KeithB

Hey folks,

Of all the (air bag equipped) cars you've owned, which one had your favorite steering wheel for performance driving?

I've heard from many sources that, for best control, you should hold the wheel at 3 and 9 oclock. My favorite wheel (but sans air bag) was from an '86 Vette; it had a thick rim, and spokes at 4 and 8 oclock, allowing me to grip the wheel at 3 and 9 oclock. My current car ('02 Bird) has a thin wheel and spokes at 3, 5, 7 and 9 oclock; blocking me from placing my hands where they want to be. I want to have an airbag, so swapping an aftermarket wheel, or '86 Vette wheel, into the car is out of the question. From pictures, the '93-99 Camaro wheel or '94-96 Vette wheel looks like it should do the trick, but I have no experience with them. What are your thoughts?

Keith
...

PewterNHRA2001

iTrader: (1)

my 99 grand am gt had a sweet steering wheel in it, was thick and had like a scuffed leather on it so it never slipped in my hands, kinda dont like the thin one in my 01 trans am and its real smooth and a lil slippery like at times, but now that i think about it, it would look gawdy with a thicker steering wheel in my ta IMO

Cal

iTrader: (1)

My 2002 Silverado has the best airbag steering wheel I've ever seen. The airbag must be more compact on this one.

However, I suggest you get rid of the airbag and install a Momo wheel and a five point harness. If you put your hands at 3 and 9, the airbag will break your arms when it goes off. Not to mention you can't see where to steer with the deployed airbag in your face.

DONAIMIAN

iTrader: (18)

Good point, never thought about that.

dailydriver

Cal, do you think I would be able to use this arguement if I'm ever caught in a spot check, or if my state inspection wises up to no airbag wheels?? I hope so, 'cause they will not get my Sparco suede wheel until they pry it out of my cold, dead hands!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will give up the car before I go back to that stock, plastic P.O.S. just to have a damned airbag!!

KeithB

I'll have to look at the '02 Silverado wheel, but you give me some great food for thought about a non-airbag wheel plus five point harness; thanks! Do you need a roll bar to anchor a five-point?

Now, about that 'break your arms when it goes off"? I've never experienced an air bag deployment. Do arms really get broken when bags deploy? Do car makers put spokes on the steering wheel to prevent hands from holding where arms would be broken? Maybe that's why any air-bag wheel I've ever held sucks! I could see where broken arms would be better than getting thrown through the windshield or biting the steering wheel in half. But if you wear the proper restraint to begin with, none of that would happen. I wish car makers would design restraint systems for people who appreciate their value, rather than designing passive stuff for people who can't be bothered.

CW00BlackTA

iTrader: (31)

You need a roll bar to enable safe use of racing harnesses. In some states they are illegal on public roads.

Cal

iTrader: (1)

Ha ha ha I feel your pain, brother! So far no spot checks around here. And it doesn't take long to bolt the stock wheel back on for safety inspections.

Cal

iTrader: (1)

You can get a one-tube harness bar to attach the shoulder straps to, but it is best to have a roll bar or cage to attach it to. But you should have at least a good roll bar or a cage in a car that will go 170 mph stock, from the factory, anyway.

The '02 Silverado wheel has a small enough air bag so it still has spokes; nice leather wheel too.

There have been some people with broken arms from airbag deployment; the air bag is deployed very rapidly, almost explosively, with rocket engine propellant. Now some driver's ed instructors teach kids to hold the wheel at 5 and 7 O'clock and slide the seat as far back as possible because of this. Of course that isn't a very efficient way to steer the car.

Stock seat belts are almost worthless anyway with only one shoulder strap, narrow webbing, and no anti-submarine strap. In a roll over in the wrong direction, you just fall out of the single shoulder strap (it only restrains you in one direction.) Ask me how I found that out! In a front end impact, you can slide right under the lap belt. And in a hit from any direction, the skinny stock belts will stretch like rubber bands and let your body hit things. Harness belts are much wider. No wonder we have air bags! But a airbag is like fixing the symtoms of the problem rather than correcting the problem itself.

zlightning

iTrader: (1)

Air bags will not break your arms, at least they didn't mine when my hands where on the steering wheel at 3 and 9. This is personal experience not I have read/heard. The air bag hit my lips and it stinged that was all yes they do propel fast but it will not brake your arms unless you have weak bones.

Mike 01WS6

I'll concur with zlightning on this one. When I was a little guy, I was with my mom when we got in a car accident. My side didn't have one....and her side had the old, more powerful bags. She's quite a small lady, and all she suffered was a bruised up face, going from 70mph to 0mph in about 1 second on the free way. Bent the steering wheel, but she walked away fine, not breaking anything. Today's airbags are much more forgiving.

GXP Lover

Holly thread hijack Batman!!
Yes, it is possible to break your arms if you consider your wrist your arm. This is fairly unlikely though and not something to worry about. Keep your hands at 3 and 9 so that you have better control and can avoid the collision in the first place.

This is like saying you should wear ankle supports because in a frontal collision some people will break thier ankles now. This is actually more common than the wrist/arm breakage...

Anyway, back on topic, does this have to be a GM to fit properly or are most steering wheels interchangeable? If any is an option, there's alot of options then...

Cal

iTrader: (1)

The spline patterns on most steering wheels are not interchangeable. However, the older fbody patterns do fit 4th gens. The incompatiblitly comes in with different spacings between the steering wheel hub and column. You can compensate for that by using a custom bezel or collar under the wheel. I just used the one that came with a Grant wheel and cut it back about 3/16" on my lathe. You could also use a grinder and a file to do this. A lot of companies like Grant won't sell you a steering wheel adapter for a car that came with a airbag, so this is a way you can work around that. I used the Grant adapter for a '75 Camaro.

dailydriver

I used the ol' standard Momo 2401 (? I believe) and turned down the back of it to fit the column without rubbing.

Cal

iTrader: (1)

Looks like Thunder Racing sells the 2401 adapter already turned down for a 4th gen:

http://www.thunderracing.com/catalog...gories&pcid=78

It's not hard to do yourself though if you have access to a lathe.

dailydriver

HA! That's so cool! I'm suprised the demand is big enough to warrant them going through that bother. I'm the only 4th gen f body I've ever seen with an aftermarket non airbag wheel, as I've only heard of a few people on here actually doing it. I guess we're not the only ones who despise the ugly, thin, uncomfortable, plastic stocker!!! (I actually hate it more than the 10 bolt rear and the hump in the pass. footwell!!)

LS69TA

iTrader: (30)

I'd like to have a different steering wheel, but I'm partial to my radio controls. Yea, I'm lazy.

Cal

iTrader: (1)

Not to mention heavy! Stock wheel with airbag is 9 to 10 pounds. Aftermarket wheels with aluminum spokes are down around 2.5 lbs including adapter. And having less rotational inertia makes the car easier to steer quickly; great for autoX.

As for on-wheel radio controls, I liked that when I actually had a radio in the car! A monsoon stereo system with all components adds up to about 40 lbs.