Quick detach steering wheel in a C6 Z06?
05-04-2011, 12:36 PM
#1
Quick detach steering wheel in a C6 Z06?
I need to get a quick detach steering wheel for my C6 Z06 track/steet car. It's getting very difficult to get in and out of the car from the racing seat with the door closed and that stock steering wheel still in place 
Has anyone done this, and if so, how did you do it? I have the 1lz package, so there are no controls whatsoever on my wheel, so I won't be losing anything, right? Yes I know the driver's side airbag won't work, but with a six-point harness and HANS who needs it.
Has anyone done this, and if so, how did you do it? I have the 1lz package, so there are no controls whatsoever on my wheel, so I won't be losing anything, right? Yes I know the driver's side airbag won't work, but with a six-point harness and HANS who needs it.
Last edited by Hercules Rockefeller; 05-04-2011 at 05:12 PM.
05-05-2011, 11:30 AM
#5
Drifting
Just watch your spacing. The dish of the wheel, the height of the quick release and the spacing of the new hub will all put the wheel closer to you. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's something to be aware of. Just test fit it, and make sure you can move the seat and wheel to get the right pedal and seating position. I see good laps spoiled by bad seating position all the time, with my students.
I say this because I just got a new wheel! It's an OMP, little smaller than stock, suede, with a quick release. It's very nice, but is closer than the old wheel by 3/4". I knew that was coming, so I changed the seat a bit, but had I not measured, it would have been frustrating.
I say this because I just got a new wheel! It's an OMP, little smaller than stock, suede, with a quick release. It's very nice, but is closer than the old wheel by 3/4". I knew that was coming, so I changed the seat a bit, but had I not measured, it would have been frustrating.
05-05-2011, 04:25 PM
#6
I actually want to choke up a little on the wheel (and I don't have the factory telescoping wheel), so the spacing issue will probably just end up working in my favor.
I have been looking a bit into the legality of swapping out the factory wheel (because it eliminates the factory airbag system), and from what I can tell, at least in CA, it is actually legal to do this to your own car, so long as you don't try to sell it without the airbag. in some other states it is illegal to remove the airbag, but it doesn't seem to be illegal to *have* a car with the airbag removed/disabled (i.e. the act of removing it is illegal, but not the act of having a car in that condition). The federal law seems to state that it is also legal, as long as I'm not in the business of manufacturing or fixing cars, and as long as I don't sell it in that condition. I just wanted to check if anyone here knew otherwise, because you never know when some jerk is going to try to use something like an "illegal steering wheel" to impound your car and/or throw you in jail for breaking some idiotic/obscure law.
I have been looking a bit into the legality of swapping out the factory wheel (because it eliminates the factory airbag system), and from what I can tell, at least in CA, it is actually legal to do this to your own car, so long as you don't try to sell it without the airbag. in some other states it is illegal to remove the airbag, but it doesn't seem to be illegal to *have* a car with the airbag removed/disabled (i.e. the act of removing it is illegal, but not the act of having a car in that condition). The federal law seems to state that it is also legal, as long as I'm not in the business of manufacturing or fixing cars, and as long as I don't sell it in that condition. I just wanted to check if anyone here knew otherwise, because you never know when some jerk is going to try to use something like an "illegal steering wheel" to impound your car and/or throw you in jail for breaking some idiotic/obscure law.
05-05-2011, 05:59 PM
#7
Herc---I have a pfadt hub you could use.
Thank you for looking into the legal aspects of the airbag. I've been thinking about getting a wheel as well. The OMP sounds good as a smaller diameter-I have a hard time clearing my knees with my hands. Being closer to the body would help as well.
Does anyone know what resistance to use for the airbag so as to not trip the SRS 'pooter?
-pp
Thank you for looking into the legal aspects of the airbag. I've been thinking about getting a wheel as well. The OMP sounds good as a smaller diameter-I have a hard time clearing my knees with my hands. Being closer to the body would help as well.
Does anyone know what resistance to use for the airbag so as to not trip the SRS 'pooter?
-pp
Last edited by peterpiper; 05-05-2011 at 06:01 PM. Reason: resistor Q
05-05-2011, 07:31 PM
#8
Sparco also makes the hub, I carry the piece if you need more information on it. As for the airbag light it's a resistor you plug into the airbag electrical connector. Sparco's hub is actually a nicer quick release than the pfadt unit.
05-06-2011, 11:46 AM
#9
OK, I have an update for some of you who might be concerned about the legal situation of installing an aftermarket steering wheel and thereby removing the airbag.
First off, there's no question that you've got a lot of liability on your hands and your airbag removal somehow can be blamed on injuring someone else. So I'd say don't remove the passenger side airbag or anything to do with the passenger side airbag system (including the passenger seat, unless you remove it altogether). I'd also say don't let anyone drive your car if the airbag has been removed, if they crash and injure themselves, no matter what they did, your insurance will give you a hard time and if they sue you for injury you will probably lose.
CA state law does have something (VC section 27317) that says it's a misdemeanor to sell a used airbag, which actually sounds reasonable to me. You also can't sell the car with a disabled airbag, if the car was supposed to come with one. But as far as I can tell, and I've looked really hard, there is no law that prevents you, the owner of the car, from disabling or replacing your own airbag.
Note that there are several laws the DO prevent you from removing your own airbag, even if you are the only one the drives your car, in states other than CA. The worst is Utah, where they actually say it is a misdemeanor to have a non-functioning airbag while repairing a vehicle, if during the repair you do not get it fixed. Some other states, (Wisconsin, Tennessee, North Carolina) make it a misdemeanor to remove or replace the airbag (misdemeanor, again !) but those states make the *removal* the crime, not the status of having no airbag. So technically, if you remove the airbag in CA, I think, as far as I can tell, that you should be good to go in just about any state in the USA (and Canada). Note: I have not been able to check every law in every state, but I believe this to be true.
Also note: I AM NOT A LAWYER. I do not claim to know exactly what the laws say, but this is my best interpretation.
Also, federal law states that all vehicles sold in the US must have airbags, aka "passive restraining devices". It also says that
"No manufacturer, distributor, dealer, or motor vehicle repair business shall knowingly render inoperative, in whole or in part, any device or element of design installed on or in a motor vehicle ... in compliance with an applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standard."
The key here is that, if you do it yourself, you are not the manufacturer, distributer, or dealer, so it should be legal and OK federally to remove your airbag. Again, just don't sell your car without the airbag and you should be OK with the feds.
In summary, as long as your DIY, I cannot find anything illegal about installing an aftermarket steering wheel that disables the OEM airbag system. But you should check with your insurance company, they may have some issues. But if you don't have insurance (e.g. track car) then you are GTG!
First off, there's no question that you've got a lot of liability on your hands and your airbag removal somehow can be blamed on injuring someone else. So I'd say don't remove the passenger side airbag or anything to do with the passenger side airbag system (including the passenger seat, unless you remove it altogether). I'd also say don't let anyone drive your car if the airbag has been removed, if they crash and injure themselves, no matter what they did, your insurance will give you a hard time and if they sue you for injury you will probably lose.
CA state law does have something (VC section 27317) that says it's a misdemeanor to sell a used airbag, which actually sounds reasonable to me. You also can't sell the car with a disabled airbag, if the car was supposed to come with one. But as far as I can tell, and I've looked really hard, there is no law that prevents you, the owner of the car, from disabling or replacing your own airbag.
Note that there are several laws the DO prevent you from removing your own airbag, even if you are the only one the drives your car, in states other than CA. The worst is Utah, where they actually say it is a misdemeanor to have a non-functioning airbag while repairing a vehicle, if during the repair you do not get it fixed. Some other states, (Wisconsin, Tennessee, North Carolina) make it a misdemeanor to remove or replace the airbag (misdemeanor, again !) but those states make the *removal* the crime, not the status of having no airbag. So technically, if you remove the airbag in CA, I think, as far as I can tell, that you should be good to go in just about any state in the USA (and Canada). Note: I have not been able to check every law in every state, but I believe this to be true.
Also note: I AM NOT A LAWYER. I do not claim to know exactly what the laws say, but this is my best interpretation.
Also, federal law states that all vehicles sold in the US must have airbags, aka "passive restraining devices". It also says that
"No manufacturer, distributor, dealer, or motor vehicle repair business shall knowingly render inoperative, in whole or in part, any device or element of design installed on or in a motor vehicle ... in compliance with an applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standard."
The key here is that, if you do it yourself, you are not the manufacturer, distributer, or dealer, so it should be legal and OK federally to remove your airbag. Again, just don't sell your car without the airbag and you should be OK with the feds.
In summary, as long as your DIY, I cannot find anything illegal about installing an aftermarket steering wheel that disables the OEM airbag system. But you should check with your insurance company, they may have some issues. But if you don't have insurance (e.g. track car) then you are GTG!
