hey guys, i don't know if any of you know the answer but i was wondering how low a car can be lowered in california and how do the cops measure? i once got a ticket for being to low by almost half an inch, and im not sure how the F***er measured that. if anyone can find a link to a government web site explaining this i'd greatly appreciate it. or if anyone just knows the answer i'd be glad to hear from you. thanks.

 

Not that I know for absolute certain... but I beleive there is a minumum and maximum height requirement for your bumpers from the ground. I think this also applies to raised vehicles as well.

I don't know the actual limits but I remember reading something about it years ago when the monster truck craze first got started. To make the raised trucks legal to drive on the street, they needed to modify the bumper mounts to lower it to a certain height.

It's a safety issue because if you are too low, you will go under a vehicle in a rear end collision, or a vehicle hitting you from behind will go right over the top of you if you are too low.

 

I've heard things about the headlights being a certain distance from the ground as well as the top of the bumper. If your getting tickets for being too low then you have your car too low. I lowered my car for lower center of gravity, handling and appearance. but maybe the cop was just an ***.

 

thanks guys. yeah i've heard all those things too. before, i had dropped my car for better handling also, i thought it was within legal specification but i guess not. what i wanna know though is how would i measure myself and also what is the height of the bumper to make sure im still legal height if i lower it again.

 

The law is 20 or 21 inches from the center of your headlights to the ground.

 

22 in from the middle of the head lights

 

hey thanks kevin. i wa sjust about to post that, i found a little bit of info after i did some in-depth research and i just wanted to post what i found. but you are right about the 20-21 inches from the center of the headlight to the ground. here's some info i found including car minimum height and maximum height. hope you guys learn something.

<u>California Car height laws:</u>

<u>1.</u> 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.

<u>2.</u> 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 (c).

(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

(c) 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.

<u>3.</u> 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.

 

So this means the car should be lower than 24 inch. From the middle of your head light and the ground and the bumper should be higher than 5inch off the ground?

 

some cops in my area wont let you get out of the car while they measure so they can write a lower measurement and cite you. i recieved a ticket for being too low and the cop didnt even take a measurement, he just "estimated"

you can get it signed off because they are fix it tickets, but what most of these **** suckers want to do is get moded hondas off the street.