Old Rick,

if you're so disgruntled with your "waste of money" JCW wheel, then by all means, sell it to someone else who will give it a proper home. You will have gotten rid of what is obviously not seen as valuable to yourself, while at the same time, made another MINIac's day...

In the meantime, let all of us "Kool-Aid Drinkers" who love the JCW wheel keep chugging the red stuff; it tastes good, and we don't care that it's made from pure sugar!

Everyone is happy.

 

Maybe OldRick will see a very subtle difference with this wheel?

 

^^^^^^
LOL!!!!!!!!!

 

That is like the steering wheel on the Hoff's KITT, back in the 80's!!!

 

Which wheel would you get the alcantara or the full leather??
thanks

 

i'm going with the alcantara when i get money for it

that's just me.......the all leather one doesn't look too different from the regular 3 spoke

 

I went with the leather. The quality of the leather on the JCW wheel is quite noticeably softer/more padded/more supple. (I hate that word "supple"; it's creepy-sounding, but actually is justified in this usage).

The Alacantara is nice too, but I've read that it tends to wear quickly, and not look so nice after a while. But at the same time, the alacantara material is only on the top of the wheel, where it theoretically won't get much usage... so maybe it doesn't matter.

 

I went with the full leather because it hardly distinguishable from the stocker.

 

My alcantara wheel just arrived. Sue-wheat! It'll be on tomorrow.

 

I have the Leather/Alcantara on my 2005 S and when I buy my next MINI I will put one on it also. The extra padding on the wheel makes it easier to grip and more comfortable for long drives. Being the interface between me and the MINI, this wheel and my Whalen are my favorite additions to my car.

 

I've had both wheels ! I started with the Alcantara/leather wheel but could see how the Alcantara would wear out eventually. I found myself driving more at "9 and 3" on the wheel trying to lesson the wear on the Alcantara. Well, after a year of that I was done !LOL ! I loved the look of the Alcantara but, I moved on to a full Leather JCW wheel and now I no longer worry about it !

 

Now youre makin me worry !

I too drive at the 9 and 3 o'clock position most of the time for that reason, but i dont drive it everyday.

 

I don't drive my car very often ether but, seeing a couple wheels that were not taken care of very well got me thinking how the wheel would look several years down the road, even under the best conditions ? Here is a shot of a Alcantara wheel that has seen better day's ! I've seen a few like the one in this shot as well as a few that were matted from the oils in our hands.

With the full leather wheel I no longer worry about it and, I can now steer my car ! LOL !

 

It's also possible that the JCW wheel has changed over the years... maybe the earlier models had a much thicker diameter or hand area, but the newer ones are slimmer?

Mini wouldn't be the first folks to update their aftermarket parts during the production runs....

<shrug>

 

Okay...so I installed my new wheel last night and, doh, made some errors.

Firstly, of course, I didn't have the turn-signal switch centered. It's off about 1" of wheel turn to the right. How do I make sure it's centered when reassembling it?

Second, the whole assembly when I turn makes a slight clicking noise that I'm guessing (hoping) is related to the off-centered setting. Any tips?

Thanks all! I do really like it.

 

I reread the instructions and now understand the centering deal.

Still looking for feedback on the clicking sounds if 'ya gottem...

Thanks!

 

THE most important step when removing wheel... Keep the wheel centered ! You mustve moved the wheel when removing it ? When you unbolt the center bolt, just pull the wheel forward (Without Turning it !!! ) towards your chest.

 

Well...I went back and did it again...twice.

Two things I learned that weren't apparent to me.

Yes I moved the turn-signal ring so I had to go back and re-center it. The trick here is to turn it completely counter-clockwise and then count the number of turns until you can reach completely clockwise. Now, turn it back 1/2 way, which is about 2 1/2 turns until the post that sticks out is at the 6 o'clock position.

The second thing I learned, doh, is that the post needs to go into a hole in the back of the steering wheel when you slide the wheel on. This probably should have been obvious, but...I'm only an engineer at work.

So, it's assembled and works/feels great. Is this wheel worth $350 delivered? If you have to ask then probably not. If you've got that inheritance money though...watch out.

 

Darren, the wheel looked great last Saturday ! Did you notice the difference on the drive ? Easier to hold on to when you passenger is bouncing all over the place ! LOL !

 

My experience Saturday was wonderful. All the movement was well controlled with the new steering wheel. I'd recommend it to everyone.

 

I don't see any buttons to control the stereo or cruise control? Is there one and I'm just missing it?

 

The wheel comes just by itself. If your car came with the audio/cruse controls, they are transfered over to the new wheel !

 

Ive had the part alcantara version for almost a year now and no signs of wear Long may that continue - not much of a choice over here now though as they no longer supply the all leather one... :(

Here is mine a year on with my custom inserts (and a JCW carbon one too )

 

I upgraded to the JCW wheel, and love it I picked leather because of its durability. After a year and 14,000 some miles - no wear.

 

does anyone have the contact/email/url for classic mini? thanks in advance