#04 - Tesla Model Y Yoke Steering Wheel Retrofit

I finally took delivery of the new car I ordered last year. So yes, I ended up buying an EV too. For a daily driver, the convenience of an electric car was simply too hard to give up. Still, I think cars with engines will always have a place in my life—for the fun, the hobby, and everything that comes with them.

While waiting for the new car to arrive, I ended up buying quite a few parts for it. There isn’t much in the way of performance tuning with an EV, so most of them were really just little cosmetic upgrades.

The one upgrade that could actually make a difference to the driving experience was the yoke steering wheel. It was something I had always wanted to try if I ever got a Tesla. After work, I grabbed my torque wrench and headed down to the parking garage. My wife and our dog, Gamja, came along

After removing the airbag, loosen the center bolt holding the steering wheel in place. This is a pretty common job among Tesla owners, so there are plenty of detailed guides on YouTube. With the right tools and a torque wrench, the installation itself isn’t particularly difficult. For this job, you’ll need an H10 hex bit socket and an extension bar for your torque wrench.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The original scroll wheel controls need to be transferred from the factory steering wheel to the new yoke. Since the original controls are reused, the car doesn’t throw any errors after the swap. The parking garage was a little too dark to work comfortably, so I brought the steering wheel upstairs and continued the job at home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depending on the aftermarket yoke, sometimes you can simply remove a few screws and transfer the entire switch module over. Mine, however, required taking the trim apart and transferring the components one by one. I’m guessing I ended up with an older version of the yoke. There’s no real difference in functionality between the old and new versions—it just means a bit more work during installation. :(

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The wiring for the right-side controls needs to be tucked behind the trim boss by removing the bolt shown in the photo. Otherwise, the cable can get in the way and prevent the airbag from seating properly. The center steering wheel bolt is torqued to 80 Nm. Tighten it properly with a torque wrench, then reinstall the airbag in its original position.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Push the airbag back into place, and you’ll hear a quick honk as it locks in. I especially liked the open view created by having no upper section of the steering wheel. The yoke felt a little unfamiliar at first, but since the Tesla steering wheel only turns about 360 degrees in either direction, I rarely found the yoke getting in the way of my knees or causing much inconvenience while driving.