Finally wrapped my steering wheel… worth the effort

Hey everyone,

Just finished wrapping my steering wheel and I’m pretty happy with how it turned out.

Leather wraps are way easier, but I really wanted that glossy carbon look. The shine makes it tricky since every little flaw stands out, so I had to redo some parts to get it right.

I stitched it myself at first, but then a friend helped redo the stitching—she’s way better at it than me :joy:.

That’s a lot of work, but it looks great! The small details really make a difference.

Paxton said:
That’s a lot of work, but it looks great! The small details really make a difference.

Thanks! Feels great every time I get in my car now :laughing:.

Where did you get it from?

Cody said:
Where did you get it from?

Got this one here:
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mq50LtD

There are tons of different styles, but if you’re buying from Ali, stick to sellers with good reviews.

If you want real leather, companies like Wheelskins sell those too.

Looks awesome! Been thinking about adding carbon to mine. Where’s it from?

GaryRoberts said:
Looks awesome! Been thinking about adding carbon to mine. Where’s it from?

Thanks!

Same link as above:
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mq50LtD

Just a heads-up—the carbon one is way harder to install than the leather ones because of how glossy it is. Every little mistake shows.

What’s the rest of your interior like?

DolphGabbana said:
What’s the rest of your interior like?

I swapped in 2011 STI Alcantara seats—black with red stitching to match.

Chance said:

DolphGabbana said:
What’s the rest of your interior like?

I swapped in 2011 STI Alcantara seats—black with red stitching to match.

Is the whole interior black or a mix of black and platinum? I want to swap out the light-colored seats and wheel, but I’m not sure if darker ones would look weird.

@DolphGabbana
Factory setup was platinum trim on a black dash, center console, and wheel.

My original seats were black leather, so swapping to STI seats didn’t change much. Just added red stitching and an STI logo.

I know some models came with white or ivory interiors—did yours?

@Chance
Yeah, mine’s that awful ivory color. Doesn’t match anything and impossible to keep clean.

DolphGabbana said:
@Chance
Yeah, mine’s that awful ivory color. Doesn’t match anything and impossible to keep clean.

You’re not alone—there are people on the Forester forums who swapped their entire interior to black. Might be worth looking into.

That looks really good.

Rory said:
That looks really good.

Appreciate it!

Looks thick and solid. Nice work.

Merrick said:
Looks thick and solid. Nice work.

Thanks!

I did something similar with faux leather, but had a hard time wrapping the horizontal spokes, especially behind the paddles.

Feng said:
I did something similar with faux leather, but had a hard time wrapping the horizontal spokes, especially behind the paddles.

I never had issues with spokes on leather wraps, but this carbon one was a pain. The gloss makes every mistake stand out.

I had to use way more double-sided tape than usual to keep it smooth. The bottom spoke was the toughest—felt like trying to fix a dent on a shiny car surface.

I was going to comment something, but then I remembered I have an old peeling steering wheel and now I’m just sad.