California laws...., question for anyone who might know them Options

[ajmorris1977]

i got pulled over today and the officer told me my car is too low but could not state the law to me, he left me leave with a warning but it left me wondering, what is the law on my cars ride hieght? so if anyone knows or knows where i can look it up i would be greatful, thanks for reading....

i hope this thread is in the right place but if not, sorry....

[johnnehh]

California Car height laws:

1. 24008. It is unlawful to operate any passenger vehicle, or commercial vehicle under 6,000 pounds, which has been modified from the original design so that any portion of the vehicle, other than the wheels, has less clearance from the surface of a level roadway than the clearance between the roadway and the lowermost portion of any rim of any wheel in contact with the roadway.

Amended Ch. 462, Stats. 1984. Effective January 1, 1985.

2. Frame and Floor Height

24008.5. (a) No person shall operate any motor vehicle with a frame height or body floor height greater than specified in subdivisions (b) and ©.

(b) The maximum frame height is as follows:
[This table lists the maximum frame height for various types of vehicles.] *
Vehicle Type Frame Height

(1) Passenger vehicles, except housecars 23 inches

(2) All other motor vehicles, including housecars, as follows:
Up to 4,500 pounds GVWR 27 inches
4,501 to 7,500 pounds GVWR 30 inches
7,501 to 10,000 pounds GVWR 31 inches

© The lowest portion of the body floor shall not be more than five inches above the top of the frame.

(d) The following definitions govern the construction of this section:

(1) "Frame" means the main longitudinal structural members of the chassis of the vehicle or, for vehicles with unitized body construction, the lowest main longitudinal structural members of the body of the vehicle.

(2) "Frame height" means the vertical distance between the ground and the lowest point on the frame, measured when the vehicle is unladen on a level surface at the lowest point on the frame midway between the front axle and the second axle on the vehicle.

(3) "GVWR" means the manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating, as defined in Section 390, whether or not the vehicle is modified by use of parts not originally installed by the manufacturer.

* The bracketed information has been added editorially to meet accessibility requirements and is not part of statute.

Amended Ch. 718, Stats. 1987. Effective January 1, 1988.

3. Depending on the state that you live in the laws will vary. In most cases I don't believe there is a minimum ground clearance, however I believe your headlights must be 21 or 22 inches from the ground.

[BeefyT]

CALIFORNIA LAWS SUCK!!!

[CelicaST_CALI]

they go from the center of the headlights,idk wat the inches are,but they measure it from from the center of the headlights

[Hanyo]

i remember this one from my drivers ed class.

The CHP officer told the class, the lowest you can go on your car is determined by your rim size. Basically the lowest point of your car can not be lower then your deflated tire. So if you have a blow out, your car will not skid on the ground causing accidents.

Lowered frame (or any other part) that is lower than the lowest point of the wheel rim (24008 VC).

The other requirement is frame height. So when a car accident happens, the cars frames will collide absorbing the impact. You dont want a cars frame to be lower or higher then another cars frame.

That is the reason why people measure the middle of the headlights. That number is around 21"-23".


You have to meet those requirements to be street legal.

If you want to read more.

http://www.chp.ca.gov/community/streetlegal.html

[ajmorris1977]

thank you guys, i guess i am too low then, not sure if i want to run the risk or raise her up some though lol....

[CelicaST_CALI]

just state that ur bumpers are really low,and that the frame of your car is actually much higher than the bottom of the kit

[terbear4god4life]

just state that ur bumpers are really low,and that the frame of your car is actually much higher than the bottom of the kit

that is true with the invader

[ajmorris1977]

just state that ur bumpers are really low,and that the frame of your car is actually much higher than the bottom of the kit

that is true with the invader

yep and my side skirts are the same hieght as the front.....

[CelicaST_CALI]

and unless he gets on his beer belly hes not gonna be able to be able to look under the car

[epocsirhc]

I say f!*& the police and lower it more!

[Galcobar]

You face ticketing according to the law as written "any portion of the vehicle," so if your bodykit is below your wheel bottom you are still in violation of the statute.

[CelicaST_CALI]

wheel=rim?cause he has reallly low pro tires

[ajmorris1977]

ok i think i understand it and i'm too low if i'm correct, here is a pic what do you guys think?

[rave2n]

By law, your to low. You can see where your front Bump is lower then your Rim lip.

[garin]

By law, your to low. You can see where your front Bump is lower then your Rim lip.

the left side of the pic is the front of the car... it looks like the skirt is actually lower.

that car is LOW! haha

[ajmorris1977]

couple more pics for your amusement,




at this point i think f... it i love the way it looks so i'll run the risk of a ticket!

[benzo]

doope! glad to see you finished the body work.

as for my car, still waiting on insurance to let me know whats up. stupid that it takes forever to determine who is at fault!

[chode]

its your car and you can do wtv you want, but for my taste i think your car would look way cleaner if you would use only one spoiler.
( as much as i like them, i think your car would be nicer without the gt-four wing)

btw your ride height is sick

[benzo]

its your car and you can do wtv you want, but for my taste i think your car would look way cleaner if you would use only one spoiler.
( as much as i like them, i think your car would be nicer without the gt-four wing)

btw your ride height is sick

hmmm. you know what, hes right.

so sell me your gt4 wing:)