Removing the nasty alcantara from the Fanatec Porsche GT2 wheel

I got this Fanatec Porsche GT2 wheel used, from an auction site, and i immediately had a problem with it: it reeked, really stank.

The rim in this wheel is covered with the always praised alcantara, an "artificial substitute for suede leather", says Wikipedia. And my GT2 had a good run in the sweaty hands of its previous owner. This material may be good for avoiding slipping those wet hands but it take its toll by retaining humidity and creating its own nasty populations.


I could see that the Fanatec was driven a lot by the wear in the buttons and the suede shit, which was rough where we use steering wheels the most - the 10 and 2 or 9 and 3 o´clock bits. I found the rim too thick for my taste also. And i really couldn't stand the reek.

So i went for Google´s help and he knew nothing. I found no one that had removed that already dreaded alcantara. So i gathered my balls and went to cut the motherfucker.

As you can see by my awesome pictures, this alcantara shit on the GT2 is just a thin layer over the rubber rim. The only real problem is removing the remaining glue, that really sticks there. I sanded it with sandpaper and i scraped it with a blade, but it´s more attached to its mama than i thought. So i used a Dremel tool and sanded for real.

The Porsche GT2 now has some scratches left from the process and the rim is still too thick for my taste, but it smells good and i regret a little less that i bought this shit.

Yes, this steering wheel joystick for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC is shit, even with its unique multi-platform skills and other great specs. I´ll do a post showing all of its flaws later, after some more chapters of pain. I miss my Logitech G27. A LOT.