-----Original Message-----
> Looking for a friend of a friend:
>
> Driver side airbag for a 1997 Miata.
>
> Reply privately - digest mode
If I was lucky enough to have the damned thing inoperative, I sure as heck
wouldn't replace it.
Phil Ethier
===============================================
Well, technically, as far as the Solo2 Stock Category rules are concerned,
it would have to be in place (notice I didn't say functional, just in
place)on that particular car, Phil.
As an aside, what are folks' major beefs with airbags? Seriously.
As a person of significant stature, I can tell you that sometimes seat belts
alone are not enough. Here's my story. I was travelling along a main city
street at about 40mph (posted limit is of course 35), but everyone does it,
yadda yadda yadda.
I come to a "T" intersection, with me being in the inside lane on the main
thoroughfare, the upper section of the "T", travelling from left to right as
you view the "T". Stopped in the outside lane, headed the same direction as
I am, is a large Ryder truck waiting to turn onto the side street, the "leg"
of the "T". The truck is waiting for a Ford Ranger to pull out onto the
main street so that the truck would have enough room to swing wide around
the corner without taking out the street sign and light pole.
You can see where this is going already, can't you. Yup, you guessed it,
the Ranger can't see past the truck when looking in my direction. He later
admitted he simply got tired of waiting and "decided to go for it". Well,
as he pulled out in front of the Ryder truck, there I was just passing the
rear bumper of the truck in the inside lane. I had seen the Ranger before I
reached the back of the Ryder truck while approaching the intersection but
thought that nobody would be foolish enough to just "go for it". I then
T-boned him in the driver's door leaving only about 5 feet of skid marks
(don't start on me about the locked brakes, this was before I discovered
autocrossing) before I hit him at nearly 40mph.
I hit so hard that the seat belt, in good shape with no tears, rips or snags
on the webbing, simply tore in half under the stress. I bent the top and
bottom of the steering wheel a couple of inches forward with my chest and
belly. I bulged the windshield outward fully an inch with my forehead. I
broke both dash panels (also dented the metal plates under each plastic
panel) on either side of the steering wheel with my knees. And I swear to
God I hit so hard that the Led Zeppelin tape (Physical Graffiti, GREAT album
BTW) in the tape player slid forward into the player (it was ejected at the
time) and started playing Kashmir after everything stopped moving. It took
a few seconds to start playing as the tape was at the very beginning of that
song which starts off very quietly. It was VERY surreal at the time and
quite memorable.
If I'd have had an airbag in that car, an '84 VW Quantum (with the Audi 5
banger in it), my injuries would've certainly been far less painful.
Me? I'll take the risk of black eyes, bruises and friction burns that an
airbag might impart upon me if it means I'm going to survive the gnarly
accident. I can understand apprehension on the part of folks of far smaller
stature including children because as a rule they will need to be sitting
closer if driving and physics in general will dictate that they bounce
around a little more than I would. The inertia of my rather large physique
would really appreciate any and all means of arresting that energy before I
fly through the windshield. For me, a "full-sized" American male, I'll keep
the little airbombs in there thank you very much though i've yet to
experience a majhor wrenk in an air barg equipped car and as far as I'm
concerned would prefer to never do so. It's a proven fact that airbags have
saved far more lives than they've taken.
Eric Linnhoff in KC
www.geocities.com/eric10mm/KnuckleDragger
"A banker is a fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shining,
but wants it back the minute it begins to rain."
Mark Twain
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