InteriorDiscussion about interior restoration, repairs, and modification.
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So my factory leather wrapped steering wheel is worn through at the top down to the base rubber/plastic/whatever the hell it is. I was looking at grant wheels but i think i want to retain the air bag.
Will a 4th gen steering wheel w/air bag work in third gens?? Or what have you guys done...
dont mean to hi-jack his thread but
is there really a big safety difference or concern with a grant racing wheel that doesnt have an airbag?
in a front end head on collision i would say no. my very first 3rd gen was an 86 formula with t-tops 305tbi ws6 hit a telephone pole 55mph fell asleep driving. early airbags i would be leary of used to hear about issues with em going off hitting curbs too hard. retro fitting an airbag into a car without them originaly i would really hesitate doing. i actually feel safer in my formula than i do in my 2003 xcab silverado that has airbags 4 wheel antilocks high tech crush zones etc.
you have more protection just being in a steel vehicle with a big V8 up front than your typical motorcyclist. if you really want it hooked up or replace a working one. that is one thing i would really recomend be done by a professional who has training on GM airbag installation and repair. the last thing you want is taht thing deploying cuz you hit a pothole and the sensors are not in right or not hooked up correctly or are not the right ones for that vehicle. a miswired or incorrect airbag is far more dangerous than not having one at all.
yeah i have a stock steering wheel in good condition,
but i wanted a gt racing wheel, just didnt want to put my safety on the line. but if it doesnt really matter i'm buying the gt wheel.
yeah i have a stock steering wheel in good condition,
but i wanted a gt racing wheel, just didnt want to put my safety on the line. but if it doesnt really matter i'm buying the gt wheel.
Airbags were introduced for a reason...They are safer. Just ask my face, that is fully intact. Or WAS, until '04, when a non-airbag equipped car "fixed" that.
Get an airbag Grant. I posted the link to them above. Besides, removal of the airbag can cause your car to fail at inspection time, if it is a street car your putting it in.
yeah i've seen them. and there is no point in buying one with an airbag when i have a perfectly good wheel thats stock. i just wanted the style of the other wheels
and if it fails inspection why do they allow you to put them in your car ?
i know lots of people have the gt wheels without an airbag and its legal.
dont mean to sound rude or anything, i just want to get a gt racing wheel without an airbag and i've seen lots of people that have them, but i didnt want to risk my safety. and i will have a 4 point harness belt.
yeah i've seen them. and there is no point in buying one with an airbag when i have a perfectly good wheel thats stock. i just wanted the style of the other wheels
and if it fails inspection why do they allow you to put them in your car ?
i know lots of people have the gt wheels without an airbag and its legal.
dont mean to sound rude or anything, i just want to get a gt racing wheel without an airbag and i've seen lots of people that have them, but i didnt want to risk my safety. and i will have a 4 point harness belt.
LEGALLY, you can't take an air bag out & put a non-air bag steering wheel in.
Cars, like my 87, that never had the air bags in them, can easily put those in & still be legal.
Lots of air bag cars do the non air bag Grant wheels on & pass. They are just getting away with it, because the inspector didn't know, or didn't care.
As for 4-pt harnesses.....
Technically those aren't legal either, since they have never been crash tested. Most cops don't care. Lots of people get away with them. I would just leave the stock 3-pt belt in, for inspection time. As long as its there, they can't fail you, just because the 4-pt is in there. In a roll over & no roll cage inside, the roof can collapse. A 3-pt allows your body to shift sidewas & down. A 4-pt holds you upright, your head up....as the roof comes down. SQUISH!
I'm just letting you know, what the LETTER OF THE LAW IS. Whether or not you follow it, is up to you. Lots of people get away with it, just doesn't mean its legal. What you do, is your choice.
I installed a new wheel in my car, the airbag connector was even the same. If you get one with a different connector, it's easy to splice a new one in. I believe all have just a green and white wire. Pics of my swap here:
