04-07 Sti (and others) steering wheel install! Get a grip on some fresh leather!

While performance mods usually get priority on your modification list, there is something to be said about a quality touch pint within the cabin. Having a quality piece of equipment to shift, steer or interact with on a daily basis will really make your drives that much more enjoyable. After eleven years of a worn out steering wheel from the prior owner its time I did something about it.

After 11 years of the same worn out steering wheel it was time to do something about it..

If you have recently purchased a new steering wheel and are looking for assistance to install it, you have come to the right place. While this guide is based on the 05-07 Sti it will fit basically any of the 02-07 Impreza models along with 03-08 Forester and many others.

Time Frame

While this install is quite straight forward you will need downtime to allow any leftover electricity to leave the modules. You don’t need an airbag deploying into your face while performing this install your new wheel. With the battery downtime allow yourself about a 30 minutes for this install.

Tools

This install needs your typical socket set and ratchet which is the bulk of this simple install. You will find your electric impact to be very helpful when loosening the steering wheel. A torx #30 is necessary for removal of the airbag from the steering wheel, but you will want either a long thin driver or screwdriver as there is very little room to extract it. Lastly a steering wheel puller can help reduce your struggles when removing the wheel.

Parts

You can buy many brands of aftermarket wheels to fit your certain style and build. Unfortunately Subaru no longer sells oem wheels for these older cars, but you can add a new wrap to freshen that old wheel up. My wheel came from Reggie’s wheels that you can find online, great custom made wheels to fit any design. With the factory wheel out I may give these covers a test.

Installation

Before we start this is your warning, do not attempt this if you do not have proper automotive training with airbags. Serious injury or death can occur if you mishandle or install an airbag improperly. Only properly trained technicians should attempt the repairs shown below.

First step is to disconnect the battery and wait for all electricity to discharge from the system. A minimum of 15 minutes should is of the utmost importance for your safety. Once the system has been discharged you may enter the vehicle and straighten the steering wheel.

Steering wheel set to straight ahead to make reassembly easier.

With the steering wheel straight you can slide to the side of your steering wheel to find this opening where a bolt resides deep within the plastic. There will be one on each side of the wheel so remove both of those and sit back into the drivers seat.

Now you should be able to pivot the airbag assembly out There are two connections on the backside of the wheel that lock into place. Take a pocket screwdriver and slide the connection up. This will allow you to the airbag and store it safely away from work area for the time being.

With both those bolts disconnected you can pull the air bag away from the wheel.

Now you will see the airbag connector. You will need to use a small prying tool to bring the yellow tab off the bag.

Up next we can disconnect this clipped wire connector.

When the lock is undone this is what you will see.

Now you can remove the airbag assembly and store it safely away from your work area.

Next a large 17 mm nut holds the steering wheel tight to the column. I like to mark this nut in four different locations to help me center the new wheel and keep myself from going to get an alignment. This would be a great time to use your electric impact and remove this nut. Next up you can use your steering wheel puller to slide it off the splines on the steering column. Another technique is to leave the nut slightly threaded on and wiggle the steering wheel back and forth till it comes free, the nut keeps the wheel from flying into your face when it finally breaks free. Taking care to keep the clockspring from rotating. What is a clockspring? It’s what gives the steering wheel it’s ability to turn while maintaining an electronic connection. If it is spun or moved it can be damaged and cause the need for an unnecessary replacement.

Steering wheel marked and ready for removal.

Dont forget to remove this green connector from the roll connector it is wiring that runs the cruise control and is connected to the steering wheel

You will now be ready to swap the new wheel in and complete the job. Make sure to keep the clockspring in the centered position while sliding the new wheel on to the splines and aligning it. You can now put the large nut on and torque to the proper amount determined by the wheel’s manufacturer.

With the steering wheel removed make sure that the clock spring is allowed to free spin. If you rotate it quickly it can damage it and you will need to spend some further time and money on it’s replacement.

With that completed you can center the airbag back into the wheel and then attach the two bolts that hold it in. Making sure to torque them to spec on both sides. You can now reconnect your battery and double check that the horn is working and that the airbag light clears after it’s quick check.

New wheel on the left replacing the old tired factory wheel.

Sliding it back and then torqueing it back down, the lines may not line up after replacement.

Everything else is just in reverse and you should be staring at a straight steering wheel. You can now double that it is straight with a short test drive.

After double checking that everything is proper you can go on a short test drive to make sure that the steering wheel is straight, otherwise you can go back through the steps to place the wheel back on with hopes that it is now straight. I have seen a few wheels with a different spline setup where the wheel will not be straight no matter how it is moved and thus necessitating an alignment.

Amazon links

Extra long torx bit set

Neiko torx driver set

Milwaukee 3/8ths electric ratchet

Milwaukee 3/8ths impact gun

Grey Pneumatic 3/8th socket set

Grey pnuematic wobble socket set

ATP steering wheel puller

Mewant leather wrap for 05-07 Sti wheel

Mewant alcantara wrap for 05-07 Sti wheel