There’s certainly nothing wrong with the parts that BMW gives you on the inside of any M car, and in fact the G80 M3 steering wheel might be the nicest of all with its carbon fiber trim and tri-color stitching. It’s not something you can get on an M5 or an M8, ironically. Still, other cars have even more racy choices, and we can improve the M3’s look and feel.
I’ll lay out the options and cost, explain why I picked what I did, and walk you through the install process.
The stock G80 M3 steering wheel is boring
Oh, it’s fine. But every M, M Performance, and regular BMW with the M Package gets it. Even the XM has one, a sin we can talk about another day. The shape itself is also a bit thick – I thought the wheels in the F generation were more sporty. We can solve this a few ways:
The M3 CS wheel
The first option is from the CS – all Alcantara with a red center stripe. Alcantara isn’t any more expensive than leather to produce, so the “CS Tax” is the only explanation for BMW charging over $2,000 for this wheel. The shape remains the same as stock, so no flat bottom or thinner rim. It’s also missing some Alcantara on the top half that you’d get with the M Performance wheel.
If it were significantly different, perhaps, but it isn’t. I don’t need Sunday morning cred that badly. Next.
The Pep Boys special
A growing trend is using bare carbon fiber on the wheel, like the Corvette Z06. I think it’s slippery, and combined with the stock carbon trim can look a bit “I’mma race car bro”.
There’s also a digital display on the top of the wheel, which we absolutely do not need on a car with multiple screens. BMW even included shift lights on the dash as you approach red line, making it superfluous (plus it looks like Super Nintendo graphics). No Alcantara on here either, so it wouldn’t match my shifter. For around $1,100, it’s a pass.
The M Performance wheel (s)
That leaves the M Performance option. It’s a nicer shape, slightly flat on the bottom, with a thinner rim and light blue center stripe. They make multiple variations for different cars, some with red stripe, some with blue, some white, so check to see what fits (even if BMW says it won’t, it might because it’s just a shell with no electronics.) Some like the half leather / half Alcantara look (I do). It also has an Alcantara upper half unlike the CS option, and my manual requires two additional covers where the Competition’s paddle shifters would normally go.
The problem is once again price – $1,600. But we can do better when ordered direct from Germany using Baum. Make sure to use the translation feature in your browser, as it’s entirely in German.
The M3 airbag cover
The final piece of this is the airbag cover. It’s again fine, but I found a cover from OEM Plus Mods (they make a lot of Supra stuff) that matches the wheel itself. This helps to complete the overall look, and changing the wheel is the perfect time to make the swap.
Installing the M Performance G80 M3 steering wheel
Now would be a good time to tell you that my M mode buttons stopped working about a month before I installed this wheel. When I took it to a dealer, they said my wheel was damaged because someone touched it (no one did). When TySpeed later removed the wheel, they found that the dealer actually cut off one of the wire clips, so the M buttons were unplugged. I believe the horn was installed from the factory incorrectly (it was always sticky), and pinched the wire, then the dealer made it worse.
I won’t tell you which dealer did it, but know that they will do anything to avoid a warranty repair. “You changed a lot on the car” was used as an excuse. Please. The harness was not expensive, and since the wheel would be off, I took it to my favorite M bros to fix.
Sidebar: I made an appointment a week in advance, and although they gave me a loaner, it was absolutely disgusting (empty water bottles, filthy glass inside, etc.) I wasn’t lying when I said the service has gone south.
Anyway, on to the fun stuff.
We’ll be working with Max at TySpeed today, and the install takes about two hours (mine took a bit longer to find out the M button issue).
1-Take off the original wheel
2 – Switching everything over
3 -Installing the G80 M3 steering wheel airbag cover
4 – G80 M3 steering wheel final install
BMW M Performance Steering wheel result
A few tips and details
I’ve had people make fun of me, but if you’re looking to keep the wheel (and shifter) in decent shape, I suggest a pair of driving gloves. I like BMW’s gloves, which fit me well, but there are a ton of options. This will prevent the grossness of skin and oils from giving the wheel that oh-so-wonderful gloss sheen over time.
You can also keep a bottle of interior cleaner handy for a once-a-week wipe. I prefer AMMO Lather, but almost anything will do that isn’t alcohol-based (that could dry out the leather).
Finally, the only remaining item that you could get from BMW if you have a Competition model are Alcantara knee pads. Manual models like mine have a smaller center tunnel, and they do not make that part. They also make carbon fiber kick plates for the doors, but this seems a bit superfluous since they already say M3, and that’s cooler than M Performance.
The center arm rest, seat backs, door lock pins, carpets, shifter, and now steering wheel are complete. I feel good when I’m inside the M3, and as they say, feel good – look good.
Thanks to Max, Dan and the crew at TySpeed as always for letting stick a lens in their faces!
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