I just had a quesion about aftermarket steering wheels. I was looking at getting a momo wheel and it didnt take long to notice that aftermarket steering wheels dont have a place for the airbag. How exactly does this work, is the airbag simply removed and i risk my face for a new steering wheel or did I missing something.

 

That's right, you risk your face. There is no place for an airbag on any aftermarket steeringwheels, only on the rare and costly JDM Maxima steeringwheels .Org member Sycefiro sells for $500+.
-Cyrus

 

Does anyone have a pic of the JDM Maxima steeringwheels?

 

Its also illegal to tamper with airbag devices much less remove it and put a bagless wheel. If a "smart" cop pulls you over and is smart enough to check your vin (btw maximas say plain and friggin simple they have an srs airbag) then you will get a major write up.

 

true dat

 

Inspection is gonna be really hard as well. My friend just bought a civic with an aftermarket steering wheel with no airbag, and there is only one guy around my area that you have to slip him a little money just to get it passed. I think the law might be that if you have a steering wheel without an airbag you have to have a four-point racing harness but im not sure about that one.

 

Make sure you know the terms of your insurance policy really well. In the event of a collision, some insurance companies may not provide you pay for using one/both of the following arguments:

• you replaced the oem SRS steering wheel with a bag-less one;
• your aftermarket steering wheel has a smaller diameter than the oem one as it may block the view of the gauges.

I know a couple non-Maxima folks who have installed a Momo steering wheel on older cars but are willing to write-off the vehicle if they get into a major collision based on the market value of the cars.

 

Due to the big to-do about airbag related deaths a few years ago, it is no longer illegal to have the airbags removed from your vehicle. As far as I know, you have to have a dealer remove or disable them.

Some states may still require them for inspection, but it is no longer a federal crime to have them deactivated. Check with your local DMV.

FYI...
http://www.nhtsa.gov/airbags/

 

To add to that, I've heard some folks being able to justify the deactivation to their insurance company while maintaining full coverage. These folks include those who are on the short side and need to sit closer to the steering wheel.

I'm personally a little spooked by the thought of having an airbag turn the lenses on my glasses into contact lenses sitting right on my eyeballs. I suppose that could be better than major head trauma.

 

I had never heard of that but thats really useful information. In the event of a headon collision i would prefer an airbag, but even so, a sideswipe can set it off, even bumping a curb has been known to set it off. Kind of scary.