Heated Steering Wheel

Another item for wasted technological effort...

I was in a shopping mall (hate them, but my daughters needed to go, badly), which had one of those Porsche SUVs in display. If malls are the new churches, where people go today to make themselves feel good, then art-like displays of automobiles must be our rational substitue for Jesus-worship. In this case, we were in the BellisFair Mall (Bellingham WA USA) with its cathedral-like food court.

So here's this car, ugly as sin, colored in embarrassing shade of deep red, almost rust-like in color. Something like $63,000. Gets 13 miles per gallon, costing the owner $1 in gas every 4 miles. It has heated seats, which my mom likes, but get this: a heated steering wheel.

Think about the Porsche engineers who were assigned the task of feeding wires to the steering wheel, and embedding a heating system around the rim. An another set of engineers who had to design the production system that build the heat-capable steering wheels. And the third set, who produced the shop manuals for repair facilities to fix the heating system for when it breaks down. Impractical.

What's wrong with wearing a pair of gloves on days when the steering wheel is cold enough to irritate the hands? No waiting for the steering wheel to heat up; no worrying of the wheel getting too hot.

The idea is a stupid as powered windows that don't work when the key is not in the ignition. A Honda minivan we used to own had a workaround that was even stupider: the power windows could be used for up to ten minutes after the engine was turned off -- provided none of the doors had been opened.

How does that work-around fit in with the typical scenario: mommie goes into the store for a gallon of milk, while daddy and the kids wait in the car. After a few minutes of whining from the kids, daddy wants to open the car windows, but can't. Or, daddy wants to wash the car, but the windows were left open; to close them, he has to find the key, get inside the car, put the key into the ignition and turn, etc, etc. Impractical.

That's why I'm glad our new car doesn't have power windows. I can open and close them anytime I want. And, I get to wear nice gloves when it's cold out.

Comments

[Polar bear]

You are totally oblivious as to how cold it gets in certain parts of the U.S. I have heated seats, very warm gloves, and my hands still freeze while holding onto the wheel for about 3 months out of the year. I don't care how warm your gloves are. You can't hold onto a large icicle for 30 mins without losing the feeling in your fingers. I wear ski gloves. They protect just fine, but try drinking coffee, or pushing buttons with them on. I would not own another car without auto start. I would gladly pay for a heated seat and steering wheel.

[Patrick]

A heated steering wheel & seats are on my BMW. I've had it for 5 years & am now in the market for a new car. Problem is, I can't imagine a car without them. Maybe you should get a used YUGO if you don't like the new technology.

I also thought that the heated steering wheel idea was crazy (although I've had heated seats since 1972(?) in Saabs).
I have a heated steering wheel in my Infiniti- like the person with the icicle comment-try holding onto a round icicle for one minute - not fun. I usually turn the wheel heater off after about only five minutes if it's 10 F out (I wear gloves, also).
After driving my car, my wife would kill for a heated steering wheel.

[Howard]

My 1999 Audi A6 Quattro Wagon has a heated steering wheel. I bought the car 4 years ago and I was unaware that it had a heated steering wheel. Until it winter arrived and I turned on the heated seat. The heat is triggered by the heated seat switch, and stays on for only a few minutes. Here in Buffalo we get winter. The heated steering wheel is fabulous and I can not imagine not having one in the future. Trouble is that it is an unbeleivebly expensive option on most new autos, so I am hanging on to this one as long as possible.

[Elizabeth]

I have a severe case of Raynaud's disease. I fight gangrene in my hands and I live in Charleston, SC....supposed to be warm, right? Well not warm enough apparently. I have to wear gloves 24/7 and I am amazed at the rude comments I get....stuff that implies I'm some sort of snob. A heated steering wheel and seats are such a blessing to those of us who truly need it. I don't know how I would manage without them.

[Joseph]

Another consideration are medical conditions. When my wife's hand get even moderatly cold, the blood flow cuts off. After a few minutes, her fingers are white and without feeling. Not a good thing when you are trying to drive. She requires heated gloves (too bulky for driving) or a heated steering wheel.

[ralphg]

Now everyone can have a heated steering wheel. Canadian Tire has a tubular cover for steering wheels, with a wire that plugs into the cigarette lighter.

I wonder if the wire interferes with turning the wheel?

[T]

You're bagging on power windows?

Daddy in the car with the kids? Seems like a good idea if he had a key, ya know, in case he had to move the car. If anyone is staying in the car, they get the key. You never know when you might need to move it.

It's impractical to go back inside to get a key to rollup the windows? If you have enough gumption to wash a car, you can spend the 90 seconds it takes to go get a key.

Power windows and heated steering wheels are luxuries, to be sure, but so is a radio and power steering. Once you're on that slippery slope, one man's luxury is another man's necessity.

[ColdHandsWarmHeart]

I experience Raynaud's Phenomenon frequently during the winter months, and sometimes in the summer too. It's awful, all your fingers go completely numb and because there's no blood flow at all to the fingers, no mittens or gloves will get them warm. Clothing works by reflecting heat back to the body. If there's no heat to reflect... well... you get the idea. I myself am not willing to shell out more than $30K for a car, so no heated steering wheels for me off the lot. I'll just keep searching for one that could be installed after market I suppose :-)

I lost my gloves. A heated steering wheel would be great. I sometimes am in and out in the middle of the night in winter and messing with water.

[Brett Clemons]

My family and I were just wondering if anyone had invented heated steering wheels yet. It seemed like an awfully good idea to us, especially because we live in Maine. I'm delighted to discover that someone besides me has thought of it. Now it's just a matter of seeing more vehicles come with them. I have no ambition to buy a Porsche, BMW or Audi any time soon, and certainly not for the steering wheel.

[Waylon]

Heated steering wheel can actually be a safety issue. I don't have any sort of medical condition where the blood get's cut off, but I loose all feeling in my fingers, which is important for feedback to the driver to know when the car is about to slide, not gripping, etc. I live in Canada and a heated steering wheel would do me wonders. It's not that I'm too lazy to put on gloves. Gloves only keep your hands warm when your active, not sitting and doing nothing like you'd be when driving...

Personally, I think this entry was made in ignorance...

[abhimdes]

Hey guys, I live in India and it gets really cold in winters and really hot in summers. As much as I would love to have a heated steering wheel in my car, I would like to see a steering cooler too. The same steering that becomes cold/hot depending on the ambient temperature. Anyone heard of any such solution????????????? please lemme know

[arthur itis]

Well, since I have severely deformed hands the result of Arthritis and cannot get gloves on my hands, a heated steering wheel would be quite nice.

Since Porsche hasn't sold many cars around the world they must have had their head in the sand when developing this technology. They're certainly not smart enough to do any demographics as to whether it would be a wanted technology.

By the way--do you use sunglasses or just close you eyes when it's too sunny out?

[Katja]

I'm sure I'm not the only person who drives a standard. Try finding warm gloves that still allow you to hold on much less manipulate your steering wheel and stick shift! I have been searching for such a pair of gloves this winter without success. Huge heavy gloves - usually the "warmer" variety- are totally incompatible with driving a standard.

I usually do wear gloves... the thin leather variety that still "grips" so I don't have to worry about my hand flying off the shifter or wheel and then losing control of my car.... but see, gloves are not all created equal. Those leather gloves of mine are NOT warm. So, insert prior comments about holding onto an icicle

OH! and some of us don't drive a brand new car which doesn't have anything that heats quickly.... so the heated steering wheel sounds fabulous!

Oh yea! Did you know that heated steering wheels and gloves are NOT mutually exclusive !?!?! I don't imagine not wearing gloves just because the wheel is heated - if it's really cold out, typically you would wear both. Just like with heated seats. When it is freezing out in upstate NY, I still opt to wear my winter coat when sitting in the heated seats of my boyfriend's volvo.

[aninalos]

When my fingers go white, a heated wheel is a necessity. I play tennis indoors, and in winter in England, the vast shed-like area in the club can get very cold. Ever heard of a heated racquet handle. The tennis shop thinks I am crazy, but then they don't get my freezing cold hands. I think windows that cannot be used when the key is not in the ignition are safer and help to prevent little children, left briefly in the car, from getting their necks caught. Like the time delay on the washing machine door when it's finished.

[Maggiemay]

The writer is a snob who has not yet had to deal with any adversity - lucky child. Gloves thick enough to keep my fingers warm, don't allow me to feel the wheel. My fingers get numb quickly and, when the feeling comes back, it is like someone is pounding my fingertips with a sledge hammer - so a heated steering wheel would be safer. In the meantime, I take a hot water bottle with me and use it as a handwarmer for each hand, a few seconds at a time.

[michelle]

I am in salt lake city and would love to have a heated stearing wheel and yes, gloved hands get cold in single digit temperatures.

[laura v]

I just found this post today, because I was looking around to see if heated steering wheels existed.

Despite my warm & snuggly cashmere-lined driving gloves, my hands were so numb that I couldn't type by the time I got into work today -- and I've only got a 10 minute commute. Single-digit degrees F makes me an unhappy girl...I've been indoors a half-hour now & am just getting feeling back in my fingertips. (My toes, inside wool socks and shearling-lined boots, are still recovering as well.)

[JR]

I also have a mild case of Raynaud's. I stumbled into my first heated steering wheel in a 2003 Nissan Maxima. For those of you who do not want to spend $80,000 on a BMW the Maxima is a good choice. I since have traded the car for a crossover and really regret the loss of that steering wheel. It can be 0 degrees out, but if you turn on the seat and the steering wheel it does not matter if the heater in the car even works.

I also found it to be somewhat safer than holding your hands over the dash vents trying to get circulation back into your fingers.

[Carmen]

Will of you guys buy an after market heated gear shifter thing? Like a glove for your shifter. I saw it at auto parts and thought it was a good idea. what do you guys think? Will it make money? they sell it here in the states but would it be useful in Canada?

[7egend]

Looks like everyone bashed you about the Heated Steering Wheel thing. I have to admit, it's not a neccessity, but it is a luxury that I wouldn't want to live without on my Denali Truck. If my hands are cold then my whole body is cold, so the heated steering wheels relieves this. If you think this is crazy get into an 08 Escalade, and look at the heated and cooled cup holders, heated and cooled seats, power adjustable pedals, power folding seats, power lift rear window, heated and cooled REAR seats, DVD Player, and LCD screens in every headrest a total of 5 LCD screens total. A heated steering wheel seems sorta bland now doesn't it.

[Thomas]

You, apparently, have never lived in a truly cold climate.

[Matt]

Where I live, it is below 0 every morning for three months. There is nothing I hate more than gripping that cold steering wheel in the morning. Gloves do nothing. Where do you live Arizona?

[ken]

With poor circulation gloves do no good whatever because there is no source of heat in the fingers. Heating the steering wheel beats waiting for the whole car to warm up enough to warm the wheel. No heated steering wheel is a deal breaker for my wife.

[Hunky Dori]

My heated steering wheel makes me smile everytime I feel it getting warm. That is worth every extra penny spent on the warm weather package.

[the990]

Where I live the average night temp is -30 to -40C or -22 F. If you think its a stupid idea thats great. roll down your cheap windows and be happy. Why call the idea stupid?

[Ryan]

Maybe it's beating a dead horse, but I have to say I love the heated steering wheel on my Infiniti and am worried I won't be able to find a car I like that has that feature when I get my next one (the current models don't have that as an option, you'd have to get a Nissan Maxima instead). Why do I love it so much? Well, today in the Twin Cities, the high was below 0°F. That's the HIGH temp and we're not even in the arctic circle, and that's not completely shocking to anyone who has lived here a while (I can recall -60° windchill shutting down the state). So in a part of the country with a daily average high that is 80° less than in the south, you can bet that heated steering wheel will never feel too hot.

[alex]

look guys, a heated steering wheel would be awesome, i used to live in MI and when I was driving to the store my hands would turn BLUE! Yeah sure, Florida or Texas might not need them, but Ohio, Michigan, CANADA all need them!!!

[Blake]

I live in Wisconsin and my car has a leather wrapped steering wheel. It has heated seats, which could fry an egg, but not a heated steering wheel. I have to have my hands in my sleeves or wear mittens in order to drive at times. The steering wheel feels like a block of ice.

[Vicki]

Many friends/relatives say they would EASILY give up heated seats in exchange for a heated steering wheel (IL/IA/WI/MN) - reason, a seat warms fairly quickly, a steering wheel REMAINS frozen solid for an hour or longer. Yes, cold and numb even wearing ski-mittens. You would think that with all the battery operated massagers/heat gadgets , batter operated socks, battery mittens that are on the market that a battery operated steering wheel cover would have been on the market 10 years ago. The problem would be keeping enough in stock to meet the demand!!!

[Michelle]

I recently was looking at a Town and Country mini-van. A heated steering wheel was an option. I thought, I don't need that, I wear gloves. Until I test drove one with a heated steering wheel. Now I will only buy one if it has it. The experience was out-of-this-world luxury. I felt like I was driving a 'spa' car. It's $785 to add the Drivers Convenience Group that contains the heated steering wheel and I'm paying it. There are other options in this group but the heated steering wheel is the one I really care about.