I bought a Vantage Vango minivan. Ihas a governor that only allows it to go 40k. My insurance company says it has to go 50 MPH to be street legal in CO.
Vantage service reps say it is illegal for them to tell me how to tamper with the computer on the governor to speed it up. Is this true?
It’s probably not illegal, but it would be legally stupid of them to do it. If they told you how to speed it up, and you did, and then the van fell apart or you got in a wreck, you might sue them.
btw, from Vango’s website: “Vantage TruckALL? & VanGO? series of vehicles are not intended for use on public roads, streets or highways. It is for off-road use only.”
I’ll bet there is a regulation that constrains manufacturers from producing off-road vehicles capable of more than 40 mph. I’ll also bet that deep within that regulations is a stipulation that no one is allowed to modify the vehicle for higher speeds unless the other parts of the vehicle are made legal for on-road use - and that those modifications have to be certified and backed up by test data and supplied to the giovernment BEFORE the first vehicle is made. (The very first vehicle would be crashed tested and therefore destroyed.) Further, I’ll bet that somewhere else in the regulations it defines “modifications” to include supplying information on part modifications or supplying parts or how to make parts - other than direct replacement parts with identcal functionality.
Yup, I’ll bet it is illegal for them to tell you.
Legal or not it’s definitely a potential liability issue for them
You have to find this one out on your own if you want to do it
Just like when I had a Cadillac that wasn’t Z-rated. I wanted the dealer to program a Z rated vin into the computer for me so I could go faster. They wouldn’t do it even for $1000 and I don’t blame them.
The web site says the max mph is 25. It has a small, either 45 or 55 hp motor and weighs 1,950 lbs. It needs low gearing to have the power to move a loaded vehicle. While there may be a governor to keep from overreving the motor, I doubt you could get it to go 50 mph (twice the design speed) even if you could disable the governor.
At 50 mph the motor would be turning such high rpm’s it wouldn’t last long anyway.
“I’ll bet there is a regulation that constrains manufacturers from producing off-road vehicles capable of more than 40 mph.”
There isn’t. ATVs and snowmobiles are regularly capable of more than double that. This particular vehicle is meant for hauling more stuff around a large property than a Gator can carry. You don’t need to be doing highway speeds on a golf course, so they didn’t design the vehicle to go that fast.
How long 'till someone offers an after market overdrive unit for those things? They appear to be quite handy for many purposes. If streetable they should be a big seller. I have a truck that is never driven faster than 45mph and clocks less than 6,000 miles each year. Why isn’t a domestic alternative to that on the market that is streetable?
Is the Vantage Vango street legal in the U.S. period? I’m guessing it’s not.
If it is an off road vehicle, it doesn’t have to meet the US Department of Transportation safety requirements. Even if you could get it to go fast enough, it probably hasn’t passed the safety tests and inspections required to register it. BTW, off road means more than just stump jumping. It can be used on any private land, including parking lots and industrial plants. If you haven’t taken delivery yet, cancel your order. If you took delivery, see if you can return it. I’m sure that Vantage did not provide temporary plates so that you could drive it home. If they did, they broke the law and you have a good reason to return it at no cost to you.
“There isn’t. ATVs and snowmobiles are regularly capable of more than double that.”
Except that ATV’s and snowmobiles are clearly not covered by any “car/truck” regulations, because they aren’t car or truck-like. A Vantage Vango clearly is a car/truck-like vehicle and might be subject to a regulation for speed.
Before I bought this minivan, I rode in one that did go 50mph. That is all - just 50. It was a Vango CARGO mini.
Mine is a “7 passenger,” hence the Vango PMI (p is for passenger). I has windows all the way around but the seats are out.
I drive a Civic hybrid and bought this for the dogs- to go to the grocery, recycle etc. I only plan to run it around town. So, 40 mph would be fine if my insurance company (Taveler’s) would insure it. I guess I will have to hire a hacker . . . .
Near as I can tell from the info I found online, these Vantage Vango vehicles are off road vehicles. They are not meant to be driven on the street, but on private property as shuttle and cargo vehicles or security vehicles. They have no airbags or other safety features that are required for passenger cars that are driven on the street. If you can’t put a passenger car or “B” truck license plate on it, your insurance company is not going to insure it as a passenger car. It’s not about top speed. Many four wheelers will go more than 50mph, but you aren’t legally allowed to operate them as passenger cars. Sorry, but if you get caught by the police driving this thing around town, you will probably get into trouble, not for no insurance, but for operating a non-street-legal vehicle on public roads. Again, the four wheeler analogy.
I’m in agreement with mark9207. If you don’t believe him maybe your first step should be the tag agent, where they will likely tell you that a license plate won’t be issued for it.
The company that distributes these vehicles plainly state that it’s not for public road use at all. That sounds pretty clear to me.