i have some questions on lift laws and regs...

[firenuttz]

so im in the navy and i want to put a 12 inch lift and 39s on my 84 crew cab, problem is that im switching home ports to virginia and i dont know what the lift laws there are, but the other question was if the truck is registered in nevada where im from would i go by lift laws in nevada or virginia? or should i just buy an s-10 or a cheap commuter car and drive that around... this really is a predicament that im having, its either spend 4 grand on my crew cab or 4 grand on some other car that will probably wind up another money pit and i really like driving my crew cab so any advice here would be very apreciative

[84SierraClassic]

Here in MN the lowest point on the bumper needs to be 25" or less, from the ground. I'm not sure what Virginia mandates, but with 12" lift and 39" tires might be pretty hard to get by using that as a daily driver.

This link might shed some light on the situation
http://www.liftlaws.com/virginia_lift_laws.htm

[firenuttz]

thanks for the info, i will be living on base so i wont really need to go far in it but i was curious because it is going to be registered in nevada and ive seen trucks that literally take a lane and a half of highway on 44s drive past cops without issue but i dont want to take the chance of taking my truck to VA and not be able to drive it at all, but i did read in there that if it is registered as a truck the bumper law doesnt affect you but thats iffy at best because it is based on gwvr i dont know, i think ill save up for a cheappy commuter car and go that rout

[b454rat]

I was in the Navy stationed in Suitland MD just outside of DC. I lived in VA just across the river. I don't know the actual law, but friend told me that my truck wouldn't have been legal. At the time I had an 84 3/4 ton with 6" and 35s, said that it was too tall to pass. But I had NY plates on it and never had an issue.

I bought the truck in northern MD, and there the laws are little better. There the tires can't stick out I think at all. Saw a couple trucks with 44s that the tires were under the body. I would keep the NV tags on it. They can't make you switch tags, but want you to. I was for 8 years and only switched once when I was in Canada eh.....

[firenuttz]

ya, i think that im just gonna get a cheap s-10 and drive that around up there, i think it sucks though because im switching from washington state to virginia and i know washington has literally no law on this subject

[PapaBo]

http://www.liftlaws.com/virginia_lift_laws.htm

seems to me the only thing you would have to be concerned about is the bumper height since the frame height is not regulated

[DetroitDan]

I agree, they say they're measuring bumper height as opposed to frame height. I don't know how much of a drop bumper they'd let you get away with, in NH we measure to the bumper unless it doesn't have one or has been modified, then we measure to the frame in front of the rear bumper. I can tell you from experience with these trucks that a 4 inch suspension and 35s will put you right at 29-30, might be able to squeak by with a 36, but generally tires like Intercos are true height whereas radials are not, so remember a 36 inch Swamper is going to be quite a bit taller than an average 35 inch MT or AT. A 6 inch suspension will allow 33-34 tires, but a 35 will put you over. Well, put you over the 30 we're allowed. I think the Va law I just read said over 7500 gvw gets 31 inches. So theres that.
Actually, bumper height is a good 2-3 inches depending on the style bumper, so if you can go 31 to the bottom of your bumper and I can only go 30 to the bottom of my frame, that's a pretty big difference. So my numbers arent really applicable to your case. You might be able to pull off 6 inch suspension and 37-38s, with a 3 inch body for looks and extra clearance. I know most people don't, but I really like bodylifts. You get a lot of height for not much money, but it doesn't change the frame or bumper height, which is especially important for towing and plowing.

It's good that you investigate it first before diving in and finding out you're not legal. Speaking from experience I'd also say as active duty military you should be able to keep it registered in your home state, Va police can't enforce an out of state inspection violation. That's all it would be here anyway.

[DetroitDan]

Personally I think 12 inches of lift and 39s is excessive for a daily driver. Too much of a headache to make up for how cool it looks. 4 inch suspension and 3 inch body will clear 38s with a little front fender trimming, or a 6 inch and 3 inch body would clear them fine and still look like a monster. I think the 12 inches of lift would just make it unbearable to climb in and out of, difficult to get in and out of parking places and forget about ever going through a drive thru again.

Whatever you decide to do, I want to see pictures because I love lifted crewcabs!

[firenuttz]

thanks for the info papabo but it says that my max bumper height is 30 in front and 31 in the rear

and thanks to you too detroit, but i already have a 8 inch lift and bald 35 inch swampers and it still puts me way over the 31 inch mark, and 12 inches is enough to clear a set of 39s with ease so i cant do that but if what you say is true and they cant enforce an out of state law and i have a nv plate than i should be able to squeek by with a warning but how many times can i do that before i get a ticket...

what ever the case im just gonna save some money for a more family friendly car since my fiance doesnt like having to climb a ladder to get into that thing anyways

[DetroitDan]

8 inch lift is def too much under the frame to meet the height requirement then.

[firenuttz]

i like the concept of a body lift but i dont like the gap it leaves in between the framerails and floor boards and it wouldnt be a daily driver persay because i will be living on base or very close to base... just the local neighborhood monster