Jewcano

iTrader: (4)

I don't have the link, but we had a thread here before that's a similar situation with vehicles that sit high, 18 wheeler with that flimsy piece of metal that is supposed to stop a vehicle from running under the back of the trailer. Well that metal would fail and the hood would go right under and the car would be halfway under the trailer at that point killing the driver.

dj.ctwatt's theory holds merit, and I completely agree with him about that. The bumper issue is REAL, though granted to be fair they should target all raised vehicles like that, donk cars and trucks included. A bumpers purpose is to absorb impact within an accident, that is not the A pillars job. If a car is capable of going underneath the bumper, and their hood passes under the rear ended cars back, the A pillar will crumble and thus causing serious injury or even death to the driver/passenger.

STIG

Good. California needs to start doing the same thing.

mmarshall

You brought up some good points. But to answer your question about lower sidewalls, all else equal (which it often isn't) they generally sharpen up steering response because the sidewalls don't flex as much as higher sidewalls, and transmit more of the car's steering-input directly to the tread-footprint on the road. That is also why wider tires, all else equal, also sharpen up steering-response....a larger tire-footprint on the road. Higher sidewalls, though, give you a softer ride, and narower tires loss rolling-resistance for better gas mileage, so there are obviously some trade-offs.

Ty419

I've actually gotten a ticket for having a bumper out of specification. It was on my RX-7 that was significantly lowered and the top of the bumper was below the 16 inch cutoff. Not much for the cops to do that day, I guess...

Anyway, it seems silly that they have not revised the standards for suburban assault vehicles due to their increase in popularity over the years. It seems like common sense that every vehicle should be able to run into each other and have contact at a standard height. Until I read those links, I thought all vehicles were already covered.

dj.ctwatt

MMarshall, when it comes to junk tires, yes I agree. However, a proper racing tire has stiffer sidewalls and a high enough PSI to not flex significantly. The problem is that the selection for high performance higher profile tires is not exactly great. General rule for racing is to ALWAYS get the smallest wheel that clears the brakes.

mmarshall

One thing often forgotten (and I have mentioned this a number of times in other threads) is that oversized wheels/tires in general, but especially grossly-oversized ones like in the picture, make the speedometer and odometer read low, because both, in today's cars, are taken off of wheel-rotation sensors rather than the old-fashioned transmission-hookup cables. Oversized wheels/tires with larger-than-factory outside rolling diameters slow down the wheel-rotation rate. That can not only lead to speeding tickets (because you are actually going faster than the speedometer reads) but also voiding the car's warranty because the car's actual mileage is not accurate.

dj.ctwatt

Jewcano, the problem is that the law categorizes trucks and SUV's differently, and they basically go unchecked (unless the specific state puts up their own regulation). By law, the cops can't do diddly squat about it. HOWEVER, the US DOT regulates headlight/tail light height, and to modify the ride height would put the car in violation, making it an illegally modified vehicle (assuming the height has been changed enough). It depends on how crafty/smart/motivated the cops are to enforce this.

Semi's are regulated to a degree, but if you get hit by a semi you're pretty much dead meat either way you look at it. The Gullotuine bars are nice on the rear end, but if somebody is lame enough to tailgate a semi, and have bad enough reaction times to NOT stop in time, then they REALLY shouldn't be driving.

Thank goodness you guys actually have enforced laws. At least there are a HUGE number of preventable deaths prevented out there. True, being here is great as I can modify my car however I want and basically drive as fast as I want, but it also means everyone else does the same. It sucks. And what's worse is we have people carrying steel rods and dangerous loads which results in pedestrians and motorcycles litterally getting turned into human shish-kabobs. Enforce the laws. They are there for a reason.

dj.ctwatt

Not to mention the huge increase in rotational inertia (wheel weight is less relevant the radius (RI= M x R^2). So the "perceived" weight of the wheel is increased exponentially with a radius increase of the wheel. Both acceleration and more importantly braking suffer dramatically.

IS-SV

Yes, needs a proper lift kit. Lol, voiding a car warranty, like these cars are still under warranty.

mmarshall

I agree...racing brings different circumstances and requirements. But this thread is primarly about street cars (and the oversized wheels/tires on them)......so that's what I concentrated on.

What you describe for racing tires (higher but non-flexing sidewalls) also, to a large extent, applies to run-flat tires used for street cars.

and also clears the wheelwells, if applicable.

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

I agree. As ugly as the donk styles are, they do have a right too
Plus it mentioned "spinners". Wow talk about a fad that died pretty quickly

and those stupid lifted trucks AND their 10k hids blinding you at night

on another note, don't forget the damn harleys (with the L O U D) exhaust that can wake up the whole block

dj.ctwatt

With the exception of spinners, all the things u just listed are technically illegal too; they have no right. The use of government built roads is Not a right and needs to serve the best interests of the general public.

mmarshall

Good point. But motorcycles, under current laws, are exempt from both muffler laws and emissions laws, so they don't need catalytic converters either. That, of course, allows Harley owners, if they want, to run straight-pipes, which, of course, most do. Depending on the jurisdiction, they may or may not be subject to noise-ordinances....but even then, politics sometimes plays a role. In my area, for instance, there are noise-ordinances, and the local Harley shop is often in violation of them. But the town council simply looks the other way, and often doesn't enforce it, because the town uses Harleys for the motorcycle-police force, and the Harley shop services/repairs their police-bikes and keeps them running.

oohpapi44

iTrader: (1)

That is the point that you're missing. No one is arguing the legality or common sense aspect. Donk are a risk to other cars and lowered cars are a risk to themselves both because of height. But only one group is targeted in this case, with no explanation given and the group that is targeted happens to be made of of individuals with a shaky history with law enforcement.

If the law is going to be enforced, enforce it equally and impound lowered cars for the same reasoning listed in this thread.

My question was if there was any evidence that 'donk' poses any more of an immediate threat or risk than another style of car and I don't think there is any that I've seen.

baadhabit

iTrader: (2)

my question is what is considered "oversized wheels"? dunks of course fit that but could that also include anything after market thats not OEM sized like the majority of this forum, myself included.

i dont know what kind of site jalopnik is but i dont get the last part about "ll will between police and black residents". why are they throwing race into this.