Hey guys. I really want to lose my stock steering wheel with the sternum removal system and put in a Momo steering wheel. For those that have done it, what did you do with the stock one, what sort of legal and insurance ramifications are there?

Thanks

-Diabolik

 

there is no legal or insurance ramifications with this.
just kept the old steering wheel
and lost my cruise control
thats all..

 

I've heard that it is illiegal to use a non SRS wheel on a SRS equiped car.

Not sure if its true but I would find out if I were you.

 

Nevermind the legal consequences, think of your safety. My dad was almost KILLED last Sunday when a car came blasting across the interstate median right in front of him. It was wet and he had like 1-second notice before his truck slammed straight into that car. Both airbags came out and helped save his life, along with the seatbelts. He was doing 60+ mph, and got out of the truck w/ only abrasions on his arms from the airbags and soreness from the seatbelt.

He might have been seriously injured or killed if not for the airbags, and there was NOTHING he could have done to avoid it. You never know when stuff like that will happen, there can be ZERO warning. I will never drive my car w/o an airbag in front of me.

If you really want a smaller wheel I would say try to find a JDM ITR OEM SRS wheel from Momo (whoa that was alot of acronyms ).

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Kelvin96GSR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I've heard that it is illiegal to use a non SRS wheel on a SRS equiped car.

Not sure if its true but I would find out if I were you.</TD></TR></TABLE>
I heard this too.

When I look for a smaller steering wheel. I will also be looking for a racing seat, new belts, and a roll bar to compensate for the loss on the air bag.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by francisco flores &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">there is no legal or insurance ramifications with this.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

As stated above, it IS illegal to remove the SRS system of a so equipped car. Cops can nail you for it, and probably impound your car if they felt like it. I would also say to go for an ITR SRS wheel.
gmoore

 

Alright, I'll look into the ITR one as well.

I don't want to start an airbag war, but I really doubt that if I hit someone in my teg going 60 mph that it is going to make a lick of difference. My friend was killed this year in a collision going about 40 mph and somehow his airbag didn't save his *** (he was in a Civic), and it was head on. Plus if your hit from the sides, youre fucked. And if someone hits me going around the city, I think a seatbelt will be fine, and I know this from personal experience.

I will check the legality in my part of the country.

-Diabolik

 

Airbags save lives, its the truth, its a fact. Im not gonna argue, but dont sacrafice saftey for style.
gmoore

 

i'd like a smaller steering wheel as well. A Swap woudl be nice but not at the cost of safety and having to explain to the insurance company if something were to go wrong.

I just wrapped mine in leather and it now has a thicker feel to it. I guess this is an improvement and i still keep the airbag and cruise control in tact, which is why i opted to go this route.

I'd post pictures but i would be criticized for hijacking the thread.
The last time cost me my 100% rating.

 

i have an interesting article on airbags at home somewhere, i'll post it up when i get off work tonight

 

I have a 350mm Momo Steering wheel that I drive on the street daily. I have my passenger airbags removed also.

I could care less about safety in my car. If I wanted safety, I would buy a huge SUV with airbags everywhere.

Fact of the matter is, if you get in a frontal collision in a small car like an Integra at high speeds, whether you have airbags or not will probably not save your life.

No matter what you chose to believe, a truck traveling at 60mph is not going to be stopped by a cloth bag filled with air in your car.


SRS units are supplemental systems to help aid in the foward motion of a passenger in a sudden stop caused by the brakes or a collision. They are to be used in conjuction with seatbelts. They are designed for light-medium impact that could cause severe injuries but not death. In am extremely heavy impact, like the picture above, that airbag nor seatbelt is going to save your life. You'll have to rely on some supreme being or pure luck for that one.

I'm not telling everyone to run out and remove your airbags, that's just retarded. I'm saying it's not going to save your life in a "REAL LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION."

In a side impact, you're fucked no matter what you do. Unless you got a huge side impact beam, that frontal airbag and side airbags are useless.

 

Healthy thoughts len, really encouraging.
gmoore

 

if you want safety, get a 12pt cage and 3" 5pt harnesses. that will hold you alot better than a canvas bag filled with air. however, even at times, the 12 pt can hinder you too.. lets say in a serious accident, and you need the fire dept to get your *** out, it will take them a lil but to cut through that too. so its all relative. be cautious. simple as that. and just remember, the man upstairs knows when your number is up, if your number is up, its up.

people always critisize me about my driving habbits. i figure if i die, at least ill do it with a smile on my face. but i always take into consideration others. i never drive fast with women in my car. or most of my friends. just a select few that trust me. but i wont remove my airbag. leave it in there. or get JdM wheel.

 

i have a 350 momo wheel. i was also hesitant on removing my wheel off my ek and dc2 because i dont like the stock wheel size. yes it is dangerous but just be cautious. it is you who controls your driving habits....but sometimes you never know.....i personally like race wheels because it feels better...all about comfortabiltiy when you are driving right? just get a harness. it prevents you front lundging forward when you are in a front collision accident. stan.

 

like soemone said above, the airbag is only an "extra step" a "just in case" if you will. If you're seated properly and have your seat belt on, any front collision will not require an airbag for your safety. When i was in a car accident back in march, i had jsut re-adjusted the seat a little farther back and it made it so that i did not touch the airbag when i collided with a red light running 740il bmw. I was going abvout 45 mph, as was he (we collided adjacent to each other, T bone if you will).

Eventually i plan on getting a momo steering wheel, possibly a jdm ctr/itr non airbag one, with a 4 point roll cage, and some nice 4 point harnesses. THAT is about 5 times more effective than an airbag. But i'd liek a momo stearing wheel for a theft preventative measure (so i can get the ac tecnik, i think it is, steering removal system).

-ryan

 

i won't remove my srs, even though i would love a smaller wheel.....

 

This took me a while to copy out of my year-old critical thinking book so enjoy:

Nothing Positive In Airbag News

Jack Hagerty

While it is always gratifying to be able to say "I told you so," there can be nothing positive about the current revelations of the tragedy concerning airbags.

I have been an opponent of airbags (which are not technically air bags but sodium azide bags, that being the chemical which explodes to fill the bag with gas) since the beginning. Most people don't realize how old the concept is, having been developed in automotive research laboratories of several universities in the 1960s. The government tried to mandate airbags in the early 1970s, but the industry successfully resisted for more than 10 years before succumbing and introducing them on the driver's side in the late 1980s.

Why should I object to a device that has proven life-saving potential? Well, outside of the current headlines about children and small adults being killed, the answers are many. First is the psychological aspect. I've dealt with explosive devices long enough both professionally and as a hobby (I am president of the largest hobby rocketry club in Northern California) to feel uncomfortable driving around with an armed pyrotechnic device aimed at my face! Beyond that, though, are the many technical shortcomings of airbags:

-Airbags are designed for a single type of crash: the single-impact, straight frontal collision. They provide no protection from multiple-impact, side-impact, corner-impact, rear-impact or roll-over collisions.

-Airbags have a limited range of operation. Despite the way they look in commercials, airbags are not big satiny pillows that balloon up gently to catch you; they explode with tremendous violence and then deflate--all in less than 1/10 of a second. This means that they are ineffective at speeds below 35 MPH because the bag deflates before you reach it and over 65 mph because you hit the steering wheel or dashboard before the bag inflates.

-Airbags do not work well unless you are right in front of them, so all manufacturers require that you wear a seat belt to hold you in position--and refer to the bag as a "supplemental" restraint system.

-Airbags are designed to work with the "average" adult which, of course, is the problem associated with the current headlines.

-Even with people satisfying all of the above criteria, there have been many documented classes of injury associated with airbags: skin burns of the face and hands due to the friction from the bag hitting the skin, bronchitis caused by the release powder (which coats the bag to keep it from sticking to itself) being rammed down the throat, and eyeball trauma for anyone who has protruding eyeballs like Peter Lorre or Marty Feldman.

To be fair, seat belts can also cause damage ranging from minor bruising to torn chest muscles and dislocated shoulders, but I know of no case where someone was killed by a belt in an accident that they would have otherwise survived had they not been wearing the belt.

Properly fastened 3-point seat belts of the type found in every car prior to the introduction of airbags provide protection superior to airbags in all types of crash situations and speeds, except single frontal impact within the speed range of the airbag, where they are roughly equal. They can be adjusted to properly fit anyone from a small child to one old enough to be out of the child safety seat to the largest adult.

-Finally, there is the issue of disposal. Only a fraction of all bags installed are ever deployed, and sine we are pumping them into the automotive population at the rate of some tens of millions per year, how do we get rid of them? Ever see the "care" with which your average wrecking yard disassembles a car, usually with a torch? Add to that the fact that sodium azide is incredibly toxic and a known carcinogen and it makes me not want to visit auto salvage yards anymore.

When the flaws in the system began to appear (e.g., no protection in side and corner impacts) the response was typical bureaucratic defensiveness. Rather than admit that the program doesn't work, they are mandating more of what doesn't work in the form of side airbags, which are beginning to appear in the doors of higher end cars. In addition, they want to require warning labels on the dashboards of new cars, and automakers are having to send letters to the tens of millions of owners of airbag-equipped cars warning them that the device installed to protect them may actually kill them. It seems sometimes that the madness never ends.

In summary, then, we have a government-mandated system that is both flawed and of limited effectiveness. It replaced an existing belt system that was superior in every way, being cheaper, simpler, and more effective. The problem is that seat belts require active involvement on the part of the occupant to actually put them on.

Air bags were designed to protect those too lazy or ignorant to protect themselves. The irony is that it turns out that manually fastened seat belts are required anyway for the airbags to have even their minimal effectiveness, so what's the point?

For my personal cars I have a 1974 Alfa Romeo and a 1984 Saab, both bought new and kept in perfect running condition. Until airbags disappear from the U.S. automotive scene, I have bought my last new car.

 

the insurance people can only have you sign an agreement.

example: if you have your car appraised by your insurance company (in case it get's stolen, you have FULL COVERAGE for EVERYTHING), and the appraiser sees the different steering wheel, he can make you sign a document. this document will state something like "if you get into an accident, and you acquire an injury that could have been saved if the air bag was not removed, you cannot sue anybody." this also stands even if the other party was a full fault. as for me coming in close contact with one, yes they cave lives.

my friend and i got hit head on by some girl who didn't even look left before coming out of a business driveway upon impact, his face hit the airbag and he suffered no burns. lucky me, i didn't TOUCH my airbag, because if i did, i think it would have left a mark on MY face (i wear glasses). but seriously man, that one accident keeps me from pulling my OEM steering wheel out of my current car. i keep thinking, "what if that happens again to me?" you can just say you'll drive safe, because it's not always YOU who's the one to worry about on the road.


wanna see a pic of the car? here she is:

http://www.imagestation.com/pi...g.jpg

this happened on a thursday, the next coming monday it was going in the paint shop. i ALMOST made it. (1999 front end)

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tegunderpressure &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

As stated above, it IS illegal to remove the SRS system of a so equipped car. Cops can nail you for it, and probably impound your car if they felt like it. I would also say to go for an ITR SRS wheel.
gmoore</TD></TR></TABLE>
actually it might be illegal in your state but not every state is. here in nc it is legal to own a car with the airbags either deployed or taken out. the only reason i know this is because i bought a car with the airbags taken out by theives and i did not have to replace them but i lost the insurance break for having airbags.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by len &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> </TD></TR></TABLE>

Is that a gaurdrail???

 

i think seat belts are the best life saver in a car accident, srs is more of a nice to have and prevents damages to you, but the main thing is still seat belts.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by arizsun21 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Is that a gaurdrail??? </TD></TR></TABLE>
yes, went thru the entire car...amazingly both driver and passanger lived. they were running from the police at the time.

 

Holly crap!!!