timberland73

iTrader: (1)

Does anyone know where I can get a wood grain steering wheel for my 99 TL?

MikeekiM

I got mine from eBay... Standard answer, I know... But it's always worth setting up some kind of email search alert in case one ever surfaces...

SHINY TL-13

any pics?

MikeekiM

Sure... I'll post one up shortly...

MikeekiM

aaronnn

how much does it go for on ebay? i searched but couldnt find anything right now.

1nePhatTL

that just makes the car A+

MikeekiM

I don't know... I think I got lucky... I picked up the wheel on an auction that ended during the Thanksgiving weekend... Only people without a life (like me) were probably searching eBay on Thanksgiving weekend!

I picked it up for ~150 (not including shipping)...

The wheel goes for about $400 brand new...

shawn744

holy shit dude.....150 + shipping?....was it brand new?....i'm so freakin jealous....i want a friggin blackwood wheel....DAMN IT....

nice, car looks really awesome.

MikeekiM

Thanks!

No, it was not new (though the seller said that it was only installed for a week, then uninstalled due to his car being part of a lemon-law return)...

It cost me $70.00 to have it installed at the dealer (though they were quick to tell me that they misquoted me, and that it should have been $150)...

shawn744

yeah, the ones i see on ebay are like 360 - 399....dunno to look for a good price or just see what the dealer will give me?

BTW-...i've always wondered this....there isn't any loss of grip during spirited driving is there?....because of the smooth texture vs the grain of the leather?....never actually drove one with a wood wheel to check that out.

MikeekiM

Couple of answers there...

First of all, the texture of the wheel is not as smooth and slippery as I thought it would be...there is definitely a slight "rubberized" kind of feel to it... So it isn't that slippery during "spirited" driving...

Secondly, you still have the leather areas, and I do find that my hands are more of a 10/2 or 9/3 o'clock position, which is where the leather portions are...

Finally (unrelated to the above), be sure you know what you are buying if you decide to go with eBay... My understanding is that there are wood wheels with perforated leather, as well as the TL-P smooth leather...

I think they only come in those two flavors on the burlwood (since burlwood is available on both TL-P and TL-S models)... Not sure you can get a blackwood with smooth leather...

Edit: Just remembered that you have a TL-S with blackwood, so you want the same wheel I have... But I kept the above as an FYI for others who may be looking at a burlwood wheel...

shawn744

what do you mean by rubberized feel?....i was assuming the wood portions feel the same as putting your hands on the blackwood trim pieces on the console....and btw- is the wood steering wheel actually REAL wood?...or is it fake?

yeah i'd be getting the same wheel as you got.

MikeekiM

All the TL "wood" is artificial... burlwood and blackwood alike...

As far as the feel, that is a great question...I didn't think about comparing it... I just went out to compare the feel, and it is identical...

In the driver's seat, put your hand on the blackwood trim on the passengers center console and move your hand from the front to the back with some pressure and you will see what I mean... It's not all that slippery... It has some resistance...and when you combine that with gripping your hand around it, it is even more noticeable...

Man...that previous paragraph sounds a bit like instructions to fondle your car... Remember... It's okay to love your car... Just don't...LOVE your car...

shawn744

hahaha yeah really

alright, although it might sounds nuts to spends a few hundred on a fake wood wheel....i'll start lookin around. it'll be fun. thanks for the help.

MikeekiM

I agree... That's why I would probably not have the wheel had it not been for the great deal I got on it...

derrick

I am looking into the parchment burlwood steering wheel ... thinking of ordering a JDM Inspire one (but can't find the bloody Honda Access part #).

I wonder if the USDM Honda Accord has a burlwood steering wheel would fit? That would be the 'cheaper' way to do a JDM conversion on the interior... any ideas? I used the search function and came up with nada.

seahawk

Love my Black Wood steering wheel , gives the TL-S that extra look of quiet elegance . Like it because it blends in well with the ebony interior and matches the rest of the Black Wood trim .

MikeekiM

I see you also have the blackwood meter gauge and the vents... Any pictures?

Are you happy with them? I always fear that I cross the line between luxury and tacky... It's a fine line, and you never know exactly when that line is crossed...

I'm not suggesting you've gone over that line... I just simply don't know...

Any opinions on that would be great...

shawn744

yeah i remember when i first went to my dealer to buy my TL.....they had one in the showroom with a sticker of like $41k....it had the body kit, the wood wheel, complete blackwood kit inside,....pretty much every option on the list....interior was pretty awesome with all the wood....dunno if i'd do it to my car though....kinda seemed too much....specially if it's fake....

seahawk

Mikeekim.....I know what you mean by that fine line . Wasn't sure myself where to draw it. That 's why I didn't get the full kit, thought it would be excessive. If my car had parchment interior , I probable would have just got the wheel , thinking the vent and gage cluster would be a bit too much , but I think the Blackwood and the Ebony blend nicely together. The full kit , I believe , comes with a lot of woodtrim on the center consel, two swing out doors over the cup-holders , area around the shift leaver and I believe around the radio. I thought this would be a bit over done. BUT this is just my opinion , I'm sure that there are those that have it and enjoy it very much,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,tried to attach pics but it wouldn't work , first time trying this . Will try again later.

aaronnn

the wood trim gets extremely tacky, there's just way too many pieces.but if you put like a few (like ac vents, and around the shift plate, and maybe just like two more pieces) then it wou;dnt be too bad. but paying 140+ for the whole thing and only using 4 pieces is a waste. plus, it looks cheap when there are too many. very cheap. since its also stickers, it feels cheap too, its not hard, you can kind of squish it.. at least if it was like plastic, it wouldnt be too bad.

MikeekiM

Thanks for the feedback...

BTW, there is no way to "attach" pictures (in the way of uploading your pictures to this site)... You need to get them hosted on a server and reference the picture from this site...

Hopefully you can figure this out, cuz it would be great to see some pics!

TLover8888

i got the wood steering wheel from ebay for $360...it comes from an Acura dealer in CA. i LOVE the wheel. it does add a certain elegance to the interior. i find that the wood part is slightly smoothe but it definietly WONT slip out of your hands. if you can, i highly recommend gettin' one...it adds to the driving experience of any car.

MikeekiM

For those of you with the wood wheel, what did you do with your original wheel?

I have to admit, it was great to put the wood wheel on... But it was also a shame to take such a nice wheel off the car to begin with... I wonder if it will fit on my Honda Odyssey... It seems to have the same spoke pattern... It would be good to ditch the rubber vinyl wheel on the van now, and replace it with the all-leather one! Anyone know if it fits?

songoku

Once you have wood steering wheel, you never want to go back to normal.

seahawk

Mikeekim...... Lets see if this works , first time trying this , sorry about being so long , had 3 blizzards in the last week, the last one bring the one that went thru
New England , been usin the snow blower more than the car.

Regards,
Seahawk

seahawk

Well , I gess it worked , sorta , now I gotta figure out how to get the size down to normal , used Imageshack.com

mlionel

Check out this site: http://www.exoticwooddash.com/

69ssrscam

I disagree. I had a blackwood wheel and swapped it back for a new original leather one. Before you get excited, I sold the blackwood wheel to a buddy of mine that also has a type S. I like the feel of the leather better than the wood, especially in the winter time. Just my opinion. That's the beauty of it, everyone can get whichever they prefer.