3-spoke steering wheel = no airbag? If so, can a 4-spoke airbag wheel be swapped in? (1 Viewer)

[bart0]

Gday 80 series experts! I'm back with another newb question as I learn my way around this vehicle. This edition is about adding airbags to a non-airbag 1996 GXL.

I'm 99% sure my 3-spoke steering wheel has no airbag. I'm also 99% sure that some models of the 80 came with the chunky 4-spoke wheel with an airbag. Can a 3-spoke wheel be replaced with a 4-spoke wheel (If I can find one?***). I assume some extra sensors and whatnot must be installed to be able to trigger the airbag, but I really have no idea about it. I'm wanting a bit of safety in this beast of a car for myself and when my wife tows her horses with it.

Related, with no airbag in the steering wheel, I presume there's no passenger-side airbag either. Can a passenger-side airbag/glovebox (?) assembly also be swapped in? It looks like there are the specific air (?) channels that run from edges of the dash which makes me think it might be possible.

I couldn't find steering wheel info in the general starter mods sticky thread.
Thanks for any help!

*** I've seen the PVS wheels but they look a bit too sporty IMO. Would like to keep it OEM, at least aesthetically, if I can.

 

[robnicko]

a 4 spoke wheel like the ones in LX450's etc will bolt on however thats the easy part

getting the airbag to operate as intended means having the trigger sensors installed at the front of the vehicle in line with what would have been done on a factory fitted air-bag equipped 80 is the tedious bit.

 

[bart0]

a 4 spoke wheel like the ones in LX450's etc will bolt on however thats the easy part

getting the airbag to operate as intended means having the trigger sensors installed at the front of the vehicle in line with what would have been done on a factory fitted air-bag equipped 80 is the tedious bit.

Thanks for the quick reply. Yes I thought that might be the case. I'll try find some information about it to see whether it's even possible to obtain the sensors. It's definitely something I don't want to get wrong! (Although I won't be any worse off than I am currently.)

 

[mudgudgeon]

It's definitely something I don't want to get wrong! (Although I won't be any worse off than I am currently.)

I wouldn't mess about with it myself. It's an entire system you'd have to figure out, source, install etc

And yes, you could do worse. Having a false trigger cause deployment of the air bags with or without you in the vehicle could be worse.

If safety is that big of a concern, you might be better finding an airbagged vehicle, or a 100 series.

 

[gummycarbs]

I'm wanting a bit of safety in this beast of a car

Time for a new vehicle. I wouldn't trust the airbags in an 80 anymore. Besides, even if fully functional, the safety rating would be atrocious compared to a vaguely modern vehicle with curtain airbags and whatnot. Have you seen what an 80 looks like after a roll-over? Some pictures courtesy of @jcardona1:

The folks on here buying 80s for their kids and wives are insane.

I won't be any worse off than I am currently

A false sense of security increases your risk. Not to mention the uncertainty of airbag issues on these vehicles (refer to the Takata airbag recall and decide for yourself whether the 80 falls within the affected years and whether this indicates questionable engineering regardless of the era).

 

[bart0]

Yeah I’d thought about that and figured I’m a pretty conservative driver and don’t consciously drive differently because I have airbags. Your point generally still stands.

My wife said if I’m that worried I should probably get a more modern 4WD, haha. Maybe she’s in for the life insurance

That Tanaka recall is insane, so many models on there! Fortunately I don’t see either of our airbagged vehicles on there. Thanks for heads up!

 

[LandLocked93]

My daily has the claymore pointing at my neck.
I feel very safe in how I drive.
I would NEVER introduce it into my 80.
Even without the metal shards, not a fan of being punched in the face during an accident. Feel like there are more important things to worry about.

Like missing my fav show later that evening.

 

[bart0]

My daily has the claymore pointing at my neck.
I feel very safe in how I drive.
I would NEVER introduce it into my 80.
Even without the metal shards, not a fan of being punched in the face during an accident. Feel like there are more important things to worry about.

Like missing my fav show later that evening.

Haha, yeah. The more time I spend in this vehicle (a couple weeks so far) the more I’m wanting to keep it as visually stock as possible. So, no airbag steering wheel, but careful driving.

 

[DivByZero]

I'll add that I see you're an aussie too. I very, very strongly doubt you can legally add airbags to a vehicle that didn't come with them here, just like you can't legally remove the airbags from a vehicle which came with them. Even if you did manage to retrofit the system (which I wouldn't recommend) I suspect it would technically be considered a defect.

 

[richmondbob]

Just saying, there's no 100% safe vehicle out there. Air bags are to keep the occupant from bouncing around. The structure of the vehicle is imho the most important factor in an accident tied with the type of accident.

I bought my 80 after losing my '83 Wagoneer in a highway rollover. Towing a trailer it bucked without warning lifting the vehicle ass over in the air before slamming back down and skidding backwards down the highway. No airbags, no crumple zone design and yet the body held dued to the strength of its' design. Pic here @ https://forum.ih8mud.com/media/1983-jeep-wagoneer-day-i-lost-her-rip.75825/full?d=1537557566

There's examples of 80's saving their driver and passengers I found here on Mud before buying including:

• wife and kids rear-ended at a stop sign where, if I recall the post correctly, the other driver hit them going 50
• driver hitting a deep-freeze that fell off a truck in front of him on the highway and crumpled under the 80

You may lose the vehicle as others have in the posts above but if you walk away then the vehicle did its' job protecting you .

If you're still thinking of retro-fitting a newer 80's airbag system, I'd agree, you're better off buying a newer vehicle than doing that especially since it may fail when needed.

It's all a gamble unless you buy a Volvo but I'm confident driving my 80.

 

[tmxmotorsports]

I'll add that I see you're an aussie too. I very, very strongly doubt you can legally add airbags to a vehicle that didn't come with them here, just like you can't legally remove the airbags from a vehicle which came with them. Even if you did manage to retrofit the system (which I wouldn't recommend) I suspect it would technically be considered a defect.

Dangerous defects

 

[gummycarbs]

@richmondbob is spreading misinformation. Don't listen to him or anyone else whose hobby is screwing around with 30+ year old vehicles. Go read what actual automotive engineers have to say about the issue that they spend entire careers studying. Look at statistics on the types of injuries sustained in crashes over time, not "muh car dint crumple!" anecdotes.

Take all the risks you want with your own life, but don't go around lying to people based on hillbilly engineering principles.

Here's a video of curtain airbags doing their job in a 40 mph t-bone collision. If that happened to me in my 80, the side of my skull would have smashed into the seatbelt anchor and I'd be lucky to be alive, much less talking and setting down my Redbull:

 

[mudgudgeon]

@richmondbob is spreading misinformation. Don't listen to him or anyone else whose hobby is screwing around with 30+ year old vehicles. Go read what actual automotive engineers have to say about the issue that they spend entire careers studying. Look at statistics on the types of injuries sustained in crashes over time, not "muh car dint crumple!" anecdotes.

Take all the risks you want with your own life, but don't go around lying to people based on hillbilly engineering principles.

Here's a video of curtain airbags doing their job in a 40 mph t-bone collision. If that happened to me in my 80, the side of my skull would have smashed into the seatbelt anchor and I'd be lucky to be alive, much less talking and setting down my Redbull:

Impressive video. Clearly not a used 30 year old sysrem.

Not sure it's enough to convince me retrofitting an airbag system in a 30 year old car is more than a false sense of security, IF you don't **** something up in the process.

 

[richmondbob]

@richmondbob is spreading misinformation. Don't listen to him or anyone else whose hobby is screwing around with 30+ year old vehicles. Go read what actual automotive engineers have to say about the issue that they spend entire careers studying. Look at statistics on the types of injuries sustained in crashes over time, not "muh car dint crumple!" anecdotes.

Take all the risks you want with your own life, but don't go around lying to people based on hillbilly engineering principles.

Here's a video of curtain airbags doing their job in a 40 mph t-bone collision. If that happened to me in my 80, the side of my skull would have smashed into the seatbelt anchor and I'd be lucky to be alive, much less talking and setting down my Redbull:

Lol. Putting on my sensitive hat to take a guess at what may've triggered you:

• Airgbags are designed to keep occupants from bouncing around - from the IIHS: "Airbags are inflatable cushions built into a vehicle that protect occupants from hitting the vehicle interior or objects outside the vehicle (for example, other vehicles or trees) during a collision. The instant a crash begins, sensors start to measure impact severity."
• Structure as a valid safety feature - I walked away from my accident in a pre-crumple zone, pre-airbag '83 Wagoneer with no broken bones or serious injuries because, as the insurance company and police confirmed, I was wearing my seatbelt in a vehicle built structurally sound.
• Examples of other 80 owners extolling the virtues of their 80's in accidents - @jcardona1 raised some valid points in his post you included but so do other MUD members who think their 80's saved their families. If you don't agree, look them up and tell them.
• Retro-fitting a newer airbag system - answering the original question posed by @bart0 , I gave my opinion not to bother and (hold onto your panties) agreed with your earlier comment to buy a newer vehicle.
• Choosing my 80 over a newer vehicle - my opinion which I'm entitled to without someone tossing accusations at me.
• Bonus - My hobby isn't screwing around with 30+ year old vehicles. I've got one of the best local mechanic shops for that.

So, where exactly in your opinion did I spread misinformation? Actually, don't bother answering. I don't give a s***.

@bart0 once again, for the record, don't bother retrofitting a newer airbag system. Wear your seatbelt and keep enjoying your new to you 80. If safety is your primary concern, buy a newer vehicle with up-to-date safety features or even keep the 80 and buy a newer, second vehicle if your budget allows. Hell, that's why I've got an 80 and BMW M5.

 

[gummycarbs]

what may've triggered you

Weak. Spreading dangerous misinformation is a bad idea. Your actions could actively harm people.

Actually, don't bother answering. I don't give a s***.

You sure wrote a wall of text for someonen who doesn't care.

Let me know when you have a mechanical engineering degree. Then we can get started on an actual discussion. In the meantime, learn to appreciate the limitations of your knowledge and defer to those with expertise.

 

[greentruck]

I wouldn't trust the airbags in an 80 anymore.

Just this month, I tested the airbags in our 80...

This was the result of nodding off 10 minutes from home at the end of a 3 hour return trip from an out of state historical convention (a 3 day trip that was the day after being sedated for a colonoscopy - likely the source of my overestimation of my capabilities), then waking up traveling in the opposite ditch, only to find a crossroad culvert too soon to correct from. The vehicle basically did a 180 front flip. I self-extricated and eventually was found to have a couple of broken ribs (at the same location as a known bad spot in my spine) and a bruised bone just below the right knee. Seatbelt was on, approximate speed was 55 mph. Absolutely no injuries from the airbag. Worked for me.

As for other rollovers, correct, the 80 series has no side airbags. That could be an issue. But those 26 year old airbags worked just fine within their abilities.