Due to a recent VI I am in the market for a set of stock jk rim's with decent factory sized rubber. If anyone has any stock wheels kicking around let me know.
I've never had a VI before and im not really too sure what the mechanics are looking for on jeeps. The nice officer seemed to think that aftermarket bumpers and offset wheels and lifts make a vehicle worthy of a pile of tickets.
He also said that marker lights need to be on the outermost part of the fender flares which even the factory jeeps do not have on the rear. If anyone has any past experiences with VIs out here I'm all ears. I just don't want to spend a pile of money turning my jeep back to stock if I don't have to.
Thanks and happy wheelin!
I haven’t gotten a VI before, but I was under the impression that some good mud flaps and fender flares were all you needed to drive a lifted truck with tire poke legally. I think you also need to have tpms sensors in your tires if your truck has that feature. That’s about all I kinda know; hopefully someone more knowledgeable will pitch in because I would also like to learn. Good luck, Noah.
An officer can gift you with a VI for any subjective motor vehicle mod from oem stock , if he / she thinks that what you've done to your vehicle is contrary to the motor vehicle act, or, if it is deemed to not be up to standards. That's right.......a cracked windshield can be enough to receive a VI. Then the fun begins........
In a nutshell, when you initiate an inspection and attempt to get a "pass" from the vehicle inspector that you've chosen to perform the inspection, you are obliged to follow through with whatever he / she says that needs to me corrected / repaired, etc, to get a valid pass. If you do not agree with what your inspector is requesting, too bad. You cannot just start over with another inspector. You are obligated to finish the inspection with the inspector that you began with.
Think you might get a favor from your inspector and get him / her to bend the rules for you just once? Think again. Your inspection pass is in their licence, and any vehicle mechanical failure resulting in someone getting hurt can come back on them.
Bottom line.....pick your inspector wisely.
There was a long thread on VI's a while back......worth reading.
What exactly was identified as needing repair or correction?
I have not taken it to an inspector yet but the officer who wrote me the VI did not write any specifics on the ticket. But verbally he told me:
*axels are not original to a wrangler because my jeep sits wider(I have offset wheels with spacers and 37x12.5 tires)
*my windsheild is cracked(technically not in my line of site but I will get it replaced anyways)
*my front bumper does not cover the whole width of the vehicle(smittybilt MOD bumper)I understand that one, will order the extention pieces for this particular bumper.
*And he said the rear bumper is also not a factory wrangler bumper and looks modified( smittybilt atlas bumper.)
He never said anything about tire poke but my front tires do stick out a couple inches in the front.
*He also said my exhaust was louder than a stock wrangler (magnaflow offroad catback that dumps before the axel)
*He also mentioned that my signal lights should be on the widest part of the vehicle (not sure about this one because the wrangler off the lot doesn't even comply with this on the rear)
My plan is
- remove the 52" lightbar.
- remove the stinger and order/ install the end pieces for the front bumper.
- change the wheels to stock ones
- replace windshield
- not sure what to do about exhaust yet. It's not really loud unless you are really on the gas.
- rear bumper I think should be fine
- i will also put on the front and rear custom mudflaps.
- I'm also not sure about TPMS if you need the sensors or not.
No offence to the officer who gave me the ticket hea just doing his job and im not looking to completely cheat the system. Just hoping to get my ride up to spec and not get hassled again.
I have a set of 5 stock 18 ‘´ rims off a 2014 rims only if that helps. $200 in really good shape. Also I pm’d you about the VI
Hey Sheldon, I'm not knowledgeable on any of this, however with everything being verbal and nothing was written on the ticket, you might want to book an hour appointment with a lawyer see what your options are for the ticket. You might be able to get the ticket thrown out, or at least you know what your options are. Many lawyers do a free consultation. I'd do that before going taking it to get it inspected for something that may not need it.
Just a suggestion.
Sheldon let us know how it goes with this, would love to know how you resolve these issues so I'm ready when it's my time to shine, hah!
Hey Shane, I'm still waiting for my bumper ends to arrive and my windsheild to get swapped out before I take it to a recommended shop. I'm still trying to find a set of stock wheels to use for the inspection so i don't have to redo my flares. Do you have your stock wheels still??? $$?
Already sold em - sorry!
Good luck with the inspection, hopefully not too big of a pain.
Passed my inspection yesterday. Just a tip, do a bit of research before you pick your shop for the inspection. If you have replaced your wheels with some offset rims with massive rubber keep your stock ones because they will help keep you legal. Doesnt really matter on which shop you choose, tire poke will give you a fail. If I didn't have a stock set of wheels my bumpers would have failed me for sure.
Nice, that's good to hear. What kind of bumper ends did you use? Are they easily removable or are you just sticking with the full width bumper from here on out? What would the issue with the rear bumper be?
I bought the end caps for the smittybilt MOD bumper for the front. The rear one was fine with the stock wheels. The smittybilt atlas rear bumper isn't as wide as the factory bumper.
I'll keep the end caps on the front. They aren't super wide and shouldn't interfere with anything on the trail.
As you can see the mod without the end peices can draw alot of unwanted attention.
Ah it's nice that Smittybilt makes end caps like that (presumably for this purpose). It's a shame you had to buy anything though, looking at the pictures I'm having a hard time imagining a scenario where those additional steel end caps would prevent injury or offer any advantage over simply hitting the wheel alone. Like many of our laws though I think it serves more to further the bureaucracy and sustain police budgets than it does to protect anyone. Glad you could get it resolved anyway!
Awesome! Your rig passed!
Almost time to get out again!