Lifting a truck has become very popular among truck owners.
Truck enthusiasts love to lift their trucks as it comes with multiple benefits, including more ground clearance, better visibility, and of course, giving your truck a new look.
A lot of people ask, are lifted trucks illegal? The answer is, No! currently, there is no such law that says lifted trucks are illegal. But every state has its own laws and guidelines regarding the height of lift kits that are used to lift vehicles
Although you should maintain some guidelines and consider certain things if you want to hit the road with a lifted truck.
Stay till the end of my article to know more about it.
How Much Height is Legal for Lifted Trucks?
There are some laws that direct the height, width, and length of vehicles. Raising the vehicle too high may violate these laws.
Usually, a truck can be lifted ranging from 1 inch to 6 inches. But you have to choose the size of the lift according to the law of the state you live in.
For example- The law of Texas is really flexible when it comes to lifting your truck. They allow your truck to be 160 inches tall from the ground. On the other hand, some states, like Alabama, only permit a truck that is 60 inches high from the ground.
In some states, it is totally prohibited to install aftermarket products in your factory-issued vehicle. For instance, in Colorado, you can only lift your truck if you keep your headlights less than 44 inches high and taillights less than 72 inches high.
The safety regulations are designed to keep you and the other drivers on the road safe.
Some regulations determine the lifted height of your truck, while others impose specific safety requirements. It all depends on where you live. You can Read More Details about how high can you lift a truck.
What Are the Risk Factors Driving a Lifted Truck?
Even though a lifted truck is very comfortable and convenient for truck owners, it has some risk factors and safety issues too. The following are the most common ones:
- Rollovers: Vehicles with lifts are prone to rolling over. Rollovers can damage your truck severely. They can also cause serious injuries and even deaths.
Also, the larger tires after your lift kit installation can also cause rollovers, and they will be heavier.
- Less Visibility: A vehicle should allow you a certain part of the road in order to have a safe journey.
A lifted truck creates more blind spots. A higher truck will also make it harder for you to see other vehicles on the road.
- Less Control: Sometimes, raising the height of your truck will make it difficult to have good control over it.
As a result, you will have less control over your steering and brakes. It can be very difficult to take turns and corners.
- Headlight Difficulty: When you lift a truck, the headlights will be higher than almost any other vehicle on the road. This means the headlights can visually impair anyone driving in front of your lifted truck.
- Unsafe Gravity: When you lift your truck, the center of gravity will work less on your truck as it will be higher from the ground. As a result, the changed gravity will make your truck less stable than before and more complicated to handle.
You can replace your tires with larger ones to avoid this situation.
Decreased ability to stop.
Sometimes even an extra passenger can increase the possibility of a rollover.
- Parking Trouble: A lifted truck is also difficult to park because it’s harder to see people or smaller vehicles in the area when you are parking it.
What Safety Measure Should you Take Driving a Lifted Truck?
If you have already lifted your truck or considering lifting it then you should keep in mind the following things:
Maintain Laws
You should lift your truck according to the laws of your state. And also, don’t forget to maintain those regulations because sometimes violating vehicle laws may lead you to even jail.
Keep Distance
If you are driving a lifted truck, it is naturally bigger than the other vehicles on the street.
So it is your responsibility to keep a safe distance from the other vehicles and not ride at a very high speed while there are smaller vehicles around you.
Be watchful
Use consistent speed while changing lanes or cornering and stay alert crossing crucial roads. It’s very important not to get distracted while driving, the responsibility is double, especially when you are driving a lifted truck.
