Stock Perforated Leather Steering Wheel? Thoughts?

[CTR]

I'm the owner of a FL5 Civic Type R and one of the parts of the interior that I dislike the most is the smooth leather steering wheel. It was lightly damaged on delivery and has gotten worse by me getting in/out over 8000 miles. It's very soft and prone to scratching from metal buttons on jeans.

I'm really not interested in upgrading to an Alcantara wheel in my daily driver so I've been researching other options. I found that the Type S has a black perforated leather wheel that can be purchased with red stitching. It's only $190 for the wheel so this could be a great alternative!

As Type S owners, do you like the perforated leather? Would you prefer a smooth wheel? What is your opinion of the wheel compared to other cars you have driven?

 

[VTEC4ME]

As an ASpec owner, I just changed my steering wheel to the Type S Perforated steering wheel. No Regrets. Better grips. I too, had damaged on my smooth leather when my buddy sat in the driver seat with his keys clipped to his pants. Scratched up my steering wheel. Swap was easy, just had to loosen the bolt with a breaker bar

 

[StingertimeNC]

I think the ITS wheel is just great. I love the Alcantara option too but can't imagine trying to keep that looking new. I would give it a shot for that money. Definitely better than the all smooth option.

 

[Hakmamba]

I felt my OEM ITS stock steering wheel (leather with red stitching) was too smooth and rock hard to the touch actually. I upgraded to the Honda Alcantara wheel and never looked back. The Alcantara wheel itself isn't that thick or bolstered and has held up well after a few thousand miles. In the end its a use item its pretty cheap all things considered compared to other aftermarket or EURO counterparts. My pervious Audi RS3 which all things considered felt way more premium to the touch than the Honda optional Alcantara wheel and always left me a bit conscious about damaging it or have sweaty palms. Are their nicer Alcantara wheels than the Honda? Yes, but are they worth +4x the cost and more....nope. Just buy the Alcantara wheel, enjoy it and if it wears down, get another. It's quite affordable for what it is.

 

[nix6speed]

I like the perforated leather portion of the ITS steering wheel. Not a fan of the smooth part in the top center. Wish they would've left it perforated leather for the entire steering wheel.

 

[ABPDE5]

I like the perforated leather portion of the ITS steering wheel. Not a fan of the smooth part in the top center. Wish they would've left it perforated leather for the entire steering wheel.

I wish they used alcantara for the smooth parts and perforated leather as-is (i.e. major touch points).

 

[optronix]

Perforated leather is ok, but I actually prefer smooth leather. I opted for the heated steering wheel with the smooth leather and it's very acceptable. The leather itself isn't as grippy or supple as what I got used to with Porsche, but I won't complain too much because everything else about the wheel is pretty great and I didn't find it a distraction during my time on the track. "Not quite as good as Porsche" isn't really a knock against it if you ask me. Far better than BMW! The grip and feel is about the same as BMW, but they wisely didn't do the stupid "extra thicc" nonsense that BMW decides to do on all their M cars for the last 10 years at least.

I'll also add that I think what turned me off to perforated leather was the wheel in my RS5. Audi went away from the nearly perfect flat-bottomed wheel to this gigantic round wheel in the B9.5 RS5, and I just didn't like that wheel. The Acura wheel is better than that, but I wanted heat anyway so here we are. It's ok.

That said, I'm going to give the Alcantara wheel a shot. One phenomenon that I can't quite completely wrap my head around is this strange aversion to Alcantara. Everyone seems to think it'll be ruined in a few months and there's no going back. It's actually very easy to clean, the only thing to watch out for is leaving it unattended for long periods of time but then just go find a detailer who knows what they're doing and it will be restored to like new condition.

Or as someone else said, just buy another one! These Honda wheels are so cheap relative to other brands, there's absolutely zero reason not to go with Alcantara unless you just really hate it for some reason.

 

[ABPDE5]

Perforated leather is ok, but I actually prefer smooth leather. I opted for the heated steering wheel with the smooth leather and it's very acceptable. The leather itself isn't as grippy or supple as what I got used to with Porsche, but I won't complain too much because everything else about the wheel is pretty great and I didn't find it a distraction during my time on the track. "Not quite as good as Porsche" isn't really a knock against it if you ask me. Far better than BMW! The grip and feel is about the same as BMW, but they wisely didn't do the stupid "extra thicc" nonsense that BMW decides to do on all their M cars for the last 10 years at least.

I'll also add that I think what turned me off to perforated leather was the wheel in my RS5. Audi went away from the nearly perfect flat-bottomed wheel to this gigantic round wheel in the B9.5 RS5, and I just didn't like that wheel. The Acura wheel is better than that, but I wanted heat anyway so here we are. It's ok.

That said, I'm going to give the Alcantara wheel a shot. One phenomenon that I can't quite completely wrap my head around is this strange aversion to Alcantara. Everyone seems to think it'll be ruined in a few months and there's no going back. It's actually very easy to clean, the only thing to watch out for is leaving it unattended for long periods of time but then just go find a detailer who knows what they're doing and it will be restored to like new condition.

Or as someone else said, just buy another one! These Honda wheels are so cheap relative to other brands, there's absolutely zero reason not to go with Alcantara unless you just really hate it for some reason.

Unless you have an orchid interior with off-white deviated stitching, in which case there isn't an OEM alcantara wheel that matches your interior T_T

 

[StingertimeNC]

Perforated leather is ok, but I actually prefer smooth leather. I opted for the heated steering wheel with the smooth leather and it's very acceptable. The leather itself isn't as grippy or supple as what I got used to with Porsche, but I won't complain too much because everything else about the wheel is pretty great and I didn't find it a distraction during my time on the track. "Not quite as good as Porsche" isn't really a knock against it if you ask me. Far better than BMW! The grip and feel is about the same as BMW, but they wisely didn't do the stupid "extra thicc" nonsense that BMW decides to do on all their M cars for the last 10 years at least.

I'll also add that I think what turned me off to perforated leather was the wheel in my RS5. Audi went away from the nearly perfect flat-bottomed wheel to this gigantic round wheel in the B9.5 RS5, and I just didn't like that wheel. The Acura wheel is better than that, but I wanted heat anyway so here we are. It's ok.

That said, I'm going to give the Alcantara wheel a shot. One phenomenon that I can't quite completely wrap my head around is this strange aversion to Alcantara. Everyone seems to think it'll be ruined in a few months and there's no going back. It's actually very easy to clean, the only thing to watch out for is leaving it unattended for long periods of time but then just go find a detailer who knows what they're doing and it will be restored to like new condition.

Or as someone else said, just buy another one! These Honda wheels are so cheap relative to other brands, there's absolutely zero reason not to go with Alcantara unless you just really hate it for some reason.

HMM, you make a pretty good case for it. Now you have me thinking.... The ITS I test drove had the alcantara wheel and it was sweet.

 

[optronix]

HMM, you make a pretty good case for it. Now you have me thinking.... The ITS I test drove had the alcantara wheel and it was sweet.

Yeah man, if you even remotely like the look and/or feel, go for it. It's really very little risk with these cars at ~$400 entry fee and can be a huge reward.

I just recommend to pay a little extra attention to the wheel than what you're probably used to and just clean it routinely. There are dedicated cleaners out there (I've used Sonax, works well) but just soap and water works fine. If you keep up with it it will stay like new indefinitely.

Anecdotally, I bought a 981 Boxster GTS a few years ago with 55k miles on it. Ironically I was also actively trying to avoid Alcantara for the same unvalidated reasons many on here are exhibiting... but there are only so many manual Boxster GTS available at any given time so I took a risk. I don't think the wheel or shifter had ever been cleaned but it wasn't as atrocious as some would think an Alcantara wheel and shifter could be after 55k miles (in a convertible no less). I had it detailed once while at the dealer and when I got it back I was shocked at how new it looked and felt. SHOCKED.

So even if it gets bad, it can be restored. I would just recommend having a dealer do it because you CAN ruin it if you get overly aggressive with the cleaning...

 

[NecroFIesh]

I have a '24 A-Spec, black/red interior...I'm planning on putting the ITS wheel in my car soon. I prefer the perforated feel on the ITS leather to my smooth A-Spec one. I also prefer the look of it to be honest, it has character to it. Just one of the few ITS stock bits I plan on upgrading to in the future....

-G

 

[spyder]

As Type S owners, do you like the perforated leather? Would you prefer a smooth wheel? What is your opinion of the wheel compared to other cars you have driven?

I really like the perforated leather wheel. If the heated steering wheel was perforated, I'd consider it, but I much prefer the feel of perforation over smooth leather.

I'd place this wheel #2 from the cars that I've owned, right behind the TT/R8 wheel. TT/R8 wheel takes the cake for me due to perforation, flat bottom and smaller diameter.

 

[creaturemachine]

I don't get the flat bottom wheel trend. You can't convince me it's a performance car thing because they come standard in mom-wagons now, (aka SUVs.)

 

[neuronbob]

I enjoy the grippiness of the ITS perforated leather. Go for it! I did not choose Alcantara simply from preference. I thought about adding the heated steering wheel, but it has no Type S markings, so a no-go.

 

[Padre Dave]

I don't get the flat bottom wheel trend. You can't convince me it's a performance car thing because they come standard in mom-wagons now, (aka SUVs.)

I am considering one because I am 6’4” and the extra thigh clearance sliding in and out of the car is a hypothetical advantage. Not looking into it right now, but am interested in exploring the options in a deliberate way. Thanks