Do any of you tracking the car (where you can run into things) disconnect the airbags? Since I'm wearing a 4 point harness and bucket seat, I'm thinking it would just be a waste of money if the airbag went off if I had a small off. Also during a race, if the airbag went off on a small collision it would be potentially dangerous I think.

Had a quick look around the DIY thread to find out how to disconnect the airbag but since its not something you'd typically want to do, I thought I'd ask in here. Obviously, I'll be re-connecting it after track work before going back on the road. Anyone any pointers on how/if you are doing it?

Thanks!

 

Most cars you just pull the fuse...not sure why the RX8 would be different, but I haven't explored it...

 

Fuse for the airbag system? That sounds like a recipe for disaster ....

 

How so? On most cars, the only risk you run is that the airbag system has a capacitor to store electrical energy and the airbag will still deploy, unless you've had the fuse out for awhile. You might trigger a warning light, but unless the RX8 is different, that's about it, as the air bag module (again, most cars) is on it's own circuit

 

please don't pull anything just yet! air bag is very very sensitive. and there is stored voltage for that... it can deploy with even from static charge!

if u must, disconnect battery first. tap the brakes, and wait a few minutes, then pull off the connectors and reconnect batt.

why do u want to pull off air bags in the first place? thats why there are racing steering wheels of varying diameters to use in the first place for the type of racing u do. and u would have to hit pretty hard to set off the g-force sensor somewhere along the frame/bumper to set it off...

very touchy topic...airbags don't really save ppl as much and can injure in many cases if not used properly. same goes to the alteration of it, and there are many horror stories about this from autoshop teachers... please proceed with caution and with advice from a well educated mechanic.

good luck

 

piggyback on the sensitivity thing... i work for a fire dept, and i have SEEn airbags set off with a cell phone, i dont mean by running wires to the cell battery either...

 

^^thank u! and i have to go thru a airbag deployment demo before we can begin our class training on srs systems. and man that thing sounds like a gun-shot. and the shop teachers would get mad as hell if they see a airbag laying around with the bag not facing up.

they get real **** about it. and with good reason. its a pyro device...

 

Thanks for your input guys. I do appreciate the nature of the beast so am taking time to ask about it and consider the positives/negatives. I like my airbag just like I like my DSC for normal driving. That's why I don't want a new track focused wheel at the moment. On the track though, I feel its a little different. In particular, for FIA races over here they require the airbag is disabled as far as I can make out from the regulations (in Japanese). Haven't raced any official races yet although I want to next year.

My driving instructor said it was a good thing to disable the air bag in time trial events also. He said it was a matter of disabling the neg battery terminal and disconnecting under the steering wheel but I'd rather have the shop manual instructions or something and do it right. Ideally, I'd like to be able to re-enable it after the event when going back on the open road.

Caution noted! Thanks folks! Further thoughts/instructions welcomed.

 

RTFSM

 

I'm not sure where everyone is getting the idea that an airbag, isolated from its power source for a prolonged period of time, has the ability to magically deploy...a capacitor has a limited "half life" of energy storage and once there's no energy to fire off the device, please explain to me how it will be able to deploy?

 

Bigger picture question: are you using your harness in conjunction with a roll bar/cage? If so, then good. If not, then- bad, as a roll over will basically crush your head while you're strapped in. Also, a 4 point doesn't avoid submarining. So, should you be worried about your airbag in the context of things?

 

I'm pretty sure airbag systems don't have fuses, which is why the manufacturers have you undo the battery and exercise great care.

Otherwise, it does no good to have an airbag if you get into an accident and it doesn't go off due to a blown fuse.

 

I think all airbag systems are fused, actually, but I did look at the RX8 and the fuse for the SRS is also part of the ABS and engine management circuits.

Another option, which is used by "vertically challenged" drivers with concerns of being decapitated by an airbag, is to install an inline switch...basically the same as the override switches on many cars to allow baby seats or kids to ride in the passenger's seat.

 

sigh ...


http://www.airbagonoff.com/new_page_22.htm

 

Those "backup" systems are typically capacitors, like I said...but, if you want to get you information from a site with a vested interest in not having anyone disable their own airbag, that's your choice

The switches they sell are the same thing I was referring to two posts ago, anyhow...

 

which means the system will be armed anytime the car has been started or sometime thereafter being shut down i.e. electrical system activation, which doesn't serve the intention of the OP

hardheaded SOB, sheesh ...

 

Not if the circuit has been open (like in, pulling the fuse) long enough for the system to lose it's stored charge...it can't "arm" if it has no continuity to the electrical system...and, it's not like there's a deep cycle battery in backup, fer cryin' out loud

Of course, that begs the question: How long must the fuse be out before the capacitor discharges?

 

go back and reread the article/link I posted earlier; pulling the fuse will not prevent the backup devices from re-arming when the car is started/running

that's the whole point of the system; to work when it's needed most

 

Fair point. I don't have a rollcage yet. Would need it for the race regulations though but not for time trials. Can't imagine submarinig with my current seat/harness but I guess anything is possible in a frontal.

Anyway, I won't be pulling the fuse and from the feedback on here it seems like it would have to be a pretty forceful impact to set the airbag off anyway so I likely won't bother about it for time trials. Thanks!

 

If you really wanted to disconnect your airbag, disconnect it at the steering column, a fuse won't do it. A friend of mine thought he pulled the airbag fuse on his Ranger, but it still went off. Good luck figuring out which wire it is, just don't have your head in the path of the airbag. EMS personnel have been seriously injured helping car crash victims when the air bag blows up in their face at 300 mph.

 

There are many different wiring schematics for airbags, both old style and new, and you can't really make blanket statements about what will work and what won't. That's why I made my first comments with the disclaimer about the RX8. I know, as a fact, that on the Fox Mustang that I (allegedly) ran in Shelby club that pulling the fuse was all that was needed. The only downside, because of the open circuit, was a warning light on the dash. There was no capacitor or need to install a resistor in the circuit to fool the back up system...because there was none.

Clearly, this is one of those YMMV situations. Because of liability concerns and federal law, you will never get anyone to divulge what the real story on disabling an airbag is on a web site, you have to go to the wiring schematic yourself and figure it out...but, you didn't hear that here.