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Is it illegal to lower your car?
Lowering a car is legal in most states until it crosses a specific line. California says the body cannot sit lower than the lowest part of any wheel rim, Washington requires fenders to cover the full tire tread, and some states set bumper heights instead. Air suspension is how the stance scene stays legal.
Cam WalshLatest Articles
The new Nissan Skyline arrives in December, and it's coming here as an Infiniti
The 14th-generation Nissan Skyline debuts in December, confirmed by CEO Ivan Espinosa, and comes to North America as the Infiniti Q50. It keeps rear-wheel drive and the Z's 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 at up to 420 hp, was developed in 26 months, and Nissan's teasers show GT-R-style round taillights.
Cam Walsh
DLO fail: the fake window glass designers quietly hate
DLO stands for daylight opening, the glass area of a car's greenhouse seen from the side. DLO fail is the black plastic cheater panel at the end of it, faking a longer or sleeker window than the car actually has. Designers use the term as an insult, and once you see it you cannot unsee it.
Jeffrey Wiley
BMW is building an electric M3 and keeping the six-cylinder one
BMW's electric M3 is expected in production next year on a dedicated EV platform, and a combustion M3 is lined up for 2028 using a modified version of today's S58 twin-turbo inline-six with mild-hybrid help. M boss Frank van Meel has hinted the gas car may even keep a manual.
Cam Walsh
Mitsuoka is turning a Miata into a 1950s Corvette
Mitsuoka's new LA1 puts 1950s C1 Corvette bodywork on a current Mazda MX-5, with quad headlights, a chrome bumper, side gills, and taillights moved to the quarter panels. It debuts November 26 as a limited Japanese-market car. The same designer did the 2018 Rock Star, which copied the C2 instead.
Jeffrey Wiley
Why almost every car interior is black now
Mainstream carmakers usually offer about three interior colors and one is always black, because every extra color is separate inventory. Americans buy off the lot, so dealers stock the combination that sells to everyone. Black also hides wear better than beige or gray, at the cost of absorbing more heat.
Jeffrey Wiley
The 2027 Ford F-150 brings the V8 back in the expensive trims
The 2027 Ford F-150 makes the 5.0-liter V8 available from the base XL to the top Platinum again, and the King Ranch and Platinum get it back for the first time since 2023. A new 325 hp 3.0-liter EcoBoost becomes the base engine, and a new Raptor 800A trim starts $4,010 cheaper at $74,995.
Cam WalshGM is bringing back CarPlay and Android Auto, but only in a box
GM is adding Apple CarPlay and Android Auto back to its vehicles after stripping them from its EVs and floating their removal across the lineup. The catch: phone content sits in a card window alongside GM's own apps rather than taking over the screen. Trucks get it first, then electric, gas, and diesel models.
Jeffrey Wiley
Why a V8 rumbles and a Ferrari screams
An American V8 rumbles and a Ferrari V8 screams because of the crankshaft. Cross-plane cranks fire unevenly between banks and produce the lopey rumble; flat-plane cranks alternate perfectly and rev higher for that howl. Here's also why an inline-six is the smoothest engine you can buy.
Cam Walsh
The next BMW 3 Series has been spotted without camouflage
The next-generation BMW 3 Series, an M350 xDrive, has been photographed undisguised in Munich. The clearest change is at the back, with wide taillights that stretch almost to the center of the trunk and a busier, heavily creased bumper borrowed from the electric Neue Klasse i3. Production starts in the second half of this year.
Jeffrey Wiley
Jeep's new Wrangler JL-2A brings back the 1945 CJ-2A look for $115
Jeep's 2027 Wrangler JL-2A recreates the 1945 Willys CJ-2A, the first Jeep built for civilian buyers. The package lists at $4,995 but Jeep says it costs $115 more than a similarly equipped Rubicon, with Gobi or '41 paint, Joose-painted 17-inch wheels, and Heritage Tan Nappa leather. Orders open in October.
Cam Walsh
Metallic, pearl, matte, and satin: what car paint finishes actually do
Metallic paint uses aluminum flake, pearl uses ceramic crystals that refract light into different colors, and matte scatters light so you see form instead of reflections. Each one changes how a car's shape reads, and matte costs 40 to 50 percent more to repair because the clear coat cannot be polished.
Jeffrey Wiley
What is shakotan? Japan's original lowered car style
Shakotan literally means low car, and it's the 1970s Japanese style that every lowered car since has descended from. Deep-dish wheels, a scraped ride height, mild flares, and clean lines. Here's what separates it from bosozoku, kaido racer, and VIP style.
Cam Walsh