ride height
 

i browsed through the mva as well as talked to multiple people about a lowered vehicle. Some are telling me that once a vehicle is lowered it is automatically illegal, others tell me that as long as the lift point is above 4" off the ground its legal. I was also informed that coilovers are illegal due to the fact that for inspections you can raise them to pass then lower them right after.

Mods feel free to move this to the police forum if it's better suited there, thank you.

i'm pretty sure it has to do with how high your headlights are from the ground

The only limitations to ride height in the Regulations is that the lowest part of your car cannot below the lowest point of your rims (meaning if the bottoms of your rims are 1" off the ground, then no other part of the car can be less than 1" off the ground), and your your tires are not allowed to rub anywhere, including with the steering turned full lock-to-lock.

Your headlights also cannot be below or above a certain height... don't know what that is off the top of my head, but you should be able to find it in the Motor Vehicle Act Regulations.

What they were probably thinking of is that any change in suspension height (10 cm up or down from OEM) greater than 4" requires that the vehicle be inspected and passed prior to use on the highway.

With suspension height changes come worries about bumper and headlight height. Additionally, if you go down, the side protection built into your vehicle may be less effective as the bumper of the vehicle that T-bones you might ride over top.

maybe i'm just being paranoid since my car is lowered but is this more of a gray area? I see LOTS of cars lowered, but since this is a potential safety concern why are modifications like suspension/aftermarket products even allowed? My mechanic says the government has been trying to implement a set standard of zero modifications (or something close to) for about 5 years now. Or to come up with a plate along the lines of a collector but towards modified vehicles. Any truth to that?

it says
(2) The headlamps must be mounted at a height of not less than 56 cm and not more than 1.37 m.

What marks the height? i just measured my car because its lowered and 56cm is dead center of my headlight

I believe the height is from leveled ground to the source of illumination. If you have reflector style, it would be to the bulb. If you have projector style, it would be to the center of your lens.

^If you get stopped, get everyone to pile in the back seat, so the back end goes down and the headlight measures a little higher... just to be safe :D

I also have a VI and the the inspection place I went to said that any aftermarket suspension is not allowed. It must be bone stock.
I have koni yellows and eibach springs.
Can a lowered car pass inspection at all? It is only lowered 1"

The VIs have gotten out of hand. It seems like neither the officers giving them, or the Stations duing the inspection have any sort of set rules to go by, about whats legal and whats not. It really seems that depending on who pulls you over and the station you end up at, the answers will change. I had all of my cars inspected not to long ago as I brought them back from the states. All of them had aftermarket suspension, 2 had height adjustble (1 with dampening ajdustment as well) coilovers, 1 just had lowering springs and aftermarket dampers. All passed no problem.

If any aftermarket suspension is deemed illegal most vehicles would off the road, including anything with monrow, bilstiens, Koni, KYB, etc. You would be hard pressed to find any vehicle over 10 years old that would still be “legal” as most would have changed there dampers at some point. If a place is telling you ALL aftermarket suspension is illigal, I can only imagine they are trying to sell you somthing, or just dont know what they are supposed to be inspecting.

Unfortunately, until Sport Compact enthusiast start standing up for themselves, we will continue to be discriminated against.

its qouta for sure seems like there always a lot more police and ticketing a lot more as well.

The number of cars on the road with illegal modifications is what is getting out of hand. ;)

All those ricers with illegal crap on their cars... blacked out lights, tinted front windows, missing front plates, HIDs in stock reflector housings, excessively loud exhausts, missing N signs, clear lights with missing reflectors, blah blah blah...

That is what makes it difficult for those of us out here with LEGAL modifications. While I personally haven't had any problems... I did get much more attention with the body kit and spoiler than I did when it was stock. Time to go sleeper again :thumbsup:

Couldn’t agree more with the above. Don’t get me wrong, I am not a cop hater. If it’s a dangerous mod, and or the law actually states its illegal, get it off the road.

However, there seems to be this giant gray area, seemingly based on who you are talking to. We have a set of laws regarding what is legal and what isn’t. The officers here have posted out of these regulations before. Certainly if something is against those regulations, it needs to be taken off the road. Add to this something that is unsafe. If a car has a suspension where the dampers are over powered by the springs or blown and its bouncing all over the street, it should be VI’d. If its some custom hot rod that has NO travel, it needs a VI. If its some ricer with a body kit that’s dragging off the ground, it needs a VI.

However, without question, the import scene gets the most attention. Some of that is deserved, but there are many of us out here who’s cars are legal. To have someone who is supposed to know flat out state “aftermarket suspensions are illegal” is ridiculous, and only serves to highlight my point.

Those of us who wish to continue in this hobby need better public voice. The US has the SEMA organization to fight thier political battles, we need something the same here to make sure that we don’t loose our hobby because of some over zealous or under educated enforcement.

^ I agree with you too!

Knowing yourself what is and what is not legal is the best defense. If you knowingly do illegal modifications to your vehicle.. then you really have no recourse.

If you can have a mature discussion at the roadside with an officer, who for whatever reason was misinformed... then you should be pretty safe. If you are anti-police.. then.. well.. you'll be posting on this forum on how to fight stuff :haha:

Sorry for bumping a thread but I was recently pulled over an one of the things the officer said was that if my car was lowered I needed to get a decal of inspection?
My car is just on springs that is maybe 3cm lower than stock.
Is what the officer saying true or is it a load of bs? (He didn't say anything/ticket me for it in the end, possibly had no case?)

He also tried to harass me for my tinted rear window and how he couldn't see my N, I told him it was right up against the window (besides I'm only on 20% tint it's perfectly visible) he got back in his car shined the bright little strobe light thing at the rear of my car and probably realized that he could clearly see it and was just being a little ignorant at first.

The body of the car cannot be lower than the lowest part of your rim.
Posted via RS Mobile

That's not what I'm asking, I'm asking if it's necessary to have car inspected after replacing the suspension components ie. springs, and having a decal to prove it. because thats what the officer told me. I know my car can pass VI no problem, it doesn't even scrape at lansdowne, honestly I couldn't even tell that it was lowered because it came from factory with sport springs and shocks that were already 15mm lower.

My bad. I've never heard of lowered cars going through inspections after height is adjusted. Never found anything in the Mva about that. You only need VI decal when yOur ride has been deemed unsafe to drive. i keep hearing that richmond rcmp officers are super anal about modded rides than the rest of the gvrd. anyone know if its true, and why so?
Posted via RS Mobile

no, you don't need to go through any inspections unless ordered by a PO

edit: except the case that its 10cm or more, then a VI is required.

At one point Richmond had a serious problem with illegally modified cars, so the richmond rcmp cracked down and began enforcing the mva regulations pertaining to mods mercilessly.
Posted via RS Mobile

Not true...if you raise or lower your car by more than 10cms you must have it inspected...not...only if the Cops catch you. Like Skidmark told you..

"What they were probably thinking of is that any change in suspension height (10 cm up or down from OEM) greater than 4" requires that the vehicle be inspected and passed prior to use on the highway."



Application

25.20 This Part applies to a vehicle that was

(a) disposed of as salvage and subsequently rebuilt,

(b) altered by changes to its suspension height by more than 10 cm from the original basic specification of the vehicle manufacturer,

(c) altered so that its

(i) freight carrying capacity has been increased beyond the original gross vehicle weight rating of the vehicle, or by design changes other than those established by the manufacturer of the vehicle, or

(ii) seating capacity has been increased, or

(d) built after January 1, 1971 from new or used parts, other than a trailer with a licensed gross vehicle weight of 1 400 kg or less, and that does not display the statement of compliance under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act (Canada).

[en. B.C. Reg. 304/2001.]


Limitation on operation

25.21 A person must not drive, operate or park a vehicle on a highway until it has been presented to a designated inspection facility and an approved certificate of mechanical condition in a form set by the director has been issued in respect of the vehicle by an authorized person.

whoops forgot the about the 10 cm thing.

Thanks, so I assume the RCMP officer was talking out of his ass, so for the most part standard passenger sedans/coupes/hatches have nothing to worry about eh?

Can an officer make me get an Inspection without reason?

You're lucky he just "harassed" you and didn't write a ticket for it. That would have been justifiable too...