“This could really screw up our business,” said David Davison, general manager of Fatt Boyz custom wheel shop in Moraine and proud owner of his own donk, a 1972 Buick Riviera with 22-inch rims.
“I know some dealers in Cincinnati who want to return all of their inventory (of oversized wheels) to the manufacturer because they think they’ll get stuck with it because of this.”
Larry Williams of Dayton said he’s concerned that Cincinnati’s donk crackdown — authorized under state law and city ordinances that allow police to impound unsafe vehicles — is more about the drivers than their cars.
“It’s just profiling; straight stereotyping,” said the 26-year-old Williams, who earlier this week had 24-inch wheels installed on his Dodge Charger at Fatt Boyz.
“Will they (Cincinnati police) pull over a guy driving a new Camaro? No. They come with 20-inch rims, too.”
Williams, who is black, said he and many of his friends frequently drive their donks to Cincinnati to visit friends and relatives and to attend regional events, such as Macy’s Music Festival and the Black Family Reunion.
“What are they (police) going to do then when we all come rolling into town?” he asked.
Cincinnati police say their “increase in enforcement” is tied mainly to the growing number of vehicles “over-modified” by amateurs and not directed at cars with factory-installed equipment.
“This issue with the ‘Big Wheel’ cars is simply a matter of safety,” a message from the police department’s traffic unit reads. “At the present time and for many, many years, law enforcement has made a diligent effort in reducing auto accidents involving unsafe vehicles.”
Cincinnati police say donks pose serious risks to drivers for a variety of reasons, including that the wheels lift car bumpers above height restrictions, exposing gas tanks and engine parts to direct hits in collisions with other cars. Bigger, heavier wheels can also inhibit steering and braking, making them dangerous to drive, they say.
At least 121 vehicles have been impounded in Cincinnati since 2009 because of such safety concerns, and all of them failed to pass subsequent safety inspections, according to the police department’s public information office.
Critics say there’s little evidence that cars modified with oversized wheels have caused or been involved in an unusual number of accidents in Ohio or elsewhere. And the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which regulates the aftermarket parts industry, has issued no warnings to manufacturers of oversized wheels that their products violate NHTSA regulations.
Joe Guiloyle, general manager for manufacturer Dayton Wire Wheel in Centerville, said the safety hazards posed by oversized wheels stem mainly from improper installation, which could be a problem with any car. Giloyle thinks the concern about donks in Cincinnati is overblown.
“Any car that’s on the road has potential safety concerns,” he said. “More than likely, it’s just the cops looking to crack down on something else, and it’s a good excuse to pull people over. I’m sure it has more to do with the customer that they’re trying to pull over than the car.”
The issue has garnered national attention from trade magazines and industry groups, including the Specialty Equipment Market Association, one of the nation’s largest trade groups for aftermarket parts makers and dealers.
Steve McDonald, a spokesman for the SEMA, said the trade group recently issued an “alert’’ to all of its members in Ohio after learning that Cincinnati police were targeting vehicles with oversized rims.
“While the aesthetics of the donk movement are open to question, it’s hard to imagine the big rims have such a detrimental effect on performance to the point where the vehicles are no longer road-worthy,” the letter reads.
The alert also addresses the profiling issue, soliciting comments from those who “believe that you are being targeted by law enforcement despite compliance” with safety standards.
Fatt Boyz’s Davison said his biggest fear is that Cincinnati’s new enforcement measures could gain traction in other parts of the state, although local police, including the Dayton Police Department, have not followed Cincinnati’s lead.
“I already had one guy come in and ask me if they (police) were pulling over cars in Miamisburg like they are in Cincinnati,” he said.
“As far as I know, they’re not. But rumors like that can spread easily, and that can hurt business.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2437 or rtucker @DaytonDailyNews.com.
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