Chevy & GMC Vans

just wondering if anyone knows of or has done a steering wheel swap to a newer gm wheel with an air bag. i need to retain an airbag for insurance purposes but don't like the factory wheel in my 95......is it a plug and play type swap or are the connectors different for the air bag connections.

that would be interesting. I would imagine that there aren't too many aftermarket steering wheels that will take a stock airbag, just because of the liability issue. plus I think the airbag (I have a 95 also) is ugly looking and probably wouldn't look good in anything else.

i was thinking of a caddy steering wheel with the wood inserts......i guess another trip to the dealer is necessary for answers...maybe gm tech over the phone would be able to tell me

i just thought i'd check here first incase anyone had done it.......

no one's swapped an air bag wheel? please dont force me to post on the other site......even though i still visit..hahhah..

blk lt awd wrote:no one's swapped an air bag wheel? please dont force me to post on the other site......even though i still visit..hahhah..

Nooooo, don't do it!........

I find the topic interesting and have often wondered about it. I imagine airbags are designed specifically for the vehicle they are in, and that swapping them could be an issue regarding the size of the bag and how far it extends in a crash and etc.

That being said, I think I'd like a leather wrapped wheel out of a Denali or something.

hmmmm, good point you raise md........never thought about varying sizes of airbags.....i wonder if in fact they are of varying sizes or a universal size given seats can be adjusted forward or backward.....

something definitely that needs to be looked into.....i think i know of an airbag refitter/rebuilder near by.......will report with findings....

I think that I would be careful tampering with the airbag setup. They are designed for specific applications and even small changes could have big ramifications. Bag size, deployment speed, distance to driver...each vehicle might be different.

You've got to ne kidding me! Change your steering wheel to one that you like that does not have an air bag and woory about your insurance company covering you. Lemme ask you this--when you called your insurance company to insure your van 1.] did they come out and look at it before writing you a policy. 2] did you say it was factory stock? If you think an air bag will save your life then be paranoid and maintain the stock wheel. You need to seriously consider the speed of a crash as opposed to the so called "safety factor". Seatbelts have saved lives by keeping people from being ejected in roll overs and have reduced medical costs in low speed crashes. They have also cut people in half in high impact crashes and maimed a few along the way. Not to mention trapping occupants in burning vehicles. Invest in a roll cage for your van and see if they reduce your rates. Maybe in Canada they are strict or something but get a life and the steering wheel you like--buy some depreciating life insurance and enjoy yourself.
Clamsters are always self-indullgent, afterall we live in shells.

Clamster wrote:You've got to ne kidding me! Change your steering wheel to one that you like that does not have an air bag and woory about your insurance company covering you. Lemme ask you this--when you called your insurance company to insure your van 1.] did they come out and look at it before writing you a policy. 2] did you say it was factory stock? If you think an air bag will save your life then be paranoid and maintain the stock wheel. You need to seriously consider the speed of a crash as opposed to the so called "safety factor". Seatbelts have saved lives by keeping people from being ejected in roll overs and have reduced medical costs in low speed crashes. They have also cut people in half in high impact crashes and maimed a few along the way. Not to mention trapping occupants in burning vehicles. Invest in a roll cage for your van and see if they reduce your rates. Maybe in Canada they are strict or something but get a life and the steering wheel you like--buy some depreciating life insurance and enjoy yourself.
Clamsters are always self-indullgent, afterall we live in shells.

thank you for opening my eyes clamster. i'm sure the others on this board appreciate it as well. knock on wood, but if i'm ever in a situation where i require my insurance company to cover me and they refuse to honour their policy due to removal of safety equipment i will be sure to point them out to your words of wisdom as above and i will also be sure to tell them to "get a life"............i'm sure they'll see the error in their ways and make it all better......... ](*,)

Sorry if you or anyone was offended. Guess safety equipment would fall under seat belts, air bag, safety glass. Let's consider what we do with our stock vans though to alter them. Lowering them..alters the stock suspension [definitly a safety item] How bout tinting the glass, installing a v8, aftermarket wheels? Just seems to me they would be splitting hairs.
Just for laughs, I asked my agent at Victoria Insurance Company. Although my 90 has no bag, I asked if I replaced my bagged wheel with an aftermarket, other than oem could there be ramifications. My answer was--items that are not oem need to be catagorized for theft claims purposes, otherwise have fun.
Remember the welded chain steering wheels or the triangle wheels you'd see at autoramas? Hey, what ever happened to suicide knobs with the bikini babe inside??