grant steering wheel install??

Done a bunch of searches and see that some of you have put Grant or other aftermarket wheels on you airbag equiped XJ's. I have a 96 XJ and would like to do the same.... bought the correct adapter but how do you deal with the clocking ring for the signal lights and horn? I could remove all of that and loose the horn and turn the signal lights off by hand but that really defeats the purpose.

You bought the "correct" adapter? For what? My understanding is that Grant doesn't sell replacement wheels for airbag-equipped vehicles, just trim that fits over your existing steering wheel.

Are you sure you're not trying to adapt a non airbag wheel to an airbag vehicle?

Eagle said:

You bought the "correct" adapter? For what? My understanding is that Grant doesn't sell replacement wheels for airbag-equipped vehicles, just trim that fits over your existing steering wheel.

Are you sure you're not trying to adapt a non airbag wheel to an airbag vehicle?

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sounds right to me, besides unless it is a trail only rig why would you want to loose the air bag?

It is a non airbag wheel and adapter trying to fit on an airbag equiped truck. I dont necessarily want to loose the airbag as it does double duty as a Daily driver and a trail rig... however I had the Grant wheel from my Toyota already and thought I would try and fit it.... I have heard of others doing it and wondered how they got around the clocking ring issue.

On the topic of airbags... my wife is very short so she has to sit WAY too close to the airbag when she drives... this coupled with a badly worn leather wheel made me think about swapping it out. If I cant do it then I will simply buy a wheelskin leather cover to go over the existing wheel

Buy the cover. I don't think you can do what you're trying to do, and if you could I doubt very much it would be legal. That might not be an issue to you, but it could be an issuue if there were an accident and resulting injury, or if you sold the vehicle.

I have already ordered my wheel cover but how the "other guys" did it is still killing me with curiousity

DangerBoy said:

It is a non airbag wheel and adapter trying to fit on an airbag equiped truck. I dont necessarily want to loose the airbag as it does double duty as a Daily driver and a trail rig... however I had the Grant wheel from my Toyota already and thought I would try and fit it.... I have heard of others doing it and wondered how they got around the clocking ring issue.

On the topic of airbags... my wife is very short so she has to sit WAY too close to the airbag when she drives... this coupled with a badly worn leather wheel made me think about swapping it out. If I cant do it then I will simply buy a wheelskin leather cover to go over the existing wheel

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try to find a power seat they not only go forward and back, but up and down. very usefull to short drivers.

i have a 96 xj and want to do the same with mine. correct me if i am wrong, but he asked how to do it, not about power seats or legalities and such. i am curious myself on how to do it and any info would be very much appreciated. thanks.

XJjosh said:

i have a 96 xj and want to do the same with mine. correct me if i am wrong, but he asked how to do it, not about power seats or legalities and such. i am curious myself on how to do it and any info would be very much appreciated. thanks.

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You are correct, he did ask how to do it... and I'm usually the first to complain when people don't answer the question. However, he also wrote that he had bought the "correct" adapter, and the fact is Grant doesn't offer a replacement wheel for the airbag-equipped XJ, therefore there is NO "correct" adapter.

Furthermore, the airbags are in the vehicle by Federal mandate, and tampering with them is a violation of Federal law, so I just kind of thought he might be better off not screwing around with it. There's also an issue of liability involved. The fact is I don't know how to do it and as far as I know it can't be done. However ... if I did know how to do it, I wouldn't tell anyone on an open forum, because if they did it and then got killed because they removed the airbag or it failed to deploy, their estate would come looking for me with an ambulance chaser attorney in tow. They'd probably also sue . I don't need that kind of attention, and neither does .

Eagle said:

You are correct, he did ask how to do it... and I'm usually the first to complain when people don't answer the question. However, he also wrote that he had bought the "correct" adapter, and the fact is Grant doesn't offer a replacement wheel for the airbag-equipped XJ, therefore there is NO "correct" adapter.

Furthermore, the airbags are in the vehicle by Federal mandate, and tampering with them is a violation of Federal law, so I just kind of thought he might be better off not screwing around with it. There's also an issue of liability involved. The fact is I don't know how to do it and as far as I know it can't be done. However ... if I did know how to do it, I wouldn't tell anyone on an open forum, because if they did it and then got killed because they removed the airbag or it failed to deploy, their estate would come looking for me with an ambulance chaser attorney in tow. They'd probably also sue . I don't need that kind of attention, and neither does .

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Whoa there! not looking to start a war here... I understand where you are coming from on tampering with the airbag... not sure what the legislation is here in Canada but I am sure it is supposed to be in place for a safety check. I simply had a grant wheel and I had the adapter listed on Grant's site as fitting my 96 XJ..... however it does clearly state that Kits are not designed to be used on any airbag equipped vehicle... which mine is... the only reason I pursued this is because

A. I have a nearly new Grant wheel sitting in my garage

B. the leather wrap on my XJ's wheel is badly worn

C. I had read other posts that indicated people had installed after market wheels on their Air bag equiped truck

D. I personally am not a fan of airbags or ABS for that mater. (my opinion only... certainly not asking anyone else to accept it)

E. My wife is very short and only weighs 100 lbs placing her very close to the wheel... so there is a good chance she would be injured by a deploying airbag even in a minor accident

As mentioned I have already ordered a Wheelskin leather cover for the wheel however if I had swapped in the Grant wheel I would definitely be putting the airbag wheel back in if I ever sold the heap.... My curiousity and technical mind simply wanted to know how others had made the swap without loosing their horn and or signal light auto off from the clocking ring. If the answer is that people arent willing to respond due to possible liability issues then I am cool with that. Now onward to more important discussions like how to de-activate my ABS Joking!!!!

Airbags save lives. ABS is IMHO a cruel joke being perpetrated by the insurance industry on an unsuspecting public. ABS wasn't an option when I bought my '88 XJ, so I didn't have to worry about it. When I bought the 2000, I special ordered it and had to argue with the dealer and the sales manager before they would order it without ABS. However, I don't like it and I don't trust it. I've managed to survive through 45 New England winters w/o ABS so I don't think I "need" it. I also don't think anyone else needs it, and I fully support anyone who wants to remove or disable it.

ABS was an option, so there's no law requiring it. Therefore, I have no reservations about removing it. GO FOR IT!

DangerBoy said:

B. the leather wrap on my XJ's wheel is badly worn

C. I had read other posts that indicated people had installed after market wheels on their Air bag equiped truck

D. I personally am not a fan of airbags or ABS for that mater. (my opinion only... certainly not asking anyone else to accept it)

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Go here for a quality wrap for your air-bag equipped wheel:
http://www.american-stitches.com/

ABS is for the masses that can't mentally or physically modulate the pedal .... it's a matter of skill or lack thereof. Insurance companies underwrites for the masses ... without requiring special training---like the kind you would get at Jim Russell or Skip Barber Racing. The irony is even if you did get special training to master the art of modulating the pedal during tense, high-speed moments, the guy behind you will smack into you anyway ... unless of course they had the same skill level or ABS.

In closing, if the vehicle comes equipped with specific safety devices ... leave it. In this state, there are laws against deactivating, bypassing or suppressing safety devices. Just ask your dealer ... if you take it for service, they'll probably try to impound your vehicle.

I would agree with most of the replys, don't do it. While the Grant site dose not say that it won't fit, this one says that

Kits are not designed to be used on any airbag equipped vehicle

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So, just don't do it and risk the safety and legal stuff.

A violation of Federal law to remove your own vehicle's airbag??? :doh: Gimme a break! Federal law only requires the auto manufacturers to equip their cars with airbags. What you do with your own vehicle is your business - except where regulated by state and local laws. I doubt there's any state or local laws about removing the airbag in your vehicle but it'd be worth looking into. There isn't one in Colorado - I checked. But of course, some states have fairly detailed annual vehicle inspections - that might be included in the inspection.

It'd take a pretty savvy cop to notice that your vehicle didn't have it's factory airbag in place - unless he's an XJ fanatic AND a cop... like me.... :laugh: And I'd certainly never write THAT ticket....

And I've never seen the Federal police out pullin' traffic stops.....

YELLAHEEP said:

It'd take a pretty savvy cop to notice that your vehicle didn't have it's factory airbag in place - unless he's an XJ fanatic AND a cop... like me.... :laugh: And I'd certainly never write THAT ticket....

And I've never seen the Federal police out pullin' traffic stops.....

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I doesn't take a "savvy cop" ... I think it was clearly stated in a few of the above posts ... all it takes is an accident, permanent injuries, VIN number, vehicle inspection, and a "savvy lawyer" to own you for the rest of your life.

I think it's called negligence in a court of law.

And your right, I'm not aware of a "ticket" for negligence .... just large judgements from a jury of your peers.

If you're dead set on doing this, check with your insurance company before altering safety equipment---it may void your policy. If that happens you're on your own.

bchulett said:

I doesn't take a "savvy cop" ... I think it was clearly stated in a few of the above posts ... all it takes is an accident, permanent injuries, VIN number, vehicle inspection, and a "savvy lawyer" to own you for the rest of your life.

I think it's called negligence in a court of law.

And your right, I'm not aware of a "ticket" for negligence .... just large judgements from a jury of your peers.

If you're dead set on doing this, check with your insurance company before altering safety equipment---it may void your policy. If that happens you're on your own.

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If he removes the 'bag' who is it going to affect besides him and his family? He could always put the air bag back in for inspections or if he sold it. As far as insurance goes, they probably wouldn't write a policy if they knew how we modify these things or what we do (where we take ) them anyway. Big Brother is always watching, but who says he's got 20/20?

Dan

Dan Turner said:

If he removes the 'bag' who is it going to affect besides him and his family? He could always put the air bag back in for inspections or if he sold it. As far as insurance goes, they probably wouldn't write a policy if they knew how we modify these things or what we do (where we take ) them anyway. Big Brother is always watching, but who says he's got 20/20?

Dan

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It's very possible that nothing will ever happen, but here a scenario...

Driveing home one night in the rain, he gets hit head on and is put into the hospital. Wife and kids survive, be he has massive head injuries from knocking himself against the steering wheel. In the crash investigation it's found that the airbag had been removed, and an air bag specialist determines that had the air bag been there and went off, he could have walked away with a broken nose.


You CANNOT honestly tell me that the insurance company with this information in hand would pay his medical bills up to the limit specified in his policy. They WOULD NOT.

1.) Wife and kids have no father since he's unable to communicate, provide for, or in anyway take care of the needs of the family.

2.) What is worse than that? You tell me...

If you dont declare things to you insurance adjuster, how can you ask for reimbursment?

I don't like the guys either, and life can / and is cruel, but cover your a$$ and play it on the side of caution. :angel:

His family should be of the HIGHEST priority not somewhere in between. An F'n steering wheel or your life. Maybe...Maybe not. Who is dumb enough to gamble on that...???

Yeah, that's really my point. It's not that a LEO is going to write out a citation, it's the potential for an insurance company to wash its hands of the case if there's a serious accident. VIN numbers are coded for the equipment on the vehicle -- how else do you think we can get build sheets from DaimlerChrysler just by giving them the VIN? The insurance companies know this.They base your insurance rates on the equipement in the vehicle. Remove the airbag and you have substantially (in their view, anyway) increased the possibility of the driver sustaining a serious injury. Think I'm kidding? Every time I call my insurance company, the underwriter has the info on my vehicles up on her screen before we get 30 seconds into the conversation. She even catches it if I read an "I" where it should be a "1"

And for those of you who think the insurance company will pay anyway -- guess again. They might ... or they might not. They are NOT in the business of paying out money they don't have to, though, so if they can find an excuse/reason to deny coverage, they'll be all over it. Why do you think so many people end up suing their own insurance company just to try to get coverage?

I just don't think it's worth the risk. I don't like the looks of airbag wheels, and I don't really like or trust airbags, but they do work and I would not remove or disable one in a vehicle that was originally equiopped with them.

Eagle said:

And for those of you who think the insurance company will pay anyway -- guess again. They might ... or they might not. They are NOT in the business of paying out money they don't have to, though, so if they can find an excuse/reason to deny coverage, they'll be all over it. Why do you think so many people end up suing their own insurance company just to try to get coverage?

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I can say from experience this is usually the way it happens. I'm in the process of finishing litigation for being hit by a drunk driver---the kid was arrested at the scene. In the beginning, his insurance carrier denied he was their client period ... I couldn't get an honest response from them and he didn't have proof of insurance. So I was forced into litigation ... 1.5 years later we finally settled.

As was said, this is a money game ... and some insurance carriers will do everything to deny or prolong payment. You could be down and out with medical bills and close to foreclosure ... it's not their concern or priority.

Look out for yourself and your family ... first and foremost.

Good luck with the mods.