Black Lowering Springs

[joesouthgate]

This is just a thought, not thinking of doing it or anything :wasntme:
If you were to have lowering springs powder coated black, surely there wouldn't be any simple way for an insurance company etc to tell that they were lowering springs at all right?
Its just annoying as it ups the insurance on cars so much when most people just want it for looks after all.
This is not encouraging anyone to drive around with undeclared modifications, It was just a though I had!
Joe

 

[capnmchl]

My theory is that after a few miles, your springs would be covered in crap anyway, so they're not gonna really notice. Well, at least if you go for something small like 30mm.

 

[joesouthgate]

yer just thinking for the slx, i only want 30mm to keep it practical, just looks silly at the height it is now. But not after any better suspension, just lower.

 

[ollyc98]

I want stiffer suspension but I need the ground clearnace cos I occasionally go offroad a bit, however the only springs I can get are red or blue.
I'm thinking about shotblasting and then getting them powdercoated as I agree, it's not fair to be charged more for something that won't improve handling.

The only other way round it is to get standard springs from another car

 

[NeX]

if you mention it to the insurance company at any point they will use it against you. so for example i had a crash in the red car that wasn't my fault. i told them all about how the alloy wheels were damaged etc, and they said to me, "hey you never told us about the alloy wheels, your insurance is invalid and we expect you to pay us for the extra premiums you would have had to pay had you decleared them in the begining."

they wanted £400 from me before they would even continue processing a claim that was on the other person's insurance. but after getting VERY angry with them they bought up the old recording of the telephone convosation when i first opened the insurance and sure enough there i was delcaring modifications...

so the problem is, if they can get you for it they will, if some how they find out like they see your car next to another micra, or you try and claim for them when your car is scrapped in an accident, or even if they find your blog here (bring on the pay to get on thingy) then they will use that.

so best thing IF you were POSSIBLY thinking of MAYBE doing it, is to tell no one at all and just do it. never report it, distroy all recipts etc...

but yea pretty much impossible to work out without some clever equipment or something, insurance companies never get their hands dirty, they would never take your engine apart to check the profile on your cams for example.

 

[ollyc98]

they would never take your engine apart to check the profile on your cams for example.

Actually they would, they don't mind spending £250 for someone to strip your engine if it'll save them £3000 in claims. They would then charge you for the engine stripdown

 

[Robb]

Thats true but probably only on more expensive cars ^

I hate insurance lol.

 

[NeX]

Actually they would, they don't mind spending £250 for someone to strip your engine if it'll save them £3000 in claims. They would then charge you for the engine stripdown

never heard of it tho, thing is, yea they could pull your engine out of the ball of scrap, they could then pull it apart, but then they would have to get someone to mesure the timings on the cams, piston depths and compression rates, messure the flywheel weight, that is ALOT of work, and insurance companies don't actually know anything about cars.

no matter how many times i tell them, they still think my convertible is a hatchback. they let you do random things like adding an aftermarket ECU, but if you then get the ECU mapped that counts as an ECU remap which is something different. they don't realise that an aftermarket ECU is a remap as well.

but all in all, insurance companies are tards, they are money thiving #######s and they know it, its just because we HAVE to have insurance that they can be such #######s about it.

 

[spudders]

I bought a set of -35mm gmax springs from europerformance and they are black, don't know if they all are because they are red on the box but it's loads better black, the only way you can tell that there sport springs is you can see that they are progressively wound if you take the wheel off, but you can only really notice if you are looking for it. Not that I would condone the purchase of black springs to trick your insurance company into beleiving that they are standard...

 

[Manny]

never heard of it tho, thing is, yea they could pull your engine out of the ball of scrap, they could then pull it apart, but then they would have to get someone to mesure the timings on the cams, piston depths and compression rates, messure the flywheel weight, that is ALOT of work, and insurance companies don't actually know anything about cars.

no matter how many times i tell them, they still think my convertible is a hatchback. they let you do random things like adding an aftermarket ECU, but if you then get the ECU mapped that counts as an ECU remap which is something different. they don't realise that an aftermarket ECU is a remap as well.

but all in all, insurance companies are tards, they are money thiving #######s and they know it, its just because we HAVE to have insurance that they can be such #######s about it.

same here :grinning:

 

[capnmchl]

Ralph, be thankful that insurance isn't compulsory, because then it would cost an arm and a leg above what it does at the moment.

 

[NeX]

Ralph, be thankful that insurance isn't compulsory, because then it would cost an arm and a leg above what it does at the moment.

Insurance is compulsery.

In America you insure the person and not the car.
In Sweden you insure the car after that anyone can drive it.

But in England everyone has to be insured to drive every car they drive and each car needs it's own insurance

 

[ollyc98]

I'm suprised insurance companies haven't realised that the reason there's so many uninsured drivers is the stupid price of insurance, most people can't afford it. The govt. should force them to lower prices, then the ammount of drivers without insurance would drop.

 

[capnmchl]

Insurance is compulsery.

In America you insure the person and not the car.
In Sweden you insure the car after that anyone can drive it.

But in England everyone has to be insured to drive every car they drive and each car needs it's own insurance

What I meant was, if insurance wasn't compulsory, then it would cost way more, because there'd be less competition.

 

[NeX]

What I meant was, if insurance wasn't compulsory, then it would cost way more, because there'd be less competition.

That's true. But I never use my insurance anyway I pay outside the insurance to keep the premiums down

 

[capnmchl]

Bingo. What most people do. Unless it's major, do all the work yourself. Costs more in the short run but it's cheaper in the long.

Out of curiosity, which one, out of the swedish or american system, would you prefer? Personally, I would say the american one, but it would be difficult for new and young drivers to pay off their cost.

 

[NeX]

Bingo. What most people do. Unless it's major, do all the work yourself. Costs more in the short run but it's cheaper in the long.

Out of curiosity, which one, out of the swedish or american system, would you prefer? Personally, I would say the american one, but it would be difficult for new and young drivers to pay off their cost.

well if you put the volentery exccess up to what you would pay outside the insurance like £2k then it should drop it a lot.

I prefer the Swedish way actually because it's like all other insurance. You insure the thing you want replacing. But both have their advantages. It's just the English way that fails

 

[ollyc98]

I'd prefer myself to be insured, not my vehicles as I drive more than one, at least that way you can borrow a mates car for a day etc. I wonder if you'd be covered for joyriding.... lol

 

[capnmchl]

well if you put the volentery exccess up to what you would pay outside the insurance like £2k then it should drop it a lot.

I prefer the Swedish way actually because it's like all other insurance. You insure the thing you want replacing. But both have their advantages. It's just the English way that fails

I was speaking to some guy a while back actually, and he has 3 cars. He said what he does is, his daughter is fully comp on the cheapest car, and she can drive the other 2 3rd party, he's fully comp on the second cheapest one, and then that means he can drive the other 2 at 3rd party. His wife is fully comp on the most expensive one, and she can drive the other 2 at 3rd party.

Quite smart actually. All the cars have 1 insurance policy, with 1 driver, but can be driven by all of them.

 

[NeX]

I was speaking to some guy a while back actually, and he has 3 cars. He said what he does is, his daughter is fully comp on the cheapest car, and she can drive the other 2 3rd party, he's fully comp on the second cheapest one, and then that means he can drive the other 2 at 3rd party. His wife is fully comp on the most expensive one, and she can drive the other 2 at 3rd party.

Quite smart actually. All the cars have 1 insurance policy, with 1 driver, but can be driven by all of them.

ooh now thats smart

 

[BG101]

I was surprised to find some policies don't let you drive other cars (not belonging to or hired by you) as standard? I have this with both my policies. Although it is only TPFT on other cars of course.

The Swedish system sounds ideal where you want to teach a friend or relative to drive as this means they (or you) are not having to fork out an obscene premium.


BG

 

[Arnold]

I wouldn't tell them about the springs, it's not like they're coilovers or hydrolics, or a 70mm drop. Your talking 30mm, that's nothing!

 

[ollyc98]

You can get a 30mm drop by lowering the tyre profile, you don't have to tell them about that so springs shouldn't matter

 

[Hillzy17]

any one have pics of a micra lowered 55mm??

 

[joesouthgate]

yep my blog is full of them, so is roberts, sammyboi's......