Grippier Steering Wheel

[alexp195]

hi everyone,

i'm fairly new to leather working, but i've reupholstered steering wheels before, but never my own (go figure). anyways when i reupholstered the other i noticed there wasn't as much grip as i wanted, which was fine since it was for a customer who tore up his, but for mine i want something with a little better grip. so i was wondering what i could do or add to get a better grip on the wheel. the only thing i can think of is using that imitation ostritch leather with all the tiny holes, but once those holes fill with dirt it's going to look terrible. i'm planning on stitching it in red to match the interior so wish me some luck. any advice would be really appreciated.

[Tree Reaper]

The imitation ostrich I have doesn't have holes but rather rough spots.

If dirty hands are a problem I don't think any kind of light leather is going to be suitable over time as it will likely glaze and need replacing.

You can always make more than one and change them out over time.

[johnv474]

If you use a leather that has any ability to be tooled (i.e. not a very soft chrome-tanned leather), you could just dampen the whole thing, then stamp in bumps or simply tap over the entire surface with the edge of a hammer, to give a randomized pattern with some texture. I imagine this would look especially cool with a piece of undyed veg-tan, because it would develop an awesome patina from the driver's hands and exposure to the sun. Just a thought.