EPA Is Targeting Aftermarket Car Modifications

[Pegasi]

I know North America is on a high due to CARB, but I wanted to share this article. The more you read the crazier it gets. Examples of going after companies to private citizens.

The EPA Is Targeting Aftermarket Car Modifications - The Auto Wire

The US EPA has been targeting manufacturers and sellers of emissions defeat devices in a crusade that puts the car hobby at risk.

theautowire.com

 

[Pegasi]

It takes a while for the website to load, at least for me it did.

 

[Gprodigy]

Fast and Furious 11 is going to be insane

"I don't have a Lotus... I have Family "

 

[@Life411]

Reading stuff like this is depressing. For anyone who doesn't think their vote counts, read near the end of the article.

 

[Nova]

Yea, the Chevron Deference is as good as dead. However, I am not sure if this falls under that. If there are emissions standards and these modifications causes emissions to exceed those standards…. In general a business selling products should know if their product or method of operations violate the law and ignorance is not an excuse.

I have no sympathy for the coal rolling crowd.

 

[Porter]

This government response to automotive modification is 100% the result of the hyper-aggro belligerence of the diesel truck enthusiast community. If they weren't so insistent on screaming directly in everyone's faces and assaulting people on the sidewalk with clouds of diesel soot as they scream in laughter out the window of their 10" lifted Mall Trucks, none of this would have happened.

In fact the performance automotive community wasn't even on the radar of the EPA, since it's so small as a constituency compared to the general statistical incidence of poor maintenance causing heightened emissions on older cars... except for the fact that one of these a-holes randomly coal rolled an EPA administrator who was out for a bike ride in Northern Virginia. They're pedaling along quietly minding their own business, and some jackass redneck screamed some shit about environmentalism out the window of a truck and blew diesel soot in their face. That got their full attention. And then it got personal. And I don't blame them.

All of the frustration we're going to experience as a subculture over this issue is a result of society's inability to effectively discipline these antisocial morons.

 

[SirSoysauce]

I think I'm easily swayed because I'm one who is already pretty invested in modifications, but this is definitely convincing me to both be diligent on what mods I do on the Emira, and frankly even making me wonder if I should trade my car in before regulations get more stringent. I don't like being a Doomer, but the political environment is signaling that there is a good chance it can get worst before it gets better.

 

[Porter]

I think I'm easily swayed because I'm one who is already pretty invested in modifications, but this is definitely convincing me to both be diligent on what mods I do on the Emira, and frankly even making me wonder if I should trade my car in before regulations get more stringent. I don't like being a Doomer, but the political environment is signaling that there is a good chance it can get worst before it gets better.

Can I be the voice of reason on this?

Modern "sporty" cars are FAST. Way, way faster than they were 20, or even 10 years ago.

The performance deficit in a modern car, even a relatively modest one from a claimed performance standpoint like, say, a BMW 330i, is not the engine. It's the suspension, the brakes, and the way-too-isolated feel of the car due to advanced multi-durometer bushings making the car feel like it's floating.

A used BMW 328i xDrive or 330i xDrive with better brake pads, some mild suspension work and a few bushings swapped out will absolutely walk away on a mountain road from some of the fastest cars designed for that terrain from the mid-'00s, like the Subaru STi (GD, GR) and the Mitsu Evo (8, 9, 10). You don't need to remove catalytic converters to do that.

 

[SirSoysauce]

Can I be the voice of reason on this?

Modern "sporty" cars are FAST. Way, way faster than they were 20, or even 10 years ago.

The performance deficit in a modern car, even a relatively modest one from a claimed performance standpoint like, say, a BMW 330i, is not the engine. It's the suspension, the brakes, and the way-too-isolated feel of the car due to advanced multi-durometer bushings making the car feel like it's floating.

A used BMW 328i xDrive or 330i xDrive with better brake pads, some mild suspension work and a few bushings swapped out will absolutely walk away on a mountain road from some of the fastest cars designed for that terrain from the mid-'00s, like the Subaru STi (GD, GR) and the Mitsu Evo (8, 9, 10). You don't need to remove catalytic converters to do that.

For the Emira, I actually have my eyes on potentially the resonator delete and the Valvetronic Design exhaust system if they make one for the Emira. I'm more standing on the fact that I modified my S5 with a larger turbo to have a car that can be exciting in all environments (road, track, drag-strip). I'm at a sunk cost scenario and was planning to keep my S5 since I absolutely enjoy the turbo induction noises, but have become more hesitant as regulatory bodies like EPA and CARB are making owning modified vehicles more troublesome.

 

[Porter]

For the Emira, I actually have my eyes on potentially the resonator delete and the Valvetronic Design exhaust system if they make one for the Emira. I'm more standing on the fact that I modified my S5 with a larger turbo to have a car that can be exciting in all environments (road, track, drag-strip). I'm at a sunk cost scenario and was planning to keep my S5 since I absolutely enjoy the turbo induction noises, but have become more hesitant as regulatory bodies like EPA and CARB are making owning modified vehicles more troublesome.

I hear you, but drive the car first and evaluate whether you need it to be meaningfully faster. It's already a fast car. You can get more out of the car by tuning the driver than you can from adding headers, etc. And you can get 90%+ of the exhaust sound you might want without removing a single cat.

All I'm saying is that the "default calculus" we've grown up with about cars needing to have their emissions controls removed in order to be sporty or fast is just no longer the case. That was from an era when inherent engine performance was truly choked by basic emissions controls, but that's no longer true, now they make plenty of power even with emissions equipment in place.

 

[Hapkin]

I hear you, but drive the car first and evaluate whether you need it to be meaningfully faster. It's already a fast car. You can get more out of the car by tuning the driver than you can from adding headers, etc. And you can get 90%+ of the exhaust sound you might want without removing a single cat.

All I'm saying is that the "default calculus" we've grown up with about cars needing to have their emissions controls removed in order to be sporty or fast is just no longer the case. That was from an era when inherent engine performance was truly choked by basic emissions controls, but that's no longer true, now they make plenty of power even with emissions equipment in place.

I agree in general. I don't think Emira needs more power. It DOES need more revs. It's very annoying to bump off the redline when all you need are 2-400 more rpm to get to the next corner. Evora GT/410/430 levels are all we need for the chassis.

Better pads for track, sway bars and maybe Nitron 3 ways or Ohlins TTX/R&T.

I don't think the Eventuri or other intake makes a big difference in performance besides look and sound.

Now that said, the 3rd cat delete and Milltek valve controller is an INCREDIBLE bang for buck but won't be CARB legal.

 

[Eagle7]

I don't think the Eventuri or other intake makes a big difference in performance besides look and sound.

Now that said, the 3rd cat delete and Milltek valve controller is an INCREDIBLE bang for buck but won't be CARB legal.

Actually I think you have this exactly backwards. The cat delete and valve controller is literally just for noise, while the Eventuri has a track record of actually adding power and torque to the vehicles it's been installed in. Most intake/exhaust mods (like catback or just a muffler swap) are usually mostly for looks and sound, while offering maybe 3-5 hp which isn't noticeable at all. Most aftermarket intakes just lower the flow restriction, usually with a different less-restrictive air filter, while the Eventuri is actually shaping and directing the airflow pattern.

I've got one and now that I have a baseline dyno reading, I'll go back to the dyno shop after the install and see what the actual results are. I'm guessing somewhere between 10-20 hp, but what I'm really looking for is the increase in torque. The car has plenty of power at the top end, but it doesn't feel like it until you get up in the rpms. It needs more torque at lower rpms, which is what the Eventuri dyno charts show it delivers. I'm leaving my entire exhaust system stock, so this test will be a true indicator of what the Eventuri can actually do.

 

[Nova]

Really looking forward to your Dyno runs @Eagle7!

 

[seriously]

This government response to automotive modification is 100% the result of the hyper-aggro belligerence of the diesel truck enthusiast community. If they weren't so insistent on screaming directly in everyone's faces and assaulting people on the sidewalk with clouds of diesel soot as they scream in laughter out the window of their 10" lifted Mall Trucks, none of this would have happened.

In fact the performance automotive community wasn't even on the radar of the EPA, since it's so small as a constituency compared to the general statistical incidence of poor maintenance causing heightened emissions on older cars... except for the fact that one of these a-holes randomly coal rolled an EPA administrator who was out for a bike ride in Northern Virginia. They're pedaling along quietly minding their own business, and some jackass redneck screamed some shit about environmentalism out the window of a truck and blew diesel soot in their face. That got their full attention. And then it got personal. And I don't blame them.

All of the frustration we're going to experience as a subculture over this issue is a result of society's inability to effectively discipline these antisocial morons.

I hate trucks. 80% of them try to run over everyone on the freeway for no good reason. I didn’t know about the coal roll. I hate trucks even more now.