The Official Good Ideas Thread™
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I thought the UK Police just gave you points on your license, a fine, and a document stating you have to fix the defects and get the car reinspected and take the proof to a Police station within X days. Or you're not allowed to drive it except driving it home and to get it fixed and inspected or something.
I've never known of confiscation for bald or otherwise defective tyres.
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Listen, confiscating the car instead of letting me take it right to a repair shop is nothing but revenue enhancement. I hope you can see that. A perhaps-reasonable compromise would be a fix-it ticket: i.e., "get it fixed within a week or pay a $200 fine". But impounding the car? Unreasonable.
There's clearly different laws on each side of the Atlantic. Over here you will get a ticket that means you need to bring the car to a police station in seven days to have non-dangerous defects addressed. That would cover things like a rear light being out, or tints on the front windows (I'm not making that bit up).
But for anything dangerous it must be rectified at the roadside (which, in this case, could be by fitting the spare if one existed and was in good condition). You'd probably still get a ticket, though...But if it can't be fixed at the roadside then the vehicle is deemed to be in too dangerous a condition to continue the journey - that's when it gets "recovered" (aka impounded) by the police.
If you accept the premise that the vehicle is dangerous (let's ignore your situation with your tire for the sake of this discussion) then it's reasonable that a dangerous vehicle should not be allowed to continue its journey, right?So all that's left is the what constitutes dangerous and, in the UK, that includes a tyre with split or less than 1.6mm of tread.
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I thought the UK Police just gave you points on your license, a fine, and a document stating you have to fix the defects and get the car reinspected and take the proof to a Police station within X days. Or you're not allowed to drive it except driving it home and to get it fixed and inspected or something.
That's the kind of thing I was talking about by a fix-it ticket.
The cops have got far better things to do than police (heh) people's tires. For example, speeding tickets, although I gather your lot have outsourced that to cameras.
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That's the kind of thing I was talking about by a fix-it ticket.
Yeah. Still points and a fine (which presumably funds more speed cameras rather than useful things like Police officers or fixing the roads) but better than a pointless confiscation.
They're not really out just to check tyres, it's more that you get pulled for something else like speeding and they check the tyres.
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Yeah. Still points and a fine (which presumably funds more speed cameras rather than useful things like Police officers or fixing the roads) but better than a pointless confiscation.
They're not really out just to check tyres, it's more that you get pulled for something else like speeding and they check the tyres.
Good point. We have all these "STOP! POLICE! CAMERA! DRIVE! ARREST! WHAM!" programs on TV here where they follow the cops around.
They seem to have a sixth-sense about which cars to pull over and invariably find that the ones that are full-to-the-brim with cocaine and machetes also have bald tyres and no insurance.
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then it's reasonable that a dangerous vehicle should not be allowed to continue its journey, right?
Ok, if we're talking about in the abstract, I can allow as there might possibly be situations where that's warranted.
what constitutes dangerous and, in the UK, that includes a tyre with split or less than 1.6mm of tread.
Bear in mind, of course, that given the short period of time it was like that, this would essentially only happen if a cop wound up next to me at a red light, on the correct side of the car, and only if he happened to look at my tire and the tire was in a position where he'd even be able to see the split, which I think was only about 1/3 the way around.
I wind up next to a cop at a red light about...well, it's not likely to even be once a year.
And again, I agreed right off it wasn't safe, but I did point out--more than once--I got it fixed just about as soon as possible. The only way I could've done it sooner would be if I went straight to the tire store. But I had a customer call first thing in the morning, and the office is essentially exactly between home and the tire store, and the total distance from A to B to C is three miles, again, of which I'd probably be driving 25mph, so I took a calculated risk, bearing all that in mind, plus the fact that I have experience with low-speed blowouts and know how to deal with same[1]. If I were going to drive on the interstate? No, I'd've gone to the tire store first.
[1] driving the kind of donut spare you get on small cars is actually worse than driving with that split, I can tell you from experiencing both kinds!
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They're not really out just to check tyres, it's more that you get pulled for something else like speeding and they check the tyres.
Heh. Well, based on what I've said upthread, that wouldn't be likely to ever happen, as I generally don't speed, and the registration and the like are up-to-date.
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Heh. Well, based on what I've said upthread, that wouldn't be likely to ever happen, as I generally don't speed, and the registration and the like are up-to-date.
And the cocaine and machetes?
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And the cocaine and machetes?
What else do you think the gap between the tread and the tyre was for?
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You need to be careful with machetes around
tyrestires: look what happened to Frosty!
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And the cocaine and machetes?
I got the handle to a floor jack--and the floor jack, in case you were wondering--and a pair of corded power drills, the latter being in a plastic bin--in the back of the cabin. There might be some Benadryl in the glovebox.
Oh, and jumper cables! I got those under the center console, so if the cops are willing to sit still and wait for me, I could zap 'em.
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Yeah, he's gotta hide them somewhere else now.
Have you seen how many glove boxes[1] and sundry cup holders and components a Sedona has? I have TEN cup holders.
[1] two tiny ones, because one big one was apparently too hard. Also a CD compartment, a sunglasses one, and another in the third row driver's side. In some ways, the car's pretty awesome.
(In case you haven't, this is a roughly representative picture, but it's not my model: in particular, the lower door is about 30% smaller, and the compartments themselves are even smaller than you'd think based on the door size.)
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Automatic center console shifters are da debil!
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Automatic center console shifters are da debil!
You prefer a stick on the steering column?
At least my center console has a nice pseudo-wood burl inlay around the black plastic area. But I cannot find a single image of the American version of the console, that shows the passenger side as it looks like in my car.
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I used to drive a manual transmission, and old habits die hard. My driving skills go full retard when they disguise the automatic shifter as a manual shifter.
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Heh. Oh, I knew in November it was getting to the point where it needed to be replaced, but it still had sufficient tread, even on the edge, to pass.
Should have planned for the replacement then, instead of waiting 10 months.
driving the kind of donut spare you get on small cars is actually worse than driving with that split, I can tell you from experiencing both kinds!
This is part of why I tend to upgrade to a full-size spare. That and the annoying speed/distance limitations on the donut spares are a bit of a pain with all the freeway driving I do.
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@loose said:
The rest of the tread looks fine,
It's balder than Patrick Stewart!
There is tread on the rest of the tire, but I really can't tell from that picture how much. May be fine; may be just barely enough see that pattern.
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Should have planned for the replacement then, instead of waiting 10 months.
Meh--it was only $104 with tax and whatnot.
This is part of why I tend to upgrade to a full-size spare.
This care came with a full-sized spare.
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There is tread on the rest of the tire, but I really can't tell from that picture how much. May be fine; may be just barely enough see that pattern.
I am pretty sure that it was above the wear indicators for most of the width of the tire. Obviously I can't check any longer.
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Because I know you all care, here's the other three tires:
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I am disappointed in you. FAIL
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I don't think anybody stated it was safe to drive.
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Again. Disappointed.
My point IS that a tyre with a more worn edge would not have necessarily failed an MOT. That the Tyre passed the last MOT is self evident. My additional point is that a catastrophic failure of this nature is catastrophic. It can be fine to a casual, visual, inspection and after, even, a short drive fail.
That you took from my post that I was of the opinion it would pass an MOT NOW, is what disappoints.
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That you took from my post that I was of the opinion it would pass an MOT NOW,
I was just pointing out to @loose that it wouldn't (just before the delamination) pass a UK inspection
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Your Bobbies got nothing better to do than revenue enhancement, eh?
FWIW, fines don't go to the police in the UK. They go to central government. (I like to think of someone who is driving badly and/or without legal number plates as being someone who is just asking to make an additional voluntary payment to the Exchequer…)
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as 80% (or something) of the surface of the tyre is ok
Sweden: at least 1.6mm remaining of the pattern anywhere on the tyre. 3mm for winter tyres. This tyre would not roll here.
INB4: No, not the sides, obviously. <sigh>
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FWIW, fines don't go to the police in the UK. They go to central government.
Who gets the money isn't really the issue--the fact is, the cops are still out there looking to raise taxes rather than find murderers and whatnot. Admittedly, if the money doesnt' go directly to them, they are maybe less likely to vigorously pursue such revenue enhancement.
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Let me tell ya, that shit is an outright epidemic.
It's worse than all of those gas stations exploding because they have locking levers on the pumps.
Look, you guys, you can either have your unicorn startups or safe roads and gas stations.
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@FrostCat said:
Heh. Well, based on what I've said upthread, that wouldn't be likely to ever happen, as I generally don't speed, and the registration and the like are up-to-date.
And the cocaine and
machetes9 mills?This is America.
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@skotl said:
@FrostCat said:
Heh. Well, based on what I've said upthread, that wouldn't be likely to ever happen, as I generally don't speed, and the registration and the like are up-to-date.
And the cocaine and
machetes9 mills?This is America.
What punk neighborhood are you living in where you're not using .45? Are you sure you're an American? Maybe you're actually living in America's Hat.
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12 gauge is more my style. But I still suspect that's what the cocaine guys are driving around with.
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But I still suspect that's what the cocaine guys are driving around with.
The cocaine guys are probably packing .380 or something silly because they think it looks cool.
As a guy in a gun store once told me, "you should be careful with .25ACP. If you shoot someone with that and they notice, they'll probably be annoyed."
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huh.
you hitted a curb or something with the other tire?that, or you car has a serious alignment problem....
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@boomzilla said:
@skotl said:
@FrostCat said:
Heh. Well, based on what I've said upthread, that wouldn't be likely to ever happen, as I generally don't speed, and the registration and the like are up-to-date.
And the cocaine and
machetes9 mills?This is America.
What punk neighborhood are you living in where you're not using .45? Are you sure you're an American? Maybe you're actually living in America's Hat.
The FBI has stopped issuing .45s. Sadly, they opted to go for the 9 mil instead of a manly weapon like a Desert Eagle .50. Their excuse was something about the ammo being significantly cheaper. They may have also had some lame excuse about some stats indicating that stopping power is about putting more rounds in the perp, not using larger bullets.
What a bunch of pansies.
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you hitted a curb or something with the other tire?
Yes, I probably scraped a curb once or twice, if you're talking about the slight discoloration on the side of the first picture. I don't generally move fast enough in places where that might happen for serious damage to be a concern: I've never lost a tire due to sidewall damage.
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They may have also had some lame excuse about some stats indicating that stopping power is about putting more rounds in the perp, not using larger bullets.
While I agree with the "pansies" comment I am reminded of a gun store clerk who pointed out that you may pooh-pooh .22LR as a self-defense weapon, putting thirteen small holes[1] in a person makes quite a statement.
[1] The size of the stock, single-stack magazine on the pistol we were talking about; compare to 6-8 in a compact .45.
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@abarker said:
They may have also had some lame excuse about some stats indicating that stopping power is about putting more rounds in the perp, not using larger bullets.
While I agree with the "pansies" comment
It was a joke.
I am reminded of a gun store clerk who pointed out that you may pooh-pooh .22LR as a self-defense weapon, putting thirteen small holes[1] in a person makes quite a statement.
For this kind of reason.
Because of reduced recoil, you can also put more rounds into a dangerous perp with greater accuracy (meaning less danger to innocents and surrounding property) and in less time (meaning the perp has less chance of hurting other) when using a smaller caliber.
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They may have also had some lame excuse about some stats indicating that stopping power is about putting more rounds in the perp, not using larger bullets.
Easy for them to say. They're not shooting Moros armed with keris knives.
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Shouldn't that be 0.354330709 inches then?
No, he used an American-style abbreviation for millimeter. It's every bit as valid as the kibble SI prefixes silly people want to use.
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@boomzilla said:
9 mills
This is America.
Shouldn't that be 0.354330709 inches then?
Depending on raisins, 9mm might be 0.355 inches, 0.356 inches, or 0.357 inches. And sometimes, if they measure the case instead of the bullet, they'll call it 0.380 inches.
For extra fun, my 7mm Remington Magnum actually fires a 7.2mm projectile, and the 6.8mm SPC actually fires a 7mm projectile.
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7mm?
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Don't worry, dude. It's what you do with it that counts
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It's what you do with it that counts
Just make sure you don't go off half cocked, or shoot your bolt
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@loose said:
The rest of the tread looks fine,
It's balder than Patrick Stewart!
Jesus, British people must drive in grossly unsafe cars if that would pass inspection.
Exhibit A:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQh56geU0X8