Did our TJs ever come with a vinyl steering wheel?

MikekiM

MikekiM

TJ Addict
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Joined
Nov 3, 2018
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East of Montauk, NY
Did our TJs ever come with a vinyl steering wheel? Mine is leather wrapped. Curious if all came in leather wrap or if leather was an option?
 
My 01 is vinyl. Not liking it... I've been following the other steering wheel cover threads for a good leather cover.
 
My impression was it was an 05-06 thing, same time they went to a leather shift boot.

I had a bone stock 06 SE 2.4 that didn't even have a center console and it had a leather wrapped steering wheel. And my 05 does as well.
 
bluescapegoat said:
the "leather" on my 05 started breaking down and getting sticky a couple years ago. Wrapped it with a kit from Wheelskins and love it.
Click to expand...

I don't know if the lifespan is just that consistent, or if my post-COVID habit of using hand sanitizer after pumping gas and maybe not always waiting for it to completely evaporate before putting my hands on the wheel accelerated it's demise. I have no memory of noticing it at all until about a year ago when it went straight from unnoticed to peeling my hand off the wheel and I've been keeping with the 9-and-3 grip because it's not sticky there like it is at 12:00.
 
My 04 Rocky Mountain TJ had vinyl. My 04 LJ had leather. The TJ had 240k miles and the vinyl wheel still felt new. My Lj had 135k and the leather wheel was disgusting. I got a new napa leather wheel from the polish dude on ebay.
 
Last edited:
bluescapegoat said:
My impression was it was an 05-06 thing, same time they went to a leather shift boot.

I had a bone stock 06 SE 2.4 that didn't even have a center console and it had a leather wrapped steering wheel. And my 05 does as well.
Click to expand...

Pretty sure the leather steering wheel was a package or trim level thing. I think all Saharas and Rubicons came with leather wheels, maybe some of the other trim packages (Rocky Mountain, Columbia, etc). Probably no SEs came with leather wheels, unless it was a stand-alone option.
 
dug up my '03 sales brochure...

03 brochure.jpg
 
rouxbicon said:
Pretty sure the leather steering wheel was a package or trim level thing. I think all Saharas and Rubicons came with leather wheels, maybe some of the other trim packages (Rocky Mountain, Columbia, etc). Probably no SEs came with leather wheels, unless it was a stand-alone option.
Click to expand...

I have a '05 Rubicon and I do not have a leather wheel. AFAIK, it was an optional upgrade and not standard on Rubicons.
 
You folks meaning to tell me that Chrysler was inconsistent? I don't believe it

My 06 SE definitely had a leather wheel but I was the second owner at 19k miles. Who knows what happened before me
 
Seems like it's all over the place..

My '00 has a leather wrapped wheel. Actually in really good condition. I bought a cheap replacement vinyl to throw on while I reskin the leather wheel. Just curious what the options were.
 
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