Out of Province Vehicle Inspection
Printed From: West Coast Fieros
Category: General Fiero Chat
Forum Name: General Talk about Fieros
Forum Description: Just want to chat about fieros? here's the place to make that happen.
URL: http://www.westcoastfieros.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3318
Printed Date: 22 November 2024 at 2:38pm
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Topic: Out of Province Vehicle Inspection
Posted By: Patrick
Subject: Out of Province Vehicle Inspection
Date Posted: 12 September 2013 at 12:29pm
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Curses, I had a long post all typed out and lost it. Anyway, the gist of it... My recently acquired '88 Formula (from the US) failed the Out of Province Vehicle Inspection because it didn't have the same size tires as it had when it came from the factory 25 years ago. I told the owner of the shop that I was really choked about this. I do not have two 205/60/15 tires (for the front) and two 215/60/15 tires (for the back), nor do I plan to buy them just for the inspection. He's going to phone Victoria and check to see if there's any leeway with this regulation. Has anyone here successfully taken their car (Fiero or otherwise) for an Out of Province Vehicle Inspection and not had the original size tires installed? I'd like to hear about it! |
I guess we're not allowed to update or upgrade. 
Replies:
Posted By: Capt Fiero
Date Posted: 12 September 2013 at 1:47pm
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When I needed to get that done, I just found someone with a stock set of wheels/tires and borrowed theirs for the inspection, then when it was passed I went back and gave them their wheels and tires back. Simple and Free aside from the labour involved in swapping tires back and forth. (but you being a race car driver are no stranger to that)
I would offer up the ones from my 88GT as they are not in use at the moment, but I think they would fail due to tread separation on the left rear tire. I swapped on the tires / wheels from my V8 for this Oregon trip. ------------- Capt Fiero 88 Fiero GT 5spd V6 Eight Fifty Seven GT V8 5spd. |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 12 September 2013 at 2:11pm
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Yes, that's one option. It's so silly though isn't it? You know and I know and the shop owner knows that's what's going on... yet, that would be enough to allow the car to pass the inspection. It's just so stupid and unnecessary.
Thanks Dave, I might take you up on your offer. What size are the tires on the front rims? Are they actually 205/60/15? Unless the shop owner is told differently when he contacts Victoria to ask about this, he's currently insisting that the Formula needs to have the original size tires installed... 205/60/15 front and 215/60/15 rear. I'm hoping the shop owner will be phoning me later this afternoon to tell me the tire size regulation can be "relaxed" a bit. I'll post again when I hear something.
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Capt Fiero wrote:
Posted By: Capt Fiero
Date Posted: 12 September 2013 at 2:37pm
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Yes they are OEM sizes, Pirrelle's. (sp) 205/60/15 front and 215/60/15 rear. However as mentioned, there is tread separation on the left rear tire. Enough so that even my crazy butt, felt its unsafe to drive at speed. Maybe a short trip around town, but not highway 120-160kph speeds. ------------- Capt Fiero 88 Fiero GT 5spd V6 Eight Fifty Seven GT V8 5spd. |
Posted By: Capt Fiero
Date Posted: 12 September 2013 at 2:45pm
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Hey Patrick take a look at these pics. I wonder if I made one too many trips to Oregon at rather high rates of speed, LOL. Possibly towing the trailer put too much strain on them. Not sure but in either case, they are off the car for now.
http://captfiero.com/88gtwheelswap - http://captfiero.com/88gtwheelswap Sample pic. When you can see metal belts between the tread and the sidewall standing still, I can only imagine how much it expands at freeway speeds. Honestly it kinda scares me, I had Arianna in the car on several trips from Oregon to Canada.  ------------- Capt Fiero 88 Fiero GT 5spd V6 Eight Fifty Seven GT V8 5spd. |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 12 September 2013 at 4:09pm
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Colby mentioned to me that on his Formula rims (that he's not using) he has 215/60/15 tires on his rears (but his fronts are only 195/60/15). So perhaps I can use your fronts and Colby's rears. All just for this silly inspection. What a nuisance! I'm still hoping to hear from the owner of the shop if he's contacted Victoria yet and what he's found out. Dave, when are leaving to go back to Oregon?
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Posted By: Car-2-Lo
Date Posted: 12 September 2013 at 4:09pm
When we move here from Winterpeg 
FRONT: 16X7 225X50 / REAR: 16X8 245X50 and past "Out of Province Vehicle Inspection"  ------------- Johnny-B-Good 
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Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 12 September 2013 at 4:15pm
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John, are you serious?
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Posted By: Car-2-Lo
Date Posted: 12 September 2013 at 4:23pm
YES  the van had oversize tires too 
That's how it was inspected...  ------------- Johnny-B-Good
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Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 12 September 2013 at 4:36pm
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Man oh man, I guess different shops have different hang-ups. It depends how they wish to interpret the rules. I told you about the other shop that did the "pre-inspection" a couple weeks ago. The mechanic there said he would fail the Formula because of its fiberglass hood (the black one from off the duke). |
I told him ALL the factory panels were fiberglass (and/or plastic). 
Posted By: Capt Fiero
Date Posted: 12 September 2013 at 5:30pm
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I am leaving in 20 mins. However I don't have to be here, you are more than welcome to come grab them. I'll even leave the air compressor fired up, with the impact gun handy. Just come over and pop them off whenever you need them. I have a nice aluminum racking jack that makes it fairly easy. Just YOU CAN NOT JACK FROM THE FRONT. With the low nose you have to jack from either the side of the car, or under the control arms. Its kind a pain, but what can you do. If you call ahead, 604-584-7717 I am sure Tim or Lisa can at least point you in the right direction. ------------- Capt Fiero 88 Fiero GT 5spd V6 Eight Fifty Seven GT V8 5spd. |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 12 September 2013 at 6:02pm
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Not sure if you'll see this before you leave, but thanks Dave, I appreciate the offer. I'll raise a fuss with the shop owner before I have to swap the wheels/tires over, but as a last resort (just to get the damn inspection done) I'll do it if I have to. Thanks again. Drive safely!
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Posted By: Capt Fiero
Date Posted: 13 September 2013 at 8:58am
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Me drive safely? What's That. LOL. That's the reason I changed the tires over. I got screwed at Customs, got to the window and got the dreaded Orange Ticket and told to go to the office. They took my keys from me, took my passport from me and told me to go have a seat. I get approached about 20mins later by a guard. He says he used to own a Fiero and thinking about buying one again. He pauses and yells at another guard, and says "are you the one searching the Fiero" Replies Yes, Well ya know there is no place to hide things in there.
He then turns back to me, and asked about the car. He wanted to know all about it and how much I would sell it for. In the end he gave me his name and office number and said if I ever want to sell it, he wants first dibs on it. I told him I already had cash offers on the car, but I would add him to the list. He disappeared and a few mins later, I got called back to the desk handed all my stuff back and told I was free to go. It took about an hour, but they went through my car, had me fill out some paperwork and sent me on my way. I hit the highway and cruised at 80-90mph, (140-150kph) almost all the way down. It was very late before I made it through customs so by the time I hit Portland it was 1:30 in the morning. Sailed all the way to Aurora without a single issue. Averaged 30mpg in the car. 234miles on 8.2 Gallons of gas. So I was really pleased. I do have to get the tires / wheels balanced as anything over 150kph the vibration starts to get enough to feel it in the steering wheel. Last time I think I had them balanced was 10 years ago. They are sticky weights that have a tendency to fall off in long term storage. No biggie. Hope everything works well for your Inspection. If I have anything that can help, just ask. Also feel free to hit up the storage locker and rescue some cool stuff. Its all Free at this point. The locker is paid for until the end of the month, then it all goes to garbage. Lots of Body and Suspension and even a nice set of 14" aluminum wheels. ------------- Capt Fiero 88 Fiero GT 5spd V6 Eight Fifty Seven GT V8 5spd. |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 13 September 2013 at 4:23pm
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Oh man, don't get me started on the Customs guys... on both sides of the border. Someday I'll tell you what I went through when I brought two 88's across the border last month. I convinced the owner of the shop that the rims and size of tires on the Formula were acceptable for the inspection. I sent him http://www.gafiero.org/docs/fierospecs.pdf - This . The "temporary" rims and tires I currently have on the car are identical to what came on the '87 Fiero SE-V6 from the factory. So good news, right? Wrong. They also wanted me to adjust the parking brake, so I tightened it up. Works fine. There's a very steep hill right beside the shop. When I set the parking brake while parked there, the car wasn't going anywhere. However... When the shop owner set the parking brake, he simply wouldn't pull the lever up far enough. Four clicks and the brake was rock solid. He apparently wouldn't go beyond three clicks. So they won't let the Formula pass the inspection. This is such a freakin' piss off. |
Posted By: Capt Fiero
Date Posted: 13 September 2013 at 6:03pm
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Yikes sounds like you rubbed the repair guy the wrong way and he just won't cut you a brake, pun intended. When I went through it with my 85GT it cost me just over $2000 CDN for repairs and testing fee's and trip permits to get my 85GT setup with CDN plates. Really sucked but I loved the car so I paid for it. My Inspection place was however nice enough, that when it failed the E-Brake test he said he would turn his back for 10mins so I could quickly tighten it up a bit more. To the point of dragging, but once it passed, I quickly went back and un-did it. At the time Boss Teck Automotive in Langley was helping me prep the car, and then I had a place in Abbotsford do the inspection for me. Just a tiny hole in the wall shop. One that had very few regulations and could be more friendly to a car guy. You might try asking around to see if there is anyone on our club email list that is certified to do inspections. If not on our list, check with the PPPCC's on their Facebook page. I a sure one of their guys has the certification, or knows of a friendly shop to take it to that won't screw you over. ------------- Capt Fiero 88 Fiero GT 5spd V6 Eight Fifty Seven GT V8 5spd. |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 13 September 2013 at 6:25pm
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$2000 !!! Well, that's just it, I'm not prepared to do that. And besides, this car is in great shape. I was honest and told the shop owner beforehand that I would not be paying them to do anything other than the inspection. Anything it supposedly needed, I would be doing. He said he was fine with that.
That's what Gary and I were discussing just an hour or so ago. I'll adjust the parking brake cable(s) until the pads are dragging (but not fully engaged obviously) and then take it back for re-inspection. Once the car (hopefully) passes the inspection, then I'll back the adjustment off. This is such a farce, especially when we all know that cars which are literally falling apart are being driven all the time on local roads.
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Posted By: Capt Fiero
Date Posted: 13 September 2013 at 7:47pm
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Back in my actual street racing days. (not just driving fast on the street, but running from cops, organized 1/4 mile races and such) Cops knew it was nearly a death sentence to any street racer to give them a VI. Most of the cars were so modified that they had no chance of passing a Vehicle Inspection, and more so, the guys didn't care of the car had good ball joints or what not, they didn't need to turn, they just had to go fast in a straight line. Tiny little front tires, tires in the were 99% slick with just one little line in the middle so they could legally be called a street tire. If the cop didn't like you, he could write you for a VI just because he felt like it. Fortunately for us, Industrial park racing was considered by the cops to be the lesser of 2 evils and they left us alone most of the time. They concentrated on the guys racing in downtown city streets. Only coming after us when they got a call about it. However if they caught you out on the main road horsing around and your car was modified or they just didn't like your attitude, it was off to the VI for you. A lot of guys had stock parts piles in case of a VI they could take there car home waste a weekend putting stock parts on and making the car semi presentable then taking it to a buddy at a shop and getting it quasi checked out. However for the rest of the guys, it was sell the car and start over as it was cheaper to build a different car than try to repair the car.
Side note, I did import my fathers motorcycle into Canada from Oregon, and they issued me plates and insurance without a VI, however my tiny utility trailer, was forced to have a VI before I could insure it? LOL. Motorcycles are exempt I guess, but all other titled things are not. (In Oregon a Trailer gets a title just like a car does, but you don't have to have trailer insurance, Oregon law requires the cars coverage to cover the trailer, also no plates for trailers) I will NEVER try to deal with an Out of Province car ever again, or in my current case, keep it as minimum as possible. (which is why we are selling almost all of our cars in Canada) Besides the economy is so bad down here, that you can buy cars for 1/2 what we pay in BC. If it was not for having this big house and shop, there is no way in heck I would even consider moving our family down here. ------------- Capt Fiero 88 Fiero GT 5spd V6 Eight Fifty Seven GT V8 5spd. |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 13 September 2013 at 9:13pm
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Strangely enough, I'm starting to feel the same way.
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Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 16 September 2013 at 12:13pm
I tightened up the parking brake cable(s) even more. I also roughed up the brake pads with sandpaper and used a wire wheel brush on the rotors. Took it back to the shop this morning... Pass ! Now I can mod the hell out of it.
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Posted By: Capt Fiero
Date Posted: 16 September 2013 at 1:45pm
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Congratulations on being the new proud owner of a Love / Hate Relationship car. I love the cushy ride and tight handling of my 88GT. I hate the higher price for parts, lack of available parts. IE Steering Racks are Non Existent. TO lower an 88, you basically have the option to cut the coils or use Lowering Ball Joints. Don't you dare damage a suspension part as they are a nightmare to find. Oh and Good Luck with front wheel bearings. The current aftermarket bearings last at best one season, at worst one track day.
I love my 88GT as it is amazing on the highway, stable at almost any speed, comfortable cruising from Oregon to Canada and back with ease. With the cross drilled, slotted, vented front rotors, the brakes are even better. (rear ones will be done soon I hope) Upgrading to Corvette brakes on an 88 is a cake walk and fairly cheap compared to an 87. As with an 88 you re-use your calipers, lines and even E-Brake stuff. Just need the larger rotors and caliper adapter brackets. I am still not totally sure on the whole narrow vs wide wheel thing. I know the 88 was supposed to be wider in the front which is why they had to use the funny wheels. Does that mean that when you put aftermarket wheels with same size offset front and rear, that your front wheels are now sticking out further than the rear wheels? I do have spacers for a Fiero that are 1/4" thick plate steel that I could use on the back, but have not done so. ------------- Capt Fiero 88 Fiero GT 5spd V6 Eight Fifty Seven GT V8 5spd. |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 16 September 2013 at 9:48pm
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Thanks. Yeah, the Formula feels like a Cadillac compared to any other older Fiero I've owned. However, when pushed a bit in the corners, I don't like the feel. Too soft... and I have all new shocks and struts installed. So you gotta know I'll be altering and/or replacing the springs for autocross.
Yep. The front hubs on an '88 stick out more than the earlier years, but the rear is the same width as all Fieros. So... it'll look a little odd if the same width/offset wheels are put on front and back on an '88. |
