Steering Wheel not worthy!

The Sport Steering wheel is cheaply built and not worthy of the Porsche name! Not thick enough and the round airbag looks like an afterthought. Plus that crappy volcano gray color carried over from the console, yuck

You think the Sport Steering wheel is bad, what about the regular one, horrible. Porsche totally dropped the ball on the steering wheels. The one in my Touareg is much nicer, I would even consider it sportier.

My 2007 GTI steering wheel is much nicer and has audio / vehicle information controls. I wonder how much the dealer charges for the Thicker Sport Wheel?

the Techart wheel looks really good but is very expensive .

I have seen the Techart wheel and like it a lot except for no Porsche emblem :wall:

I like the sport steering wheel with the round airbag module, allthough it is way too thin. It looks more appropriate in the Boxster interior as the regular steering wheel with the triangular airbag module. But the thicker version of the sport steering wheel is WAY WAY WAY overpriced so I didn't buy it !

$1,050, that's how much. It's option code XPA. Read more here . I personally think it's a crying shame that you need to spend a grand to get a steering wheel that feels like the one in the GTI.

I called my dealership and found out very BAD news!!! Thicker Sport Wheel in SAND 997.347.980.00.T24 LIST IS $1825.12 COST IS $1254.00 Guess I'll buy the CR Spotless water system instead :-(

See previous post for price update

or go to wal-mart and get the faux leather (vinyl) steering wheel wrap to make it thicker .

The steering wheel has been one of my biggest gripe about the car. I agree with many on here that the steering wheel is too big, rim is too thin, not ergonomic, and wrapped in a material of less than pleather quality. Not surprisingly Porsche has an option to remedy each shortcoming that collectively adds up to over $1,000. It is very apparent to my eyes that Porsche purposely made the steering wheel as poor and unacceptable as possible in their attempt to sell a few more options. It doesn’t have to be the best steering wheel on the market, just one nice enough that I don’t get steering wheel-envy when I peek into others cars like Civic, Golf and alike. I have looked into aftermarket options offered by FVD, but they didn’t have the right airbag deployment module for 987 at the time.

Well, I took a leap of faith and bought a TIP version from the classifieds. Hopefully it converts ok to my 6-speed. The responses I’ve received from dealers, parts departments and mechanics ranged from 80% “I think so” to 20% “Yes.” We will see and I’ll post the results. Tip versions seem to be easier to find for a decent price on eBay. It would be nice if it fits either car. Stay Tuned

i ordered the gt3 rs wheel from site sponser tischer porsche for only $400.00. i'm also getting the matching shift knob and hand brake for 235.00. i've seen and felt the alacantara in the gt3 and it is very nice. not like the crappy alacantara wheel in the E46 competition package. you must have a sport steering wheel to make the airbag change without adding any cost.

Wow Esaam, VERY COOL I would go that route but I Have Sand interior

sorry, good point.

Thank God that my standards must be lower because the size, shape, feel, and appearance of the steering wheel on my 987 are just fine as far as I'm concerned. I test drove the Z4 M coupe and I suppose that would have a steering wheel that you all would find ideal, but I thought that it was almost comical since it was so thick. Well anyway, only one Boxster complaint so far and that is about the steering wheel. So that's telling me that the Boxster must be one hell of a car. I've had my 987 for over a month, and I still can't believe that Porsche can build such a great car for such a relatively modest price, especially if you keep the options to a minimum as I did.

I just don't like the plain wheel. My WRX Momo wheel is way nicer. Not sure what I'll order at this point. I'm not looking for a thicker wheel, just one that has better ergo. It would be nice if the spokes weren't at 9 and 3. My Momo spokes drop down more.

Well, I have to admit something. As I posted earlier, I feel exactly the same as you guys do about the steering wheel. So I went for the ridiculously expensive XPA Thick Leather Steering Wheel. I did so reluctantly because all the pictures I saw made it look too thick and bloated, not smooth. Well, I took delivery of my car on July 16th in Germany and I have to say, I LOVE the XPA steering wheel. Porsche definitely ripped me/us off on the price, but in my opinion it's a must have and after driving with it I would never give it back. I actually drove a Z4 during my two week tourist delivery, right after driving my Cayman. The steering wheel is smaller in diameter has a significantly thicker rim than the XPA. But in my opinion, I didn't like it. They went too far, too small, too thick. It almost feels like a toy or video game. In my opinion, the steering wheel, seats and shifter are all very important. They serve as the man-machine interface and are responsible for the feel of the car. They make up 70%+ of what we feel when we drive the car. They are largely responsible for the personality and the attitude that the car transmits to us. That is why I opted to get the XPA wheel, the Sport Shifter and the Sport Seats. And after driving my car, I am really glad I did. My Cayman never lets you forget that it's a sports car, and I like that.