“Carolina Squat” Truck Modification Illegal in North Carolina December 1
While 2021 has been ridiculous enough, the “Carolina Squat” is banned in North Carolina on the first of December. The “Carolina Squat” is a truck or SUV modification that looks as silly as it sounds. But it is about to be banned in North Carolina, so read up before your truck gets caught in the drama.
What is the “Carolina Squat” truck modification?
The Carolina Squat modification is a change with the suspension. The front end of the truck or SUV is lifted up while the back of the vehicle is lowered. It looks like a teeter-totter in motion, but on a moving car. This isn’t fad all over the U.S.; it is more prevalent in certain states. North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and other southern states have glamorized the trend on social media. If you are in Tennessee, you might know it as the Tennessee Tilt. In California, it’s known as the Cali Lean.
No matter what people call it, it has to be hard to see out of a vehicle that is pointing up. In addition to that, it cannot be safe for the occupants of the car or those outside the car. Visibility is already reduced when a truck sits too high, let alone when the vehicle is tilted toward the sky.
House Bill 692 / SL 2021-128, the Carolina Squat bill
House Bill 692 / SL 2021-128 passed on August 30, 2021. Effective December 1, 2021, and applies to offenses committed on or after that date. The bill isn’t named the Carolina Squat bill, but it aims to reduce that. The bill’s text limited how much suspension can change on a truck, car, or SUV.
The term “private passenger automobile” basically means a vehicle with four wheels designed for carrying passengers. It goes in to noted that the following is considered a prohibited modification.
If, by alteration of the suspension, frame, or chassis, the height of the front fender is 4 or more inches greater than the height of the rear fender. For the purposes of this subsection, the height of the fender shall be a vertical measurement from and perpendicular to the ground, through the centerline of the wheel, and to the bottom of the fender.”
House Bill 692 / SL 2021-128 | General Assembly of North Carolina
The bill states that drivers will receive a “Mandatory revocation of license by Division” for 12 months if caught three times. Unfortunately, this will be a kerfuffle if cops start trying to measure large truck’s suspension on the side of the road.
The history of the baja rally vehicles and suspension mods
Donut Media says that the history of this truck goes back to the popularity of Baja-style rally trucks. Desert racing or Baja trucks will often lift the front of the truck, so when the vehicle goes over a jump, the truck doesn’t immediately nose dive back into the dirt. That’s not the only reason, but it’s one of the reasons. Such a ridiculous stance serves a certain purpose for certain trucks. Passenger vehicles on local residential roads do not count.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out and if other states follow suit. Will any cops actually pull over a truck to measure the change in suspension? Only time will tell.
