First post! I've been lurking on the forum since picking up my 997.1 C2 (2005) several months ago. Just installed a new DCT Motorsports wheel - a product I learned about on this forum - and wanted to contribute some feedback on the wheel and some installation pointers.

Removal and installation of the wheel is easy and documented on several posts. Some resources I referenced on this forum can be found here and here. Some additional notes/tips I can add to these:

1. Instead of the 12-point T-55 torx socket to remove the wheel, I used a 6-point as some noted and it worked perfectly fine. 6-point is much more common and easy to find - or can simply order on Amazon as I did ( ).

2. Airbag removal: When pushing an allen wrench or flat head screwdriver through the hole under the wheel to release the airbag - it was a bit of a mystery to me on how the release mechanism worked - making the process a bit more intimidating than it needed to be.

I took the photo below to try to help others better understand how it works:



The red arrow on the picture is the point you are pressing through the hole under the steering wheel to release the airbag. In this photo, the airbag is attached to the bracket that holds it to the steering wheel (I snapped it back together and flipped around here to help illustrate in the photo).

The circled areas are the release points. Simply apply firm pressure to push back the release bar as far as it will go...and apply it dead center...when you do this the airbag will easily release. If one side releases but the other does not, you are off center (this is what I was doing). Best bet in this case is to simply pop the airbag back in and try again until doing a better job applying pressure in the center. Also if you're using a flat head screwdriver - if you're at the wrong angle you may slide under/over the release bar. Just know when you're pressing you should feel the pressure of the bar and you do need to press it very firmly. Really is a piece of cake to remove and pop back on once you understand/see this.

A site note - in the photo you may notice both the airbag and the bracket has a little bit of surface rust. Very strange and a bit disconcerting as the car is a low mileage (18k), garaged/babied car in pretty flawless condition. Certainly not a flood car or anything like that. I can only guess the Atlanta humidity (where the car has always lived) is the likely cause. I cleaned off what I could and wiped it down with some WD-40 before putting it back in.

Now onto to DCT wheel! I did not have the sport wheel on my C2, and the base wheel just didn't feel that great in comparison to other cars am used to. Looking around I decided to go with the DCT wheel. I skipped adding a stripe on the top - I was on the fence here but decided I didn't want the wheel to look too far off from stock (though fair argument to say the flat bottom makes it look very non-stock).

Before/After (with airbag installed on DCT wheel):


DCT Wheel Photos:


The feel of the wheel is great - certainly much more substantial. Feels like piloting a jet fighter with the thick/fitted grips. Nice feel going down the road and working through corners. The flat bottom and more lumpy shape has taken a bit of getting used to during recoil on a 90+ degree turn (when wheel is spinning back)...it's a much different feeling. But it's all good, and I think ads a new/fun dimension to the car.

The quality of the leather work/stitching is great as well. I was also pleasantly surprised that the back mounting area of the steering wheel was also covered in leather (was just plastic before). You don't really see the back of the wheel...but I thought it was a nice attention to detail.

Overall am quite happy with the wheel.

Hope the photos/details are helpful to some out there...

 

Great first post!

In the uninstalled pics your wheel looks black, but in the installed pics it's clearly cocoa color. Interesting, I guess it's just the lighting?

I also have a DCT wheel done in cocoa. Other than the carbon top, perforated leather sides and being thicker all around, I kept the design true to the OEM sport wheel. Hardest part of the install for me was getting the horn to release. After multiple attempts, I was so frustrated I almost gave up and was thinking of having the dealer do the install. But suddenly I must have pushed at just the right angle and it popped out. After that it was smooth sailing.

 

Thanks. Yes indeed bad lighting and iPhone quality shots - but yes they are cocoa.

I recall seeing the post of your wheel and the issue getting the airbag/horn off. I experienced the same issue to a degree...and is why I went to the trouble of taking the airbag photo above and marking it up to help illustrate how the release works. Hopefully will make it easier for the next guy going down this path.

Once I saw exactly how the release worked taken apart, it made it much less intimidating. I can now pop the airbag out in seconds. This really is an easy DIY.

Here is a shot of the back of the wheel, can see the cocoa color a bit better here in this one. Circled is the hole for the airbag release...smaller hole since wrapped in leather (again prior was just plastic) but enough to get in a small screwdriver or allen wrench in to release.

 

Great instruction, xam! Wish I had seen this last week. Very nice!

I just had mine installed last week. Love the new feel and quality of the DCTMS work!