Buy an Airbag Kit?

Question

is it possible to convert an older car so it uses airbags? I think I have seen this before. I want to buy an older truck, but my parents insist on airbags, so this might be a way around that.

Answer 1

Just wear a life jacket.  It's cheap and you will be okay if your car goes into a lake.

Answer 2

With all that you would need to install an airbag along with a computer that will since this and a place to install the airbag, the cost of this would be very high and no one would want the liability of doing this for you.

Answer 3

Let's talk a bit of mechanical engineering here.  Your parents might be old enuf to remember when cars were made out of real STEEL  Like when they had a Frame under them instead of a unibody.  U can die in any car but a full sized truck weighing 4,000 to 6,000 lb is much safer to be in than an 1800 lb Geo metro.  Full size pickup trucks still have a frame.  It won't make the impact less in a collision but it will bend less than a unibody.  Were I your parent I would want you in a PU rather than a sub compact.  Airbags and seatbelts were invented to go into cars and trucks only when the strength of the frame and body were not sufficient to protect driver and passengers.  Cars kill people.  Airbags Kill people.  Seat belts kill people.  Lightning kills people.  It's not my place to say but I think that your parents are a bit overprotective.  All living is a risk.  You can trip over the cat in your bedroom and bang your head on the dresser and die!  Have they equipped your bedroom with airbags yet?  I know this sounds silly but maybe your parents should read this.  I turned 18 with a self built hotrod car in 1965.  It had NO airbags......It had NO seatbelts.  It made 415 hp and went down the road at a top speed of 154 mph.  Cops couldn't catch me so they parked in my driveway and waited for me to come home.  Mom just LOVED that.  See what a good child You are compared to me?  I didn't kill myself or anybody else.  Chances are high that you won't either.  Other posts here are correct.  Aftermarket airbags can be more dangerous than none.  If your parents want more safety in your pickup truck they should insist on a roll bar just behind the cab, Hi back seats with good headrests, and good seatbelts.  No Hi jackers or lowering kits........Manufacturer knows best when it comes to suspension .  Don't go nutty with tires or wheels.  Reversed rims and big tires put extra load on bearings, brakes and steering that were designed to work with stock specifications.  Dude, do what you can to make your parents comfortable.  Any ride at all is better than walking.  I'm 61 years old and still doing things in cars that my parents didn't approve of.  Since I'm over 21 they can't DO anything about it.  U oughta see the look on my 92 year old daddy's face when I stomp my slightly modified 1971 Chevy C-30 350 smallblock  off a stoplight and go smoking tires thru 2 gears up to about 70mph.  Several of my vehicles have his fingerprints permanently imbedded in the dashboard.  Drive like yer granny when yer parents in yer car till U 21.  then U on yer own.  LOL!!!!

Answer 4

Proper placement of airbags is crucial to their success.  Auto manufacuturers spend millions to figure this stuff out.  It would be dangerous, and not to mention illegal, to put airbags in a vehicle not specifically designed for them.

Answer 5

You can put air bags on any vehicle.  There are kits for any vehicle but if you have not installed one then let the pros do it.

Answer 6

No. Airbags, (SRS), is designed and engineered for each vehicle unto itself. Retro-fitting an airbag into an older vehicle could be suicide (unless you are a structural engineer). Tell your parents that unless you are wearing your seatbelt then airbags are 100% useless anyway. You CAN retro-fit a modern seatbelt system into your old truck. Besides, millions and millions of miles were driven on vehicles prior to the installation of SRS. Modern brakes, seatbelts, steering and lighting will do far more for vehicle safety than an exploding nylon bag will.