VI for gutted interior?

[airmaxbri]

I have heard of some people getting a VI for a gutted interior, and I've also heard of people NOT getting a VI and their interior is gutted with a rollcage.

I have a EG civic with a gutted rear . No pillar bars or rollcage. Is this legal?

I have seen alot of vague answers in different forums about this. It seems the actual law is subject to some very inconsistent interpretation.

I would like definitive clarification for this, as there are many of cars out there with gutted interiors.

Please respond intelligently and not with "read the motor vehicle act"

--people would like to mod their cars within the rules, responsibly and legally. "Read the motor vehicle act" is an answer that simply is not good enough, and costs people their hard earned $$$.

[LenovoTurbo]

No one is getting VI'd just because door panels and interior trims were removed. If your car is slammed and attracting attention, chances are you're getting pulled over anyways.

[Redlines_Daily]

I'm not the most knowledgeable guy on the topic but I'll add what I know..

5 point harness is illegal, so are most aftermarket steering wheels. A lot of guys who have gutted interiors also have these, so that may be the reason for getting a VI. My $.02

[Yodamaster]

LOL

I've never heard of aftermarket steering wheels being banned, that's the most fucked up thing I've heard all week.


Not like I give a flying fuck, I'm going to do whatever the fuck I want with my interior.

Seriously, fuck those guys.

[Redlines_Daily]

^I believe it's illegal if you have to remove the steering wheel mounted airbag. If your car doesn't have this then you can legally mount an aftermarket wheel. Not 100% on this, but I think that's how it goes.

[mb_]

^and it has to be the same size as a stock one or something like that
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[Raid3n]

i'm not sure about the size, but the reason in most cases aftermarket wheels are illegal is becuase on anything newer than 94 you need to circumvent the airbag, which is illegal.

yodamaster, why you mad, bro?

[Energy]

I have friends who took out the backseats in their cars (Audi TT, Porsche 911) to save weight and because the back seats in those cars are pointless anyway. They've never had problems even at road blocks.

[SumAznGuy]

Originally Posted by Redlines_Daily

I'm not the most knowledgeable guy on the topic but I'll add what I know..

5 point harness is illegal, so are most aftermarket steering wheels. A lot of guys who have gutted interiors also have these, so that may be the reason for getting a VI. My $.02

Motor Vehicle Act Regulations

According to this #19 says

Steering wheels shall be of substantially the same size, shape and strength as the steering wheel supplied by the manufacturer of the motor vehicle.

And of course, a topic like this would have been asked here.

Oh yeah, the regs don't say 5 pt harnesses are illegal, but they have to be CSA or SAE certified and have the markings on them to be legal for road use.

Going over MVA I don't see anything where it says it is illegal to drive around town with a gutted interior.

While it might not be illegal, YMMV if you get pulled over and the officer sees the gutted interior.

[zulutango]

I know you said you don't want to be told to check the MVA but you should check the Regs as they deal with specifics that may apply to your plans...you also should take a close look at a copy of the inspection manual as it goes into lots of details. Together, they will answer your question. Better to look first and avoid roadside problems and a VI.

[Glove]

its illigal if the cop who pulls you over thinks it is,

you cant dispute VI's anyway


thats all that matters

[EvoFire]

Originally Posted by Yodamaster

LOL

I've never heard of aftermarket steering wheels being banned, that's the most fucked up thing I've heard all week.


Not like I give a flying fuck, I'm going to do whatever the fuck I want with my interior.

Seriously, fuck those guys.

This mentality is what will get your car VI'ed and towed. Not hearing does not mean its not real. Just because they don't enforce it doesn't mean its fucked up. Those laws are put in place for your safety.

Of course you can do whatever you want with your interior, most cops don't actually care, but the regulations are there and they have the ability to throw the book at you.

And just so you know, steering wheels smaller than the OEM diameter is considered illegal, same with wheels that do not have airbags on a car that is originally equipped with one.

[SumAznGuy]

Originally Posted by EvoFire

And just so you know, steering wheels smaller than the OEM diameter is considered illegal, same with wheels that do not have airbags on a car that is originally equipped with one.

I don't think there is a definate answer on this one. The MVA definately doesn't say it is illegal to change steering wheels if your car came equipped with one.

[Soundy]

Originally Posted by SumAznGuy

I don't think there is a definate answer on this one. The MVA definately doesn't say it is illegal to change steering wheels if your car came equipped with one.

I think in a broader sense, it's illegal to alter, remove, disable, or tamper with any safety equipment... that would include seatbelts and airbags. That COULD also apply to aftermarket seats if they're not mounted securely.

Unfortunately a quick search of bclaws.ca doesn't turn anything up... then again, I don't even get a hit on "seatbelt".

[SumAznGuy]

Originally Posted by Soundy

I think in a broader sense, it's illegal to alter, remove, disable, or tamper with any safety equipment... that would include seatbelts and airbags. That COULD also apply to aftermarket seats if they're not mounted securely.

Unfortunately a quick search of bclaws.ca doesn't turn anything up... then again, I don't even get a hit on "seatbelt".

Only thing I could find was that the seatbelts had to be CSA/SAE approved and have the decal on it. No word on if they have to be 3 point, or if 4 pt or 5 pt being legal.

That being said, there is no reason to have a 4pt or 5 pt harness on while driving legally on city streets.

As for airbags, my personal opinion differs but that is a different topic.

[Soundy]

Originally Posted by SumAznGuy

Only thing I could find was that the seatbelts had to be CSA/SAE approved and have the decal on it. No word on if they have to be 3 point, or if 4 pt or 5 pt being legal.

Just purely guessing here, but I suspect that's the kind of thing that would still need to pass inspection to be fully legal - not just checking for the right certification, but that it's all properly installed: you can't just bolt a harness to any available surface and have it provide proper protection, after all.

That being said, there is no reason to have a 4pt or 5 pt harness on while driving legally on city streets.

It's all about image

As for airbags, my personal opinion differs but that is a different topic.

A buddy of mine was a passenger in a van that had the airbags go off. Fairly low-speed collision, quite likely nothing would have happened to him without airbags... thanks to the airbag, though, he ended up with small cuts and big bruises all over his face

[SumAznGuy]

Originally Posted by Soundy

Just purely guessing here, but I suspect that's the kind of thing that would still need to pass inspection to be fully legal - not just checking for the right certification, but that it's all properly installed: you can't just bolt a harness to any available surface and have it provide proper protection, after all.

Not just that. They need to use the properly sized bolts, and the angle of the shoulder straps is important too. If they are angled too much, in an accident, the harness can do more harm that good.

It's all about image

A buddy of mine was a passenger in a van that had the airbags go off. Fairly low-speed collision, quite likely nothing would have happened to him without airbags... thanks to the airbag, though, he ended up with small cuts and big bruises all over his face

I've seen people who got major road rash on their face from hitting the airbags. It scares me to see how close some people sit to their steering wheels when they are driving. In an accident, I can see their airbags causing more harm than good, but then at the same time they sit close enough to the wheel that the same accident will cause a lot of damage from their head hitting the steering wheel.

[Raid3n]

200mph bag will do that to you lol

[wing_woo]

Originally Posted by SumAznGuy

I've seen people who got major road rash on their face from hitting the airbags. It scares me to see how close some people sit to their steering wheels when they are driving. In an accident, I can see their airbags causing more harm than good, but then at the same time they sit close enough to the wheel that the same accident will cause a lot of damage from their head hitting the steering wheel.

Yeah, I see some where their chest is just inches from the steering wheel. How are they even comfortable. The other thing I see are passengers with their feet on the dashboard. Can you imagine what would happen to them?

As for steering wheel with airbag, you can replace it with one without it I believe, but if you are in an accident and get injured and ICBC deems that your injuries would have been prevented if you had an airbag, then they won't cover you. Also, if you sell your vehicle, you have to declare that the airbag is removed (or else put your stock one back on). I'm not 100% on this though, but I do believe it is only illegal to sell your airbag equipped vehicle without the airbag and not disclosing it and it's not illegal to drive a vehicle with the airbag removed as long as the steering wheel meets the steering wheel regulations such as same size diameter and has a horn button.

[BallPeenHammer2]

just a quick opinion on 4/5 point harnesses:

They are DANGEROUS to be used on public roads, without the implementation of a proper HANS System.

Harnesses keep the body snug and held back into the seat, eliminating any movement fore and aft. They also don't slide on a roller like seatbelts do. So in the event of an accident or hard braking, the belts will hold you as tight as you have set them up to be.

So when that happens, your neck will be the only thing that still has the give to move, which means that it will most likely take almost all of the momentum from the stop/accident.

"The purpose of the device is to stop the head from whipping forward in a crash, without otherwise restricting movement of the neck. In a crash, an unprotected body is decelerated by the seatbelt with the head maintaining velocity until it is decelerated by the neck. The HANS device maintains the relative position of the head to the body, with the device transferring energy to the much stronger chest, torso, shoulder, seatbelts, and seat as the head is decelerated."

(HANS device - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

So for the idiots that think it's cool to rock a 5 point harness for them AND/OR their passengers WITHOUT a proper HANS system:

You're doing more damage than good. Smarten up.

[Great68]

No one should be driving driving on public streets in a way that should require a 5 point harness.

That being said, it's a huge stretch to call the harnesses "Dangerous" without a HANS.

HANS has only really been mainstream for about 10 years, 5-point harnesses have been around decades.

It seems like you're saying is that for those many decades, they shouldn't have bothered with 5-point harnesses at all because they were more dangerous than the alternative which was, well, a lap belt. In reality, 5-point harnesses were a HUGE safety improvement.

Before you say "I said PUBLIC roads", I know. But the physics of a crash is the same whether it's a race car or road car.

[Sango]

I heard (not sure confirmed) that if a different steering wheel is put in, it to be a DOT approved.

[Yodamaster]

Originally Posted by EvoFire

Those laws are put in place for your safety..

Bull fucking shit.

The size of a steering wheel is the least of your worries in a crash, it's just politicians diving into something that does not concern them, and I'm fucking tired of it.

The airbag part of aftermarket wheels is also bullshit, politicians have the nerve to tell me that I can put a wheel without an airbag on an old car, but I can't on a new car, and that somehow there is a difference between the two? It's a fucking wheel, it does not matter how old or new the car is.

[OTG-ZR2]

Originally Posted by SumAznGuy

I've seen people who got major road rash on their face from hitting the airbags. It scares me to see how close some people sit to their steering wheels when they are driving. In an accident, I can see their airbags causing more harm than good, but then at the same time they sit close enough to the wheel that the same accident will cause a lot of damage from their head hitting the steering wheel.

Consider off-roading, certain conditions could trip the impact sensors and POW. Airbag deployed for basically nothing. Sometimes its necessary to move around in the cab for a better view, getting hit with an airbag while your head is out the window or in some other awkward position would not be fun.

I personally feel airbag removal should be up to the driver of the vehicle, not someone driving a desk.

[gars]

Originally Posted by OTG-ZR2

Consider off-roading, certain conditions could trip the impact sensors and POW. Airbag deployed for basically nothing. Sometimes its necessary to move around in the cab for a better view, getting hit with an airbag while your head is out the window or in some other awkward position would not be fun.

I personally feel airbag removal should be up to the driver of the vehicle, not someone driving a desk.

That's why it's called "off-road". When you're actually off-road, you're not covered by insurance. You'll see tons of non-standard lighting, mods, which state they're for "off-road" use only - or track use.

As well, for older cars - When the law came into effect that all cars required an Airbag - it didn't make sense to force that onto older cars, because it would require extensive modifications. That's why you can run those older cars without airbags.