Anyone had this problem before? I Got Pulled Over By The Police!!

[AudiS3Quattro]

I got pulled over by the police, He told me it was because my alloys were spaced to much and because I have stretched tyres on, the rims protrude the wheel arch.

As he looked around the car he noticed that my rear passenger side tyre was below legal limits, the police officer was nice about it and give me a 14 day producer, to get the tyre replaced, and the producer signed and sent back to the police. But there was no mention of my spacers or stretched tyres on the Producer, and just told me to replace the tyre/ ''defect rectified''.

I got the tyre fixed straight away and then realised the garage had to be a M.O.T approved garaged in order for the producer to be signed, so I got a receipt of the job and took the car to a m.o.t garage and asked them to confirm that the defect had be rectified, and asked them the sign the producer, but there refused to sign the produced because they said that the car would not pass an m.o.t because the alloys protrude the wheel arch, even though this had nothing to do with the '' defect'' on the producer which was now rectified.

Also on the back of the producer where the M.O.T approved garage is supposed to sign it says the following...

'' completion of the above certificate will only serve to show that the defect was not present at the time of re-examination and will not provide and protection from proceedings should defects be found on some subsequent occasion''

Your Thoughts and advice would be much appreciated!

 

[DJ_Troopa]

Take your spacers off and run them for show season only.

 

[djarchive]

Its true.

The tyre must not go past the arch otherwise your fecked im afraid


Had the same problem in my old Corsa B when she had some RH cups + had to get it sorted / take the rear spacers off

 

[dany2k]

being ex-police, i remember having this conversation with a traffic bobby once. it's a definite no-no. as for the '' completion of the above certificate will only serve to show that the defect was not present at the time of re-examination and will not provide and protection from proceedings should defects be found on some subsequent occasion'' all it means is that once you have them removed, that same certificate will not save you if you get pulled again.

 

[AudiS3Quattro]

The tyre must not go past the arch otherwise your fecked im afraid

The tyre Doesn't but the alloys do lol ;-)

 

[AudiS3Quattro]

being ex-police, i remember having this conversation with a traffic bobby once. it's a definite no-no. as for the '' completion of the above certificate will only serve to show that the defect was not present at the time of re-examination and will not provide and protection from proceedings should defects be found on some subsequent occasion'' all it means is that once you have them removed, that same certificate will not save you if you get pulled again.

Sweet, thanks I understand the legal stuff now!

 

[Smokey_clark]

I'm sure i remember reading once that aslong as the tread doesn't protude then you're ok i.e. if its the stretched tyre wall then its ok. someone will correct me if i'm wrong though i'm sure.

 

[AudiS3Quattro]

I hope that's the case, I mean its just annoying that I got pulled over for the wheels being to wide, then there was no mention of this on the producer once he found something else to complain about!

 

[Alex C]

I just asked somebody, traffic cop, and he says its the whole wheel that has to be insde the arch...

 

[g10chy]

I had no problems with my mk4 polo which has borbet t's sticking out the arches!!

Just try going around a few MOT garages and find one who isn't too fussy...I asked the owner and said do i need to swap to my standard wheels to get it through an MOT and he just said "No point taking them off for MOT as you will just put them back on again as soon as you get home...if anyone asks you put standard wheels on "

 

[AudiS3Quattro]

Yer guess I think I will just check a few different M.O.T garages

 

[MintyS3]

As said the wheel must not petrude from the arch. However no law against the stretch of a tyre. Just his oppinion I'd say.

 

[AudiS3Quattro]

As said the wheel must not petrude from the arch. However no law against the stretch of a tyre. Just his oppinion I'd say.

ah sweet that's good to know! so I probably could just take my spacers off if it happens again!

thanks for the help everyone!

 

[AudiS3Quattro]

As said the wheel must not petrude from the arch. However no law against the stretch of a tyre. Just his oppinion I'd say.

ah sweet that's good to know! so I probably could just take my spacers off if it happens again!

thanks for the help everyone!

 

[AudiS3Quattro]

woohoo, got the producer signed/ stamped. another locaal backstreet m.o.t garage were more than happy to stamp it!

 

[aragorn]

As said the wheel must not petrude from the arch. However no law against the stretch of a tyre. Just his oppinion I'd say.

The tyre manufacturer will specify a minimum and maximum rim width for a given tyre. If your outside this, then its illegal, just as it would be if the load index or speed rating was too low.

 

[motfree]

Get the arches flared out more

 

[steve bain]

I asked a copper mate and he said -

Firstly, the tread of the tyre MUST reside under the arch at the top. Therefore this can be achieved with either stretch or camber or a mixture of both.

Secondly, the overall wheel must not protrude over 1 inch outside the wheel arch. This could be avoided by running shorter axles or getting a wheel with a higher offset or simply getting different wheels.


So basically it is a grey area. maybe that is why it was not on the producer. If you were felling silly you could swap the rear wheels over before the test at the MOT. not that i would or have ever done that

 

[steve bain]

heres a pic of my old landy 'poke'

 

[Keeno]

I asked a copper mate and he said -

Firstly, the tread of the tyre MUST reside under the arch at the top. Therefore this can be achieved with either stretch or camber or a mixture of both.

Secondly, the overall wheel must not protrude over 1 inch outside the wheel arch. This could be avoided by running shorter axles or getting a wheel with a higher offset or simply getting different wheels.


So basically it is a grey area. maybe that is why it was not on the producer. If you were felling silly you could swap the rear wheels over before the test at the MOT. not that i would or have ever done that

That was the answer I was going to give. Was a constant bone of contention on Club Polo, the general consensus seemed to be that as long as the TREAD didn't protrude from the arch a majority of the authorities would consider it legal.

 

[future]

this got argued on the polo forum, the law states that the tread of your tyre must not be outside of the line of the arch, however it does attract unwanted attention from the police and is at their own discretion to deem your car 'safe'. I f they feel it is unsafe you can be made to remove/rectify the problem.

tom

 

[Pabl0]

I had the same MOT form for my old MK2 Golf GTI, side exit exhaust, yellow lights and tryes protruding arches.

Through the thing in the bin and never heard a word. First time i got one i took it directly to the police station and i swear he just put the form in the bin below the desk.

 

[A3Tom]

With regards to 'stretch' rather than 'poke' stretch can be a problem under construction and use regulations but its a massive grey area.

I spent ages trying to get a definite answer and couldnt and I'm plod!! :lol: