Wheelskins (Steering wheel cover)

After market leather -- for a Prius II or III - is usually superior and covers more parts of the car other than the factory installation, except for one part, the steering wheel. It sounds to me that wheelskins are a very desirable complement to make an after-market leather job even more worthwhile.

 

I miss the leather wrapped wheel more than the seats. Both after market companies I spoke with offer a wheel wrap and each charge about $200 for the wheel. High when compared to the total leather cost of seats, consoles and doors which are $1,150 (not heated) because of the labor time to instal. They said its time intensive, even for them, to wrap it - about an hour. The firm I am using will send a piece of their leather to Wheelskins to make, then wrap it after they get it back. They had no interest in making their own so it appears Wheelskins has captured the market.

 

I'm confused. Why didn't you just buy a wheelskin and install it?

 

Good question but...I want it to match the after market leather I will have installed in the car (picked something slightly different). Also, I have no talent for sewing the wheelskin on which takes 30 to 45 minutes if one does and 1 hour+ if one does not. I am self-employed, so would rather pay $100 for someone else's time (special order where we send my leather costs about $50 more at WS then if you pick their stock).

 

OK now i understand.
I'm still waiting for a answer from anyone on the seams in a 2 tone wheelskin. "Do the joining seams cause a comfort problem"

 

Please let us know how it comes out. I have a III and would like to put leather on streeing wheels. Thanks.

 

Can you post photos once you have it installed?

I received samples today for the black, charcoal, and gray. The charcoal is pretty close to the dark gray cloth in my interior and the gray is darker than the misty gray cloth but still light enough that it looks like it would show dirt easily. The charcoal looks like it will keep the current look of the steering wheel while the black gives it a nice three-tone effect. The black sample is perforated and looks pretty much like the photos on the company web site. It's a very distinct look compared to the regular leather...I'm sure it probably helps a little if your hands are sweaty but I think it really comes down to which look you prefer.

 

I installed the Wheelskins for my 2010 Prius II yesterday. Main reason I did so was that the silver plastic part of the steering wheel does not sit flush with the rest of the wheel at the bottom, and it has been driving me nuts since I picked up my Gen3.

I picked up the Charcoal color, which does a pretty good job of matching up with the Dark Gray interior.

Comes with cover plus two spools and needles (see below), and easy to follow instructions. Installation takes about an hour, and if you've ever sewn something before, you should be fine.



Full views:





Close up of the spokes.

 

The pre-install photo looks like the charcoal but the post-install photos look like the gray (even accounting for bad lighting). Also, it looks like you did a good job on the stitching but the fit looks terrible, especially the way the leather bunches up around the spokes. It almost looks like the cover is a little too big for the wheel. Are you sure they sent you the right size?

 

Agree. I think the fit is terrible.

 

Agree that it looks a bit oversized. Based on the way the bottom metal piece is configured I understand how it could never look as good as a factory install. Unless it was custom made in several sections to mount around the spokes. Nice job though.

 

The packaging listed the size as what the Wheelskins site said was the correct size for a 2010 Prius (14 1/4 x 4); however, I did not measure the piece itself prior to installation (or the wheel before ordering).

After a couple of days with the cover, I think the color (box did say "Charcoal" as ordered) matches up reasonably well with the seats (sorry about the photos -- I took them without flash but the lighting just didn't cooperate), but the fit bothers me, both from looks and from how the wheel feels in the hand (both at the seams and the stitching underneath).

I think I could have done a better job with the stitching in some areas, but I did try to pull the thread tight as instructed. One complicating factor is that the spacing of the holes for the needle and thread around the cover are not ideal for lining up a close tight fit around the spokes.

At the moment, I am going to keep the cover on for at least a week, but I don't think it looks all that good. I also don't like the feel of the stitching underneath the wheel when I'm driving. If I do end up taking the cover off, I will measure it and confirm the size.

 

I don't know that the fit is incorrect. It looks to me like he did what I did when I did the first install on my truck - I pulled the string WAY too tight. They advise tight, but not over-tight. It's a hard distinction to make since most people haven't done it before. Notice the stressing on many of the holes and how it gathers in that one spot under the right upper spoke. That looks like a problem I had. I had to redo it because of that and did it much better the second time, but that's when I noticed the blemish in the leather and had to get a new cover sent, so the third time was just about perfect. I realized after that that the way to know it's going right was if there was any puckering going on, something wasn't going right and I would backtrack to a couple of holes before the puckering and begin again. It's not necessarily hard, but annoying and time consuming. Patience is definitely the key here.

 

I've got mine (black/plain) sitting here in the box but I don't think I'm going to install it until I see if anyone else can get a good-looking (and feeling) fit. Otherwise it's headed to eBay.

 

Sell it. You're not going to get a perfect fit around the spokes. I wasn't looking for a perfect fit, but I have them on all my vehicles. They make a lot of difference, in my opinion on the feel of the steering wheel.

 

I realize I'm speaking of a very different vehicle (Honda Ridgeline) but would it help anyone to see pictures of the Wheelskin on my steering wheel? I'd be happy to offer some pictures to show that they can indeed be done, but it may take a few tries like it did with me. I'll grab some in a bit and post 'em if I can.

 

Thanks for the photos...yours does look better than the perforated install although overall it still has that "baggy" look. I've installed leather steering wheel covers on my last three cars and never had that problem so I'm starting to wonder if it's either due to the thickness of the Wheelskins or the size of the cover. (I know that 14 1/4 x 4 is what Wheelskins recommends but I wonder if they're wrong...the previous covers I've installed have been thinner leather and a tighter fit.)