Quebec bans lowrider cars

[Harry6784]

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/07/24/quebec-bans-lowrider-cars/?intcmp=features


Should this law be implemented elsewhere? Makes sense to put limitations on lowering cars in pursuit of safety...

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

My Camaro might be in trouble if that law was here. Lowest part of my car is maybe 2" off the ground. I could set it higher with the QA1 adjustable coil overs I installed if necessary. However I don't have the exaggerated camber they are concerned with. So it might be a tough call for me. Would depend on the restrictions for sure. Tire clearance is also VERY tight but usually only rubs a little on the track in a couple of the corners if I push it really hard. In fact I have such little tire wear that I am running the same tires from 2004. Yes the Nitto tires are 10 years old now.

 

[Rhykus Finlay]

Makes sense. Besides, if the bodywork is dragging on the ground, isn't that a bad thing?

 

[miata13B]

I actually agree with this, would not mind this law at all. I think this is a good read why I agree with the policy

 

[Tornado]

The custom style variously known as “slammed,” “stanced,” and “hellaflush,” which is the term used by Quebec officials in a recent advisory

I would have paid to sit in on the meeting where the French-ish accented government official said those words.

 

[miata13B]

I would have paid to sit in on the meeting where the French-ish accented government official said those words.

Imagine them saying " if they hit a bimp in the road..." lol

 

[McLaren]

Most of these guys who ride that low & daily it don't have proper setups to start. They like to cut corners (or literally springs), so I'm not against the law on the basis of safety.

The show guys are usually on bags, though, so hopefully they find ways to exclude themselves.

 

[Coxis]

The custom style variously known as “slammed,” “stanced,” and “hellaflush,” which is the term used by Quebec officials in a recent advisory

Interesting stuff. Any other major NA cities done this?

 

[Zenith]

I'm sure they had a team of mechanical engineers with a strong grasp on vehicle dynamics to discuss the specific safety issues of slammed cars.

Haaaa... Probably not.

"Hey Jean does this look safe to you?"

"How should I know? I'm a lawyer, not an engineer."

"It looks unsafe to me."

"Want to ban it?"

"Yeah."

Is there any data that suggests that slammed cars are involved in more loss-of-control accidents than normal cars with aggressive drivers?

 

[Joel]

They don't call Montreal the most European city in North America for nothing.

 

[KinLM]

I'm sure they had a team of mechanical engineers with a strong grasp on vehicle dynamics to discuss the specific safety issues of slammed cars.

Haaaa... Probably not.

"Hey Jean does this look safe to you?"

"How should I know? I'm a lawyer, not an engineer."

"It looks unsafe to me."

"Want to ban it?"

"Yeah."

Is there any data that suggests that slammed cars are involved in more loss-of-control accidents than normal cars with aggressive drivers?

Considering that the car is more likely to bottom out, that the EXTREME camber often causes a LOSS of grip because it is so high, and because the springs are poorly cut since it's usually somebody my age who thinks they know what they're doing when they don't, yes. I'd say that all of those things make "stanced" cars dangerous to drive.

And, if driving over a bump makes the bumpers rip off of the car (which I've seen countless times online and even once in feel life) then I'd also call that unsafe. The people behind can easily run into the debris. Plus, the stanced car has to stop and try to pick it up somehow. Not safe.

I'm not for telling people what and how they should/can drive, but this is a great law. There are reasons why cars aren't sold with the tires at 10° of camber and with only half an inch of ground clearance.

 

[Turbotwin01]

Interesting stuff. Any other major NA cities done this?

Quebec is a province, not a city. It's a provincial ban, not a municipal one.

 

[Zenith]

Considering that the car is more likely to bottom out, that the EXTREME camber often causes a LOSS of grip because it is so high, and because the springs are poorly cut since it's usually somebody my age who thinks they know what they're doing when they don't, yes. I'd say that all of those things make "stanced" cars dangerous to drive.

And, if driving over a bump makes the bumpers rip off of the car (which I've seen countless times online and even once in feel life) then I'd also call that unsafe. The people behind can easily run into the debris. Plus, the stanced car has to stop and try to pick it up somehow. Not safe.

I'm not for telling people what and how they should/can drive, but this is a great law. There are reasons why cars aren't sold with the tires at 10° of camber and with only half an inch of ground clearance.

People do all kinds of unsafe stuff. Doesn't mean that Quebec is justified in banning this one. I see no public menace of stance'd cars sliding into kindergartens. I haven't heard of costly accidents involving the leftover bumpers of slammed cars. They're just banning it because it scares them.

My post is also wondering what constitutes a "slammed" car. Is it measured in ground clearance? Camber degrees? Police discretion?

 

[KinLM]

People do all kinds of unsafe stuff. Doesn't mean that Quebec is justified in banning this one. I see no public menace of stance'd cars sliding into kindergartens. I haven't heard of costly accidents involving the leftover bumpers of slammed cars. They're just banning it because it scares them.

My post is also wondering what constitutes a "slammed" car. Is it measured in ground clearance? Camber degrees? Police discretion?

While it is far less dangerous than many things which are legal (such as texting while driving, being nearly drunk (0.08) while driving, and speeding) there is no denying that everything which constitutes a stanced car makes it more unsafe.

It definitely isn't the most dangerous thing, but then most people also don't have stanced cars, so that's probably why it never makes headlines that they're dangerous.

As far as what the law considers a car too "stanced," I have no idea.

 

[Turbotwin01]

In my eyes it seems too vague to enforce, and that it was put in to make the government feel good about themselves. But then again what do I know.

 

[Xilor]

I live in the province in question, and I already see very few lowered/stance cars as it is. With the ridiculous amounts of snow we get and our bad roads its just far too impractical. I'm sure if we actually had a lowrider culture they would face a lot more opposition when trying to pass this law.

 

[Leonidae@MFT]

About a time. This law should be applied globally.

 

[Imari]

Do other countries not have this stuff as standard?

Over here there's a minimum ride height. It's 100mm from memory. My car is 110mm, with no one sitting in it. I know people who have gone a lot lower, and some have been pinged for it. Although as long as you're not a retard about it, generally the police will leave you alone.

 

[Venny_]

Damn, it's hard to imagine Quebec banning slammed cars because their car scene is pretty big compared to where I live, Ontario.

I think it's good the law's in place, it ruins your handling which could impact many situations.

 

[sumbrownkid]

But all my friends know the low rider.

 

[niky]

I've been hearing about this, but seems like much ado over nothing. It's simply a reinforcement of basic roadworthiness laws. If the car can't run on public roads without damaging itself and the road surface, it should be deemed illegal. No ifs, no buts.

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It would be pretty simple to enforce. Make the car drive over a four-inch high iron rail. If it scrapes, it's illegal.

While I agree in principle that running a car outside its design parameters is helladangerous, I quail at the claim that stretched tires, lowered suspensions and high tire pressures are dangerous. While this is indeed true when discussing hellaflush, this is like saying too much water will drown you. It doesn't provide satisfactory guidelines or perspective.


-

I suppose someone should tell the Québécois that they've just banned the Jaguar XF-RS. That car is lower than the standard XF-R, with the standard tires stretched over rims that are a whole inch wider than standard.

Factory hellaflush, yo.

 

[homeforsummer]

I suppose someone should tell the Québécois that they've just banned the Jaguar XF-RS. That car is lower than the standard XF-R, with the standard tires stretched over rims that are a whole inch wider than standard.

Which is why an arbitrary ban on stance isn't as sensible as maintaining general roadworthiness standards. I don't know whether Canada has a standardized test (I know it varies in the U.S.) but holding all cars to the same level of safety seems like a fair way to do things.

In the UK you're more or less free to modify a car how you like, provided it's not a danger to the public. That danger is assessed through way of the MOT test. It's not foolproof, but it does ensure that whatever is being tested isn't a liability. If a "stanced" car is roadworthy according to the test, that's good enough for me - if people want to drive around in a car with no steering lock that breaks their back over every pebble that's more or less up to them.

Like any vehicle, it's generally fine so long as the driver drives within the car's limits. My own anecdotal evidence suggests that people with ridiculously low cars tend to drive them quite slowly, presumably to minimise the rubbing and scraping.

Of course, if a car is low enough to damage the road itself, then that should probably be looked at. Maybe a "height tax". Let's face it, if you can spend that much money making your car look and drive like it's broken, you can probably spare a few bucks to ensure the road you're damaging is maintained.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

I'm not a fan of 'stanced' but banning them is a little unfair.

 

[05XR8]

This certainly is for extreme cases-The people who have the sidewall nearly halfway at the centerline of the wheel. I had stretchie 155/55-14s on my 6.5" SSR mechies( here in Oz) imported from Japan. The Speedo was inaccurate but, I got no flack from highway patrol or local police.
The ones with -8° camber, 10" wide on 205 rubber are the targets.
The same way original low riders used hydraulics to keep police at bay, the streets always find a way.

 

[Crash]

I wonder if this law would only apply to Quebec registered cars, or if it will apply to all cars that enter Quebec?

 

[Omnis]

I wonder if this law would only apply to Quebec registered cars, or if it will apply to all cars that enter Quebec?

Quebec is putting these on all its borders:

 

[Pupik]

This wouldn't be a big deal if all the exhaust sounds were only in French.

North Lauderhell, right? I would chisel the hell out of that by night.

 

[Omnis]

Cocoa Beach.

 

[Moglet]

Regarding applying this to other countries; we don't need it in the UK, the roads weed out anything too low by smashing the crap out of them! Watch out for the craters the size of small cities!

 

[Jay.]

It's simply a reinforcement of basic roadworthiness laws. If the car can't run on public roads without damaging itself and/or the road surface, it should be deemed illegal. No ifs, no buts.

This ^^^

Simple.