Air bag and ABS kill switches

[AdventureSubaru]

The weather is turning warm and it's been a while since I've wrenched much on anything. I'm likely going to replace my lifted 98 Legacy with an 05 outback project I picked up. The plan is about a 4 inch lift, 30ish inch tires and the usual basket rack, fog lights, bumper and such.

 

I don't expect to be too rough on it, (I have a 4runner for the bad stuff) but ever since I bumped a curb in a mitsubishi about 7 years ago and set off the air bags I'm about as nervous about air bags as accidents.

 

Would like to put a couple interior switches in to "disarm" the air bags and kill the ABS for trail time. ABS shouldn't be hard. Just pulled fuses in the past. While I can swap a motor on one of these cars in an afternoon, I have never messed with air bags - so here I am.

 

Those who have built air bag equipped off roaders - what have you done? What can you recommend?

 

Ditto for any ABS setups.

[idosubaru]

Pull fuse. Pump motor power.

 

SRS you can disrupt any component with a switch and the system will perceive an issue and shut off the SRS and airbags for you.

 

I've never worried about it or had airbags inadvertently go off or really heard of it but I don't do anything crazy.

 

I've rebuilt a few totaled Subarus and surprised how odten airbags don't go off, it's only certain parameters.

 

Was your other vehicle old (early tech), low to the ground (more susceptible to triggers), or known for having issues?

[AdventureSubaru]

Good to know.

 

Yes the mitsubishi was a 3000GT so it struck the curb where a Subaru would run it over. The impact though was not severe. It bent the front control arm and ripped part of the bumper cover off. Was an easy fix apart from the air bags.

 

I just envision some of the mountain roads here which can be 6 inches of mud or 12inches+ of snow on any given day. I wont be going very fast to the point that airbags would save anyone but should I skid into a ditch or tree I would prefer they not rock my world.

 

I'll be in there anyway for the trans swap and use some extra wire to run some kill switches so I don't have to pop the hood every time we go off road.

 

So it's a safe bet that if the SRS light is on, the air bags cannot deploy?

[Uberoo]

Good to know.

 

Yes the mitsubishi was a 3000GT so it struck the curb where a Subaru would run it over. The impact though was not severe. It bent the front control arm and ripped part of the bumper cover off. Was an easy fix apart from the air bags.

 

I just envision some of the mountain roads here which can be 6 inches of mud or 12inches+ of snow on any given day. I wont be going very fast to the point that airbags would save anyone but should I skid into a ditch or tree I would prefer they not rock my world.

 

I'll be in there anyway for the trans swap and use some extra wire to run some kill switches so I don't have to pop the hood every time we go off road.

 

So it's a safe bet that if the SRS light is on, the air bags cannot deploy?

typically no,but like all mechanical things failures can and do happen.Just because a loaded gun has the safety on doesn't 100 percent guarantee that it wont go bang with the right circumstances.

 

Me personally, I remove the air bag and its components.For two reasons, one I am 5'2" so I sit close to wheel, early 90's airbags are known killers of short people,and the second is weight reduction FTW.

Edited March 18, 2017 by Uberoo

[idosubaru]

Yes SRS light on means the system is not operational and won't deploy via controls and software.

 

I'd look to the fuse, if equipped, or controller power to disable.

 

Pretty much a nonissue. Airbags rarely deploy. Of all the totaled and wrecked Subarus ive repaired I'm surprised how unlikely they are to go off even in totaled vehicles. I don't even "disconnect the battey" when I repair airbags #iamarebel. LOL.

 

On 2004 and earlier you just swap the blown airbag with one off eBay or car-part.com (takata notwithstanding) and carry on. No programming or anything, swap and go. Replace controller if necessary, just swap a cheap used one in, but often it's not needed anyway. So it's at least easy.

 

2005 I'm not sure if that's integrated more than that but I don't think it is. I've been wanting to look into that.

[AdventureSubaru]

Sounds good.

 

In my home state they have safety inspections so removing them is not an option. If a vehicle came equipped with air bags, they need to be present and functional.

 

Ditto to ABS - though I hate it and feel safer without it.

[idosubaru]

Given how absolutely terrible and nearly non-functional ABS can make mountain snow driving it almost needs a kill switch. ABS performance is entirely dependent on material conditions of the tire.  If they're suspect (namely, aged or exposed) - disable the ABS.  If they're excellent brand new tires it'll perform great on that vehicle.

 

What I currently do is run any aged tires on one vehicle that I just drive when it's dry, and good tires on everything else - but that's only easy if you've got more than one car per driver available. 

[AdventureSubaru]

Given how absolutely terrible and nearly non-functional ABS can make mountain snow driving it almost needs a kill switch. ABS performance is entirely dependent on material conditions of the tire.  If they're suspect (namely, aged or exposed) - disable the ABS.  If they're excellent brand new tires it'll perform great on that vehicle.

 

What I currently do is run any aged tires on one vehicle that I just drive when it's dry, and good tires on everything else - but that's only easy if you've got more than one car per driver available. 

 

My wife nearly took out our mailbox with her 2011 Outback due to ABS. About 4 inches of powdered snow. She was making a left turn and slowing down. ABS took over and the car way overshot. We had about 6 inches to spare. I may just pull the fuse for ABS and just run the switch for airbags. We do enough highway driving where I wouldn't mind airbags, but ABS will only be necessary for inspection time.