if you can't tell the blue is alcantara I'm starting a gofundme for a new monitor for you

 

Hey, if a deal pops up then go for it but I still couldn't bring myself to pay that kind of cash for a steering wheel that doesn't give me any tangible upgrade. To each their own though...

 

I'd imagine a smaller diameter wheel would wake up the steering feel a bit ... which, the B5 needs desperately.

Slowest / numbest on center steering I've ever felt in a car of this size ...

 

flat bottom > all asterisks

 

The only time in history where flat bottoms > round bottoms.

Unless that's what you're into ...

 

I don't think a smaller wheel is going to change the on center feel. Would just change how far you need to rotate it to get a specific response.

 

Get an alcantara brush and find a good detailer who can help you keep them looking new for years. Alcantara can be a B I T C H to take care of on surfaces that get lots of wear (steering wheels for example).



WHAAAAAA? Please pass what you are smoking, it's gotta be some strong stuff

You'll need to do some alignment changes and maybe invest in new bushings/arms/tires/rubber bits to get a better feel. Solid spherical bushings and other alternatives to improve the handling and feel of the car.

If you get an alcantara steering wheel, highly recommend blue driving gloves so the oils from your hands don't ruin the alcantara faster.

 

Thanks for the tips on the alcantara cleaning. One thing about having all black leather is, I don't have to do a great job of cleaning myself up to hop in the car to start it / drive it around ...

I'm sure with these seats I'm going to be extra anal

With the steering wheel in mind - I recognize that a smaller wheel will not reduce the amount of turns until it's full lock, although a smaller diameter wheel would increase resistance and require less motion that hands have to travel to generate the given angle change.

I'm all for improving the steering feel hence why I've replaced every front arm, tie rod, sway bar end links, with an alignment to do so.

I don't know if you've ever driven a B5 S4 before, but any "boost" to the sensitivity / resistance would be a good thing. The rack is very slow with little to no "feel" at all.

 

Eagle has landed - Interior definitely needs a good cleaning but, I have some cleaning supplies / dye on the way.

After taking a closer look at the rips on the driverside bolster .. I think it's too far gone for a stitch fix.

Buddy of mine recommended a good upholstery shop that does good quality work at a reasonable price.

Stoked!\

 

Yeah, you're not going to be able to fix that without it looking like ass. The shop might be able to just replace that panel on the seat cover with a new one and you'll be back in business. Might look a little (or a lot) newer but that panel would break in the fastest of any.

 

I've only ever ridden in a B5 S4 (I'll give you one guess as to which one lol) but the rack being slow isn't going to be solved by a smaller wheel. The amount of force changes you're talking about isn't going to give you any more feel for what the car is doing aside from making the steering a bit more heavy.

For example, the steering in my Jeep is heavy AF but I have no idea what the wheels are doing.

 

assuming you're moving, they are turning, Sam.

 

But I don't KNOW that.

Also, I've been in enough situations where they're turning but I'm not moving...and certainly been in situations where I'm moving but they're not turning.

 

Gotcha, thanks for the explanation ..

With that being said, one of these days you need to take a ride in it (before it blows up) ... it's gotten at least 175 more whp than it did when it was on stock turbos .

 

Tell me about numb steering wheel feel. I went from a MazdaSpeed6 with awesome steering feel to a Dodge Charger. It reminds me of when my grandpa would let me steer his boat when I was a kid.

Keep us posted on the seat fix. I have a few areas on my drivers seat that are bad. I've been considering a full seat cover replacement but if you patch yours and it looks good I may go in that direction instead

 

I know... Unfortunately I changed jobs so my frequent trips to SD/TJ are no more. Next time I go it would have to be for a vacation trip.

 

Will do!

Honestly, it's a small complaint .. the B5 S4 was never designed to change directions quickly anyways

In retrospect, if I wanted steering feel .. I'll just hop in the S2000

 

I wish I had that option.

 

I cherish every moment I drive it ...

Do it!

Hardly any maintenance / they hold value like crazy ... just use the college funds "temporarily" until it's time to actually pony up

 

 

I actually have the wife on board with a fun weekend car, and thankfully it wouldn't take anything out the college funds, but I still need to figure out if I can fit in one!

 

of course you can...i'm 235 and 6'1"

 

Interior swap is quite a project ... I hope to have it complete in the next month or two.

First order of business is getting the alcantara cleaned .. they were filthy.

Dawn disk soap, soft bristle brush, and hot water.

Before:





After:



Outstanding tasks:

- Clean doorcard alcantara
- Reupholster driverseat bolster (depending on pricing, I may have them do a few more sections on the driver / passenger seat).
- Swap black door pulls from existing door cards
- Pickup Project B5 RS4 replica door handles
- Install aluminum trim / remove wooden trim.


Slowly but surely ... can't wait till it's complete!

With the BMW being gone .. I am driving the B5 a lot more

 

And yeah, man...what happened to the seats before? The guy sit on them buck naked and sweat on them?

Keep up with the updates!

 

Those seats look like they were pulled right out of the recycle bin! Excited to see what it all looks like when you're done.

my vote is gloss black trim, it will tie it all in perfectly

 

brushed aluminum vote here but mostly to be contrary to Johnny

 

Looks like some good progress

Driving naked is underrated.

 

I'd do fake (or real) CF trim over either of those options. Or leather wrap the trim in something cool.

 

Thanks Yummy

It took all of 30 minutes to clean both seats .. I don't understand people

I was thinking gloss black trim originally but, after seeing pictures ... I don't think it has the pop of the brighter aluminum trim.

Haven't made a decision yet ...



100%.

I was close to purchasing a blue carbon weave interior trim set .. but go figure, it was for a RHD ... glad I didn't send payment and the seller figured it out before I did .

I did vinyl CF wrap on my driverside wood grain and while it doesn't look bad .... I don't know man .. I just can't get into something that's fake looking.

Hell, even my roof bugs me .

I think I'll be OEM+ for life with the "looks" of a car ... the aluminum trim makes the most sense with that mindset.

 

to gloss black.
I vote aluminum or CF. Or maybe something like the Mercedes matte black wood, if you can find something like that in a wrap.

 

i despise fake cf wrap...
steven put some on his that looks good but even that I'm not a huge fan of.

 

all of a sudden, my vote is for fake CF everywhere

 

Get it wrapped in real CF then. It's essentially a "wrap" but instead of vinyl it's just a single layer of carbon fabric finished with lacquer top coat. It has all the appearance value of a CF part with none of the weight savings! I had thought about trying to get into doing this for some parts but it's pretty messy and expensive to start off so I abandoned it. There are shops that do it though.

Honestly, the aluminum trim would look great. If you have a line on it then do it, it would be way cheaper than a CF part. What does the RS4 door panel look like compared to what you have now?

 

I just like aluminum trim because it's an OEM option for being a true "Sports Package" car.

Sports package included:

Alcantara seats
Aluminum interior trim
Aluminum mirrors

Go figure ... nothing sports orientated to make the car faster or handle better

 

I've always been a fan of aluminum interior trim

 

I didn't know what it was....

Alcantara is composed of about 68% polyester and 32% polyurethane, giving increased durability and stain resistance. The appearance and tactile feel of the material is similar to that of suede, and it may be erroneously identified as such.

 

I'm 6'3" 235 and have long legs.

 

Wait.. alcantara isn't leather?!

Today i learned...

 

Seats look so much better dude! I'm gonna use your technique to clean mine up someday.

 

"mommy, the rhinos getting too close to the car..."