BS state lift and flare laws... So glad to live in CO!

[SurfXJSnow]

So, i had nothing to do so i decided to research some other threads on different states laws on lifts, blocks, vehicle height, and fender flares...

THEN I LOOKED AT COLORADOS LAWS! So happy to live in this state.

According to the info I found on CO, the only law we have to worry about is making sure our headlights aren't higher than 44" and our tail lights 72". I can live with that.

There are stories of people in rhode island that have to have actual mud flaps, and flares that cover the tires tread 100% or they fail.

In dirty New Jersey the highest you can have your jeep lifted is 4" until you have to take a stability test! ??????

Some states outlaw after market shackles and blocks (i can understand blocks being outlawed).

So, has anyone run into any problems in CO with the police regarding lift height? Flareless? Doorless? Im curious as to how far you can take it in colorado before you get a ticket.

Not that im going to try anything illegal... YELLAHEEP :greensmok

 

[YELLAHEEP]

Vehicular Assault on a cooler is a Felony. Where you gonna be later today..... I gots friends dat wanna speak wit yous....

Oh, and Colorado has a VERY LOOSELY enforced law:

42-4-233 Alteration of Suspension System

(1) No person shall operate a motor vehicle of a type required to be registered under the laws of this state upon a public highway with either the rear or front suspension system altered or changed from the manufacturer's original design except in accordance with specifications permitting such alteration established by the department. Nothing contained in this section shall prevent the installation of manufactured heavy duty equipment to include shock absorbers and overload springs, nor shall anything contained in this section prevent a person from operating a motor vehicle on a public highway with normal wear of the suspension system if normal wear shall not affect the control of the vehicle.

(2) This section shall not apply to motor vehicles designed or modified primarily for off-highway racing purposes, and such motor vehicles may be lawfully towed on the highways of this state.

(3) Any person who violates any provision of this section commits a class 2 misdemeanor traffic offense.


The Truggy is in full compliance with all Colorado Motor Vehicle laws and regulations. :shhh:


That is all.

 

[goodburbon]

Vehicular Assault on a cooler is a Felony. Where you gonna be later today..... I gots friends dat wanna speak wit yous....

Oh, and Colorado has a VERY LOOSELY enforced law:

42-4-233 Alteration of Suspension System

(1) No person shall operate a motor vehicle of a type required to be registered under the laws of this state upon a public highway with either the rear or front suspension system altered or changed from the manufacturer's original design except in accordance with specifications permitting such alteration established by the department. Nothing contained in this section shall prevent the installation of manufactured heavy duty equipment to include shock absorbers and overload springs, nor shall anything contained in this section prevent a person from operating a motor vehicle on a public highway with normal wear of the suspension system if normal wear shall not affect the control of the vehicle.

(2) This section shall not apply to motor vehicles designed or modified primarily for off-highway racing purposes, and such motor vehicles may be lawfully towed on the highways of this state.

(3) Any person who violates any provision of this section commits a class 2 misdemeanor traffic offense.


The Truggy is in full compliance with all Colorado Motor Vehicle laws and regulations. :shhh:


That is all.

That law you just posted says that any lift of an XJ is illegal, since the only thing it would seem that it allows is a body lift. What a crappy law.

 

[Yucca-Man]

42-4-233 Alteration of Suspension System

C.R.S. 42-4-433 ANNOTATION

Annotator's note. Since § 42-4-233 is similar to § 42-4-232 as it existed prior to the 1994 amending of title 42 as enacted by SB 94-1 a relevant case construing that provision has been included in the annotations to this section.

Section unconstitutional. This section's flat prohibition against any motor vehicle suspension system alteration, except the installation of heavy duty shock absorbers or springs, is unconstitutionally overbroad. People v. Von Tersch, 180 Colo. 295, 505 P.2d 5 (1973) (decided prior to 1975 amendment).

 

[Jawa]

Vehicular Assault on a cooler is a Felony. Where you gonna be later today..... I gots friends dat wanna speak wit yous....

Too funny! :roflmao:

 

[SurfXJSnow]

Vehicular Assault on a cooler is a Felony. Where you gonna be later today..... I gots friends dat wanna speak wit yous....

I have to give it to you, that was good:hang:

 

[DutchVDub]

Like Troy said, its verly loosely enforced. I drove my jeep with no doors or mirrors w/o any issues from my bored as hell small town cops. Technically any lowered or lifted vehicle is not allowed to be driven on the street, I have yet to own a vehicle that i didn't lift or lower and none of those vehicles earned me a ticket for having said altered suspension.

 

[YELLAHEEP]

C.R.S. 42-4-433 ANNOTATION

Annotator's note. Since § 42-4-233 is similar to § 42-4-232 as it existed prior to the 1994 amending of title 42 as enacted by SB 94-1 a relevant case construing that provision has been included in the annotations to this section.

Section unconstitutional. This section's flat prohibition against any motor vehicle suspension system alteration, except the installation of heavy duty shock absorbers or springs, is unconstitutionally overbroad. People v. Von Tersch, 180 Colo. 295, 505 P.2d 5 (1973) (decided prior to 1975 amendment) .

After some brief research, I believe that annotation was included to show the statute was ammended sometime after 1975. I believe the ammendment added this to the front of the statute verbiage:

"No person shall operate a motor vehicle of a type required to be registered under the laws of this state upon a public highway with either the rear or front suspension system altered or changed from the manufacturer's original design except in accordance with specifications permitting such alteration established by the department."

Where before, it simply stated that it was a violation to modify the suspension on any motor vehicle. It was over broad because it essentially made the action of modifying the suspension, or possibly even the simple possession of a modified vehicle the crime. The intention of the earlier/original law was to make it illegal to operate a vehicle with modified suspension on the roads of this state but wasn't worded clearly/specifically enough. Basically...... People v. VonTersch cleared up the law - you can own the modified vehicle, just don't drive it on-road.

I think that in court though, it's gonna be the burden of proof to show that the modifications made the vehicle un-safe as the "nail in the coffin" - without that, it's gonna rely on a Judge to rule if it's black and white enough to simply have operated that vehicle on the roads.

Or maybe I'm totally off base here........ :dunno:

 

[Yucca-Man]

Troy - do you know of anyone (CSP doesn't count because they'd write their mothers a ticket) who has actually written a 42-4-433?

If so, I'd be interested to know if it ever even made it to court, and what the outcome was. Don't forget, SEMA is a multi-million dollar event and something this restrictive hitting the courts would surely be on their radar.

Jim

 

[in4aride]

ya cspd knows me by first name....taillights too dark...exhaust too loud...accelerating too fast(not speeding)...headlights too bright....unsafe vehicle....repeat and add a few speeding in there....but someone has to pay for construction and all those new rides

love police...their job is important and hard...but stupid tickets piss me off

 

[YELLAHEEP]

Troy - do you know of anyone (CSP doesn't count because they'd write their mothers a ticket) who has actually written a 42-4-433?

If so, I'd be interested to know if it ever even made it to court, and what the outcome was. Don't forget, SEMA is a multi-million dollar event and something this restrictive hitting the courts would surely be on their radar.

Jim

Well in Jeffco (Same in Doug Co too right?) CSP does our accident and injury accident investigations. Yeah, I've seen CSP write the at fault vehicle for altered suspension when the involved vehicle had a lifted or dropped suspension. For example, a street racer in an Accord was doing 130 mph when he hit some "whoop-de-doos" in the road along 470 between Wads and Kipling. The Trooper said that the combination of speed and the lack of suspension travel contributed to the accident. I've never heard a Trooper mention that the charge didn't stick.

Me personally, no I've never written it and don't recall anyone I worked with having written it. For the most part, since I'm technically a violator of this law, I don't go looking to write it - but it would definitely get added to a ticket if there was a stupid attitude or "scary steering" unsafe vehicle situation involved.

As far as the manufacturers go and the SEMA thing, I'm fairly certain that the majority of them use the same disclaimer when promoting their products...... "For off-road use only" or "For race applications only", etc. Maybe not in bold print, but I'd bet it's always in fine print somewhere. They know full well that's not the intention for the product most of the time, but as long as they put it out there, it keeps them in business and out of court.

 

[xj-grin]

my cooler may press charges...

BTW, to add the legal-eagle perspective, I can interpret that statute to prohibit change of DESIGN only, which would mean a properly lifted 4link, consistent with factory design, might be in compliance. On the other hand, my radius arm front suspension would be in violation...

I think you would really have had to piss of the officer for him to crawl under your vehicle and cite you under that statute...:confused1

 

[Yucca-Man]

I know those whoop-de-doos you speak of, and they are evil. I doubt the stock suspension in an Accor dwould have helped survive something like that speed though.

Our Deputies do the investigation on most injury accidents, although if it occurred on a State Highway (of which we have many) we'll defer it to CSP if possible since it's technically theirs.