[Avboden]

Short and simple. Got some really nice seats out of a '99 GLT that I want to swap into my '98R as my R's seats are ripping at the seems and have seen better day.

From what i've read, heat/movement is all plug and play, and all i'll lose doing the swap is the SIPS bag. I know i'll have to move over the seatbelt bracket for the out-board attachment and it takes a bit of filing to fit, but not a big deal, i'm resourceful.

In all honesty, i'm not sure the SIPS bag is very vital, it's low, just elbow or so, and small. Nothing like a modern curtain airbag. All the other SIPS safety features are still built into the seat and center console.

So, what are people's thoughts on losing the SIPS bag?

 

[b2fkb0]

I put 99 seats in my 98 v70r. When my daughters 96 855r got tboned last year on the drivers side, the stock side airbag didn't deploy. The 98 is the same system so I'm not sure how much is lost. Of course, you're actively defeating a safety system in a 17 year old car...therefor I will tell you NOT to do it! But those newer seats would be much nicer! Worst part is you cant swap the upper skins due to 99 being narrower; you can swap the seat bottoms but that wouldn't look right. If you search you may find someone who has made the airbag work. Hussien did this I believe. Good luck with your decision!

 

[GrecianVolvo]

Short and simple. Got some really nice seats out of a '99 GLT that I want to swap into my '98R as my R's seats are ripping at the seems and have seen better day.

From what i've read, heat/movement is all plug and play, and all i'll lose doing the swap is the SIPS bag. I know i'll have to move over the seatbelt bracket for the out-board attachment and it takes a bit of filing to fit, but not a big deal, i'm resourceful.

In all honesty, i'm not sure the SIPS bag is very vital, it's low, just elbow or so, and small. Nothing like a modern curtain airbag. All the other SIPS safety features are still built into the seat and center console.

So, what are people's thoughts on losing the SIPS bag?

Why would you lose the SIPS airbags? Those MYs had the SIPS integrated.

Anyway, the SIPS airbags are vital to protecting the middle part of your body in a side collision plus providing an additional barrier between your body and the door.

 

[BEJinFbk]

'98 is the last year of mechanically activated SIPS.
In '99, they went to electronic deployment.

As for dropping them, I would also recommend against it.
Volvo didn't just put them there to add another sales feature.
You don't really know how much they'll help until they do !

 

[lookforjoe]

Small adaptor plate to allow fitment of the '98 SIP bag in the later seat

Can't find the pic of it in place, but it fit perfectly with the small adaptor to locate it

 

[Avboden]

Hmmmm, I'm just really not interested in tearing apart the seats to do it. If you can find the pic of it in place so I can see what the plate is like, that would rock. So in that, I would mount the '98 mechanical actuator back on the '99 seat?

I'll think about it a bit more, cleaning the seats I picked up and conditioning the leather, i'll see how nice they look after that. I need to verify that the seat heaters work on them as well before swapping. Well, i've also gotta check that it even has seat heaters, I think the wiring is there but the switches were taken out of the car so i'm not totally sure.

Speaking of, on the 98 seat if I want to defeat the airbag completely, can I just cut the wire from the mechanical firing mechanism that goes to the bag? I saw on a firefighters forum that's what they do. (this would be if I decide to just go with the '99 seats)

 

[MnOpRacInG]

I've taken the skins off a bunch of p80 seats and it's not all that bad of a job. Just take your time, start at the bottom of the seat back and remove all accessible hog rings, turn the seat cover inside out and up as much as you can to get to the next set of hog rings. Rinse and repeat.

Reassembly is a bit tricky due to tight spaces but with a good pair of hog ring pliers it's not impossible, just a bit tedious. I would recommend swapping over the airbags because that one time you need them they might just save your life.

I know there is a write up some where on here or vs about removing the skins for these seats.

 

[Avboden]

"that one time you need them they might just save your life. "


That's the thing though, I don't see any way possible how the little one foot by one foot or so bag (from the '98 and before) down by my elbow could ever save me from anything more than maybe a broken arm or rib. Anything penetrating will go right through the bag, and any more damaging force will be at my head, where there is no curtain airbag anyways.

Sure, the little bag helps some, I just don't see how it would ever prevent serious injury based on its location and size. It's the rest of the SIPS system, the design of the forces going into the center console through the seat and the seat shifting inwards, that are the most important ones. There's a reason the 99's bag is larger and they added a real curtain airbag eventually, the little one in the older mechanical activated seats just doesn't do much, at least that's my hypothesis and i'd love to be proven wrong.

I can't find one forum post of anyone in a side-impact crash who even mentions the SIPS bag in the seat other than to say it didn't deploy. Everyone just seems to say it's there for a reason and it could save your life but....I really am not so sure. I think unless someone can convince me it's really worth the effort of getting new hog-rings, hogring pliers, and all the labor of swapping over the bag, i'm just going to throw the '99 seats in and not worry about it.

I'd really love to hear from someone who's been in a side-collision where the SIPS bag did deploy, and their thoughts on if it did anything.

 

[Vlvspd]

YES they absolutely do work. Do what Hussein did and make an adapter plate to keep the functionality of the mechanical SIPS safety mechanism. They will protect your head and your upper body (Torso, shoulders) in the event of a side-impact. I hit a pole in my vehicle before last, and the SIPS bag deployed and did what it was meant to do.

 

[LloydDobler]

As a side note, I've re-skinned several seats and I've always used small zip ties, way easier and cheaper than hog rings, and they work fantastic. Never had one come undone.

 

[Avboden]

YES they absolutely do work. Do what Hussein did and make an adapter plate to keep the functionality of the mechanical SIPS safety mechanism. They will protect your head and your upper body (Torso, shoulders) in the event of a side-impact. I hit a pole in my vehicle before last, and the SIPS bag deployed and did what it was meant to do.

Head and neck? the '99 and 2000 which had a larger bag *maybe* but the 1998 and before bag was seriously tiny, and goes no higher than mid chest.

Here's what the 98 and before bag looks like, as you can see, very small, chest level, really wouldn't do much. This is what I based my decision on. I did do the seat swap and don't mind missing this bag. If I had a 99+ with the bigger bag it might give me pause, but not with this earlier system.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJGrljBvmok

 

[Vlvspd]

Head and neck? the '99 and 2000 which had a larger bag *maybe* but the 1998 and before bag was seriously tiny, and goes no higher than mid chest.

Here's what the 98 and before bag looks like, as you can see, very small, chest level, really wouldn't do much. This is what I based my decision on. I did do the seat swap and don't mind missing this bag. If I had a 99+ with the bigger bag it might give me pause, but not with this earlier system.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJGrljBvmok

It was a 2000 s70, the bag is indeed later than that lol. Hated that engine though. Prefer the more primitive ignition and induction systems!


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[Avboden]

It was a 2000 s70, the bag is indeed later than that lol. Hated that engine though. Prefer the more primitive ignition and induction systems!


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I hear ya on that! Mechanical throttle body, bullet proof 4speed trans, good ol' distributor and single coil, the '98 and earlier sure are easier to keep running.

Man, looking at photos they made that side bag WAYYYYYY bigger 99+.

Volvo confirms old one is just for chest, 99+ got added section for the head http://www.volvogroup.com/group/glo...em.aspx?News.ItemId=22963&News.Language=en-gb

 

[Vlvspd]

I hear ya on that! Mechanical throttle body, bullet proof 4speed trans, good ol' distributor and single coil, the '98 and earlier sure are easier to keep running.

Man, looking at photos they made that side bag WAYYYYYY bigger 99+.

Volvo confirms old one is just for chest, 99+ got added section for the head http://www.volvogroup.com/group/glo...em.aspx?News.ItemId=22963&News.Language=en-gb

Bombproof transmission more like it! Maybe I should get an me7 car and just set it up to run a standalone on the m4.4 setup


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