which mods are legal and which mods are illegal? that is if you get pulled over and a cop wants to look under your hood..or even just in general. any input on which would be legal and illegal would be appreciated....thanks

 

Your question is kind of broad. In general, any part that has anything to do with AIR and FUEL, you want a part that has a CARB EO (executive order) number on it. Remember, a "Modified Exhaust" ONLY refers to the catalytic forward. Many police make the mistake of writing citations for "Modified Exhaust" for cat back exhaust systems. In a case of an aftermarket exhaust system (cat-back), they can ONLY cite you for excessive noise if they beleive that it is over 95 dbs. Hope this helps.

 

yeah you can list all the mods that are illegal but it will take a long time. basically get intakes/headers, etc with a CARB sticker on it. basically what makes mods illegal is that it violates emissions. now mods like internal work to your engine, you dont really have to worry about a cop tearing apart your block and finding that you have new cams in there. exhausts are usually too loud and therefore a lot are illegal, and also some people are running straight pipes which is illegal as well. there are other illegal non engine mods such as lowering your car too low, tinted front windows, headlight color/brightness, etc..

 

In California everything is illegal. Check your local motor vehicle regulations.

 

most motorcycle exhaust system are way too loud and annoying as hell but they are not illegal.

 

also some mods such as test pipes would be considered illegal since they are
in violation of emissions restrictions. that depends on your state though.

only thing is how could a cop possibly know you are running test pipes without
getting under the car and looking. and most probably wouldn't know what they
were looking for.

 

Not true in CA, the cops know their sh*t here. But, I was talking to a cop last night about how and when they can look under the hood and he pretty much said anytime. He also said that the cheapest way to avoid being harassed and made to fix things is to only buy CARB legal mods, I thought to myself.....NO WAY that makes sooo much sense why didn't I think of it. Basically anything you do to your car allows them to pull you over and inspect so beware.

 

here in hawaii, everything and anything (rims, suspension, stereo) done requires a reconstruction permit which makes it legal. very gay.

 

Sucks for you Cali guys...

Test pipes are illegal in all 50 states... they violate Federal regulations saying that every car must have a working cat on it after whatever year is in there.

 

How is it for out-of-staters? As in military bringing their cars over?

 

The cops favorite reason to pull you over is not having a front plate. Then the inspection starts from there.

Now in Cali, if you have any exhaust that doesn't sound stock from the factory your gonna get pulled over especially, in Sacramento with the crack down on street racing. Lowered vehicles are going to be a target as well.

They will use these visual / audio cues to pull you over so that they can spend more time looking for other things to process.

At least that is my opinion on the topic.

 

so if you have test pipes they will mark you up for that. what is the violation
that is cited on the ticket? i assume just fines or am i wrong?

 

can you explain more....

man i thought cali had it bad but it sounds like hawaii 1 upped them.

i love the state im in! its mod friendly.

 

i think an average harley is 10x louder than our catback exhaust.. watsup with that...

 

Yeah i love the fact the bikes dont have to worry about noise, but cars??? ha, thats discrimmination mayyynnn!!

 

not exactly true, you can get aftermarket rims as long as they aren't 1.75" (or some stupid # like that) larger than stock. and I haven't read about stereos much (I do know LCD screens are illegal), but I doubt anyone has ever gotten a ticket for just having an aftermarket CD deck or speakers. but you are right about hawaii be super strict, recon sucks.

 

You could check with the CHP
http://www.chp.ca.gov/html/streetlegal.html

or the DMV
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/vc/vc.htm

or CARB
http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/aftermkt/replace.htm

Chris

 

**** LCD screens are illegal in Hawaii? I just got one installed two days ago...

 

I had Thunderheaders(very loud exhaust) on my bike and got written-up for excessive noise. Hav any of you ever heard a stock Harley? Quieter than
your average gas lawn-mower. My APS exhaust sets off car alarms, so it's only a matter of time.....

 

Originally Posted by Ztalker
most motorcycle exhaust system are way too loud and annoying as hell but they are not illegal.

I am also a fellow rider and the reason is b/c we dont have to SMOG our bikes as for getting tickets they can still issue one out if they're really dicks about exhausts especially race high mounts, but if you got a Harley or cruiser they'd leave you alone unlees your acting like a jackass...now thats discrimination!