I just started the installation of custom racing grips on my Fanatec CSR steering wheel. These are no joke, real racing grip materials, for real race cars, which you custom mold to your own hands, in whatever position you choose. I just didn't like the feel of the plastic rim and the fake suede . . . not to mention that after 5 months, some of the suede material was starting to pull up.
Tonight's work included prepping the wheel with non-adhesive silicone tape, laying on the moldable material, and creating my custom hand grips in my preferred positions. I had enough moldable material to cover from 1-5 and 11-7 o'clock on either side of the wheel. With 5 and 7 o'clock being exactly where the wheel transitions to flat on the bottom. After getting the material down and all the seams joined up, I then gripped in two hand positons, one at the natural 3/9 o'clock, and another up at 1/11. If you own a CSR and run a pretty wide sensitivity, then you know there isn't much room at the bottom for another good hand position.
The material will need to "cure" for a minimum of 48 hours, and up to a week depending on how hard you prefer the grips. So now I'm without my wheel. But that doesn't stop me from looking at it every 5 minutes- the wheel looks amazing. After curing, you can sand out rough spots, and there is a top coat of finishing material which needs to be applied in a couple layers which will likely add another day before I can finally hit the track.
This far in, all I can say is that I am uber impressed with the material, and the feel of wheel with these custom grip on the wheel. The material has transformed the feel of the wheel. No more plastic edges or peeling suede. Gripping the wheel is like wearing a tailered pair of gloves. Of course, it's early in the process, but this far in you can color me seriously impressed . . .
UPDATE . . .
I got an email back from the material manufacturer, for a softer feel, 24 to 36 hours is sufficient curing time. I'm going to go 36 hours- or about noon on Saturday #or tonight if the grips feel hard tonight.# Next step is some light sanding, and the first layer of brushed on finishing compound. You might note the "elephant skin" texture on the lower side of the left grip- I tried to work the wrinkles out, but I think that piece of material simply started to set before the others. I'll sand those areas to try and get to a more uniform finish.
UPDATE . . .
So, based on wanting to keep the grip material on the softer side, the manufacturer recommended I go with 24 hours. So tonight I started my sanding and shaping. I took photos throughout the process, and I'll add them to the post tomorrow. Anyway, after 24 hours curing, the grips were still a little pliable. A fine grit sandpaper was included, so I got to work. I basically sanded the the entire grip on both side. I put special attention into smoothing out the finger grooves and removing the little wrinkles left from my handprints. As you can see the right side was uniformly smooth, and it indeed required much less sanding. The left side required more attention with the sand paper. The good news was that all but just a couple of wrinkles came out with a little extra work. The only issue I had was I sanded through the grip material on the little knot of plastic just above the thumb groove on the left side. At first I was really p'd, but after surveying the damage, I realized my hand never rests on that spot. After sanding for about an hour and a half, I then got a towel and patted down the grips to try to get the dust free from the surface. The final step, applying the neoprene finishing coats #3# took an additional hour. The neoprene requires 4 hours time to set, so I should be good to go for track testing tomorrow.
UPDATE . . .
The neoprene dried over night. The final coat still has a slightly tacky feel, but you can see by the pictures the grips now have a shinier finish. The neoprene coating will slow/stop the curing process, and protect the grip from liquids and sweat. I added additional pics to this post, but there are many more if you follow my link below, including before and after sanding photos for several segments of the wheel. Sanding is really the key. Molding the material straight out the package is just the first step. Sanding allows you to custom shape the material and remove blemishes in the material along with handprints, ridges, etc. The neoprene appears to have covered my sand through very well.
I won't get a chance to give the wheel a test drive for a couple of hours, but I'll post impressions later today.
I've many more pictures of the grips throughout the install- http://www.flickr.com/photos/13339744@N05/
Tonight's work included prepping the wheel with non-adhesive silicone tape, laying on the moldable material, and creating my custom hand grips in my preferred positions. I had enough moldable material to cover from 1-5 and 11-7 o'clock on either side of the wheel. With 5 and 7 o'clock being exactly where the wheel transitions to flat on the bottom. After getting the material down and all the seams joined up, I then gripped in two hand positons, one at the natural 3/9 o'clock, and another up at 1/11. If you own a CSR and run a pretty wide sensitivity, then you know there isn't much room at the bottom for another good hand position.
The material will need to "cure" for a minimum of 48 hours, and up to a week depending on how hard you prefer the grips. So now I'm without my wheel. But that doesn't stop me from looking at it every 5 minutes- the wheel looks amazing. After curing, you can sand out rough spots, and there is a top coat of finishing material which needs to be applied in a couple layers which will likely add another day before I can finally hit the track.
This far in, all I can say is that I am uber impressed with the material, and the feel of wheel with these custom grip on the wheel. The material has transformed the feel of the wheel. No more plastic edges or peeling suede. Gripping the wheel is like wearing a tailered pair of gloves. Of course, it's early in the process, but this far in you can color me seriously impressed . . .
UPDATE . . .
I got an email back from the material manufacturer, for a softer feel, 24 to 36 hours is sufficient curing time. I'm going to go 36 hours- or about noon on Saturday #or tonight if the grips feel hard tonight.# Next step is some light sanding, and the first layer of brushed on finishing compound. You might note the "elephant skin" texture on the lower side of the left grip- I tried to work the wrinkles out, but I think that piece of material simply started to set before the others. I'll sand those areas to try and get to a more uniform finish.
UPDATE . . .
So, based on wanting to keep the grip material on the softer side, the manufacturer recommended I go with 24 hours. So tonight I started my sanding and shaping. I took photos throughout the process, and I'll add them to the post tomorrow. Anyway, after 24 hours curing, the grips were still a little pliable. A fine grit sandpaper was included, so I got to work. I basically sanded the the entire grip on both side. I put special attention into smoothing out the finger grooves and removing the little wrinkles left from my handprints. As you can see the right side was uniformly smooth, and it indeed required much less sanding. The left side required more attention with the sand paper. The good news was that all but just a couple of wrinkles came out with a little extra work. The only issue I had was I sanded through the grip material on the little knot of plastic just above the thumb groove on the left side. At first I was really p'd, but after surveying the damage, I realized my hand never rests on that spot. After sanding for about an hour and a half, I then got a towel and patted down the grips to try to get the dust free from the surface. The final step, applying the neoprene finishing coats #3# took an additional hour. The neoprene requires 4 hours time to set, so I should be good to go for track testing tomorrow.
UPDATE . . .
The neoprene dried over night. The final coat still has a slightly tacky feel, but you can see by the pictures the grips now have a shinier finish. The neoprene coating will slow/stop the curing process, and protect the grip from liquids and sweat. I added additional pics to this post, but there are many more if you follow my link below, including before and after sanding photos for several segments of the wheel. Sanding is really the key. Molding the material straight out the package is just the first step. Sanding allows you to custom shape the material and remove blemishes in the material along with handprints, ridges, etc. The neoprene appears to have covered my sand through very well.
I won't get a chance to give the wheel a test drive for a couple of hours, but I'll post impressions later today.
I've many more pictures of the grips throughout the install- http://www.flickr.com/photos/13339744@N05/
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