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Did you swap in an XPA or Alcantara GT3 wheel? Was it worth it?
There has been a fair amount of discussion as to whether to order the XPA wheel when specing out a new vehicle, but for anyone who swapped out the XPA wheel for the standard one (at a cost of $2000 + labor) was it worth it?
I've never felt an XPA wheel - the dealers here never order cars for stock with them - so I don't know whether the difference is enough to make the cost worthwhile.
The alcantara GT3 sport wheel also looks promising - about the same thickness and on sale for $695 at present at Suncoast - but know from BMW drivers who've had alcantara wheels they tend to only last a year or two.
If I hadn't spent so much time driving my wife's Audi (and preferring its wheel) it wouldn't be an issue.
I swapped in the GT3 wheel and love it. I previously had the smaller-diameter "sport" steering wheel (code 435 I think, round airbag but not the "smooth leather" XPA wheel) and wouldn't dream of going back. The alcantara feels nice - soft and grippy - and the wheel has a nice thickness to it.
I too had heard BMW owners complaining about the alcantara breaking down on their wheels, usually the sport package M3s if I remember. I have not noticed any degradation of the material on my wheel, although I've only had the wheel approx 9 months and ~5,000 miles. Hopefully the M3 wheels were just poorer quality - so far so good for me. Even if I had to swap it out for a new one after two years it would still be worth the $500 I paid, to be honest.
I don't have the GT3 wheel , but I DO have the slightly thicker (than standard) alcantara wheel. I DON'T like it... I don't see how anybody can call it grippy... with gloves it might be , but on skin, it slippery. Fingertips (with their ridges, oil and mosture) grip much better on LEATHER IMO. I regret my adding the alcantara wheel. When it wears out I will DEFINITELY be going for a thick, leather sport wheel, but not alcantara. I DO like the thickness better than the standard thin wheel though.
One of my test drives featured the XPA steering wheel, I did like it better than the standard wheel, but not $2000 better, the wheel alone is about $1400 and due to needing to purchase the round center/airbag piece it ups the price to close to $2000 after all is said and done. For that amount of money I'd rather purchase aftermarket exhaust.
If you're able to option a car prior to purchase I'd definately reccomend the XPA, in my case the car was dealer inventory and they were not willing to throw the XPA wheel in after I had already negotiated the sticker price down.
I just bought a CS DE1 and it comes with all sorts of alcantera bits
scattered thourghout the car, including the steering wheel.
I like it - but i can see dirty evos points also, it's a taste thing.
What I want to know is, how much does the GT3 RS wheel's yellow
tape piece cost and where can I get one?
I installed an XPA wheel into my CS. I really like it, it's much better than my original standard wheel. However, I still haven't decided if it was really worth the cost. However, the money's spent and I'm not taking it out!
However, another alternative (and more cost-effective if you have the standard wheel) is this one from Suncoast. It's a standard wheel (so it will take the airbag you already have), but with alcantara AND a layer of padding. One of my biggest complaints about the standard wheel is that, not only is it thin, it is also hard. A friend has this wheel on his CS, and if I were to do it again, I would seriously consider one of these instead of the XPA.
The GT3 and GT3RS wheels are nice, but they are also as hard as the standard wheel. The padding on the wheel listed above really helps with both comfort and grip.
.... - but know from BMW drivers who've had alcantara wheels they tend to only last a year or two.
I am one of those BMW guys. My alcantara wheel was shot (visually) in less than 1 year. I traded the car in after three years of ownership and it only had 14k miles on it (as a demonstration of how much I did NOT drive the car). BMW replaced the wheel under warranty after 18 months to an M leather wheel.
I cannot comment on the Porsche version. But I am once bitten twice shy. I prefer leather.
__________________
Kevin
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If you are thinking about spending $2k for a slightly thicker wheel and a round airbag, consider the Techart wheel. I used my existing triangular airbag and got a much thicker padded wheel with better feeling leather. It is a better looking wheel too for less money.
If you are thinking about spending $2k for a slightly thicker wheel and a round airbag, consider the Techart wheel. I used my existing triangular airbag and got a much thicker padded wheel with better feeling leather. It is a better looking wheel too for less money.
Any chance you could provide a link to where we could order one? the pic looks nice, even visually looks a bit thicker than the XPA.
I got mine from a previous sponsor of the forum. Their website is no longer active so I don’t know if they are even in business.
I would suggest asking your local shops if they are a dealer for the Techart steering wheel or go to the US distributer, TECHART Program for Cayman - CEC - Claus Ettensberger and call them. They can also configure the wheel in different leather and thread color combinations.
Until 
