massachusetts lifting law?

M

Mpeckham22

NAXJA Forum User
Location
MA/NC
Someone was telling me that in Massachusetts there is a legal limit to the lift height of a vehicle... this being found by multiplying the distance between the center of the front and rear axle by the axle width and then dividing by 2200... this mathed out to like 3.5" for a cherokee (and i was told tires are included in this number) can anyone confirm? Im not going to lover my jeep at all... but im just wondering if a cop tries to pull the book on me if i have anything to worry about
 
That whole formula thing is BS. I forget the section number of the law, but it states that I vehicle may not have more then a 2 or 3" suspension lift regardless of anything else and it supersedes the formula law. Technically you could have a 12" body lift since it doesn't alter the vehicle's suspension or ride height. I believe its in the same section that addresses tires sticking out, which is also BS because you can have tires hang out all you want since the tire rule doesn't apply to 4wheel drive vehicles or ones intended for off-the-way usage.
 
the law is wheel (width x wheel base)*2200, then round that number up and add 1" for manufacturing tolerances and that is the maximum height from stock, suspension and wheel lift combined

so (104"*70")/2200 = 3.2", round that up to 4" and +1" to make it 5" total from stock

now the shitty part is lift laws are not well known by the inspection stations and if they look it up on their computer it just says "add 2" to states the maximum height for the vehicle". but they should have a printed manual that states the formula and a sheet that states max heights for vehicles up until like '92 or so

also the point of measure is from the door line
 
foxwar71 said:
That whole formula thing is BS. I forget the section number of the law, but it states that I vehicle may not have more then a 2 or 3" suspension lift regardless of anything else and it supersedes the formula law. Technically you could have a 12" body lift since it doesn't alter the vehicle's suspension or ride height. I believe its in the same section that addresses tires sticking out, which is also BS because you can have tires hang out all you want since the tire rule doesn't apply to 4wheel drive vehicles or ones intended for off-the-way usage.
Click to expand...
I couldn't find the part you're citing last time I researched it by reading the mass motor vehicle code, but I did find the formula.

It's wheel track (center of tire to center of tire) times wheelbase divided by 2200, and it's as measured lift height above the highest stock suspension package, in our case the 1" factory upcountry package. You can lift that much with suspension and that much with tire as well, at least how I read it.

In reality, you're never going to find an inspection station that knows how to measure it properly, but I and others have had good luck just describing it (politely, not being a jackass) and waiting for the glassy eyed stare and then they just check the box and forget about it.

Don't tell the station I go to that MJs never had an upcountry package please :eyes:
 
Does it put any points on your license? If it does, you don't want one, believe me.

Fun fact: failure to inspect = $50 ticket, but puts a point on your license. I found that out the wrong way.
 
Wow, and they say CA is run by the nazis. We have it easy compared to the Massholes.
 
Yeah, but heaven help you if you want to put an intake or exhaust on your jeep.

Honestly, the rule on lifting is just fuzzy enough that it lets me handwave and baffle with bullshit when the subject comes up during inspection. That suits me just fine.

Our insurance laws are retarded though IMO.
 
Exhaust is fine, it's the cats that matter, and even that is easy. they just need to have the right number on them for the specific vehicle. Intake issue does suck though, especially when you cannot fit the factory airbox anymore, like in my case. The emissions stuff isn't as bad as some people claim. I'll be putting a v8 in mine as soon as i have some extra cash and it'll be 100% legal.
 
So back before I lifted my current xj I had done a bunch of research. I had found the formula (wheel base X wheel track / 2200 = Maximum suspension lift over tallest factory suspension option). Now the wheel size thing is dumb. Pretty sure when I was digging through mass.gov it was you are only allowed 2 sizes up from largest factory... which is dumb. Three years or so after lifting and passing inspections. I had been pulled over by a State cop in Worcester. My muffler had fallen off during the last snow storm that week and my friend hadn't had a chance to weld it on yet so it was on the back seat. He pulled me over and asked if I knew why. I said:
"I'm guessing the noise? It's right there" and pointed to the back seat.
He then asked how high my jeep was lifted and I said 5.5. He says you know the law is 2" right?
I said "with all due respect sir that is 1/2 the law. Before lifting I researched the laws and found you can raise/lower a vehicle 2" unless it is 4x4 then follow the formula"
"What is the formula?"
"wheel base X wheel track/2200 = max lift over highest factory option"
"Hmm I did not know that. I will be right back" (had my license and reg). He came back and said he didn't know that part of the law and will have to go brush himself up on it. He did say sorry he had to give me a ticket for not having a seatbelt on (I had taken it off at ATM I just pulled out of). I said thank you for asking me instead of assuming it was illegally lifted. I had checked with some cop friends in my jeep club and they had told me to check MASS.gov for the info. So if you do get a ticket appeal it and bring in the laws (when I have time I will find the links on mass.gov for ya). If the same cop keeps pulling you over for it after you have appealed and won then you can claim harassment. Just really have to make sure your legal before going that route lol. It also helps if your jeep isn't a roller skate (I have 35x12.5 with a decent amount of back spacing and tj flares so it looks stable especially from behind).

:edit: forgot to things that I don't know the particulars on: Does increasing your wheel track with wide tires/rims work for the formula or does the formula only apply to the factory wheel track? Is it legal to have wider rims/tires? I didn't know. Technically I think I was illegal with my tire size then too. If I had interpreted that law correct I am only allowed 245s/255s? Our state laws are stupid.
 
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