ticket for having air bag suspension

---------------------------------------------Originally posted by Bagd_Civic93I am so glad to be in tennessee they could give a rats ass that my civic drags.--------------------------------------------- I wouldn't see too sure, altered suspensions are a no-no here in Tennessee as well.They just haven't bothered to stop you.

you are lucky they didnt tow it on the spot. alot of visalia cops will pul you over and tell you to hit the switches/let the air out to see how low it goes. if it hits the ground at all, they call a tow truck and you have to pay tow fees, yard fees and legal woes. can you unbag it and take it to get it signed off? i got a ticket in lemoore one time for modified suspension, the motorcycle cop was a complete asshat. took it to hanford with a box of bags, switches and cups  with the truck all aired up and he looked out the window, signed it off and away i went.

Ive got tickets before in my Eclipse...said it was an "unsafe vehicle" & have seen cops give people with trucks tickets too for dagging & being too low! Its funny cause they will say that if you had adjustable then you should have had it at a safe driving height lol!

Shouldn't they be giving out tickets to '84 Caprices on 28's with stock brakes? That shit is unsafe.

---------------------------------------------Originally posted by automatik23hey bro...sorry to tell u but your not gonna win that one....it IS in the california vehicle code. i dont know word for word what it says, i have the code book and have personally read it tho...basically in cali its illegal to modify a vehicles suspension or chassis beyond factory specifications...it doesnt matter if it lifted lowered bagged or juiced. my buddy got the same exact ticket and had to non op the truck and sell it because he was no longer aloud to have it on a public street....you can try to plead with the judge maybe and see if you can say that maybe it was designed by an engineer and the work was done by a legit shop or certified welder  but good luck, i doubt even that would do much because then they might say that you can only use it for offroad purposes....also try putting on some temporary limiting straps, bump stops and a disconnect switch on the switch box so that you can show proof that the vehicle has a very limited range of motion and the switches are disabled while driving...also if your runnings big valves and lines try putting in some reducers to slow it waaaay down....maybe theyll let you slide if you can show its safe and easily controlable.....good luck--------------------------------------------- I am not sure how much of that is true.  I highly doubt it is illegal to modify your suspension beyond factory specs in CA.  If that were true, there would be routine vehicle inspections consistent with the places that do enforce such laws (Australia).

Edited: 9/23/2009 12:59:40 AM by stockflooredsdime

&nbsp;http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/vc/tocd12c1.htmModification of Vehicles<!-- #EndEditable --><!-- #BeginEditable "section_number" -->24008<!-- #EndEditable -->.&nbsp;&nbsp;<!-- #BeginEditable "section_content" -->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.<!-- #EndEditable -->

<!-- #BeginEditable "addl_section_content" -->&nbsp;

<!-- #EndEditable --><!-- #BeginEditable "section_change_history" -->Amended Ch. 462, Stats. 1984. Effective January 1, 1985.&nbsp;Vehicle Not Equipped or Unsafe<!-- #EndEditable --><!-- #BeginEditable "section_number" -->24002<!-- #EndEditable -->.&nbsp;&nbsp;<!-- #BeginEditable "section_content" -->(a) It is unlawful to operate any vehicle or combination of vehicles which is in an unsafe condition, or which is not safely loaded, and which presents an immediate safety hazard.<!-- #EndEditable -->

<!-- #BeginEditable "addl_section_content" -->(b) It is unlawful to operate any vehicle or combination of vehicles which is not equipped as provided in this code.

<!-- #EndEditable --><!-- #BeginEditable "section_change_history" -->Amended Ch. 696, Stats. 1992. Effective September 15, 1992.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Just make sure you keep the bottom of the vehicle above the lowest most portion of the rim when operating (driving).&nbsp;&nbsp;- An unsafe vehicle is pretty much at the discretion of the officer.

I've gotten that ticket a few times. The unsafe&nbsp;vehicle&nbsp;is a point on your record so its&nbsp;worth&nbsp;trying to beat it in court. The main thing is how is the ticket written. Is it written for the function of the system or for just having&nbsp;them? In court I had a judge clarify precisely what the law was. Hydraulics and Airbags are not&nbsp;technically&nbsp;illegal in&nbsp;California. It is the FUNCTION of the system that makes it illegal. If he saw you playing with it and wrote it as such you are screwed. But if he wrote you up for just having bags then that is not illegal. Lincoln used to advertise the mark VIII would lower&nbsp;itself&nbsp;as it drove. Handicap vans are modified for airbags. Airport shuttles are modified. There are numerous common vehicles that have been modified after the factory.&nbsp; Main thing is sound like you know what you are talking about. bring pictures of it laid out and make it a point that it&nbsp;doesn't&nbsp;go all the way to the ground. I told them even when its all the way down its still 1-2"s off the ground. It also helps to have other things to plead to to make it worth it for them.&nbsp;

I am glad i live in AZ. Here everything is legal as long as they don't catch you dragging. The vehicle code says you can even adjust your suspension as long as you are going slower than 15 mph. Great way to piss off a cop: go 10 mph and hit your switches and he can't do shit about it.

I know of a guy in lemoore that got that same unsafe vehicle ticket from the dumbass bike cop and he didnt know what to do either and knew it was unrealistic to switch it back to stock. so he went to the CHP cause thats who inspects vehicles to see what they said. he went with it aird up and had it inspected. they walked out looked at it and passed it. but he had to have all stock lights working, windshield wipers side mirrors all fun stuff but they didnt car about the suspension and were in shock the cop actually gave him a ticket for that. he said he had it hit up and told them thats were he drove it and they said ok as long as the bottom of the fender was higher than the top of the rim. I know a cop so i asked him and he said that it could go both ways and that its at the cops discretion...good luck

being that your in porterville, depending on the cop and the number of complaints and court fought tickets the officer has already had.&nbsp;you might be able to get it off with a small ticket or a rather large ticket. anytime you fight a ticket u risk the court fees, and legal fees of fighting it. especially if found guilty. the tailights your fucked period. leds are illegal u take that risk period. as the ca state&nbsp;laws basically in loose terms state anything custom or not stock is illegal.&nbsp;as for the cut out in the bed floor this can be considered a unsafe vehicle due to rocks etc etc. however the police department wil tell u that the officer who wrote the ticket has to sign it off. porterville pd is anal about that. the unsafe vehicle ticket could be fought however once again in&nbsp; cali it is a point on ur liscence n they clear every year or every two years might be every three who knows&nbsp;if i remember right.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;the officer will have to expain why they wrote u a ticket in court&nbsp;and yes they can impound your vehicle until its considered void in court&nbsp;or fixed. also if your vehicle slightly bounces while driving they can use that against u also. get a daily peice of shit, roll it and reprimer and modifiy the vehicle been there did that officer clements should ring a bell in your mind. he was worse then officer buck dont know who pulled u over but porterville pd have nothing better to do period. however it is also there job.