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90's airbag steering wheels. UGLY!


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Posted

I suspect the car manufacturers would be quite happy if you popped your clogs in your 90s chod because the airbag deployed in a half -arsed fashion. We'd get ads saying THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DONT BUY A BRAND NEW CAR EVERY THREE YEARS

Posted
. The later Vectra airbag steering wheel was AN MUNTER

 

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MMM Agreed.

 

I really liked the Sri/ Gsi Cavalier wheel.

 

These Escort wheels were nasty too. a place I used to work had 4 Escort vans and the drivers had coloured in the Ford logo in biro in every one!

images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRjVc4_F_XIYPS5Uuowud1QDr-y9tXTWNzrgC6Qj0949-_a6mSSbAfGjEEv

 

This is what a impact absorbing wheel really looks like. It says so!

4619332246_0f35dd0c5e_z.jpg

Posted

One of the worst examples for early Airbag-wheels is the korean-standard-wheel. Looked horrible, many korean cars had them in their early airbag-days before the different brands developed their own wheels.

 

Here is it in a HDPIC Hyundai GAlloper:

 

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here in a SsangYong Musso:

 

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The Korando had it, early Kias had it, it was horrible looking and a bit too small for the huge center.

 

The wheel in the 1999 Legacy I had did not look too good either, but better than the one the second generation LEgacy got:

 

p287476191353833305.jpg

Posted
The part of the car that you see, touch and feel the most must be the steering wheel.

 

Any other awful examples spring to mind?

 

Great post and a subject close to my heart, part of the enjoyment of driving is the inter-reaction between yourself and the wheel. I always thought that Rover 800 mid nineties aberration was one of the worst examples. Whenever I buy a 'new' 405 the first thing I do is replace the wheel with this rather lovely pre-airbag 605 version.

 

Dscf2907A_zps03943a99.jpg

 

It's a bit bigger as well which is handy as I use a hand control and get more leverage. Luckily on a 405 the warning light is on the wheel, so removing it de-activates it. I have also fitted this wheel to a 406, and had to short-circuit the terminals inside the wheel to put the dashboard light out.

 

If I ever bought a 306 I'd try my hardest to source one of these pre-airbag high spec 306 ones, which were only offered for a few months:

 

306XTWHEEL_zps20afcd4f.jpg

 

And on the subject of good airbag designs, don't reckon you can get much better than the current Skoda 4-spoke version (an earlier Audi design). Airbag doesn't intrude, plus great spokes to hold at the 'twenty to four' position.

 

SKODAWHEEL_zps57e48ba1.jpg

 

I would seriously base a car buying decision on the shape of the steering wheel.

Posted
The part of the car that you see, touch and feel the most must be the steering wheel.

 

Any other awful examples spring to mind?

 

Great post and a subject close to my heart, part of the enjoyment of driving is the inter-reaction between yourself and the wheel. I always thought that Rover 800 mid nineties aberration was one of the worst examples. Whenever I buy a 'new' 405 the first thing I do is replace the wheel with this rather lovely pre-airbag 605 version.

 

It's a bit bigger as well which is handy as I use a hand control and get more leverage. Luckily on a 405 the warning light is on the wheel, so removing it de-activates it. I have also fitted this wheel to a 406, and had to short-circuit the terminals inside the wheel to put the dashboard light out.

 

R0012962resized.jpg

 

The 405 airbag wheel isn't bad looking, this is a hybrid of a 406 airbag and 405 wheel.

Posted

Volvo_740_interior_old_type_cloth.jpg

 

Was there an airbag behind here? If so, Volvo did a good aesthetic job job. All their bus steering wheels look pretty neat too.

Posted

4619332246_0f35dd0c5e_z.jpg

 

The energy absorbing bit wasn't the wheel, it was the compressible honeycomb section of the steering column that prevented the wheel moving towards the driver in the event of a collision.

 

Energy+Absorbing+Steering.JPG

Posted

The "vauxhall - Energy absorbing " slogan always used to make me laugh. I translated it as "Vauxhall, our cars sap your energy" Which was kinda true when talking about the HC viva and Chevette

Posted

Apologies for going slightly O/T, but has anyone here ever had a face-full of airbag in a crash?

Posted

Could be on topic, if it didn't work to well....... UGLY!

 

I know a girl who smacked into a van in a Ka at 30 and the bag didn't go off. She wasnt hurt so she probably didn't hit it hard enough!

Posted

Googling 'Rover Metro airbag steering wheel' led me to this (should be for the sexism thread really!)

 

blogsmetro_01.jpg

 

But OT, I've always thought these ones from Rover 100s looked OK

 

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Posted
Volvo_740_interior_old_type_cloth.jpg

 

Was there an airbag behind here? If so, Volvo did a good aesthetic job job. All their bus steering wheels look pretty neat too.

 

 

No airbag on either 740 I had with this wheel.

Posted
Apologies for going slightly O/T, but has anyone here ever had a face-full of airbag in a crash?

 

No. Back in 2009 I shortened the front end of an E class merc estate by driving it into the back of a VW Transporter van that stopped suddenly! The airbag went off, so did the seatbelt tensioner, so I didn't make any contact with it. Waste of a good airbag! But what did crap me up- as soon as the bag has inflated, it starts to deflate and blows white powder everywhere. I though it was smoke coming from a fire behind the dash and couldn't get out fast enough.

 

The car was very well repaired though (£6k insurance job) and I kept it for another year before I sold it. All credit to 'Motofix' in Northampton did a first class job!

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