"Hellaflush" / Slammed Cars Banned in Quebec

[swanicyouth]

It seems Quebec has banned cars lowered to an extreme. They even went so far as using the term "Hellaflush" in the ordinance. Translated from the ordinance (French):


"Hellaflush is a practice of cosmetic modifications that comes to the detriment of handling and road holding capabilities which consist of:

Lowering the suspension of the vehicle
Installing oversized and offset wheels (offset greater than of the stock wheels)
Installing tires too narrow for the wheels (tire stretching).
These modifications,that affect the geometry of the vehicles suspension, are generally observed by the presence of exaggerated negative camber. This is an overview of the principals of hellaflush and the reason this practice is prohibited."


The article:

http://jalopnik.com/the-fascists-in-quebec-just-banned-your-hellaflush-car-1609831093


Yay?

 

[2.ooohhh]

Agree with the premise for road going cars in many cases but knowing government it will be terribly enforced. Bad enforcement of this could be VERY annoying. Some sportier models of new vehicles technically meet the first two of the three stipulations defining hellaflush right off the lot.

 

[PreludeVTEC01]

Hate the "style" but banning them is extreme. They are no more un-safe than nearly all the DOT trucks on the roads here in the US.

 

[FUNX650]

I'd almost bet it has something to do with Céline Dion.

Bob

 

[swanicyouth]

I'd almost bet it has something to do with Céline Dion.

Bob

Lolz.

Last time I was in Canada almost got in a fist fight.

 

[runrun411]

I'd almost bet it has something to do with Céline Dion.

Bob

LOL

Im the MANIm the MANIm the MAN

 

[Dr_Pain]

I'd almost bet it has something to do with Céline Dion.

Bob

Them be fighting words!!

But wait..... was she not "modified" herself?

Here is a better before picture when she had jacked yup teeth (I remember those days all too well being a proud french Canadian)

 

[Calendyr]

I agree that modifications that make the vehicle unsafe should not be allowed. I am not often in agreement with government policies, usually it's just a way to tax people more. But in this case I see nothing wrong with the ban.

 

[KoshiL]

Lol.

 

[David Hayward]

I'm not an expert on suspension geometry and tire safety but I feel like dragging on the ground and riding on the corner of your tire is a terrible idea. It seems like it could cause premature tire failures, and I know the car can't handle well with that small of a patch of rubber touching the road. If people want to do it and trailer to a show feel free but it seems like maybe on the streets of could be risking hurting others if that tire fails.

 

[Klasse Act]

I'm concerned about this opening a "pandora's box" if it trickles down to the states. While I agree it changes how the car handles and in some cases makes it unsafe, what's next? A lowered car does look better, look no further than a stock Challenger, Charger or 300, even the non AWD models look like offroaders, so a drop makes ALL the difference in the world from a looks standpoint, then the handling, again, lower center of gravity helps with stability for sure. That said, a car too low and then stiffened up makes it bounce around the road, that is NEVER safe! A tire waaay to narrow for the rim is stretched out too much and the bead will never hold air like a "normal" tire/wheel combo. I'm not trying to paint with a broad brush here but we've all been young and poor and a number of these guys cut coils to get that low, that's just bad for the strut/shock and WILL wear it out quickly, even the guys that do it right only care about the "stance", I'll never get it and never will.

Sent from my SPH-M930 using AG Online

 

[Skimmer0220]

lowering and getting wider wheel's can actually improve the car, these are 2 very uneducated statements

I'm not an expert on suspension geometry and tire safety but I feel like dragging on the ground and riding on the corner of your tire is a terrible idea. It seems like it could cause premature tire failures, and I know the car can't handle well with that small of a patch of rubber touching the road. If people want to do it and trailer to a show feel free but it seems like maybe on the streets of could be risking hurting others if that tire fails.

what's the point of having a car taken to a show if you can't drive it?

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

I say... put Boggers on everything!

 

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

If won't take long and California will follow suit.

I say... put Boggers on everything!

Don't forget to stuff in a BBC!!!! rops:

 

[swanicyouth]

lowering and getting wider wheel's can actually improve the car, these are 2 very uneducated statements



what's the point of having a car taken to a show if you can't drive it?

If it's done conservatively and correctly, this may be true to a certain extent. However, doing it correctly involves re-aligning the vehicle so the toe is near zero with vehicle rolling and the camber is also close to zero.

These "slammed" vehicles are no where near this. In fact, the camber is so negative on some of them, only a portion of the inside edge of the tire is actually contacting the road. Whenever you change camber, you are also changing the geometry of the alignment's toe setting as well. Caster likely also is affected in an unpredictable manner. Common sense tells us this is bad for handling, traction, and control (especially in wet weather) and can cause massive uneven tire wear like this:

Possibly leading to a blow out and loss of control of the vehicle.

Another point is, most of these vehicle are lowered to an extreme. This changes the ground clearance to a large degree, along with the clearance of the the wheel between the actual wheel well. Possibly leading to the tire rubbing on the wheel well itself when encountering a bump or a sharp turn - obviously a bad idea with numerous possible outcomes - most of them not good.

Such a large amount of negative camber will also likely stress the suspension in general. Bushings, tie rod ends, and factory ball joints will also likely wear faster - leading excessive play in the steering and even worse handling.

In actuality, most cars handle best with the wheel & tire size that they were designed to use by the manufacturer. The ride height is determined by the manufacturer to be a compromise of safety and good handling characteristics. I don't think ANY of these things are taken into account by the "Hellaflush" crowd - just what appears to them as pleasing cosmetics.

I say... put Boggers on everything!

HellaBogged.

 

[CarolinasFinestDetailing]

lowering and getting wider wheel's can actually improve the car, these are 2 very uneducated statement.

Correct as it lowers the center of gravity and wider track. Hence the design of many race cars.

I do feel that these cars riding around stupid low that take 10 min to get over a speed bump and have way too much camber are dangerous as they create a hazard somewhat.

However; is this any different from say banning "coal rollers"?

Alas, let the haters hate.

 

[Skimmer0220]

If it's done conservatively and correctly, this may be true to a certain extent. However, doing it correctly involves re-aligning the vehicle so the toe is near zero with vehicle rolling and the camber is also close to zero.

These "slammed" vehicles are no where near this. In fact, the camber is so negative on some of them, only a portion of the inside edge of the tire is actually contacting the road. Whenever you change camber, you are also changing the geometry of the alignment's toe setting as well. Caster likely also is affected in an unpredictable manner. Common sense tells us this is bad for handling, traction, and control (especially in wet weather) and can cause massive uneven tire wear like this:

Possibly leading to a blow out and loss of control of the vehicle.

Another point is, most of these vehicle are lowered to an extreme. This changes the ground clearance to a large degree, along with the clearance of the the wheel between the actual wheel well. Possibly leading to the tire rubbing on the wheel well itself when encountering a bump or a sharp turn - obviously a bad idea with numerous possible outcomes - most of them not good.

Such a large amount of negative camber will also likely stress the suspension in general. Bushings, tie rod ends, and factory ball joints will also likely wear faster - leading excessive play in the steering and even worse handling.

In actuality, most cars handle best with the wheel & tire size that they were designed to use by the manufacturer. The ride height is determined by the manufacturer to be a compromise of safety and good handling characteristics. I don't think ANY of these things are taken into account by the "Hellaflush" crowd - just what appears to them as pleasing cosmetics.



HellaBogged.

Please sir show me the camber on these slammed cars

and for kicks and giggles

nowhere in my statement did I say anything about camber being safe, I totally agree with you on camber but I can not disagree more about lowering and wide tires if you lower your car correctly you wont rub and getting over bumps has nothing to do with lowering you just need to know how to drive

Correct as it lowers the center of gravity and wider track. Hence the design of many race cars.

I do feel that these cars riding around stupid low that take 10 min to get over a speed bump and have way too much camber are dangerous as they create a hazard somewhat.

However; is this any different from say banning "coal rollers"?

Alas, let the haters hate.

hit the nail on the head

 

[HD.Detailing]

dumb law

 

[swanicyouth]

Please sir show me the camber on these slammed cars

You have to throw each vehicle up on an alignment rack to check the alignment angles conclusively. If the camber has changed negatively a few degrees - it may be hard to spot via the eye - certainly close to impossible to spot in photos. However, rest assured it will still cause uneven tire wear, possible pulling to one side (if camber varies > 1/2 degree or so), and impact toe if the alignment is not corrected.

Obviously, the camber on those cars you choose may not be as negative as some. But, lowering a vehicle and inch or two will usually cause camber to go more negative.

I hope your not saying something that looks like this:

will handle decently?

 

[CarolinasFinestDetailing]

will handle decently?

Airbag systems are very reliable and handle very well. Today`s systems even allow you to retain the front sway bar.

My car:



I have an alignment done at cruising height and my car actually handles better than most "sport" cars on the road. It even puts them in the rearview mirror, though thats for another thread.