Steering Wheel Advice

[boxster3000]

I have a '99 Boxster and I'm interested in changing my steering wheel from the rectangular 4-prong to a 3-prong wheel with aluminum or white inserts. Can someone provide some ideas and advice as the best and/or most cost-effective way of doing this? Also, do I only need to replace the wheel and airbag or are there internal components that also need to be changed. Thanks!

[Perfectlap]

Ebay is the best bet for a black three spoke. Hopefully it will come with the airbag.
You can try some of Porsche auto wreckers (probabaly minus the air bag) that will come up if you do a search on this site and Rennlist, porsche pete's boxster board.
The three spoke is my favourite interior item on the Boxster. The notches at 3 and 9' o'clock encourage you to maitain that steering position and discourages me from shuffling the wheel in turns.

[RandallNeighbour]

I've done the 4 to 3 spoke swap thing. Here's what I found:

1. 3 spoke black leather wheels WITHOUT the airbag go on ebay for $190~$300.00 (Non-tiptronic)

2. 3 spoke black leather wheels WITHOUT the airbag go on ebay for $70-120 (Tiptronic)

3. 3 spoke black leather and aluminum wheels WITHOUT the airbag go on ebay for $695+ (Non-tiptronic)

4. Vinyl 3-spoke airbags always go for a lot of money when sold on Ebay or from a salvage yard like LA Dismantelers... $300+. Leather ones are real expensive.

I bought a 3-spoke Tip wheel although I have a 5 speed... looks a little stupid, I know, but I got that tip wheel on Ebay for $71.00 incl. shipping and handling. Cheap!

My plan is to form some angled wooden blocks where the tip switches should be and recover it with a replacement kit for $60. Not a bad Saturday project and then no one would know the difference (really). Or, I might just follow a hack that Jeff (Toolpants) showed me via a thread a while back where you mod the tip buttons to operate the on board computer.

The vinly airbag with gold crest I bought was from a guy selling his 3-spoke tip wheel on #bay after I had already bought mine... he wrote in his listing that he also had an airbag for sale if anyone was interested. They should email him. Well, he got some ridiculous offers and I got him to call me on my cell and tell me what he wanted out of it and when he said $175 plus $25 for shipping, I said: "Absolutely. It's sold to me and don't you dare talk to anyone else about it for more or less money, ok?" Nice guy, but not too smart... might have gotten twice that on Ebay they're so elusive.

If you have the money, RUF sells some very nice three spoke wheels and airbags in leather.

Just don't bother trying to sell your 4 spoke on Ebay. Throw it and the airbag for it in the corner of your garage and put it back on when you decide to sell the car. They go for just a couple of bucks because so many of us have upgraded.

[boxster3000]

thanks for the feedback guys!

[rubberduckie]

Sorry to bring back this old thread, but I was wondering if the steering wheel has to be for the Boxster or if all Porsche wheels are the same. Thanks

[RandallNeighbour]

Any 986 or 996 3 spoke wheel will work. In fact, a tiptronic wheel will work on your non-tip car, and this is a good way to get the upgrade far cheaper (they don't sell for as much, and you can always sell it when you finally find a non-tip wheel like I did).

Heck, I made $15 on my tip 3-spoke when I sold it on Ebay!