ToddJK
Well-known member
- 1,321
- 4,518
- 113
- Location
- Sparta, MI
This may be something of interest to some (or dumb 
) and I think it turned out well so I figure I'd share it.
Sometimes our steering wheels aren't in the best of shape. They can crack, finish comes off and the black substance underneath tends to collect on the hands or if you're like me and have a belly, collect on our shirt and make a wide black line that tends to stay even after a good washing.
So instead of buying a new wheel, the time and effort of removing and reinstalling, I'd figure I'd look into a steering wheel cover of some sort. What I found either doesn't fit, or appears to be something that I question how safe it would be, so as someone who likes to mess with paracord, I'd figure maybe I'd do a wrap. However, Paracord didn't seem like the best of choice here. It will take a long time to wrap, but also be hard to keep in place while turning the wheel. If you've ever Paracord wrapped an axe handle or knife handle and it wasn't tight, you know what I'm talking about. So I thought I'd try some flat rope. Cotton? Thought about it, but cotton tends to dry rot faster from the sun and plus it doesn't melt to clean up the cut ends, so synthetic materials it is. A quick search on Amazon yielded some good finds, which included some polyester soft rope by SGT. Knots, which stated also made in US of A! Okay, good. I started the end on the spoke and wrapped it with some duct tape to keep in place, plus I'll wrap each spoke so the tape is covered. I cut each piece at 26' ft each. The rope is 5/8" wide so it will just reach from spoke to spoke with a tight, and I mean tight, weave. When at the end of the piece, leave about 6-8" of the working end, wrap the wheel twice, three times is better, but twice works, slip the working end through the two, or three, loops and pull as tight as you possibly can, cut off working end and singe.
So far, it hasn't slipped, provides better grip, some texture for the hands, but also is very comfortable. With it wrapped nice and tight, there is no movement at all once so ever, so as far as safety is concerned, seems to be a safe and viable. For $20 and an hour worth of my time, I feel it was a pretty good modification to this issue, but also provides some aesthetics and if the need arises where I really needed some rope to tie something or fix something, I have some on hand. It's not something I've seen much and while some may frown upon using paracord (for good reason if not done properly), I'd figure I'd share what seems to work well that's cheap, fun, but also seems to be a lot safer than many steering wheel covers that could slip or not properly for for those needing something with similar issues I was having, but would work on any steering wheel of any vehicle.
Any thoughts or concerns? While I feel it's a good option, I'm open to any constructive criticism.
) and I think it turned out well so I figure I'd share it.Sometimes our steering wheels aren't in the best of shape. They can crack, finish comes off and the black substance underneath tends to collect on the hands or if you're like me and have a belly, collect on our shirt and make a wide black line that tends to stay even after a good washing.
So instead of buying a new wheel, the time and effort of removing and reinstalling, I'd figure I'd look into a steering wheel cover of some sort. What I found either doesn't fit, or appears to be something that I question how safe it would be, so as someone who likes to mess with paracord, I'd figure maybe I'd do a wrap. However, Paracord didn't seem like the best of choice here. It will take a long time to wrap, but also be hard to keep in place while turning the wheel. If you've ever Paracord wrapped an axe handle or knife handle and it wasn't tight, you know what I'm talking about. So I thought I'd try some flat rope. Cotton? Thought about it, but cotton tends to dry rot faster from the sun and plus it doesn't melt to clean up the cut ends, so synthetic materials it is. A quick search on Amazon yielded some good finds, which included some polyester soft rope by SGT. Knots, which stated also made in US of A! Okay, good. I started the end on the spoke and wrapped it with some duct tape to keep in place, plus I'll wrap each spoke so the tape is covered. I cut each piece at 26' ft each. The rope is 5/8" wide so it will just reach from spoke to spoke with a tight, and I mean tight, weave. When at the end of the piece, leave about 6-8" of the working end, wrap the wheel twice, three times is better, but twice works, slip the working end through the two, or three, loops and pull as tight as you possibly can, cut off working end and singe.
So far, it hasn't slipped, provides better grip, some texture for the hands, but also is very comfortable. With it wrapped nice and tight, there is no movement at all once so ever, so as far as safety is concerned, seems to be a safe and viable. For $20 and an hour worth of my time, I feel it was a pretty good modification to this issue, but also provides some aesthetics and if the need arises where I really needed some rope to tie something or fix something, I have some on hand. It's not something I've seen much and while some may frown upon using paracord (for good reason if not done properly), I'd figure I'd share what seems to work well that's cheap, fun, but also seems to be a lot safer than many steering wheel covers that could slip or not properly for for those needing something with similar issues I was having, but would work on any steering wheel of any vehicle.
Any thoughts or concerns? While I feel it's a good option, I'm open to any constructive criticism.
