Aftermarket heated steering wheel?

[BobsYourUncle]

As I get older I find my hands get cold very easily, and take longer to warm up...

An ongoing thing for years has been the steering wheel in my truck. In minus 20's and 30's it is like hanging onto a frozen steel signpost.

If I could afford a new ride, I'd buy one with a heated steering wheel, but that option is not there for me. My truck is a 2007 so the heated wheel option did not exist at that time.

I have looked at the aftermarket ideas but all I can seem to find is a hokey cover thing you put over the wheel and plug in before you drive. This is not what I want or am looking for. A poor fitting wheel cover is unsafe for proper handling. I want something proper that heats the wheel as I drive.

Obviously, the wire dangling there cannot be used when driving.

Has anyone ever seen some kind of heated wheel accessory with a rotational power source that does not interfere with driving?

I'd love to add this to my truck to stop my hands from being so cold. I detest wearing gloves when I drive, I find they get in the way and I have less control of steering. I actually hate gloves in general. I like to be able to feel things with my bare hands.

[Fisherman]

okhmbldr wrote:
How about a 12v electric car heater? About 150w of heat. Mount on steering column and blow heat up to the steering wheel.

Similar to this: https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Cigarette-Adjustable-Demister-Defroster/dp/B09LHXRVPP/ref=sr_1_4_sspa?keywords=12+volt+car+heater&qid=1641178876&sr=8-4-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyOE9CTjBBTUpWUkUzJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNTA1Mjc3Mks0TEtFMURLSUwxMyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMTkyMTI4M1ZRWk5XTFcyUFJLUCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

They are a complete waste of time. I bought one a couple weeks ago, similar model, ended up returning it. After running for about 10 minutes at 32F/0C, there was about as much heat coming out of there as a mouse fart would make. Think of it as a small fan blowing over a 150 watt bulb, try it if you don't believe. Now you have to figure out a way to move the little heater around to get the whole steering wheel.

[okhmbldr]

How about a 12v electric car heater? About 150w of heat. Mount on steering column and blow heat up to the steering wheel.

Similar to this: https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Cigarette-Adjustable-Demister-Defroster/dp/B09LHXRVPP/ref=sr_1_4_sspa?keywords=12+volt+car+heater&qid=1641178876&sr=8-4-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyOE9CTjBBTUpWUkUzJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNTA1Mjc3Mks0TEtFMURLSUwxMyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMTkyMTI4M1ZRWk5XTFcyUFJLUCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

[Cummins12V98]

I would go to your nearest dealer with your vin number. Talk to the parts manager and tell him what you are trying to do. He may be able to get you the parts needed to change over to the heated wheel. May not be cheap. Another option is go to a wrecking yard.

[BobsYourUncle]

free radical wrote:
Wouldnt your steering wheel warm up when you turn the heater ON?

If that dont work why not get something like this
Black Sheepskin Steering Wheel Cover- Zone Tech Plush Stretch On Vehicle Faux Sheepskin Steering Wheel Cover Classic Black Car Wheel Protector
$22.99
Amazon CA

It does eventually warm up, if I am driving for a 3/4 hour or so, but only if I direct the vents to it. By then the rest of me is so hot I need to open window.
I find those fuzzy wheel covers hard to have a good grip on..
But I do appreciate the suggestion.

[free_radical]

Wouldnt your steering wheel warm up when you turn the heater ON?

If that dont work why not get something like this
Black Sheepskin Steering Wheel Cover- Zone Tech Plush Stretch On Vehicle Faux Sheepskin Steering Wheel Cover Classic Black Car Wheel Protector
$22.99
Amazon CA

[ktmrfs]

If the vehicle had an option for heated steering wheel, check to see if it can be added by a dealer. For many vehicles items like heated steering wheel that were available as an option or std on certain models often can be added by a dealer later.

[Gdetrailer]

JimK-NY wrote:
It seems nothing is right for some people. What is it you want?

You cannot have a steering wheel with built in heat unless you buy a new vehicle or spend a fortune having someone make modifications and install a jerry rigged heated wheel. The add on options are not going to be satisfying since they are going to add bulk and include a wire that should not be used when driving.

You don't want gloves even heated or light weight gloves. I guess you are just going to have to continue with cold hands and a cold steering wheel.

Stayed up past midnight last night?

You CAN have a factory heated steering wheel after the vehicle was built IF you really wanted to go through the work and expense of mix and match parts.. OP has a GM so, not sure what trim they have and which trim level GM offered heated wheel but in Fords all it took was a Lariat steering wheel with heat plus the correct clock spring transplanted to a XL or XLT and perhaps a few other parts and one could indeed have factory heated steering wheel.. Expensive and time consuming but absolutely possible to do.

Heated and cooled seats are the exact same thing, all it takes is finding the correct trim level of seats and transplanting them.. Heck there is even aftermarket parts offered that you can buy new seat covers plus the heater so you can even reuse the seat you have.

Comfort options are out there, I understand OPs hesitancy of wearing gloves and the aftermarket heated steering wheel covers are pretty bulky. Not a fan of gloves, you lose tactile feel, even thin ones restrict feeling and movement but sometimes you just have to buck up and wear the correct clothing for the weather..

What OP can do is find one of the thin FOAM steering wheel covers as they are thin and don't add bulk to the wheel. The foam may give some insulation from the wheel to slow down the cold transfer from the wheel to hands.. I had put one of those on a 1970's vehicle for that reason. Worked better than grabbing a winter cold soaked wheel in the morning.

[BobsYourUncle]

JimK-NY wrote:
It seems nothing is right for some people. What is it you want?

I thought I thoroughly explained what I want. Read my first post.

[JimK-NY]

It seems nothing is right for some people. What is it you want?

You cannot have a steering wheel with built in heat unless you buy a new vehicle or spend a fortune having someone make modifications and install a jerry rigged heated wheel. The add on options are not going to be satisfying since they are going to add bulk and include a wire that should not be used when driving.

You don't want gloves even heated or light weight gloves. I guess you are just going to have to continue with cold hands and a cold steering wheel.

[Gdetrailer]

BobsYourUncle wrote:
Well I appreciate the suggestions, but like I said in my original post, I detest wearing gloves, and I don't feel full control grip on the wheel. I even work outside in winter in bare hands.

I was hoping to find a way to do a heated steering wheel. I'm leery of trying to drive with a cord coming off the wheel to potentially wrap around and get caught on something.

I have gloves and every time I try driving with them I pull them off and flip them into the back seat because I detest wearing them. They get in the way.

Thanks all.

Yeah, I don't like wearing gloves while driving, but, I can say they do help some, my DW isn't willing to give her glove liners up for no one.. Being your weather gets a lot colder then mine, you might find that the heated glove liners alone may work for you. They are thin so they don't kill your tactile feel as much.. But wow, they can get nice and toasty! Best of all, they are 100% portable and go with you when you get out of the vehicle, built in heated steering wheel not so much.

[BobsYourUncle]

Well I appreciate the suggestions, but like I said in my original post, I detest wearing gloves, and I don't feel full control grip on the wheel. I even work outside in winter in bare hands.

I was hoping to find a way to do a heated steering wheel. I'm leery of trying to drive with a cord coming off the wheel to potentially wrap around and get caught on something.

I have gloves and every time I try driving with them I pull them off and flip them into the back seat because I detest wearing them. They get in the way.

Thanks all.

[Gdetrailer]

rhagfo wrote:

Gdetrailer wrote:

thomasmnile wrote:
While the heated seats aren't much value here in Florida, the cooling feature is a Godsend!!! I too used to pooh pooh them until we bought a Highlander equipped with them. No more sweaty back and rump.:C

Real men don't buy leather seats either, no leather = no sweating in the summer nor icy cold in the winter :B

Had a car with leather seats, hated that leather, may as well had 1970's vinyl seats (freeze in the winter and get first degree burns in the heat of the summer).. At least the 1970's vinyl outlasted that cheap thin leather cover the OEMs use.

Oh no, leather is sweet! Heat in the winter and cool in the summer, and dog hair doesn’t stick to them.

Your obviously from the other side of the States so of course everything works the opposite way there? :h

Doesn't work that way around my neck of the woods, sitting on hard cold leather in the middle of winter wasn't any better than sitting on vinyl seats, both are cold and stay cold in the winter.

100F+ inside temps in the summer, you sweat just as bad as you do with vinyl once you get past the first degree burns..

It is for that reason heated and cooled seats became a very popular "must have" option at one time, now pretty much every manufacture that offers Leather seats includes the heating and cooling.

I found that of all things that the cloth seats work well for not having either effect.. They don't get overly hot enough to make me sweat in the summer and not overly cold in the winter. So no extra fancy heating and cooling needed.

Dog hair? Don't have that issue, don't have dogs, cats, horses, chickens, ground hogs or any other animal and if I did, they wouldn't be riding on my seats.. Bad enough trying to keep the kids from wrecking things let alone pets. Besides, dogs and cats can easily damage leather seats even faster than cloth.

[rhagfo]

Gdetrailer wrote:

thomasmnile wrote:
While the heated seats aren't much value here in Florida, the cooling feature is a Godsend!!! I too used to pooh pooh them until we bought a Highlander equipped with them. No more sweaty back and rump.:C

Real men don't buy leather seats either, no leather = no sweating in the summer nor icy cold in the winter :B

Had a car with leather seats, hated that leather, may as well had 1970's vinyl seats (freeze in the winter and get first degree burns in the heat of the summer).. At least the 1970's vinyl outlasted that cheap thin leather cover the OEMs use.

Oh no, leather is sweet! Heat in the winter and cool in the summer, and dog hair doesn’t stick to them.

[Lwiddis]

Proceed, Bob. I like my heated steering wheel.