4th gen steering wheel

[Detroit_Bird]

Has anybody replaced their 4th gen airbag wheel with an older or aftermarket one? I was looking at putting an aftermarket one (without the bag) on, but wasn't sure if they had one that would fit or look right on a 95.

Also, anybody know R+R prochedure on 4th gens?

[DJ Taso]

I think fasTA can help you out with that, he's got some experience with steering wheels. Eh, fastTA?

[fastTa]

Yeah I learned the hard way. First loosen the two bolts behind the steering wheel in order to remove the air bag assembly.

Now that you have access to remove the retainer nut. Once you remove the retainer nut, you will have to use a steering wheel puller to pull the wheel off the collar. I used a crank pulley puller and it worked fine.

Late model GM steering wheels are not predrilled for removal so make sure you get the GM steering wheel puller legs so you don't trash the steering wheel like I did!

http://www.etoolcart.com/index.asp?P...OD&ProdID=2194

[Injuneer]

hmmmm.... mine pulled right off with a $6 Grant 2-bolt puller??? Appears it was 1997 that they did away with the holes.

You can install an aftermarket steering wheel using the Grant install kit for the 3rd Gen F-Body, part #3196. You will need to disable the "AIRBAG" light in the dash.

[Detroit_Bird]

Thanks for the help guys- I couldn't find info on getting rid of the airbag wheel anywhere. Seems like everybody's afraid of lawsuits these days.

[imwlw83]

I just purchased a grant wheel for my 95 LT1. I got the 3196 adapter kit, so i guessed right on that account. My question is, how do I disable the light in the dash, and do I remove all the airbag electronics. I did that in my 95 Silverado and that Air Bag light drives me crazy. Didnt what the TA to do the same thing.

[Injuneer]

As noted in the other post, the only thing I can think of is pulling the bulb out of the dash. I guess if you could figure which wire it is, you could cut it. My dash looks like a Christmas tree most of the time... the "Skip Shift" light still comes on..... . The only bulb that I disabled so far was the SES light.

The Grant install kit includes a metal "spider" and a rubber bellows to fill the gap between the steering column and the wheel. Grant makes a "billet" spacer to replace that piece. Looks a lot better than the rubber bellows, but unfortunately costs about $30.

The Grant metal cap the fits against the steering column is not an exact match on diameter, and may rub on the column housing a little. I had to sand it down a bit to stop it from rubbing. You'll see what I mean as you install it.

[TraceZ]

Thanks for the help guys- I couldn't find info on getting rid of the airbag wheel anywhere. Seems like everybody's afraid of lawsuits these days.

What exactly are the legal implications of removing it? If someone else is driving the car and gets killed are you liable for it because you intentionally tampered with a safety system? What about after you sell the car? What if a drunk crosses the canter line and hits you head on? You'll really wish you had that airbag back. What is someone you love is driving the car and gets killed because the airbag was removed? Could you ever forgive yourself?

I've always thought that if a car was street driven the airbag system should be intact. Removing it is kinda like removing the seat belts. I know Fred removed his airbag from his track car, but that car is not street driven so I can understand that.

[Injuneer]

To a large extent, the airbag is there to protect people who don't bother to wear their seat belt/harness. That's why they had so many problems with people getting killed and injured with airbags up until they redesigned them a few years ago (or installed switches to turn them off for small drivers). They were designed to restrain the heaviest driver, NOT wearing a belt/harness. Hence, they were slamming correctly belted drivers way too hard. I always wondered what would happen if your arm was in front of the airbag when it went off.... it would probably be propelled into your face at the speed of sound....

[fastTa]

To a large extent, the airbag is there to protect people who don't bother to wear their seat belt/harness. That's why they had so many problems with people getting killed and injured with airbags up until they redesigned them a few years ago (or installed switches to turn them off for small drivers). They were designed to restrain the heaviest driver, NOT wearing a belt/harness. Hence, they were slamming correctly belted drivers way too hard. I always wondered what would happen if your arm was in front of the airbag when it went off.... it would probably be propelled into your face at the speed of sound....

I often glance down at my watch with my left hand at 12 o'clock wondering just how bad would it hurt if my airbag should suddenly be deployed and propel my heavy stainless steel watch into my forehead?!

[HottestZ28]

One more thing to think of is how old the system is in your car, did car manufacturers think long term affects for the air bag?

[alenstein]

Regarding the age of the car is there an expiration date on the bag, how long are they expected to be functional?

[TraceZ]

One more thing to think of is how old the system is in your car, did car manufacturers think long term affects for the air bag?

Hey guys, dont go and get carried away about thinking that the airbag in your car is a hazard to you. That is dangerous thinking and that same logic has gotten people killed when they apply it to their seatbelts. Many people refuse to wear a seatbelt because it could trap them in a burning car or some other crazy justification. Any cop will tell you that is complete BS.

Thu truth is that airbags just like seatbelts save lives. Your airbag is far more likely to save your life before it causes you any injury. This goes the same for seatbelts. To remove proven safety equipment from your street vehicle is foolish. Please leave the S.I.R.s in your cars intact and please wear your seatbelts.

Airbags are designed to be used in conjunction with a seatbelt. Without a seatbelt holding you in place your body can glance off the side of the bag and cause injury. The two are designed to go hand in hand. The seatbelt holds you in place while the airbag gently absorbs your momentum.

If you are foolish enough to remove the airbag, why not stop wearing your seatbelt too? I've twice in my life seen first hand collisions with steering columns that absorbed a human chest impact. Neither of the two people lived. I saw another guy at the same intersection take the same hit and walk away smiling giving credit to his airbag and seat belt. The difference can be life or death, it's your call. What if you make the decision to remove it and a couple years down the road it is a loved one that dies because of you? Good luck with that.

I'm kinda shocked at the indefference I've seen here regarding such an important issue as safety, life and death..

[Injuneer]

Just to keep things rational, the restraint system shown in the photo below below is not approved by the federal government for use on street vehicles... you can "technically" get a ticket for using it on the street. But I know it works a hell of a lot better than my "factory", "US government approved" seatbelt/harness. I even considered it important to offer my passenger the same protection as the driver.

My comment on "errors" made in the designs of early airbag systems is not something I made up. It is a real, and acknowledged problem. Class action suits have been instituted as a result of the perceived deficiencies in the design of airbag systems. This isn't a matter of a few random "nut cases" deciding they want the right to choose "less protection".... this is a matter of knowledgable people who wanted TRUE protection challenging the design of the first generation airbag systems.

As a result, the design of airbags was changed several years ago - the second generation designs. Switches were made available, and the option of disabling the airbag for certain qualifying individuals was added. The "switch" was even made standard equipment on some vehicles - my Silverado is an example.... its right there on the dash, next to the rest of the controls.

Not sure why you are having a panic attack over this... simply answer my question - what happens when the airbag explodes, and, fully restrained by my 5-point harness, the bag forces my arm into my face? Will that protect me any better than the 5-point harness without an airbag?

[TraceZ]

Just to keep things rational, the restraint system shown in the photo below below is not approved by the federal government for use on street vehicles... you can "technically" get a ticket for using it on the street. But I know it works a hell of a lot better than my "factory", "US government approved" seatbelt/harness. I even considered it important to offer my passenger the same protection as the driver.

My comment on "errors" made in the designs of early airbag systems is not something I made up. It is a real, and acknowledged problem. Class action suits have been instituted as a result of the perceived deficiencies in the design of airbag systems. This isn't a matter of a few random "nut cases" deciding they want the right to choose "less protection".... this is a matter of knowledgable people who wanted TRUE protection challenging the design of the first generation airbag systems.

As a result, the design of airbags was changed several years ago - the second generation designs. Switches were made available, and the option of disabling the airbag for certain qualifying individuals was added. The "switch" was even made standard equipment on some vehicles - my Silverado is an example.... its right there on the dash, next to the rest of the controls.

Not sure why you are having a panic attack over this... simply answer my question - what happens when the airbag explodes, and, fully restrained by my 5-point harness, the bag forces my arm into my face? Will that protect me any better than the 5-point harness without an airbag?

Fred, your car is a track car. Belts like yours are not approved for street use because most people would not want to or be able to use a device that is as involved as that. As far as you saying that the first generation bags were not ideal, you are correct. That does not change the fact that most people in street driven cars are safer in a collision with the airbag versus without it.

Keep in mind, I am not attacking your track car. I have no problem with the safety and restrain systems you chose. I would feel safe making a pass down the 1/4 in your car without an airbag. What I do have issue with is people under the misconception that if they remove the airbag from their street driven car that they are somehow safer. The fact stands that their airbag is more likely to save their life than cause any harm, even if it's design is not optimal.

Lets not give folks the idea that removing their airbag is a good idea. It could cost someone their life. I'm not having a panic attack, it's just that I have witnessed first hand two men die in front of my parents house over the years as a kid growing up. That makes an impact on a kid. I'm pretty sure that they would had lived if they had airbags and seatbelts.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that since 1990, airbag deployment has killed 227 people in low-severity crashes, including 76 drivers, 10 adult passengers, 119 children between the ages of 1 and 11, and 22 infants. Of the 76 adult drivers killed, 28 were women under 5 feet 2 inches tall, and 4 of the 10 adult passengers killed were females smaller than that height.

31,904 people died in car accidents in 2003 alone. Multiply that by 14 years to get an estimate since 1990 and you get nearly half a million dead people.

So compare 227 accidental airbag deaths to half a million traffic fatalities overall. Now ask yourself how many more fatalities there would had been were it not for airbags and suddenly the 227 number doesn’t matter as much.