spoke (I started at about 7:00), I realized the amount of wheelskin covering the left spoke was substantially less than on the right spoke, so I removed all the stitching (about an hour's worth of work) to fix the problem. I realized when I pulled the thread to tighten (and it really needs to be pulled hard) the lacing and bring the two ends of the wheelskin together, I was pulling the thread toward me. Because I was pulling the thread toward me the wheelskin was slowly rotating on the steering wheel. So when I got to the other spoke, the wheel skin rotated about an eighth to a quarter of an inch. Fixing this also gave me the opportunity to adjust where the seam fell on the steering wheel. I originally had it a bit more forward. To make sure there was no shifting, I counted out the stitch holes (don't get that part wrong!) to each spoke and using some string temporarily but tightly attached the wheelskin so it covered the same area on each spoke. I also pulled the thread toward the center of the steering wheel rather than toward me. Here is one of the things that bugs me a bit. On the bottom spoke the wheelskin bunches up. I'm not sure if this is because the circumference (determined by the diameter measurement I gave wheelskins.com) of the wheelskin was too much or if the wheelskin stretched. I know I got all the stitch holes right, so I don't think that's the problem. It's not a big deal... just kinda bugs me.

Final product! Circumference is between 4 1/2" to 4 5/8" depending where the finger indentation is on the original steering wheel. The other issue, which is just part of the product, is the small bump I feel with the seam of the wheelskin. Again, not a big deal and I'm sure I'll get over it. I ended up with extra weather stripping. If anyone wants it, it's yours. Just pay me for shipping. Also, I ended up with about four feet of extra thread. So you can use that to sew the spoke area. Overall... I am super happy with how it turned out!

Your second and third Wheelskins will go much better. Mine has no bunching, but no weatherstrip either. Perhaps that has something to do with it. Like I mentioned before, I’ve had them in all my cars for years. Very cost effective. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

It takes a long time. I take breaks because it is kinda difficult working the bottom of the wheel in your lap. Yes, I had all of those issues the first time - and still irritate the heck out of myself stitching around the steering wheel. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I found that by using a hook-shaped pick, I could make several stitches in a row and then tighten them one at a time with the pick. It's the same principle as using a "ice skate lacing hook". That saved me a considerable amount of time -- and my fingers -- in the overall process. Of course, this lesson was learned painfully by my third wheel skin installation. Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

Steering wheel wrapped today.. $75, they added 1/2 filler/padding around the steering wheel. Saved me about $800 on an aftermarket one.

Looks great