Different steering wheel?

[PassivAggressor]

Anyone ever think of changing their steering wheel? I have a sport model 2. The wheel is ok, but it's soft plastic and is pretty thin. I know the touring models have the nicer leather steering wheel but doesn't have "sport grips". Does any newer Mazda have a steering wheel with "grips"? Everyone I've seen has none at all. I drove my buddies BMW M3 and I fell in love with the steering wheel. I'd like something like that in my 2. Is it even possible to switch them?

 

[CorkSport]

I have a touring steering wheel FS if you are interested. Shoot me a PM.

-Derrick

 

[Max Archer]

It's possible to add the "grips" when recovering a wheel with new leather. Where you'd get it done or whether it's ever been done on a 2 is anyone's guess, though. I'd love to have them on my wheel as well.

I thought maybe a wheel from another Mazda might work, but I looked and as far as I can tell, none of Mazda's current-gen models have the thumb grip/pad things, not even the Miata, RX-8, or Mazdaspeed 3. Mazda must not believe in them.

 

[inspekt]

The Protege5 steering wheel has fantastic hand placement (indents for the thumb in the right spots). However, I do prefer the slightly smaller diameter of the Mazda2 steering wheel. If somehow they could be be combined...

 

[DrWebster]

Are you talking about indents in the front of the wheel where your thumbs go, or those bulges and 10 and 2 where you're "supposed" to grip the wheel?

The CX-5 has those bulges (which is really unfortunate), and the 2 Touring wheel has small indents at the 9 and 3 positions where you can put your thumbs.

 

[inspekt]

On the 2 Touring wheel the thumb indent is so shallow, it might as well not be there - made more useless by how large the plastic section is that houses the buttons and where/how it meets the rim. For comparison, on the Protege5, the wheel is scalloped out nicely in just the right spot so that your thumb just naturally goes there and you have plenty of real true grip on the wheel. My gripe with the 2 Touring wheel is that if you want your hands in those 9 and 3 positions, that big plastic section gets in the way of your thumbs falling in the right spot...

 

[PassivAggressor]

Are you talking about indents in the front of the wheel where your thumbs go, or those bulges and 10 and 2 where you're "supposed" to grip the wheel?

The CX-5 has those bulges (which is really unfortunate), and the 2 Touring wheel has small indents at the 9 and 3 positions where you can put your thumbs.

I mean the buldges, but honestly either would be nice.

 

[okcomputer]

I, too, wish there was a better wheel on the base model. I never understood car manufacturer's putting cheap, plasticky steering wheels on their cars. I honestly think they'd sell more if the steering wheels felt nicer on even the base models.

Though I guess that's one of the pushes to get you go for the top of the line model...

I was looking at Wheelskins.com, and though it doesn't solve the indent problem, it does add thickness and grip...

 

[genericmoniker]

The wheel was probably 80% of what made me go with the touring over the sport.

 

[Jond63]

The wheel was probably 80% of what made me go with the touring over the sport.

Same here.

 

[PassivAggressor]

If only I could put that in the M2.

 

[RetroSkies]

Has anyone ever
successfully replaced the Sports steering wheel with a touring wheel?

 

[dgoldman]

I swapped a touring onto a sport on a 2011. It isn't as straight a swap as I'd hoped.
Comes off without a puller so that was easy. New wheel off a junk yard car so that was good.
Cleaned it up and did the swap. Have an aftermarket radio already so didn't need/want the wheel switches. Going plastic to leather is a nice upgrade and it feels very nice.

Something to know: the 2011 sport doesn't use blank covers for where the radio/cruise/etc. switches would be. That is just more plastic molded into the wheel (one big piece). Was planning on taking these covers and moving them to the touring wheel. Not possible.

Another thing to know: The air bags may be the same internally but the horn/cover is not. The cover is part of the airbag assembly so not swap friendly. If you grab a touring wheel, grab the whole wheel switches, airbag and all.

That said, it fits. We'll see in a few days if the airbag is still in the junkyard car I got the wheel from.