[mngobara]

Hello everyone ...

I have a 2012 BMW 328i. I believe that this model comes with the dual stage airbag.

I have a friend with a very nice COMPLETE m-sport steering wheel with airbag but it is single stage.

What is the difference between single stage and dual stage?

What will happen if i use his single stage steering wheel and airbag with my car?



Any comments are helpful. THANKS

[roxxor]

From my understanding, Single Stage airbags are not compatible with the US cars without a lot of cost/modification and dealing with error messages.

Probably the easiest route would be to get it from your friend if the deal is good enough, then sell that airbag to someone in Europe, and use the proceeds to help towards getting the US-spec airbag.

[mngobara]

Im confused. Does a single or dual stage airbag have any effect on the steering wheel itself?

I mean can you switch out the single stage airbag with a dual stage and still keep the same steering wheel?

[roxxor]

Originally Posted by mngobara

Im confused. Does a single or dual stage airbag have any effect on the steering wheel itself?

I mean can you switch out the single stage airbag with a dual stage and still keep the same steering wheel?

Correct. Wheel should have no difference, you can keep the same wheel and just swap the airbag

[mngobara]

So if i use a single stage airbag that comes with the wheel on my US spec car, it will not work at all? whats the loss of functionality?

If anyone can chime in on the difference between the two please.

[chuckles01]

From my understanding, single stage and dual stage refer to how forceful the airbag can deploy, and how much pressure there will be in the airbag. The purpose of this design is that for crashes of lower severity, the airbag can inflate with less pressure and less force, so as not to injure the occupant. In crashes of higher severity, all the inflators can go off to inflate the airbag with more pressure.

Thus, a car equipped with dual stage airbags has the ability to inflate the airbags with different levels of pressure depending on the severity of the crash. A car equipped with single stage airbags only has the ability to inflate the airbag with one pressure, regardless of severity of the crash.

I can't speak to the compatibility of swapping airbags on our cars, but hope that explanation of single vs. dual stage helps.

Originally Posted by mngobara

So if i use a single stage airbag that comes with the wheel on my US spec car, it will not work at all? whats the loss of functionality?

If anyone can chime in on the difference between the two please.

[mngobara]

Originally Posted by chuckles01

From my understanding, single stage and dual stage refer to how forceful the airbag can deploy, and how much pressure there will be in the airbag. The purpose of this design is that for crashes of lower severity, the airbag can inflate with less pressure and less force, so as not to injure the occupant. In crashes of higher severity, all the inflators can go off to inflate the airbag with more pressure.

Thus, a car equipped with dual stage airbags has the ability to inflate the airbags with different levels of pressure depending on the severity of the crash. A car equipped with single stage airbags only has the ability to inflate the airbag with one pressure, regardless of severity of the crash.

I can't speak to the compatibility of swapping airbags on our cars, but hope that explanation of single vs. dual stage helps.

Thank you. I will pass on this purchase as i do not want to mess with the car's safety

[RarScaryFrosty]

Originally Posted by mngobara

Thank you. I will pass on this purchase as i do not want to mess with the car's safety

I bought a OEM wheel from Germany off eBay for $150 taken off another car. It came packaged brand new from a dealer/warehouse. Then I found an airbag for $700 online and price matched it at my local dealer. Total cost to upgrade my steering wheel to msport was less than $1,000!