They see me rollin... they hatinnn

[M.Burroughs]

Right, but don't confuse a law that applies to a city (a noise ordinance violation) versus something done to a car (ride height) which is tied to the legality of where the vehicle is registered.

A cop can always ticket you for something illegal. There's no question there. I'm just saying that if my car's engine swap and such are legal and registered in TN, a VA cop can't ticket me for having a swapped engine if I were in his state.

[Mexican]

Fuck!
In the UK, is all the same and cops love to make a fuss over everything, and when they pull up your details and you are far from home, they fuck you up even more as it'll be more difficult to get it sorted!
CSB!

[Ollie]

Noise ordinances are still state wide. I was speaking in generalities. Some states are MUCH more lenient than others and that's still something done to a car (exhuast). I really don't think what you're saying is true but then again how would I really know? lol Purely speculation. But I still think a cop could legally ticket you if he somehow knew and cared that your swap was illegal. Whether the ticket would stick is another story and not likely if it's legal in your state but that's besides the point.

Another example would be front plate.

The swap thing is a bit iffy because that falls under emissions which is a different category and usually something tested on inspections.

[M.Burroughs]

I think we're debating different things. There are tons of things you can get in trouble for, almost anything if a cop deems it illegal. Illegal is illegal. Breaking the law, you get in trouble, duh.

I can't drive Rusty through VA and say "I'm invincible, you can't ticket me!" because that's stupid.

But if my car is road legal within certain specifications where it is registered, a cop can't tell me somewhere else that it's just because I'm not home right now.

Think of it this way... There are counties in TN that do not have missions testing. There are also counties that require it. I live in a county that requires said testing, and it is legally required to have a catalytic converter, and therefore I cannot register my E36 here.

I have it registered way out in nowheresville, TN, at my Aunt Sandra's house. It's road legal, registered, etc. There's no way any police officer could give me any flak for not having a catalytic converter and such. I could drive to the local police station and say "Hey, my car doesn't pass emissions and I have no catalytic converter" and there's nothing they could do to me. Same if I left the state. Your cops can't critique my emissions laws.

Emissions is a gray area, I know, but the cat is pretty clean-cut. Think of it this way- there are states with inspection that forbid rust on a vehicle. You can't have it.
If I drive my car to that state, I can drive around a cop in circles shouting "I'm so rusty it hurts" and he can't ticket me for it. My car is legal here, where it's registered. Doesn't matter about you.

Follow?

If you're breaking a law, you're gonna get in trouble. If you're causing problems, you're gonna get in trouble.
But there's a difference between not conforming to a set of laws and breaking them when it comes to cars.

[Mexican]

Would love to see that tho, drivin round shouting..

"I'm so rusty it hurts"

[.Mad Hatter.]

Mike, I think the reason that the "out of state, can't tow/ticket me" argument may not apply here is because it's a safety issue. I hear you on the front plate/cat side of things, but they don't "directly relate to safety".

I put the ride height/unfit deal (however retarded in principle) in the same category as speed limits. You can't say it's legal that you were doing 75mph just because you're from VA (or a state with such a limit), if you're bombing down the Interstate in NY with a speed limit of 60mph. Sure, different laws in different states, but they relate to safety, so the "passing through/visiting" deal won't fly, you have to conform once you cross the state line.

Just my observation really.

[M.Burroughs]

Right, which is exactly the point I was making. Ride height is something that could be considered unsafe. You could argue it but you're not guaranteed to win.

[FittedDownLow]

well i was told by a pa state police officer if i get a modified title my car can be as low as i want and then they cant give me tickets for ride height, he told me to look into it but said if i want to be that low i should go that route..... i dont know if this appllies in any other states though... I plan to check it out being that im 11 inches under the legal limit
anyways i got a nice cop i guess and the op was not as lucky....

[Moose]

They are super lenient in GA as far as mods go, NEVER been hassled for any mod, and have even had a cop compliment my exhaust and let me off with nothing before.

I am not sure about the exact rules in between states, but I would be surprised if being polite wouldn't get you off.

[SeanDub]

I know this works for emissions. A few guys here register out of state and run built motors without getting fucked by California laws.

[Ollie]

Mike, I can absolutely follow what your saying and I'm not arguing emissions. My question is, do you really think that a cop wouldn't give you a ticket for having a rusted out car if it's illegal in that state and he felt like it? Rust is considered a safety issue. Loud music/exhaust is also considered a safety issue. You may not be "legally bound" to that ticket but the officer would also not be at fault for giving you the ticket and you surely couldn't sue him. He could also tow your car for being unsafe if he deemed it to be so, and again, he would have no repercussions. All I'm saying is a cop can ticket you for something illegal in his state. He would not be at fault for not knowing that it is indeed legal in your state.

We must be arguing something different. When you say he can't ticket you, you must mean that they can't legally bind you to that ticket? Because they can surely ticket you and the officer wouldn't be in the wrong.

[SeanDub]

That sounds about right Ollie. Also, I agree that there's no lawsuit at hand.

[M.Burroughs]

It's 100% correct that a cop can ticket you for anything deemed illegal. That's what they do.

But cars are a grey area in some ways. What I'm saying is that yes, a cop could ticket me for driving a car deemed "unsafe". That's within reason.

But the gray area is that if I'm merely visiting your state, driving through perhaps... I don't have to comply with your registration requirement (ie: rust) unless I'm there for 30 days, or whatever the given state's time frame is. Essentially, I'd have to comply once I register the vehicle there.

A cop can say he doesn't want your vehicle on his streets I suppose. Again, it's a gray area.... but I'm 99% sure if you know what you're doing and know what you're talking about he's not going to do it, because he doesn't really have grounds to do so. It's 50/50.

My example of catalytic converters (forget the emissions part of it) exemplifies it pretty well I think. I can tell local cops "hey dude, I'm breaking the law right now. No cats. Suck it." and he can't do anything about it because the vehicle is registered in Hickman county. It doesn't have to follow Rutherford law unless I registered it here.
If I came to NY and said "no cats, suck it" they can't ticket me for it. My car is 100% registered and such in TN and meets all required laws to drive.
Valid inspection and registration means I'm good unless I'm moving to NY.



But again, it's all pretty gray. Perhaps it all comes down to smooth talking with the cops. Perhaps I'm wrong as hell, I don't know for sure. But I'm reasonably sure I am right.

I called the California DMV before I drove my car through the state because frankly, rusty is 100% worthy of being crushed on site.

The California DMV (which I would say is one of the harshest out there) said my vehicle was fine unless I was in California for more than 30 days, in which case I had to apply for a temp tag or permanent california license plate and then the car must comply with all California regulations.

All of that covered the ride height, the exhaust/lack thereof, the rust, no hood, etc.

[richsurtees]

Seems even worse here in the UK, the police can pretty much do anything they like if they think in their opinion that your car is unsafe!
Only thing good going for me is emissions, as my car is less than 3 years old so I could literally bolt a straight through pipe with no cat at all on it and it'd be safe to drive around on til 2013 when it has to start having M.O.Ts.
On the other hand though, I know people who have been banned from driving based on the state of their cars and how "un-roadworthy" they were.

[Ollie]

Did the California DMV say that was the case for all states?

I am a bit curious now because if what the CA DMV told you does apply to the whole country, that's pretty dope and good to know. lol The problem is cops probably hear that all day. I know I've been stopped outside NY for tinted tails, no exhaust, air freshener hanging from the rear view mirror(yeah true story) and pulled the "it's legal in NY though" line.