Homemade heated steering wheel. Do-it-yourself heated steering wheel - detailed instructions with photos. How to connect the system

The function of heating the steering wheel, seats and even wipers was developed and introduced relatively recently. In a relatively short time, car enthusiasts all over the world began to use it. Most of them welcomed the fact that they made car trips more comfortable.

At first, heated steering wheels were installed exclusively on premium models. Nowadays, a similar function is available in more affordable cars, but only in relatively new ones.

In the event that the vehicle is many years old, or when we're talking about As for the cheap option, you can equip it with a heated steering wheel in the following ways:

go to the service station and install it there;
purchase at finished form and put;
do the heating yourself.

It will be especially important to make steering wheel heating yourself for old Soviet-made cars. Such tuning will be a beneficial innovation for them. To work you will need to buy some parts. There is no need to save money, because it depends on how reliably the device will work.

By design, the device consists of several heating elements.

In order to control the degree of heating and also turn off the device when the temperature reaches the possible limit, a relay is used. The heating design is not as complicated as it might seem at first glance. If you make an effort, you can easily assemble it yourself, without turning to a specialist.

To work at home, it is best to take special heating elements, which are used in car seat heating mechanisms. In stores you can purchase a set such as “Emelya Gorynych”. It is good because it is equipped with a high-quality thermal relay. Thanks to it, the heating will turn off automatically when it reaches a certain temperature.

To make a homemade heated steering wheel, in addition to the relays themselves and heating elements, you need the following tools and materials:

felt-tip pen;
knife and epoxy glue;
double-sided tape and electrical tape;
sealant;
device shutdown contact, two copper rings;
leather steering wheel cover (you can also sew it yourself if you wish);
soldering iron

To begin the installation process, the steering wheel must be removed. After this, the heating elements are installed first.

A process is a sequence of actions.

Using a marker, you need to mark the installation locations of the heaters. In this case, the step may be different. Allowable distance between grooves - from 20 to 30 mm.
After marking the wheel, you need to use a knife to make indentations for the heating elements. Instead of a sharp blade, you can use a special drill with attachments for this.
The wires can be fixed or left as is. As a result, they will be covered with a cover.

Experts advise placing heating elements on glue, and securing areas of turns and bends with electrical tape. It can be removed when the glue dries. Once it has hardened, the grooves with the heating elements will need to be filled with sealant. Thanks to this, the grooves will not be felt at all under the leather cover. Then the furrows are puttied and the surface of the wheel is leveled with a knife.

Rules for connecting the mechanism

After the heating elements have been installed on the steering wheel, you can connect the device to power. There are several connection options:

through the cigarette lighter;
through wiring specially dedicated for this purpose;
using unused wires.

The algorithm of actions is as follows:

you need to take two copper rings, which are about 1.5 mm thick, and prepare a power button;
the rings must be connected to the plus and minus electrical wiring cars;
the device switch off button should be placed in the steering column casing located at the bottom - this will be more aesthetically pleasing and convenient;
on the left overlay you need to make a cutout to install the button using a special stencil;
then the wires must be soldered to the rings, and then connected to the battery through the fuse and relay;
copper rings should be attached to the wire with double-sided tape, and then filled with epoxy glue;
one wire must be positive, the negative can be used from the steering shaft;
the contact for switching off should be located opposite the rings in the steering wheel; for this you need to make a special hole;
everything must be carefully isolated to avoid unwanted contacts;
At the bottom, you should install a thin plate as a spring so that the shutdown button is constantly pressed against the rings: one end of the spring will rest against the steering wheel, the other will press on the contact.

The heating process with this connection will occur quite quickly and evenly. The steering wheel will be noticeably warm after just a few minutes.

It is best to close the wiring system using leather case. It can be purchased ready-made, but in this case you need to carefully select the size. In this case, it is necessary to take into account that, under the influence of the thickness of the insulation and the heating element, the steering wheel will be enlarged. It is recommended to steam a leather product in advance or soften the material by treating it in alcohol. Thanks to such measures, the leather will stretch and fit perfectly on the wheel. You can also sew such a cover with your own hands, but to do this you need to have at least minimal sewing skills.

Heated steering wheel is a thing that is useful not only for a car, but also for a motorcycle. Especially if a person needs to travel in the cold season. You can put a hat and helmet on your head, and insulate your body with a jacket, but warming your hands is more difficult - turning the steering wheel or driving a motorcycle in mittens is inconvenient, and without them, your hands will freeze.

Heating the steering wheel in the cold Russian climate is not just an element of luxury, but an everyday necessity. When driving in cold weather and starting to drive with a cold steering wheel, drivers often do not hold the steering wheel tightly enough, and as a result, they often cannot adequately react to road events. Drivers also often use gloves - this dramatically reduces the sensitivity of the steering and the inconvenience of using the steering column levers.We help solve this problem. Installing a heated steering wheel is a modern, in-demand service that allows you to increase the comfort of any vehicle.

Installing a heated steering wheel

Below we will tell you in detail and show you how to install a heated steering wheel in our center:

Kit name	Increased security 2/4	Increased security 4/4
Applicability
Dimensions	2x25 cm	2x50 cm
	20-25W	40-50 W
Current through the cochlea	up to 0.6 A	up to 1.2 A
Price	Check	Check
Advantages	Low current guarantees safety. Compatible with steering wheel with wood inserts.	Low current guarantees safety.

Work always begins with dismantling the steering wheel. At this stage we understand whether it is possible to install a heated steering wheel. If there is such an opportunity, then we move on to the second stage.

The old braid is removed from the steering wheel, the steering wheel is cleaned, since the heating element is tightly glued to the steering wheel to avoid further slipping or any damage heating element.

An important stage in the work is to correctly and carefully glue the heating element and correctly route the wires. Uniform heating of the steering wheel will depend on the correct placement of the heating element, and carefully hidden wiring will not indicate that the steering wheel heating is abnormal.

Not all cars have a standard button or a place for the steering wheel heating button, so we will place the steering wheel heating button in any place convenient for you. Or we connect it to a standard button.

Reupholstering the steering wheel with leather makes it possible to refresh your steering wheel and, if desired, change the anatomy of the steering wheel, make perforations and choose a color. Steering wheel reupholstery is carried out by craftsmen with many years of experience and only using quality materials such as Italian Nappa leather and German Schwaetzer leather.

When the heated steering wheel is installed and the steering wheel is completely ready, we proceed to installation and connection to the standard ignition line. Our heating element is equipped with fuses, which guarantees the safety of your wiring in any emergency situation.

After installing and assembling all the elements, we checked the functionality not only with our hands, but also visually with the help of a portable thermal imager; the photo shows that the steering wheel is heated evenly over the entire surface. Installing a heated steering wheel in our center guarantees you stable operation of all elements and this is not easy to say, we give a 1-year guarantee on all our work. On my own behalf I can only add that on our personal cars thisThe heated steering wheel has been working for more than 2 years without failure.

Kits for self-installation
Kit name	Increased security 2/4	Increased security 4/4
Applicability	At least 1 free track in the cochlea	At least 2 free tracks in the snail
Dimensions	2x25 cm	2x50 cm
Steering wheel heating power (net)	20-25W	40-50 W
Current through the cochlea	up to 0.6 A	up to 1.2 A
Cost of the kit (without installation)	6500 rub.	6500 rub.
Our do-it-yourself heated steering wheel kits ensure the safety of your stock wiring by using low current. Our kits have been installed on dozens of cars and over the years of practice there has not been a single incident.

Cars on which we have successfully installed heated steering wheels:

(there are differences in generations and configurations that need to be taken into account individually)

Audi:	A4 B8, Q5	Mercedes:	W164 M-Class, W204 C-Class, W204 CLC-Class, V-class, E-class.
BMW:	X5, X3, 5 E90	Mini:	Cooper, Countryman
Cadillac:	Escalade, SRX4 2012	Mitsubishi:	ASX, Outlander XL, Pajero 2012
Citroen:	Berlingo II	Nissan:	Pathfiner, Qashqai, Juke
Chevrolet:	Blazer, Captiva, Cruze, Tahoe	Opel:	Astra, Insignia
Daewoo:	Nexia	Peugeot:	206, 308, 3008, 406, 508
Ford:	Explorer, Kuga, Mondeo	Renault:	Fluence, Latitude, Logan 2, Megane 3
Great Wall:	H3, H5	Skoda:	Fabia, Octavia
Honda:	CR-V, Element, Pilot	SsangYong:	New Action
Hyundai:	ix35, ix55, Santa Fe, Solaris	Subaru:	Forester, Impreza
Hummer:	H3, H2	Suzuki:	Swift
Infinity:	QX50 (EX), Q70 (FX)	Toyota:	Auris, Camry VII, LC 100, LC 120, LC 150, LC 200, Prius, Rav4, Sequoia, Venza
Kia:	Ceed, Cerato, Optima, Rio, Sorento, Soul, Sportage	Volkswagen:	Polo, Caravelle, Passat B7
Lexus:	ES, GS, LX 470, RX 2013	VAZ:	Lada Granta, Lada Kalina, Lada Priora.
Mazda:	CX-7, CX-5, 3	UAZ:	Patriot

The cost of installing a steering wheel may vary depending on the vehicle and steering wheel configuration. You can find out the price specifically for your car by contacting our managers. They will advise and tell you how the installation takes place, whether it is possible for your car and give you an estimate on the price.

IN winter time years, even a serviceable car is not able to provide pleasant tactile sensations from the steering wheel. Heating the steering wheel can correct the situation. Let's consider installing the kit, making the heating yourself, and the advisability of purchasing a braid with a built-in heating element.

Buy a kit or do it yourself?

The desire to retrofit your car with a heated steering wheel can be realized in 4 ways.

To choose your own path, you just need to estimate the cost of the finished kit, the elements separately, and the time costs for installing a heated steering wheel using each method.

Braid

Advantages of installing heated braid:

For the apparent convenience you will have to pay with serious disadvantages:

It is impossible to turn on the heated steering wheel while driving. The power cord going to the cigarette lighter will restrict the movements of the steering wheel, which makes it difficult to control the car and is fraught with an accident;

minor effect. When turned on for a short time, the steering wheel will heat up very little and quickly release heat after removing the braid. We do not recommend driving constantly with this kind of accessory on the steering wheel. Due to its versatility and manufacturing features, the heated braid is poorly fixed to the steering wheel, which can prevent you from doing so;
the braid, wire and adapter for powering the heated steering wheel will have to be constantly stored in the car.

Tools and materials

To install the heated steering wheel kit you will need:

Safety precautions

The most important part of manually installing a heated steering wheel is removing and installing the airbag. To find out how to properly disable the Airbag, refer to the article "".

Non-compliance simple rules Handling pyrotechnic products can lead to serious injury and even death!

Installation

Remove the negative terminal of the battery.
Remove the steering column trim.
Touch any unpainted metal part of the vehicle to remove excess static electricity.
Unclip the airbag module and then disconnect the airbag connector. The airbag should be stored and transported with the trigger side facing up.
Align the wheels by placing the steering wheel in the center position.
Loosen the steering wheel nut. The nut must be completely unscrewed after the steering wheel has been removed from its seat.
Spread and remove the old steering wheel trim.

We install heating

Installing a thermostat is necessary to open the heating circuit when the set temperature is reached. Don’t forget that the temperature sensor also comes with wires, for the exit of which you need to cut grooves in the spoke. If you assembled the installation kit yourself, we recommend using normally closed thermal relays with an operating temperature of 45º.

For efficient work temperature switch, the carbon heating tape should be laid in such a way that it fits closely to the sensitive element of the thermostat. To fix the tape, apply a small amount of glue to the rim and knitting needles. After assembling and connecting the power, all you have to do is check the functionality of the heated steering wheel, sew up the old braid or send the steering wheel to be reupholstered.

When installing, the cable must be in the central position! Otherwise, you risk breaking the contact tape when turning the steering wheel completely.

Heating element made of MDCF wire

Installation involves wrapping heating wire around the steering wheel rim. After removing the old trim, wrap the steering wheel with wire, using a pen or felt-tip pen to mark the expected location of the heating coils. Then, using an engraving machine or a stationery knife, make grooves in the rim for laying the wires. The grooves must be of such depth that the heating wire lies flush.

Position the thermostat at 45ºC in the steering wheel spoke. To reduce the response inertia, the turns of the heating wire must pass in close proximity to the sensitive element of the temperature switch. For better heating We recommend reducing the distance between turns. To prevent the heating element from moving during the process of covering and connecting power, wrap the rim with stretch film. The process of making an excellent heated steering wheel with your own hands is demonstrated in the video.

Power Connection Options

Your vehicle is equipped with a steering harness that has at least one free track. The option is not bad, but the conductivity of one conductive ring will not be enough for the steering wheel heating to work effectively. The solution to the problem is to install a suitable cable with a large number free contacts. You can also disassemble the case and install a separate tape with a large number of tracks.
A cable with 2-4 free contacts is installed. Perfect option, since all you have to do is calculate the load, connect the steering wheel heating to the standard cable and display the power button.
The design of the steering column does not imply the presence of a cable as such. The video shows how to make a heated steering wheel using a slip ring and a copper-graphite brush.

Connect the negative terminal of the heating to the metal part of the steering wheel. The positive terminal through a cable (washer) must be powered from any thick wire on which + is found after turning on the ignition. Place a fuse of the required rating as close as possible to the power supply point. The thermal relay is installed in the open circuit of the heating power supply.

How to calculate the load

The permissible power of the steering wheel heating will depend on the amount of current that the contact ring of the cable can transmit through itself. How to calculate current consumption? Measure the resistance of 1 m of the heating element with a multimeter. The connection diagram for the heated steering wheel assumes the use of separated heating elements. Therefore, the formula for calculating the total resistance will depend on whether parallel or serial connection(most often a serial connection is used).

According to Ohm's law, U=IR, therefore I=U/R, where I is the current consumed, U is the voltage of the on-board network (remember that passenger car produces about 14 V), R is the resistance of the heating element. Based on the current value, select required section wires, steering wheel heating circuits.

If you doubt the calculations, disassemble the cable and connect the heating from the battery. Tactilely or using a thermocouple, evaluate the degree of heating of the loop tracks before the thermal switch breaks the circuit. Also use a multimeter in ammeter mode to measure the actual current consumption. We hope you know ?

Heated steering wheel, as well as heated seats, as well as heated wipers, are options that have entered our lives relatively recently, however, despite this, they have already gained recognition among motorists around the world. This is not surprising, because each of the above options increases the level of comfort and makes driving more enjoyable and convenient.

In almost every new car you can find a heated steering wheel, here, as they say, everything is clear, but what about those whose car is deprived of all these amenities, there are three options: buy a new car, install a heated steering wheel at some service station, and a third , perhaps the most difficult option- make a heated steering wheel yourself. Today I will tell you about the last option, for me it is more suitable for two reasons: firstly, it is an opportunity to make something with your own hands and gain invaluable experience, and secondly, it is cheaper than buying a ready-made heated steering wheel. What came out of this, you will now see, I present to your attention a detailed photo report on how to make a heated steering wheel with your own hands.

To work you need to have:

Steering wheel (personally, I was afraid to spoil the “native” one and took a used steering wheel from disassembly, you never know what would happen...).
Heated seat kit “Emelya Gorynych” (you will need to remove the heating element in the form of a wire from it, and you will also need to expropriate the thermal relay, which will automatically turn off in case of overheating).
Sharp knife (stationery).
Glue.
Electrical tape or needles (for fixation).
Sealant.

If you have everything, you can start.

Do-it-yourself heated steering wheel - detailed instructions

First of all, you need to remove the steering wheel.
Arm yourself with a marker and start drawing the places where the grooves will be cut into which the heating wire will be laid. I was able to pull out about 7 meters of wire. You need to draw lines as shown in the photo, with a slight slope and a step of about 2-3 cm.
Now take a knife and carefully cut the grooves into which the heating element (wire) will be installed.
The wire needs to be glued in, so it will fit more tightly; in places of turns (near the spokes) you can fix it with needles or electrical tape. When the glue dries, the electrical tape can be removed.
You need to go over the top of the wire with sealant, so to speak, putty the cut grooves with the inserted wire.
The next stage is reupholstering the steering wheel with leather, as I once wrote about how to do this.
That's it, the steering wheel is ready, all that remains is to connect the heating!

Heated steering wheel- ready, all you have to do is connect it.

How to connect a heated steering wheel

There are several connection options, for example using a clockspring if there are spare wires, or using a contact pad with so-called sliding contacts. I personally didn’t have any extra wires, and besides, I had no desire to disassemble the cochlea just to install two wires there. I solved this problem in a different way.

I asked the turner for two copper rings 1.5 mm thick, and decided to attach “+” and “-” to them, respectively.
I soldered wires to them, then connected them through a relay to the battery. In order not to accidentally discharge it into meltdown, having forgotten to turn off the heating at night, I made the relay turn on only with the ignition on.
Afterwards, I took Double-sided tape and used it to secure the rings to the clockspring.
I poured epoxy glue between the rings, this will prevent shorting.
I left one contact on the “plus”, and took the “minus” from the steering shaft, one remained unused.
I made a contact in the steering wheel opposite the rings, and drilled holes for this.
I insulated everything so that there was no contact with the steering wheel.
I installed a spring so that the contact was constantly pressed against the rings. I did this using a thin plate, which on one side is pressed against the steering wheel, and the other side presses on the contact.

That's all. All that remains is to install the steering wheel in place.

Results of the operation “Heating the steering wheel with your own hands”:

Heating occurs quickly and evenly within 2-3 minutes, the steering wheel is already quite warm.

Driving a car has become much more pleasant, your hands just reach out to the warm steering wheel... As always, after several days of use, the same question arises: “How did I drive without this for so many years?” Try it and you will definitely succeed.

Thank you for your attention.

In the winter season, even a working car interior heating system is not able to provide pleasant tactile sensations from the steering wheel. Heating the steering wheel can correct the situation. Let's consider installing the kit, making the heating yourself, and the advisability of purchasing a braid with a built-in heating element.

SHOULD I BUY A KIT OR MAKE IT MY OWN HANDS?

The desire to retrofit your car with a heated steering wheel can be realized in 4 ways.

To choose your own path, you just need to estimate the cost of the finished kit, the elements separately, and the time costs for installing a heated steering wheel using each method.

BRAID

Advantages of installing heated braid:

For the apparent convenience you will have to pay with serious disadvantages:

It is impossible to turn on the heated steering wheel while driving. The power cord going to the cigarette lighter will restrict the movements of the steering wheel, which makes it difficult to control the car and is fraught with an accident;

Do you know why you shouldn’t warm up your car while idling?

minor effect. When turned on for a short time, the steering wheel will heat up very little and quickly release heat after removing the braid. We do not recommend driving constantly with this kind of accessory on the steering wheel. Due to its versatility and manufacturing features, the heated braid is poorly fixed to the steering wheel, which may prevent emergency steering in case of a skid;
the braid, wire and adapter for powering the heated steering wheel will have to be constantly stored in the car.

TOOLS AND MATERIALS

To install the heated steering wheel kit you will need:

tool for removing the steering column trim, steering wheel. Detailed instructions for removal, you can find it in the repair and operation manual for your car;
a feather drill for a hole in the steering wheel spoke for a thermal switch;
universal glue "Moment". The glue will not allow the conductive fabric to wrinkle or peel off from the rim when connecting and re-stitching.

SAFETY

The most important part of manually installing a heated steering wheel is removing and installing the airbag. To learn how to properly disable the Airbag, please refer to the article How to Safely Replace an Airbag.

Failure to follow simple rules for handling pyrotechnic products can lead to serious injury and even death!

INSTALLATION

Remove the negative terminal of the battery.
Remove the steering column trim.
Touch any unpainted metal part of the vehicle to remove excess static electricity.
Unclip the airbag module and then disconnect the airbag connector. The airbag should be stored and transported with the trigger side facing up.
Align the wheels by placing the steering wheel in the center position.
Loosen the steering wheel nut. The nut must be completely unscrewed after the steering wheel has been removed from its seat.
Spread and remove the old steering wheel trim.

We install heating

The kit for installing a heated steering wheel must include slip rings that connect the parts of the carbon heating tape. It is necessary to cut recesses in the rim for the slip rings. The most convenient way to do this is with a cutting disc and an engraving machine. Cut the same grooves for laying wires in the rim and steering wheel spokes.

Installing a thermostat is necessary to open the heating circuit when the set temperature is reached. Don’t forget that the temperature sensor also comes with wires, for the exit of which you need to cut grooves in the spoke. If you assembled the installation kit yourself, we recommend using normally closed thermal relays with an operating temperature of 45º.

For effective operation of the temperature switch, the carbon heating tape should be laid in such a way that it fits closely to the sensitive element of the thermostat. To fix the tape, apply a small amount of glue to the rim and knitting needles. After assembling and connecting the power, all you have to do is check the functionality of the heated steering wheel, sew up the old braid or send the steering wheel to be reupholstered.

When installing, the cable must be in the central position! Otherwise, you risk breaking the contact tape when turning the steering wheel completely.

MDCF WIRE HEATING ELEMENT

Position the thermostat at 45ºC in the steering wheel spoke. To reduce the response inertia, the turns of the heating wire must pass in close proximity to the sensitive element of the temperature switch. For better heating in the area of the correct position of the hands on the steering wheel, we recommend reducing the distance between the turns. To prevent the heating element from moving during the process of covering and connecting power, wrap the rim with stretch film. The process of making an excellent heated steering wheel with your own hands is demonstrated in the video.

POWER CONNECTION OPTIONS

Your vehicle is equipped with a steering harness that has at least one free track. The option is not bad, but the conductivity of one conductive ring will not be enough for the steering wheel heating to work effectively. The solution to the problem is to install a suitable cable with a large number of free contacts. You can also disassemble the case and install a separate tape with a large number of tracks.
A cable with 2-4 free contacts is installed. An ideal option, since all you have to do is calculate the load, connect the steering wheel heating to the standard cable and display the power button.
The design of the steering column does not imply the presence of a cable as such. The video shows how to make a heated steering wheel using a slip ring and a copper-graphite brush.

HOW TO CALCULATE THE LOAD

The permissible power of the steering wheel heating will depend on the amount of current that the contact ring of the cable can transmit through itself. How to calculate current consumption? Measure the resistance of 1 m of the heating element with a multimeter. The connection diagram for the heated steering wheel assumes the use of separated heating elements. Therefore, the formula for calculating the total resistance will depend on whether a parallel or serial connection is used (most often a serial connection is used).

According to Ohm's law, U=IR, therefore I=U/R, where I is the current consumed, U is the voltage of the on-board network (recall that a working car generator produces about 14 V), R is the resistance of the heating element. Based on the current value, select the required wire cross-section and the fuse rating of the steering wheel heating circuit.