delanobe

I was looking "again" for another steering wheel and I was wondering how safe my 8 year old airbag really is?
Does this airbag still work or is it dated?

I ask this question because I really like some non airbag steering wheels but then you have the safety issue of course...



TIA and have a merry christmas

mr_bock

The PO of my car installed a three spoke 911 GT Sport, with airbag (non-triptron) $595 and a Prosche OEM crest, Cloisonne, for steering wheel $34 from AJ-USA,Inc. This really looks great!!

As to the shelf-life of airbags, I don't know if there is any. Funny, they have been around for some years now but I have not heard of any mandatory replacement to keep safety levels up???????

LoL, Happy New Year

Ron

I have a 1992 Mercedes and I think I read in the owners manual or somewhere a few years ago that you are supposed to replace the airbags every 10 years. But then I recall MB extended the replacement from 10 years to 15 years or possibly longer. Maybe they extended the replacement time because customers would complain to loudly if they had to pay huge sums to have airbags replaced.

I also recall reading somewhere that some airbags were removed from junkyard cars that were over 15 years old and tested and they worked fine. I really don't remember when cars started having airbags but I think my old Mercedes 1987 420SEL had airbags.

STLPCA

There is a Porsche recommended "air bag supplemental restraint system scheduled maintenance" at years 4, 8, 10 and then every 2 years thereafter. I've no idea what that involves. Anyone know?

Phil

Nice to see You Dan( with a a 962)

mrsullivan

following this post with great interest.... i too, find myself lured to some of the non-air bag steering wheels out there (like the RS and the Cup), but have thought it unsafe to be without an air bag...... i guess that is only true if the air bag is still in useful life...

Leland Pate

In addition to the safety aspect, I wonder how well a non-airbag wheel would look fitted to the 993 column? It is sort of "dished" to accept the factory wheel. If you put a MOMO or 930S wheel on there, I'd think the rubber hub adapter would look funny.

Anyone have a pic?

jrgordonsenior

I had a 87' Volvo 760Turbo which had dual air bags that worked just fine thank you. Ask me how I know....
JRG

William Green

Having been in 20mph crash in my C2 a few months back, I am now looking for a non-airbag steering wheel as all of my injuries where because of the deployment of the airbag! Cuts to face and cuts and bruising to both inner arms.

William

Mark in Baltimore

I thought airbags were designed and installed to protect drivers who don't wear seatbelts. We all wear our seatbelts here, right??

Our airbags are very early iterations and, as such, have probably much more of an explosive charge than is really needed. William Green's experience is one common example of how an airbag can do more harm than good.

I'm about to buy a Momo Mod .07 wheel (Porsche Motorsports Cup wheel clone) for my car. I'm not at all worried about not having an airbag since I never drive unbelted.

solsrch

Mark,
I thought airbags were supposed to be a supplemental restraint system - in addition to seat belts.
Hmmm

Toga

Hi Delanobe,
are you sure that you could still pass the annual technical check (controle technique) with a steering wheel without airbag if your car was originally imported with one?
Just a tought.

WIMPWGN

me thinks 5 or 6 pt seat belt are safer than bags.

Pzkw993

We had this discussion last month. I provided comprehensive documentation as to

* the fact that our bags are full-power "first-gen" bags designed to restrain an unbelted passenger;
* the safety risks of those bags;
* and a variety of injury types which are lessened by removing first-gen airbags.

And then some doofus, I mean Rennlister, popped in and said, "You want airbags in a street car", and that apparently settled it.

There is virtually no evidence that first-gen airbags protect belted passengers and a wealth of evidence to show they cause injury. So I'll be shucking my bag wheel at some point myself.

But.

Most cars with first-gen airbags have "stretch" seatbelts designed to work with the bag. So a nice harness would go well with your wheel upgrade.

Ron

I wonder if the AJ USA wheel shown below is safer than the first generation airbags in our cars?