Any base model owners add your own leather steering wheel wrap?
- Thread starter Mark W
- Start date
- Replies 35
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Naughtysauce
Member
So was there an update on this bottom piece issue?
He mentioned the problem is just the screws don't fit, buying new screws will solve it.
Naughtysauce
Member
Thanks, it was a bit confusing.
Aleksandar Mitrovic
New Member
What is the difference between the Civic steering wheel some of the members were installing as DIY and the Honda Clarity Touring wheel that some members have referred to? Clarity Touring wheel costs almost four times as much. I am thinking of replacing the wheel and I am wondering what do you loose by going with Civic wheel vs. Clarity Touring wheel other than money 
Naughtysauce
Member
I've only held the touring steering wheel a few times during a test drive and I just bought the Civic steering wheel, just waiting on the slide volume control to come in before I install it. From what I can feel, there is virtually no noticeable difference as far as leather quality. The Civic touring steering wheel is not jet black, it leans towards really dark gray, but it's about the same color as the leather steering wheel we bought for our 2018 accord which feels very nice and premium. I have no idea why it's soo much more than the Civic steering wheel, maybe it was made in Japan like almost every part in this car. Save yourself some money and go with the Civic touring wheel, or if you're adventurous and have a black interior, get the Type R or SI wheel.What is the difference between the Civic steering wheel some of the members were installing as DIY and the Honda Clarity Touring wheel that some members have referred to? Clarity Touring wheel costs almost four times as much. I am thinking of replacing the wheel and I am wondering what do you loose by going with Civic wheel vs. Clarity Touring wheel other than money
Naughtysauce
Member
Noticed you used the SI steering wheel w/ the red stitching, would you say it's a deep black or dark gray color? Also, how's the leather quality?
Naughtysauce
Member
So I just sat in another Clarity touring trim and I will say, the steering wheel felt a lot more premium than the ones that come w/ the Civic touring. I will be returning the Civic wheel as the leather they used for this generation felt pretty bad once I peeled the wrap off, almost has a plastic feel to it. In comparison, the oem leather wheel we put in our 19 Accord EX, feels awesome and premium. I'll either buy a diy real leather wrap, or wait for a Clarity leather steering wheel to go up for sale on Ebay.What is the difference between the Civic steering wheel some of the members were installing as DIY and the Honda Clarity Touring wheel that some members have referred to? Clarity Touring wheel costs almost four times as much. I am thinking of replacing the wheel and I am wondering what do you loose by going with Civic wheel vs. Clarity Touring wheel other than money
Casey Martin
Active Member
I just ordered the leather OEM Civic steering wheel with black stitching. Here is the part number: 78501-TBA-A21ZA. I was going to go with a used Clarity touring wheel off of Ebay but it was cheaper for a new Civic one. I understand the Civic wheel might not feel quite as nice as the Clarity touring wheel but it feels good to me. I work for a Honda dealer and we have a used 21 Civic EXL in stock. The steering wheel feels and looks great to me. Much better than the stock Clarity steering wheel that is for sure. I don't know why I waited this long to do this. Hopefully everything goes smoothly. It should if I follow this excellent right up and the video that it links to. https://ngnpenn.blogspot.com/2019/12/clarity-leather-steering-wheel-upgrade.html
Casey Martin
Active Member
I installed the Civic steering wheel this weekend. It was a fairly easy install except for one big issue. When I was removing the LKAS/ACC and radio controls I broke the tabs that hold them in. I broke two of them on each one. After I had them out and removed the paddle shifters I was able to push the broken pieces out of the wheel. I then had to epoxy the tabs back together. I had to allow the epoxy to cure for 24 hours before I was able to install them in the new wheel. Luckily the epoxy worked and it is all back together. Honda definitely designed the controls to be easy to install on the factory line. Removing them without breaking the tabs that hold them in place appears to be almost impossible. I guess you might get lucky and they won't break but I can see them breaking more often than not. The two screws mentioned in the link above that are used to hold the lower wood trim to the wheel are incorrect. They were too small. I found some screws I had on hand that worked.
Anyway, I like the Civic wheel much better than the stock Clarity wheel. The leather isn't as premium as I would prefer and the color is off slightly but overall it is a nice upgrade. The color and stitching matches the dash and doors fairly well. The wheel is a shade or two lighter but not something you would notice unless your looking for it. I would recommend this upgrade to anyone that is interested in a leather wrapped steering wheel but be very careful removing the switches.
Anyway, I like the Civic wheel much better than the stock Clarity wheel. The leather isn't as premium as I would prefer and the color is off slightly but overall it is a nice upgrade. The color and stitching matches the dash and doors fairly well. The wheel is a shade or two lighter but not something you would notice unless your looking for it. I would recommend this upgrade to anyone that is interested in a leather wrapped steering wheel but be very careful removing the switches.
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Bummer that you ran into problems during your install. I've done the swap three times (into 2018, out of 2018, into 2021) and not broken anything and kind of have it down to a science now. Really pleased with the Civic Touring wheel, it's a dramatic improvement over the base wheel.
Casey Martin
Active Member
I don't know what else I could have done to remove the switches without breaking the tabs. I was using plastic pry tools and applying equal but not excessive force. At least I thought I was. After looking at the design of the tabs I can see why they are so hard to get out. I feel Honda should have made the paddle shifters removable first and then you could push the switches out from the back.
I used three tools: an old credit card, a medium-sized flathead screw driver wrapped in a few layers of painter's tape, and a 90 degree pick. Use the credit card to separate the trim from the switches, sliding it around the seam between them, and then insert the screwdriver into the gap and twist to pop the trim off. If any of the clips won't release, use the pick to pry the clip out a bit.
Alternatively, focus on prying the switches out of the steering wheel and don't fuss over the trim too much until the two switches and trim are off of the wheel completely. It's much easier to separate that way.
You're right though that the design is a pain and this could be eaiser to deal with. I don't think you did anything wrong, I think I just got lucky (and I have a fair bit of experience at this sort of thing.)
Alternatively, focus on prying the switches out of the steering wheel and don't fuss over the trim too much until the two switches and trim are off of the wheel completely. It's much easier to separate that way.
You're right though that the design is a pain and this could be eaiser to deal with. I don't think you did anything wrong, I think I just got lucky (and I have a fair bit of experience at this sort of thing.)
Casey Martin
Active Member
I was able to remove the trim first. That came off easier than I thought it would. I obviously used too much force getting the switches out. I bet if I was to do it again I could do it without breaking them now that I have a better understanding of how they are held in. I talked to a few mechanics after I did this and they just laughed when I told them what happened. I work for a Honda dealership. They said "now you know how we feel when you guys sell a heated steering wheel"! LOL They said it is definitely difficult to remove the switches without breaking them. I could have paid my service department to do this of course but I like to work on my own cars.
I can't thank you enough on the how to on getting this installed! I had the chance to daily a 2022 civic touring for a little while and it sold me on the idea of a leather wrapped wheel, it makes it feel so much more premium! Install took me about an hour, with proper tools costing about 30$ altogether from harbor freight (they're crap but it did the job!) One note I would say is don't panic if you finish and reconnect the 12v battery and the dash lights up like a Christmas tree, the clarity likes throwing a fit if it loses power, just give it a couple minutes and it'll calm down! A great side effect is my gauge display was pretty laggy switching between different info views, after the complete reboot everything is super snappy! Ill have to take some pictures of the final product later.