kane2k

Just thought I'd share an experience I had recently.

I was driving around downtown and as I turned right from Bathurst to King I got flagged down by a police officer.

Essentially he wanted to spot check my ride height. He asked what spring I was running and spent some time inspecting my front wheels.

I'm on H&R Sports so everything was fine, but he really seemed to want me to admit to running coilovers (he said "coilover" three times).

Now I assume that he was there to get people turning right on red.

I was actually ready to let loose on him because I did turn on the red but came to a complete stop first, but he only asked about the suspension.

Just thought I'd give everyone a heads up that coilover drops may start catching some unwanted attention, especially when it warms up a bit and people go to summer height.

PurpleStuff

I didn't know coilovers were illegal

miss_jess

iTrader: (2)

i dont think they are... I think its the ride height that matters

Project ERASE - Eliminate Racing Activity on Streets Everywhere

No part of the tires may come into contact with the vehicle, no part of the vehicle can touch the ground and the front wheels cannot be visibly out of alignment.

HTA 70(3)(a) – Improper tires - $85.00/$110.00

HTA O.Reg 625 Section 5(b) – Reference Section for HTA 70(3)(a)

HTA O.Reg 611 Schedule 1 Section 3(5) – Reference Section for HTA 84 – Operate unsafe vehicle – No Set Fine, Maximum $20,000.00 fine.

Highway Traffic Act - R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 611

MPR

My car is LOWWWW, been pulled over several times but never once have they checked my ride height.

But then, I don't have rediculously over-sized rims/tires, so my tires clear no problem and don't attract visual attention.

Xscorpio

almost every after market parts says right on it "for off road use ONLY" that is enough to get a ticket.

Vida

Why coilovers and not springs? You go low with both so why the question

REN69

adjustability... you can go lower with coilovers.

I'd like to see what they would do with a bagged VIP Lexus.

D.T.P

coilovers are not illeagal. this is just nonsense that cops try to get you with. as long as the tire does not touch the anything while you have the wheels turned all the way, its all good. look at some new bmw's, they have a very small wheel gap to the fender, yet it comes stock. also goes for cars that have airbag suspension that came stock.
now lowering a car and scraping the ground from every little bump, yes that will get you a ticket, but as long as you have some clearence and can turn the wheels all the way it doesnt matter what suspension you are running.

civicEJ1

iTrader: (2)

true

cuzz i work at bmw and those 3 series wit the m packages make it hard for u to fit ur hand over the tire and under the fender.

and ive been pulled over cuzz my cars SLAMMED and he just told me to turn my wheel all the way to the right to see if it rubbed and he said it was fine.

civicEJ1

iTrader: (2)

u can adjust the height with coil overs springs, the heght is fixed but with the right shocks, u can adjust the stiffness/softness of tthe ride

Robb

iTrader: (1)

They put that on just to excuse themselves from court battles (lawsuits)

Btw.the city is hurting for money.. The more money the city has, the more the cops can ask for, come contract time with union..
So cops are out to get anything they can !

FiveO

Coil-overs are not illegal. Do you think he might have been asking to find out if the drop was performed properly as far as mechanical fitness is concerned? More than a few out there just go and cut their springs to get the drop.

Robb

iTrader: (1)

Gimme a break !
Cops are not in any position to be asking technical questions. Cops are not trained to fully know what it safe or what is not safe on a vehicle. They are not licensed technicians/mechanics !

miss_jess

iTrader: (2)

you dont need to be a licensed mechanic to know what is safe and whats not safe

Robb

iTrader: (1)

In the court of law, you do !

Also, it depends on the issue... If you have bald tires obviously no... but when it comes to certain modifications done to a vehicle (like suspension setups), cops are not trained to know what is safe and what is not safe... ride height is irrelavant.
Also, my 1990 crx has no airbags, is this considered not safe ???? Gimme a break. The entire car is unsafe (by todays standards) hahahha So what, should they ticket my car cuz it's "unsafe" ????????

FiveO

Some cops are extensively trained in exactly that.

FiveO

You're very wrong on that. All of the GTA forces have designated personnel trained explicitly on the issue of safe vs unsafe vehicle modification, just the same as other cops are trained specifically and extensively on truck mechanical safety issues. It's one of the outcomes of the GTA-wide ERASE program. Ride height and how ride heights are achieved (safely or not) is part of that training.

Robb

iTrader: (1)

So you are saying that some in our Toronto police force are trained technical engineers ?LoL

FiveO

I'm saying that some are specifically trained in automobile mechanics and to recognize the difference between safe and unsafe mods. Give your thanks to the ERASE program.

It's a bit like hospital emergency ward staff doing triage on incoming patients. They do initial assessment even though they're not necessarily even doctors, and then route the patient to the appropriate specialists.

Same goes with the cop. Roadside triage on suspected illegal or unsafe mods does not necessarily need a technical engineer. Even basic familiarity with automotive systems is sufficient depending on the scope of inspection, never mind the extensive mechanical training that certain cop specialists get.

Besides, if there is any question coming out of a roadside inspection, the vehicle can simply be passed along to an MTO inspection station for a complete on the hoist inspection by MTO mechanics. Or are you going to argue that they're not technical engineers too?

jdm ek4

....OR, it could have been a corrupt cop that knows what you have and has your plate and house info and lets his buddy know what you have and next thing you know, your car is stolen. I dont trust anyone, I usually have negative assumptions in scenario's like this. Must be all these new shows on TV, i dont know.