I was looking at tubular K members and A -arms and couldnt help but notice that it stated they were for off road use only.. is this simply because they are not dot approved, or is there some other reason I shouldnt put these on a car that will mainly be driven on the street?

 

its solely because they aren't DOT approved. that DOES NOT mean take your prized Camaro out wheelin' to feel the full advantage of the product

Josh

 

Not DOT approved = ILLEGAL

Any idea what will happen to you if you are at-fault in an accident that causes personal injury, and somebody spies those things on your car? Or worse yet, if the crash was caused by something about your car breaking, and somehow somebody can twist it around to blaming it on your unapproved modifications? In some places, that will put you up for attempted murder.

Racing parts and street parts are built for 2 very different types of stress. Street parts have to deal with millions and millions of repetitions of their operation, over along period of time; racing parts deal with a couple of hours worth over their entire design lifetime, and that's it. Racing stress tends to be more extreme but far shorter-lived. Parts are designed accordingly. One of the classic suspension issues is the use of chrome-moly ($$$$) steel susp parts; they tend to crack over time, where mild (cheep) steel parts don't, rather they bend enough to survive. The C-M parts will race better, but are inherently dangerous in street duty.

I would strongly recommend that you not put unapproved parts on your car, if it's street driven.

 

This one is almost sticky material... Definatly sways my decision for putting a tubular k-member in my car.

Thanks for the info.

 

It is not illegal to put aftermarket parts into a street car. It merely is a disclaimer 95% of manufacturers use to try and avoid any lawsuit on their behalf if Co.XYZ's part breaks and causes any loss of property or life. It doesn't always hold up in court- Guys making parts think they can get away with making inferior parts that they know darn well will be bought and used for street use only, and they get sued for it all the time- Case in point - Chisholm Suspension- Their welder's were on crack- Their so called disclaimer did not hold any water.

 

Before anyone goes any further on this issue and puts their foot into their mouth... Making this a sticky goes agaist every sponsor of this board.

Spohns own disclaimer from the sponsors link above:

"USE OF THIS PRODUCT IS ACCEPTANCE OF SELLER’S DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY!



By their very nature, competition components are constantly pushed to their limits. While our components are designed to withstand intense race conditions, it is impossible to control the quality of installation or the varying conditions in which they are used. It is for this reason that absolutely no warranty or guarantee is either written or implied. Neither the seller nor the manufacturer will be liable for any loss, damage, or injury – direct or indirect – arising from the use of or inability to determine the use of any product. Before using, the user should determine the suitability of the product for its intended use, and the user shall assume all responsibility in connection therewith. Spohn Performance, Inc. makes no guarantee as to the legality for any specific class. Spohn Performance, Inc. makes no claims, nor does it intend its products to be used in street driven vehicles. Spohn Performance, Inc. reserves the right to make changes in design or add to or improve on their product without incurring any obligation to install the same on product previously manufactured. The Buyer agrees to indemnify and hold Spohn Performance, Inc. harmless from any claim, action or demand arising out of or incident to the Buyer’s installation or use of products purchased from Spohn Performance, Inc."

 

Point taken.

I still am going to try and wait for spohn on the tubular k member.

 

playing devils advocate here but:





i still have yet to hear about one of the tubular Kmembers breaking.

there are now hundreds out there. alot of thoes seeing street duty.



comon' there has to be atleast one guy out there who broke his..... any curb jumpers buy one yet? anything?

 

And that is why I hate lawyers, politicians, etc.

There may be a few with integrity, but the others should be taken out back and shot. It is a shame that they are a necessity.

That's right, I modified my car, counting every bump, knowing exactly when the part was going to fail so I could time a wreck and kill someone.

 

How about a broken aftermarket A-arm (Non- thirdgen) I have had a major suspension part break on me (Cough,cough, Chisholm, cough) THe reason I always voice my opinion on things, I have experienced part failure NOT FORM AN ACCIDENT< BUT MERELY FROM FATIGUE AND INADEQUATE ENGINEERING!!!( cough Chisholm, Cough, Cough, Cough) It cracked underneath and folded upward on me at freeway speed. Had it broke off completely, I would not be here typing right now. (the a-arm in the picture is the one not broken of course, the broken one was used as evidence.

 

i've hopped mine a few times...still waiting for the thin strut towers to break the factory welds....

 

yea yea i know, you posted the story... twice. lol.



seriously though.. death and carnage was predicted by many who saw the tubular K member....... wheres the broken ones? hell, has anyone hit any roadkill yet? lol

 

i think you people are forgetting a major factor..

you might not be able to sue a manufacturer.. but you sure can sue a person for using illegal parts on a car.


example:

Last year i read in the LA Times Orange County Edition, a guy in a civic had one of those big aluminum wings on his car. the wing has never been DOT approved for street use, he gets into an accident, the wing comes flying off and goes through the windshield of another passing car, severly injuring the driver. The driver of that car cant sue the company that makes the wing, but he sued the driver for using "unapproved DOT parts on a street driven vehicle"(which also in most states will void your insurance)

so the message is, the manufacturer is not responsible for how you USE their products, and thats all they can say. but you better realize its YOUR FAULT for miss use of parts that are clearly not for use on your daily driven vehicle.

check with our local county office on what is legal and what is not as all states differ.

 

athough, i do feel the need to point this out:


specific items, like tires for example, need to be DOT approved.

but for other items, theres is no approval process, nothing at all..

there are some places where items must "be of the same design as stock" and othe such gray areas though....

 

I would like to throw in the another perspective. That being parts as headers, cams, heads, and other parts also list the "off-road use only" sticker.

 

Alright tell me how you can get sued for using a non dot approved k-member. I mean come on now how can you hurt someone using it(if anything you hurt yourself). And who in there right mind after a accident goes looking at the guys car to see what he has in it. This should be more of a decasion about if these things can hold up day after day of normal use and not if you can get sued for using it.

 

How can you get sued for someone spilling coffee on themselves? I'm sure thats what Mac D said. But stupid **** like that happens all the time. My advice: "User descretion advised"

 

Well anything is possiable but come on now what are the odds. I mean i could be walking down the steet and be hit by a meteor but thats prolly not going to happen is it?

 

this is true.... those blueish tinted headlights you can buy at bumper to bumper say off road use only.... but would you get sued for having them if you were involved in an acident? they aren't even as distracting as FACTORY HID lights. I had a set in a Taurus SHO I used to have, and the cop pulled me over and actually CONFISCATEd my headlights lol. I had to leave my car in a burger king parking lot until the next day....................... but on a more serious note, what about wheel adapters?? for 4th gen wheels on a 3rd gen car? are they DOT approved or what? is it possible for someone to sue me for using them if i'm involved in an accident? the list is endless with all the AFTERMARKET parts out there.