"Kailand09" (kailand09)
04/12/2014 at 15:40 • Filed to: None
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"Kailand09" (kailand09)
04/12/2014 at 15:40 • Filed to: None | 2
| 8 |
That's a pretty sweet wheel right? Wouldn't you want something like that in your sports car? I would but I have to ask some questions first.
What is the legality of having a non-airbag wheel on a road going vehicle? What if you want to have a dual purpose track and road cruising vehicle? Is a wheel without an air bag as safe supposing you have proper racing harnesses?
What the hell does one do for that situation?
All Motor Is Best Motor
> Kailand09
04/12/2014 at 16:03 |
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I've been wondering the same thing. I'd love to have a nice racing wheel on my car, but the OE wheel has an airbag and a couple of controls on it. How do you even go about replacing an airbag wheel with a racing wheel in the first place?
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Kailand09
> All Motor Is Best Motor
04/12/2014 at 16:06 |
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no clue and a couple other great questions on the matter.
Textured Soy Protein
> Kailand09
04/12/2014 at 16:14 |
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Technically it's legal to remove your airbags. But if you get hurt in an accident in a car where you removed the airbags, your insurance company can become quite a nightmare.
lonestranger
> Kailand09
04/12/2014 at 16:16 |
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Yes, yes, possibly illegal depending on locale/jurisdiction, swap between wheels, yes, see previous.
Anima
> Kailand09
04/12/2014 at 16:20 |
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I don't know about the legal questions of replacing the steering wheel in the US, but if you would wear a full 5-point harness, you would be strapped in place so much your head should never even come near the steering wheel. Having said that, being strapped in PROPERLY in such a harness is not the most comfortable thing in the world and probably something that would get tiring real fast if you had to do that every morning on you way to work.
aquila121
> Kailand09
04/12/2014 at 16:24 |
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From a legal standpoint, a street car is fine to have the airbag-equipped wheel replaced with a wheel of this type, but it's usually something that shops aren't supposed to do (for liability reasons). I'd be hesitant to say that it's 100% as safe without the airbag, given that more safety devices in place are usually a good thing, but if you have properly installed racing harnesses, it should keep your face out of the steering column in all but the worst of crashes. As far as the how-to on installation, either find someone you trust who's done this before, or hunt around forums for a step-by-step on your specific model of car. You'll probably need to rent a tool to pull the steering wheel.
I speak from the experience of having one of my cars totaled, removing the popped airbag and wheel, then putting in a Sparco wheel with a friend helping me. I called up the state highway patrol office, confirmed it's legal without it, and had the car taken in to be safety-inspected so that I could get a salvage rebuild title. (Oh, but keep in mind, you are supposed to have a working horn button, and wiring that up can be a bit of a pain.) And weigh whether or not you really want to mess with racing harnesses every time you get into the car to go down to the store (awkward), and ideally you'd have a harness bar in the back seat about level with your shoulders (no more riders back there). I say it's worth it for my autocross/track day car with a half-cage in the back anyways, but not my daily driver.
Last bit of advice—stick to a 350mm diameter, because going down to a 320 feels like it belongs on a toy car or something. Hope all this helps.
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Kailand09
> aquila121
04/12/2014 at 16:34 |
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Great response. I actually would probably get a bar in the back (I would be applying this thought to a corvette) so it would also stiffen the chassis.
I have a long way to go until I worry about it, but I have been very curious.
Old-Busted-Hotness
> All Motor Is Best Motor
04/13/2014 at 07:40 |
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It's not easy. The sport wheel bolts onto a hub that fits your column. Most of the time, hubs aren't available for airbagged cars, so you need to experiment with an older model until you find one that fits. I've had the same wheel on my last 4 vehicles but they're all Fords. The Mustang and Ranger had airbags, but the adapter from the Vic fit with a little tweaking. The Yugo was hopeless. I had to cut the spokes off the OE wheel and bolt the adapter hub to that.