Raid Steering Wheel Adapter

[tweetdriver63]

I have an opportunity to buy an adapter kit for installing a Raid airbag steering wheel to replace the horrible GM wheel. It includes everything needed to mount the wheel and make all the connections. It is a custom made kit.The guy wants $150. Is that price reasonable? Would any of you pay that for such a kit so you could replace the GM steering wheel and keep the airbag? The steering wheels run about $400 and up, with a couple of used ones out there.

[lotos]

There was a commerially available adapter to fit a wheel on our column? I thought it was just the single run by Bob way back when.

In any event that's a steal, assuming you like the new wheel of course.

[tweetdriver63]

There are several designs, but something like this. The $150 is only for the adapter and connections for the wheel. The wheel would be separate, in case that wasn't clear. You'll also see that a guy from lotus talk has just joined to advertise a complete kit, including the wheel, that he has available. I'm pretty sure he joined here because I said there would be a lot of interest here.

http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/attachm ... wheels.jpg

[Maxvelocity]

tweetdriver63 is correct that the only reason I have joined central is to post the last wheel I have for sale, although as a Lotus owner of one model or another since 1976 I have lurked on many sites without posting including this one. I had the steering wheel sitting in my closet shelf and forgot I even had one left till tweetdriver63 posted to a dormant thread on Lotus Talk from last year.

The JK Raid hub adapters have been around since the early 2000's and have had a good run. I seem to recall that Bob on this site used the one of the JK adapters as a basis to make a limited run of his own. I think it was used for an Elise wheel. While the Raid hub adapters can be fiddled and made to fit an Elise wheel the size and stepped dimensions of the hub were made to fit into the rear recesses of the Raid wheel for a precise fit.

A custom fit Duneomatic hub adapter is wheel specific for the Elise wheel but is somewhat expensive at $300. Ad like another 300 or so for a good used Elise wheel and the price is in the acceptable 600+ range with shipping. The Raid hubs are less expensive but the wheels cost more so it is near the same range or more depending on the model.

Entry level Raid plain Jane Silberpfeil models are the most affordable but even those will be driven into the 500+ range for the wheel only when the currency conversion, import duty/customs process fees and shipping/handing are figured in.

As you might guess we have been doing airbag wheels replacement for a long time with 15+ years through the changing sources of the product as it also evolved. Those of us have tracked the market reach saturation with only a few remaining people that inquired off and on about the wheels. So it is doubtful we will do another group buy or production run as it is really somewhat of a bother to put together.

Many legacy Elan Central members here have been aware of the Raid hub and Airbag wheels originally made for Esprit owners but historically very few Elan owners have not purchased them in great number as did the Esprit owners. I have posted here on the off chance that someone had a pristine car or an upper end restoration that wanted to get rid of that horrid GM wheel and still have an airbag in the car. This wheel is not for everybody and even I had reservations about the price except after talking to insurance people about financial exposure from removing the airbag wheel and replacing it with a non airbag wheel. But thats another topic.

In either case good luck in your quest.

[Maxvelocity]

Oh BTW be very careful about the used wheels. I believe it is against German law to reload an airbag into a wheel that has experienced deployment and as such many are being sold overseas.

Raid/Atiwe refuses to sell just the airbag module and an entire wheel must be purchased. While a few people reload steering wheels of other makes and models it really is not something I would even do if replacement bags were available after an airbag deployment in a steering wheel as it really is a violent event. There are a few people attempting to unload deployed Raid steering wheels knowing that replacement airbag modules are not available. It amazes me what some people will do to make a few bucks.

[lotos]

$150 is reasonable - Bob's hub was $100 in 2010.