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“Hellaflush” Stanced Vehicles Now Illegal in Quebec, yo.


“Hellaflush” Stanced Vehicles Now Illegal in Quebec, yo.

“Hellaflush”, or “stanced” cars, have now been officially banned in the Canadian province of Quebec. Citing concerns over safety in regards to vehicle handling, the SAAQ (Sociètè de l’assurance automobile Quèbec) has banned the modifications. They even use the word “hellaflush” in the documentation that provides the reasoning behind the law! Verbatim, translated into English, is the reason:

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.

stance300

Or, in other words, this.

 If you own a stanced vehicle in Quebec and drive it on the roads, you risk and inspection by the local authorities. What actually constitutes “stanced” is determined by a tire and wheel fitment guide from a website based out of the U.S. Hmm…nothing wrong with that, right?

While we’re not exactly fans of the stanced look, there’s a lot of vagueness in this rule that could affect other automotive enthusiasts. Police aren’t exactly known for knowing what they are looking at when they are inspecting a vehicle, and we’re willing to bet that someone who has just done a good lowering job with wheels is probably going to get cited over this. While lowered cars with dished wheels aren’t by themselves a danger, we do agree that tire stretching and putting a ton of negative camber onto the wheels is generally stupid and sincerely hope that trend goes away on its own…not by legislature.

(Hat tip to Jalopnik for the English translation)


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24 thoughts on ““Hellaflush” Stanced Vehicles Now Illegal in Quebec, yo.

  1. Brian Cooper

    I hate stanced cars as well. However it seems that the greater danger are the “Donk” cars. Those are the ones that are generally 70’s and 80’s GM mid and full sized cars and newer Crown Vics and Caprices with lifted suspension and very large wheels. The danger is the decreased braking and reduced turning radius. Unlike a lifted 4×4 truck or jeep that can still steer (usually…), Donks are stiff and have reduced turning. To me that is the greater danger than cars that are about to have a flat at any second. (Come to think about it, my beater Sunfire needs new tires in the back)

  2. non-conformer

    Another fine example of people who know nothing of cars dictating what an enthusiast can or cannot do to their ride.

    I fully agree that large amounts of negative camber and too narrow tires are safety concerns but lowering a vehicle using any of the aftermarket kits and installing wider tires is not altering any geometry, many times it makes the vehicle handle better.

    Do you think this law will be equally applied to donks as it is to lowered cars with 30* of negative camber. Thank GOD that fad hasn’t hit my ‘hood.

    How many LEO do you think could really tell if the suspension’s geometry has been altered…yes I’m running with that small detail mostly because many drag racers change the mounting location of the upper trailing arms on 4-link suspensions to help plant the tires on launch, that is changing the geometry even though it isn’t obvious.

    Every Pro Touring car worth it’s tubular control arms has had its geometry changed to improve the steering & handling.

    You did say Quebec right? Figures a bunch of French snoots would come up with such a fascist law based on the premise that the factory sends every vehicle out with fully optimized suspension geometry. The whole thing seems very vague and subject to the interpretation of the LEO clown doing the inspecting which opens up the possibility of prejudicial profiling but I’m no lawyer.

    1. GuitarSlinger

      Yeah right . Nonconformist my ___ . Let me guess . All bets are you having some pathetic homogenized 9-5 no requirements to think what so ever job … are in fact a completely in vogue and very trendy conformist xenophobe … your status quo 2.5 kids .. a house way the hell out in SuburbiaLand … sucking up to the Tea Party that are Fascists … all while eating Wonder Bread .. Skippy Peanut Butter and Steak & Potatoes 24/7/365

      Yeah .. You’re a non-conformist alright .And Frogs fly south for the winter as well . By the way wingnut . For your uneducated and xenophobic edification [ apologies if that word is beyond your comprehension ]

      Quebecois are NOT French …. They are Canadians …. Idiot ! With everything from their language [ based on French ] to their Culture being as much or even more different than we are from the FRENCH

      Oh … and this as well Zippy ! If anything the French are Socialists … leaning towards Communism … not Fascists . Not that in your limited scope of understanding you’d know what the __ the difference is

      Yup ! You certainly are living proof that Evolution at least when it comes to human beings truly is a myth .

      1. drummerboy

        Wow……just wow. You really have a lot of pent up hatred, don’t you?

        I happen to like Skippy peanut butter!

      2. PJ

        Excuse me what?
        Quebecois are Quebecois. They fight for there French heritage, have attempted to leave Canada many times and are an almost completely separate culture from the rest of this great country.

        Please do not say Quebecois are simply “Canadian and not French.” they would rather be known as French then Canadian.

        This law is worded so stupidly its scope is endless. Lowered your pickup truck an inch. Off the road, changed your wheels or tires, off the road. Basically if you do anything they can find an excuse to pull your car off the road. Its insanity at its best.

      3. blackz28

        Why all the hate? My God, you attack everyone on here who has an opinion that differs from yours. Its sickening and one of the reasons I rarely read these message boards anymore. You seriously need to reevaluate your life, man.

      4. Therredoor

        The political scale you seem to be unaware od (most likely intentionally) goes something like this: anarchy, libertarianism, Tea-Party types, liberalism (real liberals), conservatives, Republicans, statists, liberals (modern ones), Democrats, progressives, socialists, fascists, communists.

        I suggest you ask for any money you spent on your education back.

    2. Richard Desjardin

      I don’t think it’s a safety concern but stiffness does not mean better in terms of suspension and handling. Same with lowering.

      The engineers for touring cars do a lot more math than a guy who just slams his car.

      I can understand outlawing stretched tires. I just think if you’re going to fuck with your steering geometry you need to be willing to do a lot of math.

  3. In4theaction

    They also fail to mention anything about airbags. That Chrysler 300 is most likely running a bag system. So as it drives the car would simply appear to have large wheels and tires but once parked and lowered it then would be deemed illegal. How many guys are going to get tickets once they park their rides?

  4. GuitarSlinger

    #1 Every one of the issues banned is a safety as well as road damaging and/or road hazard issue

    #2 In case all you mindless apologist’s haven’t been noticing … taking things to the extremes when it comes to modifying cars n’ bikes is the very thing that motivates City , County and State Governments to place even harsher restrictions and bans than might actually be needed or justified

    #3 In case y’all haven’t noticed this as well . It IS the Governments that build and maintain the very roads you’re so wiling to abuse , along with the majority of us NOT abusing those roads with stupidity like this paying a hell of a lot higher percentage of the road taxes to build and maintain them than you do , not to mention y’alls desire to abuse your ‘ freedoms ‘ creating safety and damaging issues that the rest of us will suffer the consequences of ..with then y’all whining like a bunch of politically correct baby’s when your ‘ privileges ‘ are taken away

    #4 Stupidity and Bad Taste should never be in vogue … nor should anyone with so much as a half a brain and a modicum of maturity be defending it

    #5 Finally … as stated … it is the Governments which design , create , build and maintain the roads we use … therefore …. Their Playing Field … Their Rules .

    Y’all don’t like them ?

    Then go find somewhere else to play . Or better yet . Go create your own and leave civilized humanity the ___ alone . Like any of you could afford to !

    Jeeze ! Politically Correct Delusional Libertarian hot rodders . On this site never the less . Who’d of thunk it ?

    Summation ? BooHoo little ones . Face reality [ rather than your own self centered desires ] Grow up ! . And start acting your age instead of a freaking five year olds shoe size

    Because honestly . Not doing Hot Rods & Customs in a responsible , mature and intelligent way WILL be the death of the hobby . And knowing what I know about the goings ons in Government these days ? That ….. is an absolute guarantee

    1. drummerboy

      The problem, GuitarSlinger, is who gets to be the final arbiter of what is safe, extreme, bad taste, or an “abuse of freedom”? I am no fan of some of these modifications, but I can tell you that a lowered compact car is going to inflict no more damage to the pavement than one minor snowfall. Simply because I think it is foolish or ugly gives me no right to say that it shouldn’t be done.

      Vague and poorly written legislation provides an open doorway for abuse of power.

      Remember that for everything you cherish there is someone in this world who wishes that that very thing didn’t exist. A little perspective goes a long way.

      It takes all kinds, my friend.

    2. Burner303

      Seriously, why do you come to this site? You obviously do not belong here. You are against everything this site promotes. You are not Bangshift approved. You do not even belong on a car related blog at all. Maybe you would be better off at sites such as Gawker, or Jezebel, as their commenting community seem to be in favor of the same type of overreacting, outrageous, uninformed views that you have.

  5. starterguy

    Now if they could just get rid of some of the “ratrod” crap off the roads we could be getting somewhere.

      1. Tdice

        Ok I’ll bite

        “Lowering the suspension of the vehicle
        Installing oversized and offset wheels (offset greater than of the stock wheels)”

        Are not necessarily safety issues, so your claim that all the legislative points are safety issues is spurious.

        Cars modified to the extreme can be well executed and present no safety issue. Extremes are not an issue, though I except that poor engineering can be. So you’d stop people modifying cars to extremes and stifle creativity, great what champion of the people.

        Given the intolerance that you show toward everyone else you have a hard neck bandying the word fascist around. You’re the one that seems to display the most stereotypical fascist attitude.

        And what makes YOU the arbiter of good taste? For all we know you’re sitting in your spandex shorts with rollers in your hair strumming Glen Campbell tunes in a Yugo. I hope you’re not counting yourself among those with common sense as the way you go off on one shows little to no sense at all. Rash, angry frustrated unloved and probably lonely yes, sensible no.

  6. anthony

    Hey maybe since they got this through they could get another law through about stupid kids with their pants hanging off their ass passed.

  7. CharlesW

    I find what’s going on in Canada pretty damn funny, seems everyone has forgotten the minitrucks of the 80s and early 90s, we were putting 205-50-15s on 15x10s and adjustable suspensions and I for one tore holes in many a road but I also had manhole covers put holes in oilpans and potholes causing bent wheels. Past couple of years there has been a resurgence in those styled minitrucks. I for one want another one to do it all over again

  8. Adam

    Thank you guitarslinger, for once again proving to everyone you’re an imbicile. Your rants always make me laugh.

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