[GlennGlenn]

EPA Rule To Ban Car Modification [HR][/HR] Full article at EPA Rule To Ban Car Modification

EPA and NHTSA complete work on a regulation banning sale of go-fast engine parts for automobiles.

"Tucked deep within a proposed rulemaking governing diesel truck engines, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) introduced language that would prohibit any changes to an automobile's engine or exhaust after it leaves the factory. The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) raised the alarm Monday after discovering the hidden provision.

"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 nonroad vehicles or engines," the proposed regulation states. "Anyone modifying a certified motor vehicle or motor vehicle engine for any reason is subject to the tampering and defeat device prohibitions of this section and 42 USC 7522(a)(3)."

The public comment period on the rule change closed last October. After the final rule is published in the Federal Register, it will have the force of law. The new regulation clarifies that road vehicles that are certified for sale in the United States can still be raced -- as long as the catalytic converters and other equipment remain untouched."

 

[GlennGlenn]

EPA Rule To Ban Car Modification [HR][/HR] BUT wait, there's MORE:

Update: EPA says your racecar is probably already illegal [HR][/HR] Full article at http://www.autoblog.com/2016/02/09/e...date-official/

"... it's already against the law to perform any modifications to a vehicle that result in the tampering or removal of emissions control systems, even for competition. In other words, if you have removed a catalytic converter from your racecar, you're already afoul of the rules. Conversely, if your vehicle is old enough that it didn't come with emissions control equipment in the first place, you're seemingly free and clear.

Further, the EPA claims that the new wording of its regulations only seeks to differentiate nonroad vehicles from "motor vehicles." Two nonroad vehicles specifically mentioned by the EPA include dirt bikes and snowmobiles. Any vehicle that was sold with a certificate of conformity that allows them to be used on public roads, however, are "motor vehicles" and therefore must have all their emissions controls intact. And that's regardless of whether or not the motor vehicle in question will ever actually be used on public roads.

Put another way, according to the EPA's statement, a reflash of your car's engine control unit would be illegal (it doesn't matter if it's gasoline or diesel) if it alters the car's emissions, even if you never drive that car on the street. The same would be true of a number of common modifications for cars used in competition, which would include drag racing, drifting or LeMons."

""The proposed regulation that SEMA has commented on does not change this long-standing law, or approach. Instead, the proposed language in the Heavy-Duty Greenhouse Gas rulemaking simply clarifies the distinction between motor vehicles and nonroad vehicles such as dirt bikes and snowmobiles. Unlike motor vehicles – which include cars, light trucks, and highway motorcycles – nonroad vehicles may, under certain circumstances, be modified for use in competitive events in ways that would otherwise be prohibited by the Clean Air Act.

http://www.racer.com/north-american-...ar-conversions
EPA clarifies stance on road-to-racecar conversions

"EPA is now reviewing public comments on this proposal."

There is no wording in the proposal to outline how the rule might be policed and breaches penalized, and RACER is awaiting additional details regarding what sort of vehicles or circumstances might be eligible for exemption. Current modified-production racing takes place under the existing wording of the rules without any EPA intervention.

Even so, the reworded law – if passed – will not go into effect until 2018, and will not be retroactive. Consequently, current race-modified production cars appear unlikely to be affected either way."
[HR][/HR]

 

[LiveTrash]

I'm not sure about anywhere else, but soon in Canada if certain vehicle components don't operate or aren't in the same condition as they were from the factory (for example if the A/C unit doesn't work or there's a bit of rust on the brake lines) it won't pass a safety inspection. Do you know how many vehicles will not be passing future safety inspections? People are going to be pissed!

 

[Jaz]

I understand that the world is becoming more eco friendly for the future, but this is going too far.
If I get myself a car for track/race purposes, the engine/exhaust cannot be altered in any way, shape or form.
There goes EVERY SINGLE amateur race in the states.
So if I understand this correctly, any cars pre 1983-86 which were excluded to a lot of emission rules can be used in a "classic" type race, or road use.
But anything newer will be virtually banned from all types of performance mods.
Sounds like 1 way to piss of half of the country.
I really don't thing the government will allow it as they will lose way too much in revenue from tax and fining people.
It will also be way too difficult to govern. Most cops don't know what to look for anyway.

 

[Tomko]

In a time when you can buy a 500, 600 and yes even 700 horsepower vehicle, that is in 100% compliance, right off the dealer lot, this regulatory change is completely and wholly inconsequential.

You want to go faster, fast, fastest - just buy it that way from the factory.

The SEMA lobby is interested in only one thing: making money. In the great Amercian tradition of capitalism they have no interest in you or your desire to go fast.

Being a hot rodder is much more than altering emissions-related equipment. Brakes, tires, suspension, aerodynamics, lighting, paint and appearance, comfort and convenience: to name just a few.

 

[Tomko]

I'm not sure about anywhere else, but soon in Canada if certain vehicle components don't operate or aren't in the same condition as they were from the factory (for example if the A/C unit doesn't work or there's a bit of rust on the brake lines) it won't pass a safety inspection. Do you know how many vehicles will not be passing future safety inspections? People are going to be pissed!

Do you think having safer vehicles on the road is a good thing or bad thing?

 

[Tomko]

I just read this:

SEMA has done us all a serious disservice by crying wolf. SEMA’s kneejerk reaction hurts its credibility and exposes it (again) as the lobbying firm it is as much as it actually informs us all of important regulatory activity. The government is not coming for your race car, and it’s disingenuous and manipulative for SEMA to suggest so. What’s worse, it’s created a false controversy that will cloud the important discussion to be had about the actual regulation.SEMA’s primary concern is its members’ pocketbooks and its own, not you and your race car. There’s nothing wrong with that, but don’t be fooled into thinking SEMA is doing this for you. You, the enthusiast, are being used to browbeat the EPA into altering regulation for the benefit of SEMA’s members primarily, and your own indirectly. Yes, you might benefit if SEMA wins this fight, but SEMA isn’t fighting it for you.

SEMA vs. EPA: What’s Really Going On - Motor Trend

 

[LiveTrash]

Do you think having safer vehicles on the road is a good thing or bad thing?

It's good, but some of the things I mentioned aren't factors of a safe vehicle. The A/C doesn't make a vehicle safe considering some new cars come from a factory without A/C. You can't even remove the faulty A/C unit from the car and claim it never had it to pass a safety. And in Canada or anywhere with snow and salt on the roads brake lines are going to get surface rust, nothing can be done about that. It's when they get so corroded they obviously need to be replaced of course, but any sort of rust on them will be a fail on a safety. So much unnecessary money is going to have to be spent on cars that aren't even that old to allow them to pass the tests.

 

[jsusanka]

So I am guessing this would make trifecta tune illegal? I don't see how or why because your car is still going to pass the emissions tests and you are making the car drive better. Would it be illegal to buy a k&n filter?

 

[Snipesy]

So I am guessing this would make trifecta tune illegal? I don't see how or why because your car is still going to pass the emissions tests and you are making the car drive better. Would it be illegal to buy a k&n filter?

No, it will pass, and no.

This changes nothing in the 'normal' tuning world. People will still do cat deletes and egr deletes left and right because there is just no way to enforce those.

Diesels. Same thing. Changes nothing. The EPA can't enforce this unless its a really big company who is blatantly doing it in the open. Any other enforcement will be done at the state level. Which, as we know, is nonexistent for many. And unless D.C. flexes its muscles (which will be met with a lot of backlash) that fact is not going to change soon.

I won't lie though. It's certainly not going to get better. Especially if the democrats win the office.

and ESPECIALLY if the commies win the office.

 

[CruzeTech]

Interestingly enough, when I traded in my 2012 Cruze, there was hoopla about the car being tuned. They knew about it, because I know most of the sales team, and they wanted me to return it to stock, simply because it would was not going to pass the dyno part of the emissions test. Well, the dealership, isn't exactly down the street, so I said it would be the following weekend before I could even make it down there to untune it.

So, fast forward to the next day, I actually got a call from the service manager, whom I knew personally, anyway, and he tells me to forget about coming down to remove the tune. They ran it through the dyno part of the emissions test, and have never had a car test that high. The tech swore the machine wasn't working properly. So they took it off the dyno and had 2 other rental car auction cars to dyno and both of those cars tested what they would consider normal. My old car back on the dyno. Smoked the other 2 cars as far as the dyno test went. They doubled the speed they test the cars at, and it still wasn't even close.

So, I understand the reasoning behind some of the stupid things people do. But mine was simply tuned and no other mods were done. No exhaust, no filter. Just bone stock. Passed better than any car they've ever tested.

 

[Snipesy]

Smoked the other 2 cars

I think they did it wrong. :th_SmlyROFL:

 

[diesel]

I just read this:



SEMA vs. EPA: What’s Really Going On - Motor Trend[/FONT][/COLOR]

[h=1]Oops! That page can't be found.[/h]

 

[Tomko]

Oops! That page can't be found.

Hilarious! SEMA forced motor trend to take the story down. Here's what's left that I could find:

"The breathless press release arrived in the automotive industry’s collective inbox around 6 p.m. Monday. “EPA Seeks to Prohibit Conversion of Vehicles into Racecars,” it read. Car people freaked. By Tuesday morning, the mantra had been repeated all over the auto enthusiast Internet: The EPA is coming for your race car! The truth is far more complicated, but the messaging reveals as much about SEMA as it does about the proposed rule change. Make no mistake: This issue is complicated. The rule the.."

"SEMA has done us all a serious disservice by crying wolf. SEMA’s kneejerk reaction hurts its credibility and exposes it (again) as the lobbying firm it is as much as it actually informs us all of important regulatory activity. The government is not coming for your race car, and it’s disingenuous and manipulative for SEMA to suggest so. What’s worse, it’s created a false controversy that will cloud the important discussion to be had about the actual regulation.SEMA’s primary concern is its members’ pocketbooks and its own, not you and your race car. There’s nothing wrong with that, but don’t be fooled into thinking SEMA is doing this for you. You, the enthusiast, are being used to browbeat the EPA into altering regulation for the benefit of SEMA’s members primarily, and your own indirectly. Yes, you might benefit if SEMA wins this fight, but SEMA isn’t fighting it for you."

 

[Kexlox]

According to the EPA, this isn't a change in their enforcement, just clarification of the stance they've had for a long time. Laura Allen sent out this clarification:

People may use EPA-certified motor vehicles for competition, but to protect public health from air pollution, the Clean Air Act has – since its inception – specifically prohibited tampering with or defeating the emission control systems on those vehicles.The proposed regulation that SEMA has commented on does not change this long-standing law, or approach.

Instead, the proposed language in the Heavy-Duty Greenhouse Gas rulemaking simply clarifies the distinction between motor vehicles and nonroad vehicles such as dirt bikes and snowmobiles. Unlike motor vehicles – which include cars, light trucks, and highway motorcycles – nonroad vehicles may, under certain circumstances, be modified for use in competitive events in ways that would otherwise be prohibited by the Clean Air Act.

This clarification does not affect EPA's enforcement authority. It is still illegal to tamper with or defeat the emission control systems of motor vehicles. In the course of selecting cases for enforcement, the EPA has and will continue to consider whether the tampered vehicle is used exclusively for competition. The EPA remains primarily concerned with cases where the tampered vehicle is used on public roads, and more specifically with aftermarket manufacturers who sell devices that defeat emission control systems on vehicles used on public roads.

If a vehicle was sold with an on road certification, it remains illegal to remove or defeat emissions equipment, whether you are VW or Joe Racer. Enforcement will remain non-existent unless you are a manufacturer.

 

[Tomko]

I found the motor trend piece here:

SEMA vs. EPA: What’s Really Going On | Car News Magazine

 

[obermd]

Interest read and analysis. The reality is that as long as your car passes emissions no one is going to even look. What started this was VW's emissions cheating where VW explicitly bypassed their own emissions controls when driving but not during stationary emissions testing. I suspect the EPA's new ruling is designed to make it very clear that if you're caught doing this you can expect serious penalties. This is opposed to the current method of hiding all this in bureaucratic paperwork.

 

[magnusson]

Every Democrat in this Thread needs to pat themselves on the back, strong work. Trust your government like a sheep.

 

[Snipesy]

Really though. Its wrong for anyone to just shrug this off because it 'changes nothing'. Any time something is changed 'to be more clear' its usually a sign of even stricter laws being made down the road.

I dont understand how there isn't more commotion. What the EPA is saying is that a vehicle you bought isn't really yours, and that it needs to be certified just to turn over. So basiclly, unless you are GM and can afford all this certification and engineering, there is simply no way a small to even fairly moderate shop can even touch an engine without getting fined to **** and back.

 

[Tomko]

The SEMA censorship of Motor Trend is now a story onto itself.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2016/02/motor-trend-hits-sema-hard-changes-mind/