Disconnect your battery and to re-phrase what shadycrew31 said; " the plugs have a black plastic clip that pops out with a flathead screwdriver. It does not matter which one you pull first."

I hope that is helpful. Also, pay attention to steering position prior to the work so you line it back up properly. Another hint for anyone who may not have removed a steering wheel before: Slacken the 21 mm nut and pull with good force toward you. DO NOT REMOVE THE NUT until you feel the wheel pop loose.

Paul.

 

Whoa, easy Shady! I'm not being lazy with this, and thought I could just post the question while I got some breakfast. I'm being extremely careful, actually, which is why I didn't just start messing with the connectors without knowing how they worked. Hence the reason I posted. I also do understand the ramifications of not treating the airbag unit carefully. Thanks for your reply as well as Paul's.

 

That was partially why I responded; to bring a pleasant friendliness back to the thread.

Paul.

 

Sorry I just woke up and was in the zone!

Carry on, hope the install goes smooth.

The hardest part i had was running all the wires through the steering wheel correctly. they only fit one way and i forgot to take pictures as I did it haha.

 

No worries. The install went without a hitch and I drove with it quite a bit today. I actually did take a pic of the OEM wheel and the wiring, and it helped a lot when I went to swap it all in. For me the toughest part was actually getting the stock steering wheel off. I had to bang it pretty good with a rubber mallet, along with quite a bit of wiggling back and forth.

Plenty of pics already of this, so I'll only post one if someone really wants to see it.

 

Yes, you have to wiggle it while you pull it, that is the key .

Paul.

 

Feels and smells amazing though

 

It really does. Love the feel and the matte leather look, as opposed to the OEM wheel, which started to look a little shiny from wear. Wish I could find something that could make my leather seats look a little more matte as well.

 

Yea it just adds a level of sports/luxury to the interior. I took it a step further and wrapped every gloss black and most of the silver trim with satin black vinyl. It really pulled it all together.

I have the cloth interior though, not sure how that would look with leather.

 

Sorry, total Brain F _ _t on my part. I apologize to all, including Mazmart. I have bought used parts for various Mazda's from them over the years and have always been pleased with their quality, honesty and reasonable prices.

 

If you give your seats a good thorough cleaning with an actual leather cleaner (using a leather scrub/cleaning brush, etc) it will leave it with a somewhat more dull look. Those general purpose cleaners and cheap leather cleaners usually have the greasy high gloss finish.

 

My plan is to leave a box of surgical gloves in my car and just use them while I drive,

 

did you mind if i get one 9k? lol

 

hell no, Do it! But you need a new interior for it to match

 

I've only used decent cleaners in the past (Zaino and Chemical Guys), but they both make the seats even shinier. I guess I need a good brush. I'll talk to you more about it later, to avoid hijacking the steering wheel thread.

 

im gunna get the black n red from the guy in dallas till hoss sell me his r3 =) or find another one r3 interior

 

Don't forget we have this for the S2 version as well.

MAZMART - Serving The Mazda Community Since 1980. Steering Wheel

Paul.

 

So i am very tempted with this wheel,but i have to ask,is the thickness the same as the oem,or is it thicker?

ps i am talking about the S2 version..

 

I believe it is slightly thicker, but those who have purchased the S1 versions would be able to comment on thickness, at least until I can get an accurate answer tonight from Japan.

Paul.

 

Thanks,lets wait for the reply from autoexe.

 

Received it this morning in Perth Australia. Thanks Paul for the super quick shipping. Installed it straightaway and it feels so good. Haven't gone out for a drive yet but here are the pics! The series 1 version does feel slightly thicker. I haven't measured yet but can do so later.

Here is the link to the installation process which I have written up. Full credit to DY8 for the guide on how to remove the steering wheel.

RX8 Club Australia • View topic - Autoexe Steering Wheel

Cheers!


Jay

 

AutoExe has confirmed that the sports steering wheel is thicker (Both models).

Paul.

 

Jay,

Glad you are pleased. That is my main objective .

Paul.

 

Thats great news.As soon as i finish with the cx-7 steering wheel retrofit to the FD i am gonna order this bad boy for sure.

PS here is a teaser photo

 

I have 2 more S2 versions, MSY1370-03 arriving on Tuesday. One is already sold though.

Paul.