etom

"A 3 spoke Porsche monogramned steering wheel can be bought for about $350 w/o airbag and $750 with one. Most air bags need to be replaced after 15 years so the one you have is probbaly useless so youmay want one without."

Someone recently wrote this in another thread. Is this the case? Is there a pretty good chance that the airbag, after 15 years, needs to be replaced? How much does this cost relative to getting a new (and slighly more cool) steering wheel that has a functioning airbag?

Thanks in advance.

jimq

dont believe all you read on the internet. I have read that you should have them checked but nothing saying they were definatly no good. If that is true there are a lot of cars driving around with non functioning airbags!

dfinnegan

Air bags are typically called out as replacement items after 10 yrs, but Porsche recommends 15. This is not to say it will not work. Only that it is recommended to change out as it's getting a bit long in the tooth.

As I recall a replacement for your existing wheel is around $1k US. A new 3 spoke steering wheel with airbag included (e.g. AJR) runs ~$750 US.

Jim Howley

Mine worked fine when required after 15 years though I would much rather I was in the position of not being able to answer that question!

Steven C.

Does anyone know if a three spoke 996 bag will work on our cars?

CraigC

Ive seen a thread where someone used a 996 wheel but they had to replace the steering column which is expensive and difficult. Someone needs to fabricate an adapter so we can use the 996 wheel as there are lots of them out there.

etom

Anyone have links to or knowledge of recommended steering wheels that have the airbags (in North America)? I do note these in the UK:

http://www.essentialstyling.com/airb...ing_wheels.htm

Pics wd be appreciated, too, if possible.

Luke

They will work. The propellent is a powder.

BTW. Airbags scare me.

BlackWidow964

The propellent used in the drivers side airbag is actually in a pellet form - a substance called sodium azide. Sodium azide does not "age" nor "degrade" to any known extent for many, many years - moisture is the only known culprit with the propellant. Passenger airbags are inflated with a combination of Sodium Azide and a reservoir of compressed Nitrogen. The Sodium Azide does the dual purpose of providing some of the inflation, and also heats the Nitrogen as it is released from the tank. Heat and time have an adverse effect upon the nylon bags, however - but they are packed with either talcum or a form of corn starch to keep them from "welding" themselves together in their tightly packed modules from the heat of the sun. Airbags have been known to deploy as designed reliably after 25 years. Unfortuneately the only way to test them is to deploy them - then they need to be replaced, so testing is pointless. The only proactive "test" that can be performed is a resistance test of the ignitor circuit (careful - you can inadvertantly deploy an airbag if you don't know what you're doing here!). It only takes a few volts and minimal amperage to set one off (you can do it with a 9V transistor battery), so don't ever put a test lamp or an anolog type volt meter to an airbag circuit. Boom! Treat it with respect like the dangerous explosive device that it is. Airbags should scare everybody. They are inherently dangerous by design - they are meant to be the lesser of two evils - the greater evil being a 30mph faceplant into your steering wheel or windshield.

Manufacturers put inspection warnings and replacement recommendations on airbags for one reason, and one reason only. Liability. If they say to replace or have inspected every 10 years, and you don't (because hardly anyone would) then they can avoid responsibility - and big big lawsuits - should they fail to work properly (highly unlikely).

Don't worry if your airbags haven't been exposed to rain or wet weather. And never, ever buy them used. I've been in the Autobody field for over 20 years, and could tell you stories that would make you sick about scams with airbags that cost people life and limb.

Turbo Jonny

Thanks Black Widow i feel a lot better with my airbag situation now ! I suspected Liability protection was at the bottom of it..
Another related concern you could maybe answer - i hear modern airbags are a lot less aggressive than those used in the 964 era. How much truth in that ? Is it worth changing for that reason ?

JohnMetro

Does anyone have any knowledge of fitting an airbag to a non-airbag car? I have a 1990 C4 without bag. I would assume that there are more than 1 sensor that triggers it? Does anyone know where the sensors are?

BTW, maybe I've been brainwashed, but if I had a choice, I would rather have an airbag than not if it came to it (knock on wood!). And yes, I have read some of the literature on things that can go wrong, but I belive the odds are much better that things go "right" when needed!

Fred's 964

Having been in the Fire/Rescue business for 32 years, I would choose airbags over no airbags everytime. I even try to buy vehicles with side impact airbags, if available, as I have seen countless lives saved by them too. Yes, sometimes an occupant gets a little bruising, but the thought of lying in a casket makes the bruising acceptable. Seriously, guys and gals, airbags do save lives as well as reduce injuries. I have seen accidents that no one would have survived back before airbags were in the cars. As much as I like the simple, better looking non-airbag steering wheels, I would never trade my airbag wheel for one. Unfortunately, I have seen, up close and personal, the results of both. Airbags are your friend! By the way, I have never seen an accident where the airbag failed to deploy as designed, no matter what age, not to say it has never happened.

BlackWidow964

Turbo Johnny

Yes, newer airbags are designed to deploy at lower forces and speeds - many new cars now use "smart" airbag systems that measure the decelleration force, and deploy with differant speeds/forces utilizing one or multiple smaller inflator assemblies within the module to produce these differant deployment ranges. Older systems (pre-2000 or so) merely measured decelleration forces to determine if that force crossed a deployement "threshold". The advent of modern accellerometer (fully electronic vs the old mechanical only) researched and developed right near here at the University of Washington allowed for this huge leap in technology. They were originally designed for tectonic/earthquake research, but automotive engineers recognized the potential and ran with it.

JohnMetro
Retrofitting is possible, but you have a big, involved project on your hands. You better find a really knowledgeable person on the subject involved - and get your wallet out.

Fred
I couldn't have said it better, my friend.

1990-964

Hi Guys,

I too have wanted to fit the 996 three spoker in my 964. I have seen pics of it being done, and it looks awsome. I am led to believe that the inner part of the column needs to be changed. There has been some question of whether the airbag module is compatible with the newer style wheel. I would be willing to give it a go if anyone who has sorted it out could be gracious enough to give us all a list of the parts that need to be changed out to allow the 996 wheel to bolt on and the airbag to work. Just don't want to lunge headlong into something and regret it.

Steven C.

Yep...there is only one bad way to make sure the mod actually works