Steering Wheel Covers That Can Take Summer Heat
A steering wheel cover provides a quick way to personalize or add a flourish to your interior.
The right one can even prevent you from stinging your hands when you grip a steering wheel that’s sat in a broiling parking lot for hours.
“If you’re looking for a steering wheel cover that’s not going to get hot in a parked car, your better choices are ones made of cotton, cotton-polyester or even Neoprene,” said Steve LeVeau, director marketing for vehicle accessories for Hopkins Manufacturing Corp., a Kansas-based company whose product labels include Bell Automotive and a collaboration with Body Glove. “Synthetic leather is going to hold the heat, so you’re better off with cloth or a blanket material.”
There’s no shortage of options when it comes to steering wheel covers, also called steering wheel wraps. Some are fuzzy. Some are luxurious. Some feature logos of professional sports teams or iconic cartoon characters.
Steering wheel covers range widely in composition and quality. They’re made from a variety of materials like leather, cloth, cowhide and synthetics. What a steering wheel cover is made of plays a crucial role in its comfort and performance. Covers made from certain synthetics may initially give off an odor, so consider having a deodorizer in the cabin to mitigate the potentially unpleasant smell.
Two measurements are crucial when it comes to buying a steering wheel cover: the steering wheel’s diameter and thickness.
Ignore these, and you could wind up buying a cover that’s too small to even stretch over the steering wheel, or one that’s too large and sags.
LeVeau cautioned drivers to beware of steering wheel covers that have bedazzling or jewel-like ornamentation on them, as they can trap and hold heat.
“Some Steering wheel covers have bling, and some studs can get hot quickly,” he said.
The folks at EZ Slide Shade, manufacturers of windshield shades and steering wheel covers, offer three tips on installing a steering wheel cover:
- Position the top half of cover over the steering wheel.
- Stretch, press firmly and wrap around the edges of the cover until it slips over the entire steering wheel.
- A blow dryer can be used to heat up the inside of cover for easier installation.