Replacing steering wheel - no air bag

[rfuerst911sc]

Hey guys I am slowly transforming the interior of my 1999 Porsche 996 C4 from the sea of gray to a mix of grey with black/red . I had the seats reupholstered to black leather with tartan plaid inserts . I am thinking about replacing the gauge pod cover from gray to black . I haven't pulled that trigger yet .

Another item literally staring at my face is the steering wheel . It's in overall good shape but visually does nothing for me . I have been looking at various aftermarket steering wheels and like the Nardi Gara Sport . It is a 350mm wheel with black perforated leather , red stitching and black spokes . As a bonus a flat bottom for a little more room getting in and out .

But no air bag . Is that an issue ? I am not sure. Is a 25 year old air bag going to save my life ? Maybe or maybe not . I never leave the driveway without the seat belt buckled . This is not a daily driver it is a fun toy . So for you guys that have replaced an airbag wheel to a non airbag wheel any regrets ? I can probably sell the wheel and airbag and recoup all costs for the Nardi purchase . Thoughts ?

[Noah930]

I've thought about the same question in my 964. But those with regrets may not be around to voice them, no? At the same time, the likelihood of a hard crash is pretty low (though not zero), so most likely the deletion of an airbag is not going to be an issue.

[911 Rod]

Maybe if I was wearing a harness. So no, I would leave the air bag.
What if someone else was driving it and it was needed?

[masraum]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

Hey guys I am slowly transforming the interior of my 1999 Porsche 996 C4 from the sea of gray to a mix of grey with black/red . I had the seats reupholstered to black leather with tartan plaid inserts . I am thinking about replacing the gauge pod cover from gray to black . I haven't pulled that trigger yet .

Another item literally staring at my face is the steering wheel . It's in overall good shape but visually does nothing for me . I have been looking at various aftermarket steering wheels and like the Nardi Gara Sport . It is a 350mm wheel with black perforated leather , red stitching and black spokes . As a bonus a flat bottom for a little more room getting in and out .

But no air bag . Is that an issue ? I am not sure. Is a 25 year old air bag going to save my life ? Maybe or maybe not . I never leave the driveway without the seat belt buckled . This is not a daily driver it is a fun toy . So for you guys that have replaced an airbag wheel to a non airbag wheel any regrets ? I can probably sell the wheel and airbag and recoup all costs for the Nardi purchase . Thoughts ?

My understanding is that seatbelts in cars that have airbags are built differently than seatbelts in cars without. I think there's a section that has more give or is folded with stitches that fail, or more stretch or something. So the same seat belt may not protect as well without the airbag. It's probably not an issue as long as you don't get into an accident where it would help. Then it might be an issue.

One other thought is that you might look into other models, special models that might have integrated air bags that would be bolt on replacements with different looks.

[Deschodt]

Not sure what you can code out of that vintage. I had an 01 boxster back in the day and went with sparco seats and despite trying several times to add resistors or what have you to the connector, I had an airbag light. (and I still had the airbag!!) I imagine a steering wheel airbag would be harder to fool so depends how much you like a light on the dash. No offense to the resale plan but a 25+ y old airbag is probably not in mega high demand and you probably should keep it just in case...

Have you considered maybe other later Porsche wheels that may fit? or (again back in the day) dallas customs steering wheels ? I'd get it recovered in something different that you like, color or texture wise, maybe add a color center line, leather/alcantara, whatever ? I added a red line on a cayman wheel later since the seat belts were red, and increased thickness - it was nice and <$300 at the time (now???). Just my 2 cents, I'd hate staring at an airbag light every drive...

Also if you remove the airbag and sell one day, I *believe* you are liable for the next driver's accident results as the car is no longer as built... I'm done being debbie downer now.

[masraum]

possibly something like this.
https://wisemotorsports.eu/product/porsche-993-996-steering-wheel-upgrade/

[rfuerst911sc]

Appreciate the feedback gentleman . One thing I keep thinking about is the possibilities of insurance issues in case of an accident . I did contact the folks in Dallas and got a quote . They were quite $$$ but can do it all except alter the wheel to a flat bottom . I really want that .

In the last 15 minutes I found a guy/vendor in Germany via Fleabay that customizes wheels including flat bottom . Sounds like he has stock of wheels or has access to stock wheels and then customizes . So my OEM air bag will fit his wheel and it will be black leather with red stitching with additional padding in the grips and be flat bottom . I will have to do a color change to my air bag cover but that should be easy .

I sent him some follow up questions so will sit back and wait for a reply . If his answers are positive this may be the path I follow . I will update once I make a decision .

[KFC911]

I gonna go against the trend ....

I'd swap it and not even think twice about it ... not even once really ... but that's just me.

[Por_sha911]

God forbid you have an accident and the airbag ain't there, you have just signed a release form for the insurance company to pay you nothing. You may even have trouble suing someone at fault if they can show that your car was modified. They would then question what other mods you did and how the accident could have been your fault.

[A930Rocket]

My weekend/track BMW 330 has a Momo steering wheel. I’ve reused that steering wheel on every track car since the mid 90s.

Edit: I have removed every airbag in the car.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by KC911

I gonna go against the trend ....

I'd swap it and not even think twice about it ... not even once really ... but that's just me.

this.

no airbag in my 84 or the Scirocco which is a death trap if hit by anything more substantial than a Vespa.

[rfuerst911sc]

The guy in Germany got back to me , quick reply so that's good . So he starts with an OEM round wheel . He strips the wheel to the core and if you want a flat bottom he does that mod first . Then builds up the foam to make a thicker wheel . Then adds to the grip area of 10 and 2 and finishes with leather . Smooth leather top and bottom and perforated on the sides . Basically he is building the wheel that was available in the turbo models .

In my case if I move forward he will use red thread for the stitching and add a red centering strip at the 12:00 position . And finally the wheel accepts the OEM air bag . So it checks all the boxes for me .
I have previously looked at used/refurbished turbo wheels and the price range is 1500-1800 without the air bag . The guy in Germany is at 1195 plus 50 for shipping .

The Nardi wheel I like is around 360 then a NRG adapter is 120 . But an additional spacer is needed to keep the wheel to stalk distance the same as stock , spacer is another 50 bucks or so . I would want a Porsche crest horn button , another 60-120 depending on where you look . So total for aftermarket is around 600 vs modified OEM around 1250 . With the modified OEM I still either have to recolor my gray air bag or buy a black one . I found a black one for 400 . The Porsche tax is high but I want what I want . I will think it over and make a decision .

[masraum]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

The guy in Germany got back to me , quick reply so that's good . So he starts with an OEM round wheel . He strips the wheel to the core and if you want a flat bottom he does that mod first . Then builds up the foam to make a thicker wheel . Then adds to the grip area of 10 and 2 and finishes with leather . Smooth leather top and bottom and perforated on the sides . Basically he is building the wheel that was available in the turbo models .

In my case if I move forward he will use red thread for the stitching and add a red centering strip at the 12:00 position . And finally the wheel accepts the OEM air bag . So it checks all the boxes for me .
I have previously looked at used/refurbished turbo wheels and the price range is 1500-1800 without the air bag . The guy in Germany is at 1195 plus 50 for shipping .

The Nardi wheel I like is around 360 then a NRG adapter is 120 . But an additional spacer is needed to keep the wheel to stalk distance the same as stock , spacer is another 50 bucks or so . I would want a Porsche crest horn button , another 60-120 depending on where you look . So total for aftermarket is around 600 vs modified OEM around 1250 . With the modified OEM I still either have to recolor my gray air bag or buy a black one . I found a black one for 400 . The Porsche tax is high but I want what I want . I will think it over and make a decision .

If it was me, I'd want the modified OEM style wheel. The aftermarket wheels look nice, but the spacers usually don't look nice.

And that price is quite a bit cheaper than the place that I posted, although those wheels look great and are OEM (albeit without the flat bottom).

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

With the modified OEM I still either have to recolor my gray air bag or buy a black one . I found a black one for 400 . The Porsche tax is high but I want what I want . I will think it over and make a decision .

This sounds like a job for a good quality bottle of dye and a Saturday afternoon. I used some from Seat Doctor recently and it worked absolutely great.

[rfuerst911sc]

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

This sounds like a job for a good quality bottle of dye and a Saturday afternoon. I used some from Seat Doctor recently and it worked absolutely great.

Thank you for that reply it is very helpful . Any chance you can share a pic ? Any tips on the application ? I assume the cover has to be very clean maybe wiped down with alcohol or acetone ?

[rfuerst911sc]

This is the wheel I am thinking about .

https://www.ebay.com/itm/223543790114?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=223543790114&targetid=1645685073248&device=t&mktype=pla&googleloc=9011027&poi=&campaignid=20379421125&mkgroupid=153122894124&rlsatarget=pla-1645685073248&abcId=9316475&merchantid=113793758&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2PSvBhDjARIsAKc2cgOHgkJqdUGUHf6BaQo7 fWo0qW74UG6C7OP7S37q_-OcjniA-R0G2DAaArJcEALw_wcB

[masraum]

Nice. I'm fairly tall with long legs and have often thought it would be nice to have a flat bottomed steering wheel. IIRC, the wheel in at least on of my miatas, maybe both, actually had the center hub slightly offset so that the wheel sat higher. It wasn't enough that it was weird to drive with, but it was definitely something that I noticed.

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

Thank you for that reply it is very helpful . Any chance you can share a pic ? Any tips on the application ? I assume the cover has to be very clean maybe wiped down with alcohol or acetone ?

http://www.seatdoctors.com/diy-leather-dye?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2PSvBhDjARIsAKc2cgOv2fA8vVTvrB3vGSoA 4kDJUumuxSQobDorg02GuPfCQzSTX2LZVfMaAnwvEALw_wcB

I'm not affiliated in any way shape or form.
I used LOTS of very thin coats, letting it dry between coats, the more coats you use the richer the color gets. (one bottle was plenty; I used it lavishly on lots of surfaces trying to eradicate years of wear and patina from a 1984 BMW) Since you'll be going grey to black (neutral colors) you shouldn't have much problem at all, I wouldn't think. The order process asks for a VIN from your car, very helpful to get you close, then, if you aren't happy with the match they'll send you a small vial of tint so you can make adjustments.

Here's the leather seats before and after. I got similar good results on the vinyl door panels and vinyl headliner using the very same bottle of dye.

[rfuerst911sc]

^^^ Looks great �� . I just sent them an email to see if their dye is a good solution for what I am trying to do . Thanks for the link .

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by KC911

I gonna go against the trend ....

I'd swap it and not even think twice about it ... not even once really ... but that's just me.

Yup, he spent more time thinking about it typing the original post than I would spend before removing it.