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Model Specific and Upgrade Questions

Basic Wheel Program Questions

Q. How much will my custom wheel cost?

A. You use the Configurator to calculate the cost of the wheel. There is a base cost that covers basic upholstery work. This cost varies by wheel type. You then pick from the "à la carte" options - carbon fiber, 12 o'clock rings, shift paddles, upholstered hubs, etc to come up with the total wheel cost.

Q. Do I have to send my steering wheel to you?

A. For our catalog cars, we maintain a supply of wheels which we use to make your custom wheel. We will then send the wheel to you for installation. Your car will not be out of service for any amount of time. If your car is not one of our catalog cars or has an unusual leather color, contact us for options.

Q. What is a core? What is the core deposit? Why do you charge it?

A. The core is the "wheel" itself. Our prices do not include the cost of the original wheel. The core deposit is charged (upon shipping) to make sure we receive a wheel back from the customer or can replace the wheel if we don't receive one in a timely manner. We refund the deposit IN FULL when we receive your old wheel back. We give four weeks to return the core before the deposit is forfeited. We communicate with the customer if this deadline is approaching.

Q. My current wheel leather is not in good shape. Will I get a full refund of my core deposit?

A. As we replace all of the leather on a wheel, the leather condition is not important. However, if the wheel is bent or structurally damaged, we can not use it and no refund will be given. Please contact us if you are repairing a damaged car.

Q. Can I keep my original wheel?

A. Our prices do not include the cost of the original wheel. If you wish to keep your original wheel, there is a core charge that will be applied to the purchase. This cost varies by the type of wheel. And none of the cars we deal with have cheap wheels! With all the wheels we've done, we have not had anyone call us later looking for their original wheel back....

Q. My car is not listed on your site. Can you do a wheel for me?

A. Yes, we can do your wheel! However, costs may be higher than our normal wheels as we have to recoup the development work for both the carbon and the upholstery patterns. If your car is an exotic or high end luxury car, we are certainly interested in doing it. We may have already as we don't list all the work we have done.

Q. What do I have to pay when I place my order?

A. We charge a 30% deposit upon time of ordering. This is a percentage of the wheel cost only, it does not include the core deposit.

Model Specific and Upgrade Questions

Q. Gallardo: Can I put a 2007-2010 wheel on my 2004-2006 car?

A. Yes! The airbag for the early car fits the later model without issues. However, you will have to purchase a later style wheel or supply one. The cost of a later model steering wheel runs about $1000. Contact us for the current market price.

Q. Ferrari 355: Can I put a 360 wheel on my car?

A. Yes. Although we have not performed the upgrade ourselves, many have. It was a common upgrade in the past. However, the cost now is very high. A 360 airbag will cost around $2500 and a 360 wheel is roughly $1500. So there is $4,000 in cost there alone. Unless you can find a used wheel and airbag. A better option is to go with our F355 "Thick" wheel. This will give you the more modern wheel thickness as well as carbon for much less.

Q. Ferrari 360: Can I put a 360CS wheel on my normal 360?

A. Yes. They are interchangeable. But unless you can find a cheap used 360CS wheel, the upgrade cost is very high. A new CS wheel costs roughly $3500 from Ferrari.

Q. Porsche Carrera GT: Can I do a carbon wheel on my car?

A. Yes. We use the standard 996 3-spoke wheel which is almost identical to the CGT wheel. As you will keep your original wheel (they are very expensive from Porsche due to their part number!), we build the cost of a new 996 wheel into the price.

Q. Porsche 996: My Porsche carbon wheel is cracked. What can I do?

A. There is no way to repair the wheel itself without fully redoing it. The least expensive option is to buy a new one from Porsche and eBay your old one. If you are looking for something more interesting (and long lasting) than the boring Porsche wheel, we offer a replacement service that although more expensive, will give you a long lasting, exciting MAcarbon wheel. Contact us for more information.

Design Questions

Q. Do I have to get a wheel with carbon on it?

A. No. We love carbon and its our main focus here at MAcarbon but our upholstery work is second to none. With our inventory of cores, you can have the best quality upholstered wheel with no down-time for your exotic automobile.

Q. What is the "base" wheel charge?

A. The "base" wheel charge covers all of the upholstery work to redo the steering wheel rim. This includes new leather (or suede) and stitching. From the base wheel, other options are added such as carbon and 12 o'clock rings.

Q. What is a "Thick" wheel?

A. The original wheel on some of our catalog cars (Audi R8, Ferrari 355, Lamborghini Murciélago, Porsche 997) came with relatively thin original wheels. These thin wheels tend to have a rim diameter of 30mm. This is not to be confused with wheel diameter. We increase the diameter to 34mm to add 4mm. We do this through a combination of padding (upholstery sections) and by using additional layers of carbon. This does increase the amount of work and therefore the cost of the wheel. For these cars though, the improvement in feel is amazing!

Q. What is a "hub"?

A. The hub is the area of the wheel behind the airbag that connects the wheel to the steering column. Having the hub in leather or suede with matching stitching to the rim really sets off a wheel. Its not as visible as the wheel rim but can make a big difference in the overall impression. Yes its just cosmetic! Some wheels (Murciélago, Ferrari 360) have leather hubs from the factory. Others (Audi R8, Porsche 997) have ugly plastic hubs that benefit most from the additional customization.

Q. Do you use Alcantara or suede?

A. We use natural suede manufactured by Foglizzo of Italy. We find it is durable, feels luxurious and is available in a number of colors.

Q. Will you do a custom color for my 12 o'clock ring?

A. We can do custom colors. If you have the manufacturer color code, there will be a charge for the paint only. If you do not have a color code, a "research" charge may apply.

Q. Do you recommend a 3mm or 10mm 12 o'clock ring?

A. This is a very personal choice! We just highly recommend you get some sort of ring! A ring make wheels visually "pop"! A quick rule of thumb though is that Porsche and Mercedes take 10mm while Ferraris looks best with a 3mm ring. Lamborghinis and Audis look great with either!

Q. Do you recommend colored stitching?

A. Again, this is a very personal decision. It depends somewhat on what the car's interior looks like. If it has deviated stitching (not the same color as the leather) then we usually recommend matching that color. If it has black or gray stitching in the interior, the customer's first thought is to go with black. However, wheels with black stitching are not nearly as visually exciting as a wheel with colored stitching. As our wheels are often the focus of the interior, why not make it truly special? We've never had a customer after receiving his colored stitching wheel to re-stitch it in black!

Q. What colors of stitching are available?

A. Our thread catalog has some 100 colors in it. Once you have a feel for the general direction you want to go by using the Configurator, the MAcarbon staff will work with you to further refine your choice to the ideal color for your automobile.