The Limos.com Forum Has Moved!!!

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/2006052.../605250365/1008/NEWS

Limos strain vehicle safety limits
Conversions put stress on brakes and suspensions
BY CHRIS CHRISTOFF
FREE PRESS LANSING BUREAU CHIEF

May 25, 2006

PORT SANILAC -- Those eye-catching stretch Hummers and some other SUV limos growing in popularity for proms and other events might be pushing the physical boundaries of brakes, suspension systems and frames, according to industry experts.

Only Lincoln and Cadillac build factory models designed for limousine conversion by specialty manufacturers. Converting other vehicles into limos generally voids warranties and sometimes comes with stern warnings from manufacturers.

Neither AM General, which makes the H1 and H2 Hummers, nor the Chrysler Group recommends stretching its vehicles into limousines.

"We officially frown on such shenanigans," said AM General spokesman Craig MacNab at the company's headquarters in South Bend, Ind. "We don't like it, we don't encourage it, it voids all warranties. Don't try this at home, kids."

Sara McLean, publisher of Limousine and Chauffeur Transportation magazine, said there's no way to tell whether a vehicle that's been stretched had its brakes and suspension system beefed up for the heavier load.

"Once you cut a car in half, all the primary testing goes out of the vehicle once you add the weight," she said. "You buy an H2 with a Tahoe platform" chassis, "add 10 feet of stretch metal -- that braking system is not acceptable."

Still, the number of limousines has grown in Michigan from about 1,100 to 2,700 in the last nine years and the supersize limos are one of the fastest- growing segments of the market.

A Free Press examination of the industry turned up no reports of serious accidents or injuries caused by inadequate design or construction. The issue is how the limo would handle in a panic situation or hold up in an accident.

Custom-made stretches

About 25 major coach builders in the United States and Canada that manufacture most limos in North America primarily use Lincolns and Cadillacs and follow Ford and General Motors guidelines to convert factory-made cars and SUVs.

Other limos are created in small shops like Rick Watson's Great Lakes Limousine, just outside Port Sanilac, a town on southern Lake Huron. Unlike the major converters that buy vehicles then stretch and sell them, Watson gets vehicles he stretches from limo companies.

"People come up to me and say, 'Can you build this?' I say, 'Yeah,' " shrugged Watson, 43, who's owned the company since 1997.

Watson said he's aware of the concerns within the industry but insists his limos are safe and built to carry heavier loads.

He's made limos out of a 1957 Chevrolet, a vintage Model A and many SUVs.

He and a crew of 38 cut cars and SUVs in half using a handheld power saw. By hand, they fashion each limousine's stretch body and frame, seats and glitzy interiors, working in three pole barns.

Watson said most weeks, he builds two coaches -- Hummers, Escalades, Chrysler 300s, Cadillac and Lincoln sedans -- stretched as long as 40 feet. He charges about $32,000 to convert a Cadillac or Lincoln, and between $40,000 and $50,000 to make an SUV stretch limo.

Watson said he and two other limo makers once hired a Texas company to test the braking and stability of their SUV limos and found that factory brakes were adequate. However, he said he still installs thicker brake pads on some larger limousines, as well as heavier springs.

Chrysler recently joined with an Ohio limousine-builder to make a limo version of the Chrysler 300 -- but it is only 6 inches longer and 100 pounds heavier than the factory model.

But the company has no guidelines for super-stretch limousines made of Chrysler products, said Mike Perugi, brand manager for the Chrysler 300.

"We don't have anything to do with that," Perugi said, adding that the company can't stop limousine-makers from converting cars and selling them. It does void the Chrysler warranty, he said.

Tough restrictions

New York City and the State of Connecticut effectively ban most SUV limousines from their roads. The state and city only license limos that meet design specifications set by Ford and Cadillac for turning a Town Car, Navigator, Cadillac DTS or Escalade into a limo.

Limos based on Hummers and Chrysler 300s aren't allowed in the Big Apple or on Connecticut roads unless they come from other areas.

Michael Sanders, transit administrator for the Connecticut Department of Transportation, said other Connecticut limo regulations are stricter than those in Michigan and other states, such as requiring limos to have seat belts for every passenger.

He said each year state inspectors check every limo that seats more than seven people, rather than relying on inspections by mechanics.

Michigan's annual state inspection of limousines does not test the braking capability or structural design of the vehicles. Those factors are loosely governed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which does not routinely inspect the nation's estimated 128,000 limos.

In Michigan, stretch SUVs that seat 16 or more people including the driver, are classified as buses and must undergo annual inspections by state inspectors.

There are 84 such SUV limos registered with the state, according to state records the Free Press obtained under a Freedom of Information Act request.

But industry watchdogs suspect there are more that might be licensed as smaller limousines, which cost less to insure.

Fran Shane, executive director of the National Limousine Association, said it's difficult enforcing industry standards for stretch SUVs and other supersize limos.

"People make them and regular people rent them," Shane said. "The whole purpose of riding in a limo is to be safer than if you were driving yourself. You want the vehicle to be safe."

Rae Tyson, an NHTSA spokesman, said there's been no evidence of particular problems with stretch limousines.

"There are a lot of specialty manufacturers," Tyson said. "The presumption is they understand what the federal requirements are when they build vehicles."

I wonder if this issues will be addressed when the feds take over control, i`m sure there will be some new regulations added when they come to town.