[D3adpool]

Originally Posted by Gasoline_Farts

In anticipation of getting a 1LE I was curious to see how everyone maintains their wheel and shifter’s nice appearance. I understand that over time of you drive bare handed the alcantara will wear out and look bad.

Do you do something special to care for it?

Do you wear gloves every time you drive?

worry about it when it becomes and issue?

I always wear driving gloves when I drive mine. My friend also has a 2018 and his shifter knob is already worn down. People can tease me all the like, but I wear gloves and I am not gonna stop.

[TRZ06]

I swapped my wheel and shifter with the leather ones.

Feels so much better and IMO higher quality.

[JonD]

If anyone doesn’t want their nice 1LE wheel I’ll gladly take it off your hands!

[Richard0nee]

Every car out there has a leather steering wheel.. even the cheap $11k Nissan Versa. The microsuede even though not 100% alacantara is what differentiates the car from all the others. They don't slip, feels great while driving.

[DaveC113]

Originally Posted by D3adpool

I always wear driving gloves when I drive mine. My friend also has a 2018 and his shifter knob is already worn down. People can tease me all the like, but I wear gloves and I am not gonna stop.

I make sure my hands are clean but also got some gloves with a goatskin palm for longer drives and track, actually Fox Ascent mtb gloves, lol. They are made to be as minimalist as possible and feel like no gloves, they work really well for the 1LE's wheel and shifter.

BTW, I think "sueded" is the actual description in the brochure. Sueded...

IDK, long term I have a feeling leather is going to be superior but I'm really not that worried about it. I bet lots of "like-new" SS leather wheels will be available for cheap for the foreseeable future. I'm not sure, but it's probably a car lots of people wreck in the first 1000 miles.

[Bad Anvil Garage]

I clean mine on occasion as other have described and it always comes right back to looking new every time. Since I plan to keep the car for around 10 years, I bought a a second steering wheel and shift knob from someone on the forum as backup.

[protovack]

Originally Posted by 50MileSmile

Race drivers prefer real Alcantara - it's lighter, more durable, easier to grip and transmits more feel than the typical hard or shiny leather found in most consumer vehicles. It's also no more difficult than leather to maintain properly, using Alcantara cleaner. Real Alcantara is also much more rare and expensive than the cheap, thin leather most mass-market manufacturers use on their seats, steering wheels and shift knobs. (What kind of "leather" is that - goat? mouse? dairy cow?) Real Alcantara is produced in Italy at only one shop, and it's in short supply around the world; demand far exceeds supply - so you may find it in a Lexus, but not in your 1LE.

Sorry but, go on any Porsche or BMW forum and you will find lots of people complaining about "real" alcantara as well. The complaints are the same everywhere--poor grip with bare hands, unnatural feel, and wears poorly. Many people find that Alcantara feels papery or "like cardboard." Alcantara is fake suede and it is a fad material that companies use to differentiate products from each. There is nothing "real" or "rare" about alcantara. It's a cheap, mass produced fake suede and companies have been making it for many decades. Alcantara just happens to be the trendy company because they're european.
The bottom line is that leather and perforated leather wheels feel better on the hands, and wear better over time.
Don't take my word for it though. Talk to the guys at Wildhammer motorsports who do all the custom carbon fiber wheel conversions. According to them, people ditch their Alcantara for leather all the time, enough so that when I did it, they mentioned that they saw "quite a few people doing that."


I have a 1LE and I track it. One of my first mods was to get rid of the cheapo fake suede and get a leather wheel. The grip is BETTER with both bare hands AND gloves, with the leather.

[Warrior102]

I dropped in at Wildhammer and only saw carbon fiber wheels, that sounds like a nightmare in the northeast. Who makes a leather wheel with a heater, asking for a friend?

[50MileSmile]

Originally Posted by protovack

Sorry but, go on any Porsche or BMW forum and you will find lots of people complaining about "real" alcantara as well. The complaints are the same everywhere--poor grip with bare hands, unnatural feel, and wears poorly. Many people find that Alcantara feels papery or "like cardboard." Alcantara is fake suede and it is a fad material that companies use to differentiate products from each. There is nothing "real" or "rare" about alcantara. It's a cheap, mass produced fake suede and companies have been making it for many decades. Alcantara just happens to be the trendy company because they're European.

The bottom line is that leather and perforated leather wheels feel better on the hands, and wear better over time.

Don't take my word for it though. Talk to the guys at Wildhammer motorsports who do all the custom carbon fiber wheel conversions. According to them, people ditch their Alcantara for leather all the time, enough so that when I did it, they mentioned that they saw "quite a few people doing that."

I have a 1LE and I track it. One of my first mods was to get rid of the cheapo fake suede and get a leather wheel. The grip is BETTER with both bare hands AND gloves, with the leather.

Thanks for a big fuzzy, lightly worn wad of misinformation based on what “everyone” in the world is saying. Ask the bigtime professional race teams what they use. Leather chafes, splits and gets hard (and slippery) if it’s not treated properly - plus it’s heavier - but whatever you like is what you should use. I’ve always preferred Alcantara in my race cars.

And thanks for the introduction to Wildhammer Motorsports - never heard of them (but I had no interest in current Camaros until recently), even though I used to live in that area. It looks like they’ve got some interesting stuff.

Here’s a little story that might interest you: https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-car...tara-shortage/

[Gasoline_Farts]

Question for those using gloves; can you still use your touchscreen?

[18Hotwheels-SS]

Originally Posted by Gasoline_Farts

Question for those using gloves; can you still use your touchscreen?

I bet not. I am not a fan of the Alcantara fuzzy feeling or driving gloves. Call me old school. The steering wheel was off my car the first week I had it. I don't know if the 2018 Hot Wheels will ever be worth anything but I will keep it all nice and new for the next owner.

[DaveC113]

Originally Posted by Gasoline_Farts

Question for those using gloves; can you still use your touchscreen?

Yeah, very thin leather usually works or if the glove has that special thread woven into the finger/thumb.

[JamesNoBrakes]

Originally Posted by protovack

Sorry but, go on any Porsche or BMW forum and you will find lots of people complaining about "real" alcantara as well. The complaints are the same everywhere--poor grip with bare hands, unnatural feel, and wears poorly. Many people find that Alcantara feels papery or "like cardboard." Alcantara is fake suede and it is a fad material that companies use to differentiate products from each. There is nothing "real" or "rare" about alcantara. It's a cheap, mass produced fake suede and companies have been making it for many decades. Alcantara just happens to be the trendy company because they're european.
The bottom line is that leather and perforated leather wheels feel better on the hands, and wear better over time.
Don't take my word for it though. Talk to the guys at Wildhammer motorsports who do all the custom carbon fiber wheel conversions. According to them, people ditch their Alcantara for leather all the time, enough so that when I did it, they mentioned that they saw "quite a few people doing that."


I have a 1LE and I track it. One of my first mods was to get rid of the cheapo fake suede and get a leather wheel. The grip is BETTER with both bare hands AND gloves, with the leather.

I did go to a BMW forum.

There they are asking how to make their M-sport steering wheel have alcantra: https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1557147

[Outahand]

When I had my car coated with Ceramic Pro they treated my seats and all the Alcatera also.

I just had him detail the interior and it all looks just like new. The wheel did look a bit slick. I try to wash my hands before driving but not always. 15k miles in one year.