I just came back from a 6 hour drive in my S2000 (cruising around the Bay), and I have a complaint about the steering wheel stitching. I was driving with my thumbs hooked over the cross members of the steering wheel, and by the end of the day, I practically have blisters on my thumbs.

My car is my daily commuter, so I really enjoy driving the car. But when I drive it everyday, I don't notice the roughness of the steering wheel stitching. And when I am driving in traffic, I usually grip the bulges in the steering wheel.

Today, when cruising, I hooked my thumbs on the steering wheel and felt the roughness. I think there was one magazine review that also complained about the steering wheel of the S2000 (they rated the Audi TT's steering wrap as the best, if I remember correctly). So does anyone else feel the same about the stitching? How is the stitching of the after-market leather re-wrap, for those who have done it.

 

i think the steering wheel is fantastic. Blisters? Go rake the yard, do some manual labor - toughen up the hands! If all you can complain about is the stiching on the steering wheel after a six hour cruise, I'd guess you are pretty happy otherwise!

 

You're grabbing too hard!

 

I've been on road trips that were 12 hours out and 12 hours back. No problems with the steering wheel. Are you trying to choke that thing to death?

 

You must have been scaring yourself to death to grip that hard.

 

This is a very well made wheel, made I think by Nardi or one of the other top steering wheel manufacturers. Aside from the fact that the grip described does not make for good practice when emergency conditions crop up, the stitching on the wheel if of high quality. The praise for the Audi wheel, I'm sure, is about its styling, not the quality of the stiching, which, if I'm not mistaken, is much more course that the S2000 wheel.

 

I feel that the S2000 has probably the best steering grip and feel I've ever tried and tested made for a Honda. Even the NSX one doesn't seem to feel as good. Second to none, would be the Mugen steering wheel.

 

How about some driving gloves made out of fine leather...

 

Greg and Sondra know where there's a deer that you could get some hide from to make some nice doeskin gloves.

 

Well, I love my car, but I was just surprised by the roughness of the stitching after long hours of driving. I am not saying that hooking my thumbs on the steering wheel is the best way to drive, it is just that it is more relaxing than gripping the wheel. And I don't grip the wheel very tight.

Off hand, I cannot find the magazine article that I once saw, but it was a side-bar to a comparison article that specifically discussed the comport of hooking ones thumbs on the wheel. The best I can find is the following link:

http://www.automotive-review.com/design1.htm

Lest you think these guys are biased against the S2000, they rated it one of the best cars ever. The praise on the Audi wheel is not about styling, but about the comfort of the wheel. They said the most comfortable wheels (for hooking the thumbs) do not have stitching aroung the bends, but the leather is glued to make it smoother.