I agree with steve96c4s. I had the non-airbag version of that wheel in my 84. It was the best mod I did! Amazing how nice that wheel was. When I get a spare $800, I'll get the AJ wheel.

 

I have the AJUSA wheel and it's very good. However, I've also tried the techart wheel like Danny's. It's far better than the AJUSA wheel. Techart uses the base steering wheel and modifies it to be better. It's beefier and feels much better. I think the Techart wheel is going to be $1200+ by the time you get it to the U.S.

 

Don't shoot the messenger guys please, but if anyone is interested I have an extra factory 3 spoke black tip version available for sale. Please PM or email me.

 

Not to mention comparing a F1 car to a 993. Pretty silly, IMO. Airbags are to supplement proper seatbelts not replace them. I know of several pre-airbag car accidents that friends had where they broke their noses or cheeks, etc. You want an airbag in a street car.

 

Actually the Raid or AJ USA have nothing to do with the TechArt unit.
The thickness of the wheel of the TechArt unit is much larger than the units from Raid or AJUSA. The TechArt unit is very ergonomic where it counts and they used high quality leather materials.
My cost when I got it was around 1000 Euros with the special stiching, full leather on airbag, logo delete , hub adaptor and the carbon top.

 

#2

 

Hi Danny,

where have you been?

 

I've really been wanting to buy the 930 S steering wheel, since its very nice, but I do like having my airbag (YES! my 87 951 has dual airbags!)
~Eyal

 

Hi DJF 1,

I really like your interior! What seats do you have? Are they from the GT3?

 

Thank you! The seats are the factory 993 sports seats.

 

Looks like Ruf, Gemballa, speedART plus many others all use the same basic wheel, probably RAID. They look identical to yours, give or take personalisation and retriming. Some thick rimmed, some carbon, ally etc. TUV certifiication is extremely expensive, there are not many aftermarket air bag wheels for sale.

http://www.speedart-tuning.de/en/pro...eur/index.html
http://shop.ruf-automobiles.com/engl...w.ruf?part=109

Lovely wheels all the same,

Al.

 

The Ruf wheel pictured above and Gemballa use the Atiwee wheel which is the same wheel sold by AJUSA or FVD.

The Techart wheel that is pictured seems to be another make or perhaps it is modified and thickened.

 

Nobody's comparing an F1 car to a 993. The point was that if airbags were really a net positive safety benefit, they would be everywhere in motorsports regardless of cost. For a 993 at legal highway speeds, the existing belts should be sufficient, and that's the idea.

It's already been noted in this thread that the first generation of airbags, in the US, are "powered" to deal with an unbelted occupant.

http://library.lp.findlaw.com/articl...rtation_2_6384

If you have a 1998 or previous car, you very likely have a first generation airbag. I bet most of us do, what with this being the 993 board and all.

And don't we all know of someone who "was thrown from the car and survived because of it"? Come on. Here's some factual discussion about permanent visual impairment due to airbag deployment:

http://collection.nlc-bnc.ca/100/201...sue-7/0933.htm

Here's a fun one: the eyeball of a state trooper who had undergone RK vision correction more or less exploded after his airbag went off. It had to be restitched together:

http://www.ophthal.org/ORJ/refsurg/refsurgrev.shtml

Gosh, I'd rather break my nose than blow my eyeball up, don't know about you.

You may. But to imply that being concerned about the design of our 993 airbags - said design being first mandated by the government, then acknowledged by them in 1998 to be potentially dangerous to the occupants - is "silly" is a little - well, silly.

 

We've all seen enough crash videos to know there's probably not a really clear choice between "face into rapidly expanding bag full of hot gas" and "face into who knows what flying around the passenger compartment"
Solution (only half in jest): don't crash.
And I suppose there's no economical way to put second generation bags in a first generation car because of the sensors?

 

TechArt was the first tuner , before raid, AJ USA and the rest to produce this wheel ONLY in 320mm and 340mm versions compared to the 360mm or 365mm that you see normally or in the case of the RUF and AJUSA which are in fact 360mm. I saw that wheel at the Paris Auto Show in March of 2001 at the TechArt stand installed in a 996TT. Maybe the airbag unit is something they may share with the rest of the designers, but I was told that this was the first wheel of its kind and true enough at that time there were NO other wheels like that on the market! By nest year the 3 spoke design by raid, AJUsa etc started to come out way after the TechArt unit. At least at the Paris Auto show which is one of the largest ones in the world and ALL the German Tuners were present there was no other wheel like that.
That is why I'm confident that its a unique design and maybe the rest copied and produce a similar design. However simply there is no comparison.