Interior 2nd Gen JCW Alcantara steering wheel

I've done two of them and have never let the car sit for 30 minutes before removing the air bag. My only advice would be to make sure you hook up all the connectors. The first time I missed the horn wire and had to remove it again to fix it. Otherwise, very easy once you get the airbag out. That's a bit tricky but a little persistence will reward you.

This is the best mod I've done to my car. I absolutely love my wheel.

 

Nice pickup, don't forget to let us know your impressions of it and the install.

 

I did a write-up on how to install the JCW wheel on the R53... perhaps some of it will help: http://www.motoringalliance.com/library/1st-generation-mini-cooper-how-to-3/jcw-steering-wheel-install---r53-73/

 

Looking forward to it.

 

Pics and impressions?

I've always wanted one of these, but the cost and the fact my wife doesn't like it has kept me from doing it. Maybe she'd be OK with the leather version?

 

I went with "Full Leather" version, no regrets- especially since it was the on line buy from returned MINI lease owner. Price, too hard to skip...




I like the feel, but not thaaaaaaat much so I would "rave" about it like some guys on the forums... For me it's worth it just the price I paid for, and I would never pay the full price at the dealer for something like this.:cornut:

 

What's keeping it from being a functional performance upgrade?

 

Maybe not a "performance upgrade" but this is the wheel that the JCW should have come with. Not the plastic feeling thing that it actually did. I have a difficult time deciding which mod is my favorite - the JCW wheel or my Whalen shift knob. It's the tactile difference that makes it for me - absolutely wouldn't be caught driving a MINI without either.

 

I know this is a Noob question, But is the JCW wheel fatter then the stock MCS?

 

Yes, the JCW wheel is fatter than stock. Visually it looks about the same but the difference is obvious when you grip it. Some people think it also has a smaller diameter but they are the same.

MINI claims that the stock wheel is "genuine leather" but the material has been processed so much that it feels like plastic. The JCW has a softer, thicker and higher quality leather than stock, and it actually feels like leather. When I installed my all-leather JCW wheel, it made my interior smell like leather for a few days.

My R52 steering wheels, stock (left) and JCW (right)

 

Thanks for the comparison!

 

Yep... On the gen 1 cars, it is thicker and same diameter. If you follow the link to the how-to, above, the first pic gives you a nice closeup where you can see the difference.

 

Agreed - it is a very nasty piece of work considering it was an extra (over here at least).

But my theory is not that it's been processed but that BMW bought up all the redundant Mercedes cows that Mercedes used to use to make their leather seats - those old S Class seats would only get decently soft after a minimum of 200,000 miles of use in a Polish taxi. But Mercedes now use ordinary cows for their leather seats, so I'm guessing BMW got a real good deal on those cows and now they want to use them up on Mini steering wheels. Maybe if I took a trip down the scrappers and got the wheel out of a 10-year old Mini, it might be quite nice.

 

Absolutily!