HIDs Illegal?

MasterYoda

MasterYoda

New member
:police: Well this :censored: F$cking sucks! :police: :happens:

Got pulled over today on my way home from work by a surprisingly nice and informative Washington State Trooper Eric Elofson. Right in the middle of a construction zone. Ya go figure how awesome is that. Because everyone knows fines double in work zones, hip hip hurray.

Trooper walks up to my pass. window identifies himself and I immediately inform him of my CCW and to where my concealed carry was located. Kinda cool how that turned out, he took a look at it and actually commented on how nice of a gun it was. Sounds like points for me so far.

But on to the fun part. The Trooper informed me of two things and here they are.

ONE: HID headlights.

Guess what my fellow T4R lovers? Apparently HIDs in the state of Washington are illegal. Yup you read right, illegal.

Actually the law reads a little like this...

RCW 46.37.270
Each lamp must be equipped with the type of bulb for which it was designed. Note: A halogen headlight cannot be converted to a high intensity discharge (HID) headlight as replacing a halogen bulb with a HID bulb renders the headlamps performance dangerous and noncompliant with applicable regulations.

Which, when you dumb it down means... If it didn't come from the factory like that then its illegal. doesn't mean your gonna get pulled over and receive a ticket everytime you go out. This is at the discretion of the officer.

TWO: Vehicle maximum height.

And another thing I also learned today was a 3rd gen 2000 Toyota 4runner's height limit is apparently no more than 22" from the ground to the original bumper. I'm sitting on 33s with a 3" suspension and a 2" body.

WRONG!

After I got home I did a little research. On the Washington State Patrols own website I found the previous law regarding the HIDs and also found this law which the way I read it makes it sound like the Trooper misinformed me by accident. He was correct about the 22" part. But it applies to cars. for a vehicle with a GVWR of 4501 - 7500 (2000 T4R = GVWR 5250) is 27" in the front and 29" in the rear. Here is the law from their page.

Maximum Heights - *Bumper (4.5" min. width) GVWR 7501 and up = Front 28" & Rear 30"
GVWR 4501 - 7,500 = Front 27" & Rear 29"
GVWR 4500 and under = Front 24" & Rear 26"
Car = Front 22" & Rear 22"

*(Measured from ground to the bottom of original bumper) WAC 204-10-022

So I think i'm good on the height law by an inch front and rear. For the HID Im screwed. Anyone know how to convert back to factory? I bought the rig like this and have no idea how to do it. or maybe change the bulb to a 4300 or 6000. Oh I have the 8000 HIDs, probably should have led with that sorry.

The good news about today is that Trooper Eric Elofson was very professional and really fair and nice and cool and fair and, and,.... ok so ya that's a suck up just in case he some how finds this and reads it. I don't wanna get a ticket next time. All in all Trooper Elofson was cool, didn't even run my DL or insurance, nothing. Told me what was wrong, HIDs & Height, didn't give me a ticket which in a construction zone would have been spendy. And sent me on my way.

The End
Thanks fellow T4R lovers for reading my rant and rave on Trooper Elofson. Cool Officer crappy info
 
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converting back is easy, all you do is unplug the harness from the truck to the hid ballast, then plug it directly into the halogen bulb
 
Question, are your HIDs retrofits or just plug and play bulbs? Back in Oklahoma I knew people who got in trouble for just having the bulbs because in a stock reflector it scatters light all over the place and blinds people. Where in a retrofit the light is cutoff and doesn't kill people.

Obviously this still technically violates the law but in my experience I've never been pulled over in a retrofitted/projector HID car, where I have in cars with just HID bulbs and they aren't even illegal in Oklahoma.
 
if i had HIDs and wanted to go stock, I would trade someone for their stock lights + cash. HID conversions, if done properly are worth some $
 
MasterYoda said:
Trooper walks up to my pass. window identifies himself and I immediately inform him of my CCW and to where my concealed carry was located. Kinda cool how that turned out, he took a look at it and actually commented on how nice of a gun it was. Sounds like points for me so far.

Trooper Eric Elofson was very professional and really fair and nice and cool and fair and, and,.... ok so ya that's a suck up just in case he some how finds this and reads it. I don't wanna get a ticket next time. All in all Trooper Elofson was cool, didn't even run my DL or insurance, nothing. Told me what was wrong, HIDs & Height, didn't give me a ticket which in a construction zone would have been spendy. And sent me on my way.
Click to expand...

Yah, I've always found that respect to an officer (unlike so many others have shown) is the best policy!

I was pulled over (years ago) like so...

In a 'friends' car (chevy malibu ex-cop car - late 80's)
No license
No Reg
No Insurance (in Cali)
No Shoes
No ID
Sped to 50 from a stop in a 35

Was let off with a WARNING!!??

RESPECT PEOPLE!!

IT WILL GET YOU THRU MANY....?????
 
MasterYoda said:
RCW 46.37.270
Each lamp must be equipped with the type of bulb for which it was designed. Note: A halogen headlight cannot be converted to a high intensity discharge (HID) headlight as replacing a halogen bulb with a HID bulb renders the headlamps performance dangerous and noncompliant with applicable regulations.
Click to expand...

So the lamp needs to be designed for HID, not the vehicle. Sounds like someone needs to "design" an HID lamp that will fit in G3/4Rs. Then sell it with a receipt clearly stating it is designed and intended for an HID bulb. I could see a judge accepting that.

Of course, if this is a plug-n-play and not a retrofit, you really ought to yank it. No fun getting blinded by those things. And done right, not much chance of getting pulled over.
 
I hate you got popped with them since you bought it that way but I WISH they were illegal here or at least enforced. I can't stand drop in HID kits blinding me (wrong housings...), not to mention the horrible colors that look like something from the fast and the furious. Regarding HID's: projectors or its wrong.

Again I'm sorry you got dinged for them.
 
what temperature bulbs are u running? in stock housings or retrofit? our gen 3 runners have huge housings kinda like the newer tacomas...ever been behind a 2013 tacoma with hids..those things will light up an entire block.

hids are illegal, the box it comes in says off road use only. but I'd ASSUME if u had a retrofit and ur lights weren't scattered all over the place he wouldn't have stopped you.
 
Projector headlight housings would be the only way to install HIDs. And even then I'd still shine them on a garage door and make sure they have a definitive cutoff line. Guys do this on the grand cherokee forum I belong to.

I hate HID people that just slap them into the factory housing. My nite vision is dead for over a minute after they go by. All I see is spots.
 
I hate when people throw hids into stock housings. That's why you got pulled over. Do it right and fix what the previous owner should have done.
 
Makes me appreciate living in Arkansas.. They just don't give a crap. Especially on ride heights.



knockwood.gif
 
Another good thing to do when you get pulled over: put both hands out of the window so they can see them, they LOVE that. Nothing more than a warning in the last twenty years here!
 
Whitson Metalworks said:
I hate you got popped with them since you bought it that way but I WISH they were illegal here or at least enforced. I can't stand drop in HID kits blinding me (wrong housings...), not to mention the horrible colors that look like something from the fast and the furious. Regarding HID's: projectors or its wrong.

Again I'm sorry you got dinged for them.
Click to expand...

I agree they are bright as hell if i'm following you but from my perspective they are dim and do nothing but light up all the street signs blue. If I had done it my self, which I wouldn't have in the first place, I would have done it with the right projecting or lense that didn't blind oncoming traffic.
 
Brilliant said:
I looked up the code, doesnt say what you quoted.
RCW 46.37.270: Number of lamps required ? Number of additional lamps permitted.

Where the Federal standards are noted are in the WAC, not the RCW.
WAC 204-21-040: Headlamps.
Click to expand...

looks like this might be it??


RCW 46.37.310
Selling or using lamps or equipment.

(1) No person may have for sale, sell, or offer for sale for use upon or as a part of the equipment of a motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer, or use upon any such vehicle any head lamp, auxiliary or fog lamp, rear lamp, signal lamp, or reflector, which reflector is required under this chapter, or parts of any of the foregoing which tend to change the original design or performance, unless of a type which has been submitted to the state patrol and conforming to rules adopted by it.

(2) No person may have for sale, sell, or offer for sale for use upon or as a part of the equipment of a motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer any lamp or device mentioned in this section conforming to rules adopted by the state patrol unless such lamp or device bears thereon the trademark or name under which it is approved so as to be legible when installed.

(3) No person may use upon any motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer any lamps mentioned in this section unless the lamps are mounted, adjusted, and aimed in accordance with instructions of the state patrol.
 
thor999 said:
Another good thing to do when you get pulled over: put both hands out of the window so they can see them, they LOVE that. Nothing more than a warning in the last twenty years here!
Click to expand...

Ya that would work. Sure would look funny though. My father was a Police officer for over 26 years and he always recommended, short of hanging out the window with your car keys in hand, that turning on your hazards, turning off the vehicle and keeping both hands on the top of your steering wheel is the best way to react. Don't start reaching for your insurance and papers out of the glove compartment, that would be bad. Don't make any sudden movements. A lot of people who don't get pulled over frequently or come into contact with law enforcement, often tend to get a little nervous, regardless if you are innocent or hiding something. Your instincts or routine kick in resulting in naturally turning off the vehicle and un-buckling your seat belt. Not good cause from the officers stand point, he now sees you not wearing it when they get to your window. Seen it happen to a buddy, to bad I wasn't riding with him. Would have been hilarious. Oh and probably the number one most important thing not to do or say when an officer makes contact with you is to reach for it or say gun. For example "Hello officer I have a gun and it is in my glove compartment." Now a trained officer understood exactly what you said and meant 99% of the time. But lets say he or she is fresh out of the academy or is training someone who is. All they might hear is GUN! and that reaction is not good. Best thing to tell an officer is, "I have my concealed carry permit and it is in the glove compartment or where ever" Now no jumpy rookie is reaching for his gun.

But hey reaching out the window would look pretty funny, the officer would probably think so too, unless you live in LA or something. But hey if I see someone in a 4runner with their hands out the window ill honk and say HI lol.
 
I wouldn't over think it.

Just swap out with some TYCs and get the fix it ticket taken care of.

What you do after that is your own business. You don't have to ditch the HIDs.
 
JWaldz said:
Makes me appreciate living in Arkansas.. They just don't give a crap. Especially on ride heights.



knockwood.gif
Click to expand...

So true. Oklahoma is the same. I remember my next door neighbor had a 80s model chevy with 12" of lift and 39" tires. That was definitely over the limit I'm sure haha.
 
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