new steering wheel - concept

[yogi]

for the past couple weeks I've been intrigued by an idea of putting a new steering wheel in my solara. I was thinking about the one from SC430(heated with wood trim).

Anyone attempted that yet? Do you guys think that it is possible?

I have a 06 SLE with beige interior and "wood" trim, and steering wheel is just plain,

I think that it would look better with wood trim on steering wheel instead of plain beige

[Ilovemylara]

it might be, not sure how the airbag would hook up though.Is it worth the risk of smashing your skull into the steering wheel if you have a wreck? lol

[yogi]

it might be, not sure how the airbag would hook up though.Is it worth the risk of smashing your skull into the steering wheel if you have a wreck? lol

that's the issue....the airbag.... I have to do a lot of reading about that, since it is kinda important.... I never worked with airbags hehe...anyone with experience with airbags?

[Jakecallun20]

Alright, heres what I'd do. Well, first of all if it were my car I'd disregard the air bag just because I hate them...especially the older ones full of the lovely dust. But if you want your airbag in, what I'd do is disconnect the battery, pull the bag/wheel off and take some pictures of what you see, the plugs, wire colors, and fitments. Then when you find your new wheel, compare the plugs and wire colors.

Best of luck to you

-Jake

[yogi]

I kinda need the airbag to stay there....I have to figure out if the original airbag will fit into new wheel...i do not want to messsss with ses sensors and plugs, because knowing myself that airbag would go off when i start the car after upgrade...hehe

this is going to be fun....i need a

[TLMNICK]

The most you can do is damage the SRS system which will leave it crippled. Just make sure that whatever you disconnect, or test, is done with the negative terminal disconnected (from the battery).

The only way you'll send an airback to your face is if you connect an airbag wire directly to an ignition source.

[PXLpainter]

Uh... Jake? "old ones are full of dust"???
Dood - do you even know how airbags work?

Anyway Yogi... if you're looking to swap steering wheels, then yes - everything electronic will have to be hooked up properly - including stereo controls, etc... and I'm sure it can be done, but it probably depends on just how badly you want to deal with it and how much $ you wanna spend!

[no_escape]

Uh... Jake? "old ones are full of dust"???
Dood - do you even know how airbags work?

I think he ment to say Latex dust... To keep it from cracking and breaking open. I know ford used them in the early to mid 90's tarus. That BURNS like mad on the skin, and in the throat and lungs.

[Jakecallun20]

Uh... Jake? "old ones are full of dust"???
Dood - do you even know how airbags work?

I think he ment to say Latex dust... To keep it from cracking and breaking open. I know ford used them in the early to mid 90's tarus. That BURNS like mad on the skin, and in the throat and lungs.

Yeah thats exactly what I meant, Ford did use them. I've had a 94 Mustang bag blow up in my face and it sucked!

[PXLpainter]

Right - and it's still use in all airbags today, so it doesn't have anything to do with age... check this out:

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/airbag1.htm

"The powdery substance released from the airbag, by the way, is regular cornstarch or talcum powder, which is used by the airbag manufacturers to keep the bags pliable and lubricated while they're in storage."

That being said - what IS the average shelf life of an airbag anyways?

[no_escape]

"The powdery substance released from the airbag, by the way, is regular cornstarch or talcum powder, which is used by the airbag manufacturers to keep the bags pliable and lubricated while they're in storage."

That being said - what IS the average shelf life of an airbag anyways?

Didn't know it was cornstarch or talcum powder.

Life span of airbags.
http://star-motoring.com/news/story.asp ... s_features

What is the life span of an airbag?

The modern airbag system is designed with a maintenance-free life span of 10-15 years, depending on the manufacturer of the system.

[NeFaRiOuS_SLE]

^Not to mention that in the manual (or somewhere else), it said it is strongly advised to have it re-certified every 10 years.

[yogi]

Uh... Jake? "old ones are full of dust"???
Dood - do you even know how airbags work?

Anyway Yogi... if you're looking to swap steering wheels, then yes - everything electronic will have to be hooked up properly - including stereo controls, etc... and I'm sure it can be done, but it probably depends on just how badly you want to deal with it and how much $ you wanna spend!

Well i do want to make it work and i'll try that for sure...we'll see what comes out of it...

I can find steering wheel for around $300, (without the airbag of course), so if i`m going to be able to reuse what i'll have from solara it;s not going to be that bad considering it will be heated and look better then stock....but if this is not going to work i`m going to be out a lot of $$$ for something useless....


anybody knows where i can find wiring diagrams for solara and lex


btw PXLpainter - u got one slick solara...i got the same wheels on my wifes maxima...

[sahuddleston]

lexus wood wrapped steering wheels are very expense and may not be compatible with the gen2 solara. let us know what you find out.

[Sparky5e]

I really hate the search function. My term for it is useless

Someone had pulled their wheel and sent it to St Louis or somewhere in Missouri to have it modified. The place removed the leather and replaced it with wood. Ii thought it was some quality work. It isn't my thing, but if you can find it in the archives it may be an option.