Skip to main content
  • Tuning company T Sportline fixes the Telsa yoke wheel
  • We’re uncertain if the airbag has to be wired into the new wheel at an additional cost
  • T Sportline fills a hole in the market that shouldn’t exist

We have, very literally, come full circle on the Tesla yoke wheel. A Tesla tuning company has decided to finish what Tesla’s designers started and offer a full, complete steering wheel made from the infamous yoke found in the uber-fast Tesla Model S Plaid. No, we’re not sure why things had to come this far either. Oh, and there’s a $2,000-$3,000 catch.

The Tesla yoke wheel seen in the new Tesla Model S Plaid
Tesla’s yoke has become something of a joke | Tesla

The Tesla yoke wheel is only available on the Model S Plaid

If you wanted a regular steering wheel in your Tesla Model S, you had two options. First, you could buy a “regular” Model S, and live without the 1,020 hp on offer in the Plaid. Or, you could suck it up and deal. Musk has said before that the only steering wheel to come on the Plaid will be the yoke. As of now, Tesla has not backtracked on this. So, tuning company T Sportline did what anyone would do. They saw a gap in the market and filled it.

We’ve spoken on the impracticality of the Tesla yoke wheel before, and its shortcomings are as obvious as they are many. You find yourself reaching for a steering rim where there isn’t one. You’re forced into a constant 9-and-3 driving position, and to top it off, parallel parking is a nightmare. Especially coupled with the screen-only shifter selection.

Can you change the steering wheel on a Tesla Model S Plaid?

Effectively, T Sportline simply finished the top half of the yoke, giving the wheel a rather distinct shape. As such, the shape is still very much dependant on the construction of the Tesla Model S Plaid’s original wheel. That said, having a real wheel is a massive step up in usability. Of course, there is a catch to all this. A nearly $3,000 catch.

T Sportline’s replacement Tesla yoke wheel starts at $2,299 per their website. There’s also a $500 core charge that’s refunded when you send T Sportline your original yoke, supposing yours isn’t damaged. We’re uncertain if the original yoke can be kept to help preserve the car’s resale value, or if the existing airbag has to be wired in at an additional charge. Supposing you want some customization to your new steering wheel, T Sportline also offers a number of upholstery options. Interestingly, you can also add T Sportline’s yoke to another Tesla model.

The yoke wheel is just too hard to use

A shot of the Tesla Model S Plaid's interior shot through the car's moonroof
Tesla does minimalist a little too well | Tesla

In the end, an aftermarket tuning company filling in a gap in the market that shouldn’t exist is, well, wild. Frankly, it’s a hole in the market that shouldn’t exist. Is this $2,000-$3,000 purchase worth it on the $129,000 Plaid? Considering it’s a fraction of the Model S Plaid’s value, we’d say yes. Just don’t go tweeting this to Elon or he’ll start getting ideas.

Related

Biden’s Infrastructure Bill Puts Big Brother in Your Car: Scary Enough to Make You Buy Used Cars Forever?

Best in Sedans & Coupes
MotorBiscuit Writer - Sedans & Coupes

Chase Bierenkoven

Chase Bierenkoven has been obsessed with cars his whole life and now finds joy in sharing what he’s learned from his own daily drivers. Chase earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Criminology with a focus on legal studies from the Metropolitan State University of Denver and quickly became an automotive journalist. When he isn’t writing, Chase is either driving his passion project, a 2004 BMW M3 in Carbon Schwartz Metallic, or playing around Colorado’s terrain, mainly mountain biking and skiing.