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COPS and fender trimming.

W

wannabe

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Aloha Oregon
Im looking for another XJ to swap all my junk onto since my roll and have been throwing around the idea of trimming the fenders and lowering my "new" XJ. My biggest fear is getting ticket after ticket because of tires hanging out. I will be running 35x12.5's on 15x8 with 3.75 BS. Anyone had problems with this? Thankx
 
Check your local laws. I believe a lot of states require something to cover up the tires for the most part.

But, my fender's are trimmed with no flares and as of now its my DD. And I haven't been hassled or anything.
 
it all depends how much the cops like you in local towns... if you get pulled over and hes having a bad day you will get a ticket. Once again a 3.75 and 35s are going to give at least 5 inches of tire sticking out so it depends on the area. If there are a lot of other lifted trucks that get hassled then you will be.. if you are the only one i doubt the cops even know the law. Around here in NJ the cop at my school said as long as his windshield does not get broken behind someone with big tires he wont write out a ticket.
 
i had 33x12.5's on 15x8 with 3.75" of backspacing and never got pulled over or ticketed for my tires sticking out too far, and im in CA

only thing is when its rainy the rain water off the tires will splatter on to the windshield when you turn at all and it can get pretty annoying
 
well this is sorta my area of expertise but around here (Idaho) the city and county guys are unlike to give you any trouble over it and Idaho State police may pull you over but if everything is in order they "most likely" will not write for it. Personally I have never pulled anyone over for it but then again I also frequent this and other off road sites. You can decrease the odds of problems by fabbing up removeable mudflapps that give good coverage. the ones I have seen use a wide rubber belting hooked to a piece of 1-1 1/2" tubeing that slides in to a larger size tubing and is held in place by a bolt or pin (like the 2" recivers only smaller) that gives a good showing of trying to protect others from flying rocks ect and can be pulled quickly.
 
Removable flares are easy to rig up, although probably ugly. I saw a guy in a Bronco II a week ago who had cut some big rig mudflaps to fit along the inside of his fenders. He attached them with wide velcro strips and then just pulls them off when he goes wheeling. I asked him if he can get them back on when they are muddy, and he pointed out that he just covers the strips with extra velcro after he takes off the flaps. It seemed too much trouble to me, but I watched him do it while readying for the trail, and it took him all of about 2 minutes to do all four corners. It takes me longer than that just to air down...
 
prerunnerXJ said:
i had 33x12.5's on 15x8 with 3.75" of backspacing and never got pulled over or ticketed for my tires sticking out too far, and im in CA

only thing is when its rainy the rain water off the tires will splatter on to the windshield when you turn at all and it can get pretty annoying
Click to expand...


RAIN? in California?.... LOL.. your not from California..... it never rains

but ya seriously... im in the same boat... same BS in the front... no problems here either... just the same water/mud... stuff flyin off your wheels....
its like driving between a wall of water at low speeds....

no hastles from cops over here either *knock on wood*
 
I have no flares and am running 3.75-4" BS i think on 31x10.5x15" rims, got pulled over for other things but no officer ever mentioned my tires
 
117_1777.JPG



36"X13.5" IROKs with FS diffs(65"WMS), Major fender trimming with 6" of tire sticking out.

6" TJ Steel Horse extended flares on front and conveyor belting on back. Tires are 100% covered.

I chased down one trucker and made him pay for my windsheild cause he was missing one flap and he threw a rock at me. I wouldn't hesitate to chase you down if you threw a rock a me and damaged my windsheild/vehicle.
 
love the spare :laugh3:
 
wannabe said:
Im looking for another XJ to swap all my junk onto since my roll and have been throwing around the idea of trimming the fenders and lowering my "new" XJ. My biggest fear is getting ticket after ticket because of tires hanging out. I will be running 35x12.5's on 15x8 with 3.75 BS. Anyone had problems with this? Thankx
Click to expand...
Yes.

As noted, check your laws. If your modifications don't conform to the laws, expect that you may have problems.

I bought an '88 MJ (Comanche) with "trimmed" ("hacked," is more accurate) fenders. I drove it around for a few months, then one day I stumbled into a DMV spot check. 31" tires on stock rims extended about 1-1/2" beyond the bodywork with no front flares, and I was written up for it. I was getting ready to leave on an extended trip, so I had 10 days to get new fenders, prep and paint them, find a set of front flares, install them, install the new fenders on the vehicle, and take the truck to the DMV office to get an inspection sign-off.
 
cLAYH said:
117_1777.JPG



36"X13.5" IROKs with FS diffs(65"WMS), Major fender trimming with 6" of tire sticking out.

6" TJ Steel Horse extended flares on front and conveyor belting on back. Tires are 100% covered.

I chased down one trucker and made him pay for my windsheild cause he was missing one flap and he threw a rock at me. I wouldn't hesitate to chase you down if you threw a rock a me and damaged my windsheild/vehicle.
Click to expand...

that rear flare/conveyor belt is the ugliest thing ive ever seen hasta lol
 
Just how sure are you that that is true? :D


















uglyperson033zp.jpg
 
cLAYH said:
I sure do get a lot of flak for those rear flares, but they work and keep the cops off my back.
Click to expand...


Here in Idaho you could still be pulled over for no mudflaps but there again most officers aren't going to care
 
I dont' know about Oregon... but here in MA they're awful about it.

I got failed immediately on my inspection because the tires were out beyond the fenders in the front.
Only by an inch or so, but they still failed me.

Had to get another set of rims with stock backspacing to pull 'em in. (the rig came with 3.5" or so american racing wheels... )
 
There is no substitute for doing your homework before modifying.

I visited some of the lads in Rhode Island yesterday. One told me they have had to go shopping for inspection stations, because the ones who go by the book won't even look at any vehicle that has been lifted (or dropped) more than 2 inches.

Connecticut has a DMV regulation that says no lift higher than 4" total (chassis and suspensio combined, anthough that doesn't matter for an XJ). They also say no suspension mods that will cause the shocks to top out or bottom out.

These are not usually enforced by the police on routine patrol, but like my little incident, they are enforced by random DMV roadside inspection checks. And they are available for use by any police officer who needs more charges to add on for a mouthy driver getting stopped for speeding, or who causes an accident and rubs an officer the wrong way.

There's no question that we have a lot of trucks on the road here that are way beyond what's allowed, and most of them don't get cited. But ... the possibility is always there. Some of the guys with the "big" trucks know this and drive accordingly, others don't know it and find out the hard way.
 
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