[m.dreamin]

I don't know what the heck took me so long to get an aftermarket wheel, but I now know that I've been missing out!

I've modified quite a bit on my car and felt that the OEM wheel was just...meh. Looked at many brands but just wasn't sure where to pull the trigger. I personally didn't want alcantara nor that porous leather that seem to come with lots of wheels. Discovered Carismo Design's wheels and was stoked to find they offer a white leather wheel with an aggressive look. (No website yet but here's their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carismo_design/).

This thing feels freaking fantastic! It's somehow simultaneously both thinner in feel while also thicker as well. I guess that's ergonomics but man it feels great while driving. Super solid and more robust in stiffness than OEM, which probably owes to the carbon fiber. And both the look and feel of this wheel coupled with my aluminum MMR paddle shifters make the driving experience more like a fighter jet. (If jets had steering wheels and paddle shifters, of course.)

I'll include some pics below as well as my car for those who've seen my machine evolve with mods over the months/years. The carbon weave is gorgeous, as is the stitching. Also has a flat top and bottom for a much more aggressive look vs OEM. Took the car in for service at the dealership and everyone was asking what wheel brand it was.

As with many aftermarket wheels, I wasn't able to retain the heated wheel feature. This isn't critical living in the San Francisco Bay Area but would be nice to retain at some point. I did get to retain my driver assist features, though, which is great.

I do my own installs with basically everything I've done on this car, and when I had installation questions their customer support on Instagram was fast and super helpful.

Only drawback after covering many miles in a month: the flat bottom makes it harder to drive with one knee. (So I just toss it into self-driving if needed.)

I don't see steering wheels reviewed as much as other mods (maybe I wasn't looking hard enough) so wanted to throw a review out there. I actually don't review things as much as I could but some car mods are just too compelling not to share.

[yocubed]

Love my Carismo wheel. Near perfect match with tartufo

[mdr955]

Why can’t you retain the heating function? Love the look of these but man it gets damn cold here in New England

['Cane]

Originally Posted by mdr955

Why can’t you retain the heating function? Love the look of these but man it gets damn cold here in New England

There are wheels that are able to retain it, but these, and others, don’t.

[yocubed]

I had them retain the heating function on mine. Not sure if it was because mine is all leather or not but it is at least possible

[Tobster3]

For those without IG, is there a way to look at their options?

[mdr955]

Originally Posted by yocubed

I had them retain the heating function on mine. Not sure if it was because mine is all leather or not but it is at least possible

Can you share a picture?

[chris3g]

i also have a carismo wheel and kept heat, they had to special order a core for me and it took a bit longer than their usual turnaround time but they can do it.

[KevinGS]

Nice car, OP.

And I'm loving my Carismo wheel as well, though I kept the heating element.

And I too have a full Silverstone interior.

[iviegatron]

Originally Posted by KevinGS

Nice car, OP.

And I'm loving my Carismo wheel as well, though I kept the heating element.

And I too have a full Silverstone interior.

Is the heating just as good as the OEM wheel or is it lacking?

[KevinGS]

Originally Posted by iviegatron

Is the heating just as good as the OEM wheel or is it lacking?

Only the leather portions heat up on my wheel

[G80M3_Latte22]

Nice looking steering wheel.

[ksa]

Car looks great and build looks strong. Steering wheel is nice and I SMH at M as to why they don't flat bottom from the factory. That's my absolute favourite and my R8 has it....hell even my wife's basic Q5 with S package has it and we don't get them on full fledged M cars. Weird. I love the look and style of them but I can't settle on no steering wheel heat. That's a deal breaker for me.

[Lupeskew]

Sorry but don't have/do instagram how much is said wheel with and without heating function? Thank you.

[yocubed]

Originally Posted by Lupeskew

Sorry but don't have/do instagram how much is said wheel with and without heating function? Thank you.

When I bought my wheel I was quoted $1150 for the wheel and an extra $250 to retain the heating function.

[iviegatron]

Originally Posted by KevinGS

Only the leather portions heat up on my wheel

Is the heating as good as OEM though?

[KevinGS]

Originally Posted by iviegatron

Is the heating as good as OEM though?

Yes, where it does heat up, it gets quite warm (like factory). But of course you mostly need to keep your hands at the 9 and 3 position, where the leather is.

[mdr955]

How is the steering feel with the thicker wheel? Does it feel similar to stock?

[ash_schwin]

Damn these threads....always finding a way to make me want to spend more money

Awesome wheel! For those without IG, below is the website:
https://carismodesign.com/

[Game]

I think I’m the odd one out but I do not find these appealing.

[randomserious]

yoo where did you get the painted splitter/skirts/diffuser from? just looks so much better

[PVC]

What's the benefit of the flat bottom? Is it for aesthetics or they actually make a difference?

Maybe more hp?