South Carolina to Ban the “Carolina Squat” This Week
South Carolina’s ban on the “Carolina Squat” goes into effect on May 9. Though the term perhaps conjures images of a lewd dance or some new-fangled way to poop in the woods, the Carolina Squat is really just a dangerous mod on trucks and SUVs whereby owners lower the rear end and raise the front. The effect resembles a motorboat at speed. Cruising across open water with a bow partially obstructing your view is one thing. Cruising the streets of the Palmetto State, crowded as they are with people and other cars, is something else entirely. Obstructed views over the nose of these vehicles have led to vehicle collisions and pedestrian deaths. Hence, the ban.
The trend is already outlawed in North Carolina and Virginia. In South Carolina, the legislation began working its way through the hands of lawmakers in the House and Senate early last year, gaining near-unanimous support from both chambers, before being put to Governor Henry McMaster last May. The language of the law states:
It shall be unlawful for any person to drive a passenger motor vehicle, including vehicles commonly referred to as pickup trucks, on the highways of this State if, by alteration of the suspension, frame, or chassis, the height of the front fender is raised or lowered four or more inches greater than the height of the rear fender. For 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. As contained in this item, “fender” means the pressed and formed part mounted over the road wheels of a motor vehicle to reduce the splashing of mud, water, or similar substances.
Another section of the law addresses any passenger vehicle “which has been elevated or lowered, yet still leveled, more than six inches by a modification, alteration, or change in the physical structure of the vehicle.” Pickup trucks are exempted from this law, however.
The ban went into effect November 12, 2023, but gave Carolina Squatters a 180-day grace period to remedy their skyward rides, with officers issuing warnings only. That grace period ends May 9, after which time violators face fines of $100 for a first offense, $200 for the second offense, and $300 plus a one-year license suspension for the third offense.
Although we generally accept the maxim that racing improves the breed, clearly, sometimes it just makes things dumber. In this case, the Carolina Squat has its origins in Baja off-road racing, where desert trucks often employ negative rake as way to help absorb bumps and hard landings in their long-travel front suspension. From there originated the “California Lean,” and it was only a matter of time before the trend spread via social media.
Famously, the Concorde supersonic jet overcame the issue of obstructed views with an articulated nose, which lowered 12.5 degrees during take-off, landing, and taxiing, to allow the pilots to see clearly. There’s been no word yet on whether some enterprising customizer has sought to circumvent the long arm of South Carolina law by installing hinges on the front end of a Tahoe, but if we hear of anything, we’ll keep you posted.
Prefer a Detroit Lean in the Deuce-and-a-Quarter personally..
The Carolina squat is the dumbest automotive trend that I can think of. I hate seeing them on the road. But I’m not sure how I feel about legislation to ban it.
When it’s causing significant issues to public safety, I’m all for it. This has the same problems of windshield obstruction with the added benefit of sending everything UNDER you instead of over the hood. My S class is low enough that despite being over 17 feet long, the entirety of my car can disappear from view at a stoplight when they pull up behind me.
There used to be a guideline that said when you stop at a light, stop far enough back that you can see the tires on the back of the vehicle in front of you. I suspect that drivers of these trucks would be stopping over in the next county if they followed that rule! 😛
Jeep, are you old enough to remember the ‘pack of Luckies’ between the pavement and the front x-member test? I don’t recall any ossifer getting his khakis dirty to even look under our cars (c. 1960), they just cited you for unsafe vehicle by ‘estimate’. Oh, and then made you rev up your mill to hear the pipes, and wrote you for that too! Hey– maybe they should bring that enforcement back?! I M Humble O; Wick
Sometimes it is up to lawmakers to make laws for people who have no common sense or taste. Besides looking ridiculous (UGLY), they are dangerous to drive. Laws protect clowns from their stupid mistakes.
If you’ve ever been in front of one of these vehicles at night in a car of average or lower height you’ll know why. I don’t care how much you adjust the headlights if they are 4 foot+ off the ground its like having a spotlight from a police car lighting up the interior and all of your mirrors, and lets not even mention if the squatter has led headlights and light bar. Even in the daytime. They should enforce the height laws that I thought were already in affect for headlights, and this should apply to any raised vehicle (4×4’s) as well.
I’m usually a ‘live and let live’ or a ‘you do you’ kinda guy, but when the safety of others is at risk, it doesn’t matter if it looks cool or stupid, I’ve just got to be against it.
Taste is subjective, but I suspect that will rank high on the dumbest car mods for years to come
Ban the Squat and save a quarter panel.
Sometimes you have to protect some people from themselves or in this case some people from others.
Even in San Diego I see full blown Baja trucks made street legal that were not to a point of anything unsafe and to be honest they were down right cool.
This one was as bad as when many were putting on wheels off set to fit outside the car. Not only was it dangerous to others but it generally ended in a failure of a suspension. These trucks can see and as you can see in the photo not all have tires under them.
I have driven some really lifted trucks in the past and can say you can’t see much in front of you and these are even worse.
I totally agree with your comment especially the part about the offset wheels. Still see some of that around here on Jeep and small pickups in Georgia, never understood the purpose. The “Squat” is equally stupid and ugly.
Once in a long while I’ll see some bro here in Texas do this. It’s stupid, but that never stopped anything. We have the silly ben-hur chariot wheels thing here in Houston to wreck you car.
“Another section of the law addresses any passenger vehicle “which has been elevated or lowered, yet still leveled, more than six inches by a modification, alteration, or change in the physical structure of the vehicle.” Pickup trucks are exempted from this law, however.”
Sounds to me like they are going after a lot of other vehicles, except lifted 4×4’s or “slammed” trucks. For instance; I like gasser’s and what was/is known as street freaks. My last build was a good bit over 6 inches higher than “stock”, as a gasser.
While I agree the look does nothing for me, same with “stanced” imports, once again a can of worms is getting opened. “Why is that legal but this isn’t?” To my mind a 4×4 lifted 20″ with giant tires or a stanced Honda that can’t drive over a pool cue without hitting it, are just as dangerous on the roadway.
Nobody ever expects a ‘gasser’ to handle, just get traction in a straight line. As long as it has front brakes, and is safe otherwise.
Same as a 12″ over hardtail, except the other guy takes the hit instead of the driver.
Looks like the ban will also abolish the “stink bug” stance of the 70’s era drag cars (elevated rear to clear tires) as the front will be “lower” than the rear:
“if, by alteration of the suspension, frame, or chassis, the height of the front fender is raised or lowered four or more inches greater than the height of the rear fender.
Safety. No matter what. Is drivers of low vehicles( Corvette) do not need to fear we can be seen at a stop light when one of the turds is hurtling towards us and Mach 3
Back in the late 50’s early 60’s, drag racers in Southern California did this for improved rear tire traction. Once suspension improvements came about, that trend disappeared.
Before the jacked-up front end, CA rodders (and Kustom guys) lowered the front, the ‘San Diego’ or ‘Dagoed’ look, just for cool. My first car, built by another, older guy, was a ’55 Chevy DelRay, lowered front and rear about 2-inches. I’d only had it about a month when I took the rear lowering blocks out, which left it with a ‘rake’ from the front. Cutting coils, or heating them accomplished this, alternative being a JC Whitney ‘lowering kit’ that tugged your front springs down about two inches. Not very dangerous, and no obstacle to forward vision, though questionable in other respects; my Chev had the torched coils. Biggest hazard to this method was getting one side lower than the other!! A ride ‘in the weeds’ looks okay — like what we drew in study hall — but the crazy tilts on those pickups is just an irritant to the eye. I have a ’51 Ford Crestliner — older restoration, showing it’s age — and I pulled the front down about 1-1/2 in., and it really sits well. Also has FatMan f&r sway bars, new springs, etc. And, three pedals with overdrive! Wick
There’s no reason for vehicles like this to be on the road. Obviously the the owners never got enough attention as a child. If fines don’t work, perhaps jail might be worth a shot.
I didn’t know they had been banned in North Carolina but that explains why I have seen so few of them the last couple of years. We go down to southeast NC a lot and when this trend first started, I thought it was hilarious and every year it seemed to get more and more exaggerated and I looked forward to seeing what wacko stuff people would do next. Most of them also modified their exhaust so that they were not only loud but exceptionally ‘blatty’ and I still hear a good bit of that. I agree with all that this trend was beyond dumb and the forward vision issue never occured to me.
I agree that the Carolina Squat is a stupid and dangerous trend (right up there with massive negative camber). But the way the law is defined, it would be easy to get around. “For 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.” All the offender would need to do is radius the rear fenders so that the gap between wheel and fender lip is the same front and back. Once again, lawmakers fail to think through their laws before enacting them.
Upon reading of the proposed statute, that was my first thought, “keep the rake, cut the bed side”. Well intentioned laws often have wacky consequences. Are the legislative reps so dense that they think everything operates in a vacuum? Based on the crunched bedside on photo #1, it would seem this mod would enhance the build of these silly looking trucks. Rolling mullets!
Stupid trend. It not only impairs your vision, but it also impairs your fuel mileage. The underside of the vehicle creates lots of drag at highway speeds. I just figure the guys that ride around with their trucks like this have a low IQ.