ok heres the deal. i know it would be best to leave all my airbags, but this is my situation. i'd like all of your input on this.

im getting my seats (stock seats with the airbags in them) recovered in suede (in a month or 2, maybe longer) but either way, when i do that, i think im just gonna have my upholstery guy leave them out, and ill put the 4 ohm resistor on the airbag connector to trick the light.


thats those airbags gone thus far.

now, the airbag in the sides (from the C pillars in the back, all the way to the A pillars up front)

should i completely take these out? reason i ask is:

1) im covering the A B and C pillars (and headliner) in black suede)
to get them off, its hard to get those pillars off, i just think i might cut the strap holding them on.

2) ill have the wall behind the front seats with my 18" sub, and the trim panel will go all the way up to the headliner and to the side trim panels (3/4" MDF). will this interfere with the airbag that runs through there IF the airbag ever deploys?

should i just remove the side airbags (not even needed from the front seats back, my sub box doesnt need and airbag lol)

that would leave the dash and steering wheel airbags.

what you guys think? id like to hear your idea's, and explain your reasoning please.

thanks!

 

as having the speaker box there would make me worried if they were to deploy. Something's got to give! The A pillar cover kind of blows out of the way, so if covered and reinstalled properly, shouldn't be an issue, so leave those in. But I thought the one that went up the A pillar was the one that ran over the tops of the doors? Is it more than one bag? I haven't torn my interiour up like you have, so I have no clue here.
The ones in the seats are part of the side impact safety design of the car. Ask the upholsterer if they have experience doing work on seats with this feature, as there are some that know how to do it such that the stitched seams give way and allow for the deployment of the seat airbag. If they can do it, go for it, as side impact protection is important.
But no matter what, you're comprimising the safety features of the car. There's no "right" answer here.

If I were you I'd try to keep the A pillar, and the seat bags working.

Call Centeral Coast Coopers. The guy who owns that does airbag work in another business, and may be able to shed some light as well.

Matt

 

I'd love to see what your insurance company said when a passenger in your car was critically injured in an accident and you had removed safety equipment that the car came with which could very likely be proven in court to have caused greater injury to that individual.

An overzealous DA would also be HIGH on my list of concerns.

edit: and it's not like the argument could be made that you replaced stock seats with "safer" racing seats and had a roll cage in the car which prevented the use of the back seat

 

well im sure i can have my upholstery guy keep the airbags, i really have no reason to ditch those, i dont know why i even asked that. ill just end up keeping those. but ya, the A pillar airbag is all one bag i believe, that runs along the doors.

 

i agree with you on that. i will prally just end up leaving all the airbags. ill just have to figure out how to get the A pillar off without messing up the thing to re install it.

 

yeah not trying to rain on your parade (re-read my comments and it sounded a bit like that), I'd just truly be concerned in our litigious society.

best of luck w/ the project

 

The one in the A pillar is a continuation of the upper side impact airbag. It only extends partway into the upper area of the A pillar. The pillar can be removed without destroying the strap. There is a screw that goes into body that hold the tether strap on both the A and C pillars. Look in the Bentley manual, it shows exactly where they are.

 

i see the clips and the screw, i dont know how to get it loose :(

i dont have a bently manual. ive got the pillars hanging (all clips are loose and not broken) im just stuck on the straps. i really have no reason to touch those airbags, after reading you guy's posts, it changed my mind. if anything at all, itll be the seats, but i will try and keep those as well.

i dont speed in this car anymore those with the wall in anyways, but i still will keep the bags.