Solved: Center Horn button instead of little buttons on the side?

Search turned up empty. Not sure if this is general discussion or DIY.

Loving my NSX, but I just can't seem to get used to the horn buttons - too used to pressing the center airbag like my other cars. Several times I've not been able to activate my horn quickly, due to my initially pressing the airbag.

I see this as a safety issue. Are there any solutions/wheels to preserve the airbag and allow central pressure to activate the horn? Keeping the cc buttons would be a bonus, and it would be nice to look period correct, unlike a complete 2023 wheel replacement/gaudy carbon fibre fest.

S2000 steering wheel conversion would keep the airbag as far as I know, and has that central big horn button. It's not cheap though :/

It has to be an early S2000 airbag. (AP1 designation)
The later AP2 bags are dual stage and won't work with the NSX.

That looks like the info I was looking for. Many thanks! Just wasn't using the right search words. Looks good too, especially partially perforated. But I see what you mean $$$. When you add up the wheel, air bag, $650 adapter kit, +/- cruise buttons. Hmmm. Perforated leather which seems to add another $k.

The AP1 wheel has a black H in a silver circle, which looks a little odd to my eye, while the AP2 with its chrome H on a black background is better. There seem to be some nice red "H" ones, JDM Type R/Integra/DC5R. (I currently have a JDM "H" NSX airbag.)

I need to figure out whether I want the airbag functional or not, which would limit me to AP1. The evidence for improved safety of a 1st generation airbag over just the seatbelt is uninspiring, & I'm not sure either S2000 airbag was designed for the NSX wheel and seat position. The NSX doesn't have the circuitry to manage the 2 stage AP2 airbag.

I'm thinking seriously about it. Mounting looks like a bit of a job; Euroboutique seems to be the only option...

I hope I don't go down a rabbit hole & have to fabricate my own...

tturkstra said:

Search turned up empty. Not sure if this is general discussion or DIY.


Loving my NSX, but I just can't seem to get used to the horn buttons - too used to pressing the center airbag like my other cars. I've several times not been able to activate my horn as fast as I would like, due to my initially pressing the airbag.

Are there any solutions/wheels to preserve the airbag, cc buttons, and allow central pressure to activate the horn?

Click to expand...

I'm with you! I HATE those stupid horn buttons along with the size of the steering wheel. I never changed it but I've tried to honk the horn and never found those buttons.

Kuya is currently selling the mounting kit.

https://kuyaauto.com/collections/ne...steering-wheel-adapter?variant=41331090522273

Done. Horn honks when airbag pressed!


I used the Hagasan adapter/NRG short hub kit from Kuya, an RSX wheel off Kijiji, rewired RSX cruise control buttons, changed the airbag cover to a JDM Civic one with a red H from eBay, & sewed on new leather.

Actually, the RSX air bag cover looked pretty good, better than the AP1 S2000 ones IMHO. I went with the red Honda H since a previous owner did a badge swap, including a JDM "H" airbag on the original wheel:


Notes:

1. Don't drill out the 4 RSX/civic holes wheel with a drill. The holes are fairly far off the NRG short hub so drilling them out results in large holes - expand them with a round file. Drill out the 2 holes in the back to 1/2" with the drill.
2. Don't need a resistor to eliminate SRS light. Just straight bypass. See pic below.
3. This moves the steering wheel back about 20 mm, increasing the maximum rear position by 20 mm. This is perfect for me, and also is a better distance from the indicator levers. If you like the wheel where it was, just slide it back forward using the slide adjustment. If you like the wheel maximally forward (which I can't imagine) then the forward range is now reduced by 20 mm.
4. I sewed a new duplicate partially perforated leather cover since the original was tattered. It also increased the grip diameter a bit which I like better. Fair warning. This is not exactly easy if you don't sew things for a living. Also, use the maximum 2-sided tape that you can, not the modest amount like their instructions.
5. You can just make the original NSX horn connector fit on the RSX horn tab, but it's tight and it would be very easily broken if someone else didn't know when they were removing it. I added a short extension. See wiring pic below.

Wiring for the cruise, horn, and airbag bypass. Probably would have been better to remove the connector from the RSX cruise and wire the leads into the NSX plug, but for some reason I was thinking of saving it in case I went back:


Useful threads:
This thread has details on the Hagasan adapter:
http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php/135603-S2000-Steering-Wheel-DIY-sort-of/page2
Leather cover:
https://www.eastdetailing.com/collections/acura/products/copy-of-2005-2018?variant=18622456856691
Kuya (Hagasan adapter, NRG short hub, & bolts):
https://kuyaauto.com/products/hagasan-steering-wheel-adapter?_pos=1&_sid=163d57420&_ss=r


http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php/136513-RSX-Steering-Wheel-swap-in-my-NSX!-Hi-Res-Photos
(Note: No photos for some reason.)

Wiring pinout for the NSX harness and the RSX cruise control switch. Note that this gives you a cancel switch by tripping both the set and accel buttons momentarily. You could always press them both yourself, but I prefer the cancel button.

That looks great man! Thanks for sharing the great details. How much did it all end up costing you?

nsxto said:

That looks great man! Thanks for sharing the great details. How much did it all end up costing you?

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Wasn't bad - one accident avoided by a faster horn honk will pay for it 10 times over.

RSX wheel with damaged leather, $150 off Kijiji (like Craigslist)
NRG short hub and Hagasan Adapter, $520 from KuyaAuto
Perforated leather for rewrapping the wheel, $50 from East Side Detailing
DC5 Type R Airbag cover off ebay, $300

Other potential cost would be an airbag inflator off an AP1 S2000 if you want the airbag functional. I always wear my seatbelt, and the safety benefit of a 1-stage airbag on top of a seatbelt is marginal, so balanced against the risk of a 20+ year-old inflator going off at the wrong time...

The DC5 Type R Airbag cover was just to get the Red "H" since the rest of my car is badge swapped. I liked the Original chrome Acura "A" as shown in the one photo better but the kids voted for the red "H".

I would note that the time to rewrap the wheel was more than 4 soccer matches by the time I was done with it and I had to trim the leather a bit from their pattern, and re-sew a couple sections using different stitches than they recommended to get it tight. I also borrowed professional needles and needle drivers from work. I'd give serious thought to having a pro do it unless you have a fair bit of experience sewing leather or skin. Maybe better to pay more to get an RSX wheel in excellent condition in the first place, but I like the added thickness of the re-wrap. There's also a guy from Poland on ebay who seems to do a good job of it, but no airbag or airbag cover included.

Hmm thats not too bad. I might be tempted to do this - mostly coz I hate that fatass stock wheel. Which is fat in all the wrong areas, for some reason. Reminds me of the one in my dad's 91 Ford Taurus.

As for sewing the new cover, I don't think I have the patience to sit through 4 soccer matches so I will have to outsource that to some hot seamstress.

I tried the east detailing kit for a different car, and im near certain its vinyl. Looks good!

jonc said:

I tried the east detailing kit for a different car, and im near certain its vinyl. Looks good!

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Ouch! I'm pretty sure the one I got is leather. If it is vinyl, it is without question the best I have ever seen, including the tanned feel on the back side. I had to trim it a bit and it cut like leather with my shears as well.

I was annoyed that the "perforated" portion was only a perforated pattern, but I saw why when installing it. If it was actually perforated, you would see the 2-sided tape (that's required to hold it) thru the perforations.