Steering wheel cover question

Hello,

This isn't a question about a mechanical problem, so I apologize if you think that I'm using this forum for a silly problem, but here goes.

I have a 1999 Ford Crown Victoria, and I want to install a steering wheel cover on it to protect it. I went to my local AutoZone store and looked at a suede cover that's supposed to be stretched to install. It looked like a perfect color match to the interior, but I couldn’t stretch it enough to get it onto the wheel, so the clerk accepted it back.

Question: Does anyone on this forum have a Crown Vic (or similar car) who has been able to easily install a steering wheel cover? I didn’t want to keep trying to force this one on, so I stopped trying, but maybe one of you has done this and can tell me whether it can be done without so much force as to hurt the steering wheel.

I do want the "stretch" type, not something that you'd have to lace on or tie on.

In other words, are these things easy to install, or do they require a lot of force to do it?

Thanks,
Louis
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Welcome to Automotive Forums!

You've got to use some force to get the stretch covers on. I used a 1 foot pry bar to put one on my Escort. I left the bottom of the cover to stretch on. It came out really well and didn't damage anything. It was a hard rubber cover and initally I thought it wouldn't go, but it did. They will go on easier if you heat them up a little bit first. I put mine in a 150 degree oven for 5 minutes.

Thanks for the reply. Heating it up sounds like a good idea. The one that I'd like to use seems to be made of suede, with possibly a foam lining. I didn't want to stretch it too much, because I was afraid that I'd damage it or the wheel.