Swapping out the Leather Steering for Alcantara

[J600net]

I'm in the market for a nearly new / readily available Emira V6 FE.

I think finding my ideal spec is going to be easy enough by the looks of what's out there other than the Alcantara Steering wheel :/ - most of the ones I'm finding have the leather wheel.

So...

Let's say I've got my mind set on the Alcantara wheel (because I have) realistically how much faff and expensive will I be looking at do you think??

And is this something the dealer will sort??

 

[VL3X]

I'm in the market for a nearly new / readily available Emira V6 FE.

I think finding my ideal spec is going to be easy enough by the looks of what's out there other than the Alcantara Steering wheel :/ - most of the ones I'm finding have the leather wheel.

So...

Let's say I've got my mind set on the Alcantara wheel (because I have) realistically how much faff and expensive will I be looking at do you think??

And is this something the dealer will sort??

Wheels are fairly easy to swap. You can either find another owner who wants to do an even swap (or swap plus cash on one end) or order a custom steering wheel to your exact spec. I've seen all sorts of custom leather/carbon/Alcantara wheels from different vendors. @GRP currently offers them for the Evoras and will be soon offering them for the Emira too.

 

[DJManc]

There are companies out there that will re trim the steering wheel in Alcantara and coloured stitching etc. if required. Not so sure on costs though. Might require a bit of research.

 

[JimH]

There are companies out there that will re trim the steering wheel in Alcantara and coloured stitching etc. if required. Not so sure on costs though. Might require a bit of research.

Not sure if you’re in the UK but if so : https://royalsteeringwheels.com/

 

[J600net]

Wheels are fairly easy to swap. You can either find another owner who wants to do an even swap (or swap plus cash on one end) or order a custom steering wheel to your exact spec. I've seen all sorts of custom leather/carbon/Alcantara wheels from different vendors. @GRP currently offers them for the Evoras and will be soon offering them for the Emira too.

Yeah ideally I'd be looking for a Lotus one rather than aftermarket. I wasn't sure if this was something the dealers would sort when I'm buying the car - like if I said "put the Alcantara Steering wheel on it and I'll take it!"

 

[eriegz]

User @Gizmo750 shared this post where they paid a company to do a custom aftermarket alcantara steering wheel with coloured stitching!

 

[VL3X]

Yeah ideally I'd be looking for a Lotus one rather than aftermarket. I wasn't sure if this was something the dealers would sort when I'm buying the car - like if I said "put the Alcantara Steering wheel on it and I'll take it!"

I doubt dealers would be willing to do that unless/until they have a bunch sitting on the lot. FYI, most of the customized aftermarket wheels use OEM cores and just re-trim them. The center airbag and buttons swap right over. It's not like you'd be getting an inferior product.

 

[Kimmax]

I'd would be surprised if you manage to get a steering wheel off Lotuses hands - they don't even want to hand out replacement parts under warranty on time

 

[eclat2emira]

I'm in the market for a nearly new / readily available Emira V6 FE.

I think finding my ideal spec is going to be easy enough by the looks of what's out there other than the Alcantara Steering wheel :/ - most of the ones I'm finding have the leather wheel.

So...

Let's say I've got my mind set on the Alcantara wheel (because I have) realistically how much faff and expensive will I be looking at do you think??

And is this something the dealer will sort??

Hi, may be useful to know i have driven my Emira 4000 miles now and have the Alcantara steering wheel. I love the look of it - a welcome additional technical texture in the interior and I love the feel of it.

BUT, I am increasingly finding it lacks grip (the steering wheel, not the car!) - it feels surprisingly slippy in my hands, so much so I have to apply a bit more pressure than I would like when pressing on through fast or tight bends. I guess a pair of the right gloves would sort that but I don't want to wear those every time I'm driving my Emira.

Just something to throw into the mix in your decision making, hope it's useful. good luck with your search!

 

[PJS]

I'm in the market for a nearly new / readily available Emira V6 FE.

I think finding my ideal spec is going to be easy enough by the looks of what's out there other than the Alcantara Steering wheel :/ - most of the ones I'm finding have the leather wheel.

So...

Let's say I've got my mind set on the Alcantara wheel (because I have) realistically how much faff and expensive will I be looking at do you think??

And is this something the dealer will sort??

I asked this exact question of my dealer ( in reverse) . They replied. So i thought i'd try one out in the showroom and decided to stick with Alcantara!

I have spoken to the parts department and had the following response:

Yes we can get a leather steering wheel there are 2 options

There is a trim around the Emira logo you can get it in either satin or dark

Currently both on backorder.

Satin
£886.89 +VAT
Dark
£505.44 +VAT

I would have to speak to X in regards to fitting costs but I can't imagine you would be looking at more than a couple of hours, our hourly rate is £119+vat.

 

[M3DOC]

Hi, may be useful to know i have driven my Emira 4000 miles now and have the Alcantara steering wheel. I love the look of it - a welcome additional technical texture in the interior and I love the feel of it.

BUT, I am increasingly finding it lacks grip (the steering wheel, not the car!) - it feels surprisingly slippy in my hands, so much so I have to apply a bit more pressure than I would like when pressing on through fast or tight bends. I guess a pair of the right gloves would sort that but I don't want to wear those every time I'm driving my Emira.

Just something to throw into the mix in your decision making, hope it's useful. good luck with your search!

Thought I would love the Alcantara until I drove a car equipped with it. I immediately changed my spec to the leather wheel.

 

[TomE]

You shouldn’t need to get a complete replacement wheel. You can just get the leather wheel re-trimmed in alcantara.

The core of the wheel (including buttons, airbag etc) is identical between the two. It’s just the trim that’s different. Most dealers will have a friendly local trimmer and will organise it for you. It should cost £350-450ish.

If you’re in the UK there are several trim shops who know the various Lotus models and can help.

 

[Porter]

Hi, may be useful to know i have driven my Emira 4000 miles now and have the Alcantara steering wheel. I love the look of it - a welcome additional technical texture in the interior and I love the feel of it.

BUT, I am increasingly finding it lacks grip (the steering wheel, not the car!) - it feels surprisingly slippy in my hands, so much so I have to apply a bit more pressure than I would like when pressing on through fast or tight bends. I guess a pair of the right gloves would sort that but I don't want to wear those every time I'm driving my Emira.

Just something to throw into the mix in your decision making, hope it's useful. good luck with your search!

There is a specific brush that you should be using to clean the fabric and lift the nap to keep it grippy.