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PersonaGrip offers programs where you can send us your item for customization. This has been done successfully for years with our steering wheel program. Follow along and see how it's done!
Steering Wheels

By using information you provide us on a Questionnaire and/or phone interview, we create your steering wheel so that you have a good fit. However, occasionally some minor changes are necessary after the item is put into use. As it turns out, we all think we know how we hold something, but it is not until we actually use a molded grip that we realize we were only guessing before!

With moldability, it's like having both hardware and software to work with. PersonaGrip supplies you with the hardware, now you add some three-dimensional software that will make it work PERFECTLY for you. Luckily, PersonaGrips are "reprogrammable" so you have endless opportunities to experiment with different designs.

Multi-Driver Applications:

For multi-driver applications in endurance driving, the spacing is determined primarily by the gloved hand of driver with the largest hands, while the depth is determined by the gloved hand of the driver with the smallest hands.

The following Criteria is used to create Personafied Steering(TM) wheels. Simply substitute your application for the steering wheel in your mind as you read. If you have any questions, feel free to call us for details on how to Personafy(TM) your own item.
Steering Wheel Design Criteria
Steering Wheel with Orange Wings & Pink Flutes 
Plastic welding allows any combination of materials and colors to be used in a grip.
 Wings -- Wings appear on the outside of the steering wheel. They are used to increase leverage and distribute loads more evenly. Properly designed, they should not even be felt while steering. Fixed-hand position drivers enjoy the most benefit from these design elements; however, that is not to say shuffle-steering drivers can't benefit from them as well, especially in the "home positions"...that is, where the hands are parked going down the straights.

Caution: Be careful to allow extra room for your thumbs to come out of the wheel in an emergency. This is important if the wheel kicks back from hitting an object. Thumb-relieving a wheel can be as simple as flaring the inside portion of the wing just above the thumb. A simple hot-knife cut will work fine also.

Oval Wheel Wings -- Wheels designed for ovals enjoy the benefit of allowing deep, radical wings on both sides of the wheel. Since the hands usually remain stationary on ovals, huge wings can be built up above and below each hand. Shuffle steering drivers can design a "wing-stop" or other protrusion to act as a tactile reminder to tell them where to re-establish their grip on the wheel after hand movement. This design is popular among stock car drivers who move their hands long distances on large wheels.

Road Race Wings -- Wheels designed for road racing (for turning both left and right) usually do not incorporate radical wings on the right side. Small-winged or wingless right sides allow easy access to and from the shifter; however, with the advent of sequential shifting -- where the hand is always going to and from the same spot -- some mild winging can be advantageous for the right side. In road racing, since the left hand usually remains stationary, the left side is winged top and bottom. Careful designers will note how their hand rotates across the face of the wheel -- if at all -- as the wheel is turned, and accommodate this movement in their designs. Using soap or hand lotion on your hands during molding works nicely to accommodate any hand twisting or rotation.
Fluting -- Flutes refer to the grooves that rise up between the fingers made by a squeezing hand. They appear along the backside of the wheel and can be either designed for movement or fixed-hand steering methods. Fixed-hand drivers can enjoy deeper fluting than shuffle steerers. Drivers who shuffle-steer prefer to have mild fluting that is relatively evenly spaced throughout the grip. This way the hand can slide freely along the face of the wheel but still have gearing benefits when the hand is closed.

Fluting provides even load distribution across the fingers and creates extra channels for power and feedback via the hyper-sensitive areas between the fingers. For this reason they are sometimes called "Confidence Grooves".
    Steering Wheel Grip Design for Shuffle Steering
    Shuffle Steering is accommodated by creating finger flutes along the full circumference of the wheel.
Oval Flutes -- Since the right hand usually stays attached to the wheel on ovals, deeper grooves can be designed into a wheel dedicated for ovals.

Road Racing Flutes -- Wheels designed for road racing will have symmetric fluting on the left hand since the forces are in both directions. Less radical, shallower flutes will generally be used at the right hand for a mild gearing effect regardless of where the right hand returns to the wheel.

Flats -- Flats are simply flat areas designed to relieve pressure points and increase frictional surface contact area. Slightly rounded "flats" -- usually appearing in the palm area -- are sometimes called "palm swells."

Cuts -- Cuts are relieved areas created by either dimpling a heated area with a wet finger, or cutting room-temperature material with a heated knife. They are used to move material away from an area that might be causing interference. See Filleting.

Knurling -- The knurling effect is created by the compression of the thermoplastic material under the pressure of a molding hand. Since the material has to go somewhere, it rises up between the fingers thus creating flutes. This can create an extremely deep mold from a relatively thin layer of material. Texturizing is milder form of knurling.

Filleting -- Filleting is the technique used to thin out a section of the grip. Using a heated knife, thin, flat sections of the grip are scraped away to reduce thickness in a specific area. If too much moldable material is scraped away thus revealing the core, simply welding in a section can reverse the cut and restore a consistent surface.
Texturizing -- Texturizing is a surface treatment used to enhance feel. While the surface is hot, a wet textured pad, moistened cloth, or other patterned material can transfer its shallow impressions onto the surface. Interestingly, although this technique is used primarily for beautification, it allows easier sliding of a gloved hand since it aids release. As expected for bare-handed applications, texturizing increases friction.

Synthetic Suede (TM) -- A Synthetic Suede effect can be achieved by wire brushing material that is slightly warm to the touch. Depending on the glove used, it may or may not feel tackier than a polished surface. This also aids release of a gloved hand, and is an excellent surface treatment for bare-handed driving.

Polishing -- Polishing the grip creates a smooth surface and erases minor imperfections. It is normally used as a final step to smooth out stray marks created during the design process, and is usually the tackiest surface treatment when used with gloves. Polishing is done with soap instead of water as the release agent.

Plastic Welding -- Plastic welding can be used to build up a specified area, or thicken up a section of the grip. Both pieces are heated until shiny hot, and then touched together. A water-only cooled finger is used to massage the material into shape since any other type of release agent could get trapped in between the welded sections and prevent a proper bond.
Polished Steering Wheel with Welded Finger Fill Area
TOTAL DESIGN FREEDOM

There is no rule that says steering wheels must be circular in cross section or shape. Take advantage of PersonaGrip's reversibility, and experiment with a variety of cuts, flats, and curved surfaces arranged in any combination. Always remember: If you don't like the way it turned out, reheat and start over! Don't ever forget this!