Quebec has BANNED Hellaflush!?

athousandleaves

New member
http://www.saaq.gouv.qc.ca/securite_rou ... /index.php

Use Google translate if you don't speak French!

Here is a rough translation:

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 vehicleInstalling 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.



Hey Quebec! Let's pass a law that is
1. Poorly researched and loosely defined
2. Has no scientific or statistically significant basis
3. Is able to be arbitrarily enforced
4. Unfairly penalizes lowered cars and not ALL cars with altered suspension geometry (looking at you lifted brotrucks)


I am SO HAPPY I don't live in Quebec right now especially after they banned RHD imports...

YES some people do the hellaflush thing dangerously, YES they should be off the road but this law is SO OPEN to POOR interpretation that any aftermarket wheel could be ticketed!


DISCUSS. :x
 

underscore

Well-known member
It says that they're going after modifications that affect suspension geometry and tire contact, and that they're generally looking for stupid amounts of camber and stretched tires which are unsafe and should be illegal. I'm not really sure how you can say banning compromised handling and stopping ability isn't "scientific". Lifted brotrucks suck as well, but at least they haven't compromised their ability to stop.

Here's a full translation of the page: http://translate.google.ca/translate?hl ... 6bih%3D979
 

sMARTINside

New member
I agree with you that this law is quite loose, but I am for stopping the new wave of tire stretch and too much camber on the road. These cars aren't made to handle, but roads are meant to be driven and handled, so... It's just normal that the government starts to get interested in this. I just hope that the police will apply the law with their good judgement and use in in extreme cases only.
 
Like every law supposedly passed for our protection, it WILL be abused and used as "probable cause" to do random stops to ask for papers and forced searches and "inspections". In real life terminology yet another way government (any government) makes it clear they actually own your property and if you do not follow the rental agreement you will be revoked of your privilege. At-least when the highwaymen robbed you they didn't have the audacity to claim they were doing it for your benefit. This "protection" philosophy was first applied by the mafia and later absorbed by the "government" thugs and road Nazis.
 

Lamont

New member
I am usually against any law that limits what I can do with my personal property, but sometimes you just have to use good judgment. Making the contact patch of your tire the size of two sticks of gum for the sake of fashion is just stupid, unsafe, and dumb. I also think that slammed cars should also be illegal. These are vehicle and there are curtain safety measures that have to be followed. Like having a bumper or doors safety belts etc. Have you ever been stuck behind someone who is hella-flush/slammed at a speed-bump c'mon guys this is a stupid argument. Driving in the US is a privilege not a right look it up, and as such there are curtain safety laws that must be followed. Just my .02 for what it's worth these modifications are unsafe.
 

sarnodude

New member
Join a political party and work the system from the inside, instead of complaining.
You have way too much legislation and government interference in Canada.
I should know, I lived there until 1997 and then I got the hell out, with my sanity more
or less intact.
 

underscore

Well-known member
A good quote from that Montreal forum

I have NO problem with this law, for once.

This trend was fucking stupid, dangerous and useless since day one.

Laws are necessary when people are idiots.

They wouldn't have made this law if people didn't keep making their cars dangerous pieces of crap. They only "interfere" because the hellamorons forced them to by proving they were too stupid to do things properly on their own.
 

crymson

New member
Lamont":386bjtpb said:
I am usually against any law that limits what I can do with my personal property, but sometimes you just have to use good judgment. Making the contact patch of your tire the size of two sticks of gum for the sake of fashion is just stupid, unsafe, and dumb. I also think that slammed cars should also be illegal. These are vehicle and there are curtain safety measures that have to be followed. Like having a bumper or doors safety belts etc. Have you ever been stuck behind someone who is hella-flush/slammed at a speed-bump c'mon guys this is a stupid argument. Driving in the US is a privilege not a right look it up, and as such there are curtain safety laws that must be followed. Just my .02 for what it's worth these modifications are unsafe.

^^^ absolutely this.
 

athousandleaves

New member
I'm not trying to defend the hellaflush movement but I just don't understand how such a poorly written law could be enacted and enforced without abuse. And the QPP LOVE to hassle people...

If this is really about safety then why aren't they doing anything about the lifted bro trucks?

Also, in my mind there is a difference between hellaflush and oni-cam (demon camber). The sunken rear wheels of the stock widebody ST18X is visually unappealing, and also who's still able to find the OEM sized tire?

Some cars (BMW, Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari etc) come from the factory with low profile tires, low bodywork and tires that could contact the fenders, so how would you enforce this law here?

Idk there's just so many ways this law could be abused and thats what gets me angry.

As far as my comment about the science of it; the terms they use to quantify what is/isn't legal aren't specific enough. Also I'd love to see some data to support the incedence of accidents in vehicles with these mods and if it shows that they are causing more accidents then yes, this merits a law to stop people from getting hurt.

Another thing, lifted trucks with HUGE wheels have the ability to overwhelm the stock brake system, increased leverage of the bigger tires, along with the heavier rotating mass = trouble, even more when towing (if they can even get anything attached up that high!). By lifting their vehicle they are putting their bumpers out of mandated crash zones which means they will climb over other cars rather than use their mutual crash zones when in an accident, plus by lifting the car the CoG is raised and if they have to swerve to avoid something they'll likely roll over.

These guys are JUST AS BAD if not WORSE than the hellaflush guys!
 

underscore

Well-known member
Are you really going to argue that they shouldn't ban X because Y is also dangerous and it isn't banned yet? That's the weakest argument ever.

If their bumpers and lights are outside of the allowed zones then there are already laws to give them VI's for it, I don't see why they would need another law (but that's not to say they aren't already working on one) and most of those guys don't run the proper mudflaps or flares which they can also get pegged for. The additional momentum of the oversized wheels shouldn't be able to overwhelm the braking system on a truck on their own since trucks will have oversized brakes for towing/hauling loads anyways.
 

polm

New member
As a Quebec resident I think this law is a good thing. The "hellaflush" trend is retarded and doesn't even look good imo. Don't get me wrong though, I do like a properly setup car with a low ride hide and nice wheels. However, having overstretched tires, stupid amounts of camber and a suspension so low you can't enter most parking lots without rubing against the asphalt is just pointless. Fortunately, that's exactly what the saaq just banned. Note that lowering your car and having bigger wheels is still legal and it's clearly written in the saaq's modifications guide: http://www.saaq.gouv.qc.ca/publications ... riving.pdf So in the end, if you do ever get a ticket and your car is still within the boudaries of the law, you'll just get the ticket dismissed in court. For once I actually agree with the saaq. Just my 0.02, don't take it personal.
 

underscore

Well-known member
Today I saw a "hellaflush" car nearly get t-boned because it made a left turn and then had to stop dead to creep over the slight curb getting into a parking lot.
 

psipwrd

Member
underscore":ujdsknrs said:
Today I saw a "hellaflush" car nearly get t-boned because it made a left turn and then had to stop dead to creep over the slight curb getting into a parking lot.

I'd call that a "slammed" car, but I get your point. That's been around since the early 90s where I'm from and I never liked braking for the person who had to creep over train tracks or in/out of parking lots. Like mentioned already, good judgment...
 

leboe

New member
it's Quebec... this doesn't surprise me at all, move to BC like every other Canadian car enthusiast.
 
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