[kepani]

i thought this would be the most appropriate forum to post this topic. if you feel it's in the wrong forum, please move.

i'm on the fringe of buying a momo monte carlo steering wheel. i love that wheel to death and think it's such a classic design. HOWEVER, i can't let the thought of what might happen escape me, if i was ever in an accident in a situation where i would have been "saved" by a deployed air bag. the very thought of the bare metal really really scares me.

i wanted to make this post to see what many of you think about this very topic. perhaps you can post your reasoning on why you did or did not end up getting an aftermarket steering wheel. i see a lot of people on this board along with members on m.net who have such wheels...but never really had the chance to see how they arrived to their decision...

thanks for any replies...

kepani

 

[tetsuyagarage]

i would love an aftermarket wheel but i too cannot bring myself to buy one just because of the safety factor....i don't think it's worth risking my own health and safety for the coolness factor. just my 2 cents

 

[freedomgli]

Your airbag was designed as a primary safety device to protect an unrestrained occupant from death and is merely a supplemental safety device for belted occupants. Newer airbags are different than your old style air bags. I think seat belts are better than just airbags or nothing at all but that seat belts and airbags are best when used together properly. But seat belts are definitly #1. You'll still hit the steering wheel if the crash is big enough but each crash scenario is different and so hard to predict exactly what will happen. Air bags are not cotton pillows. They're designed to help control the decelration rate of your body and are very hard. I'd be much more concerned about side impacts in a Miata than frontal impacts with or without airbags.

 

[TrophyFodder]

There are different seat belts for air bag and non airbag cars. Seat belts w/airbags have a tear-away designed to slow you before you hit the bag, so you don't hit the bag full-force. Make sure you adjust your belts if you switch to an aftermarket wheel. Candaian cars don't have airbags (but state sponsored health care!) so try to get some of those seat belts.

 

[freedomgli]

I think the load limiter debate is still up in the air. I'm a proponent of the "don't remove the extra webbing" school of thought. Almost all modern safety belts use load limiters even with 8 airbags. The load limiter might be in the inertia reel or tear away threads that release extra length of webbing. They still perfom the same load limiting function with or without a driver side steering wheel mounted air bag.

 

[benthevegan]

Have you ever considered wearing a harness for daily driving? Some people acually prefer it............just a thought.

 

[kepani]

i would wear a harness if i had a fixed rollbar. but i do see the reasoning behind a harness.

i've been asking some people their thoughts. some just inherently drive more safely. others hadn't given it much thought at all.

i wonder if momo makes a padded wheel cover. i've seen such things around, but haven't ever seen it in person...

thanks...keep the thoughts coming!

kepani

 

[DGI]

Look into a Raid airbag wheel!

 

[vote4pedro]

My factory leather wheel deteriorating, so I decided to replace it. My car is a daily driver, so I was concerned about losing the air bag. I really wanted a factory eunos/momo wheel, but went with a wood/leather moss wheel so I could keep the air bag. IF my car was only driven on weekends, that would have weighed in favor of the momo wheel. I am pretty happy with my decision, it looks great and adds to the interior, IMO.

 

[turbored]

The momo is also made to collapse.

 

[Phatmiata]

Ahh yes, the great airbag debate................

I have a MOMO Non-Airbag in my car now


My logic? Well......... after slamming my 92Miata into a 3-foot concrete divider wall on the highway (caught standing water in the fast lane in pouring rain) the miata spunout in a 360 and hit the wall at 45-60 mph. :shock:

$7000 dollars of damage later................

I walked out of that car without a scratch, had my seatbeat on. But the airbag never deployed? Seems Mazda had that small problem with the 89-93 Miata where they did not always deploy? oppsss? :x

Yeah so anyways, about a year or two later i get a Certified letter from a Mazda Attorney in a class action lawsuit stating YES not all Airbags work, yadd yadda yadda, if you would like we can send you a check for $1000 for every Miata you own, if you agree not to sue Mazda for defective airbags. :mrgreen:

Hahahha I had two Miatas at that time. =D>

Then later on my friend got into a 20mph fender bender in his 1994 Miata. And his airbags worked, and boy did they ever. Both him and his girlfriend had some really nasty powder burns on their faces. :? And they had their seat belts on too.

So considering mine did not work, and i use my seatbelt, i have no problem removing that explosive device from my car.

Honestly, the newer ones are probably better, but for those of use with a 1989-1997 Miata, i would say, i hope they still work, considering they are almost 10 years old now. :shock:

I think that airbags are the governments way of taking care of people that dont know how to wear a seat belt, hahahah

just my .02 cents.



PhatMiata

 

[Max_Power]

I had the same dilemma 10 months ago and I found a nice way to solve it :mrgreen:
340mm aftermarket steering wheel with the latest technology airbag system compatible with the Miata.
I couldn't be happier!
http://bluelaguna94.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album06

 

[freedomgli]

I agree that the Raid wheel is the best looking aftermarket airbag equipped steering wheel available. I know it's really popular in Europe with the VW tuning scene. If you're going to have an airbag, newer is probably better.