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In an attempt to protect the public from race cars that have had their emission systems tampered with in order to go racing the EPA wants to make it illegal to do so. ?
There are many guys and gals out there that like ot take their street legal cars to the races on the weekends and this new law would stop them from doing that. Of course you can run your car with the emission intact but by altering it or removing it all together usually results in a more efficient and faster car.
The thing I'm missing in this new law is if someone chooses to race their otherwise street legal car and they alter the emission system in order to shave off some time they will not be able to pass the yearly test at their state inspection station and their car will fail.
Is the EPA over reaching here and trying to spoil a racer who is on a budget?
The thing I'm missing in this new law is if someone chooses to race their otherwise street legal car and they alter the emission system in order to shave off some time they will not be able to pass the yearly test at their state inspection station and their car will fail.
They already do this to a point in MA.
In the past, I used to have a tough time getting my Mustang inspected due to altering some of the emissions components. In the end, I put them all back on as more and more shops didn't want anything to do with my car and it wasn't really worth the minor power boost I got from it.
To be honest I saw this coming a looooooong time ago. With the recent push to curb global warming, I can see this happening now. All modifications will get banned, inspections will get tougher, and the sport will take a beating.
Welcome to the future. It's a free country....right?
I thought laws like this were in place already. I recall 30years ago being unable to find an exhaust shop to weld up straight pipes in my catalytic converter equipped vehicle. Still cannot as to do so is illegal here in Florida.(Of course, for price somebody knows somebody) We had both visual and emissions inspections for a bit as CA still does and modifying a new vehicle intended for street use was not feasible. Now enforcement is non-existent here. But you know it could reacquire at any politician's whim.
Is this legislation aimed more at para and professional racers who do not purchase factory race ready offerings and only trailer to their track?
Is this legislation aimed more at para and professional racers who do not purchase factory race ready offerings and only trailer to their track?
According to the EPA
“Certified motor vehicles and motor vehicle engines and their emission control devices must remain in their certified configuration even if they are used solely for competition or if they become non-road vehicles or engines.”
Do people still remove all that stuff on modern cars? I'm just asking because I would think a modern performance car would have everything tied to the computer in which everything works together. Yes, I understand there is still plenty that can be tweeked on a motor to give more power, just surprised that removing emissions equipment is still done. Now, of course all those items were big power robbers back in the 70's/80's as they were just basically added to the engines then.
I also thought the EPA had those rules in effect anyway for years. I know back in the 80's/90's I had to have my factory emissions equipment to pass our emissions testing. They actually stuck a mirror underneath and checked for the converter and opened the hood to check for a smog pump. Didn't mean those items couldn't be rendered useless though.
And as far as not passing the yearly emissions, that depends where you live. I grew up in MD outside DC and my early years I had the joy of taking my trucks to the emissions test. I have not needed to do that since about 92 as I have been living in another part of MD or a part of FL in which those tests weren't/aren't required!
So I really don't see anything different then how it's been for pushing 30 years or so. And I'm sure the rules are still the same now that if the car never had emissions equipment from the factory, such as early 70's and back then it's a moot point anyway!
This has been the law in Calif. for years and years and is rigorously enforced with the biannual smog check. Still its another freedom gone thanks to Obama and the Democrats and the biggest hoax ever fostered on the American people, global warming.
Do people still remove all that stuff on modern cars? I'm just asking because I would think a modern performance car would have everything tied to the computer in which everything works together. Yes, I understand there is still plenty that can be tweeked on a motor to give more power, just surprised that removing emissions equipment is still done. Now, of course all those items were big power robbers back in the 70's/80's as they were just basically added to the engines then.
Not as much. Technology has come a long way, and current crop of emissions controls aren't really that restrictive.
Usually, a violation would be if I guy buys a Mustang, rips off the factory exhaust (and cat converters) and installs a turbo with a 4" downpipe and no converters and tunes it for max HP and takes it drag racing now and then in addition to driving it to work.
But for the most part, most people don't do this. They might yank the cats off and install off-road pipes, or high flow cats, but even that is few and far between. Usually, air filters and engine tunes are the common mods these days.
I think some racers are using leaded race gas in their late model street race cars. This will burn out a catalytic converter so they are removing them.
The EPA want to keep leaded gas out of street driven cars.
I used leaded race gas in my street/ track car 10 years ago but when race gas went from $2.00 a gallon to $9.00 a gallon. I took the car off the street.
One of these days leaded race gas will be banned in drag racing, just like it is in NASCAR.
Removing emission control parts is absolutely still done. Throwing a less restrictive intake, header, exhaust on and either removing, gutting, or replacing the cats with high flow versions are basic power adding mods. There are foulers you can use to then trick the sensors and prevent a check engine light.
Plenty of states out there with no emission testing to choose from.
“Certified motor vehicles and motor vehicle engines and their emission control devices must remain in their certified configuration even if they are used solely for competition or if they become non-road vehicles or engines.”
So basically if I take a V8 from a truck, and make a V8 powered chainsaw, technically I need to keep all the emissions controls.
Wouldn't this make NASCAR, and all other forms of legitimate racing illegal?
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