USA vehicle modification rules - (BRZ)
 

Hi guys, I ask you all to help me to clarify what’s legal or not (road legal I mean) in US about car modifications.
When we discuss in Italy, mostly in Europe too, we believe here that US rules help owners to modify car setup with no long and complex procedures.
I think that we are a bit influenced by “Gas Monkey Garage” where we see any kind of modifications that let us to think that US are the Paradise on earth.

Each one of us desire to be Richard Rawlings.

Some Euro examples:

- Wheel, on our car paper issued by National Motor Bureau of Transportation the constructor specifies the measures of ET, Size of rims. BMW and Mercedes-Benz usually specify several measures from 17” up to 20” on same model. Subaru not. In Europe the only road legal measure of rims are 17x7 ET.
- Tyre, the measure of the tyres are on paper, i.g 215/45 R17 for BRZ

Only in Germany if a rims is TUV certified might be installed with no need of test, in Italy you cannot. You need a certified set of rims for that vehicle, i.g. OZ Wheels for BRZ on 18” (18x8 ET45, 5x100) to install 225/40 R18 and later you drive to Motor Bureau to pass test. Since July of last year the new paper of National Bureau reports the ET measurements too.

- Aero parts (wing)
Only in Germany and Switzerland the parts can be installed (with no test) only if they get the TUV or CH Zutaten, otherwise you need an homologation test within euro road rules (edge curve not lower than 2,5 cms)
In Italy on car paper is mostly specified “vehicle with aero parts since constructor”, on this vague specification you might install a wing i.g. within the maximum wide shape of car. It’s risky…mostly.

- Engine bay
- Air intake, is forbidden (for road ) to install a Takeda i.g. or a new air intake, you need an homologation very difficult to obtain as you modify a section of emissions rules, we haven’t a Carb Legal way
- SC kit or Turbo, you need a test and homologation (impossible in Italy, costs are between Eur 5/6,000 with no guarantee of success) to modify the engine output power for tax too. An owner of Impreza WRX STI in Italy pays Euro 1.650,00 about owner tax (yearly) for 310 HP.. BRZ is Eur 486,00 yearly in Italy.

Headlight
no blue emitting lights are legal everywhere in Europe, no change between Xenon is allowed if not included from constructor.
Only for fog light might be allowed an emitting yellow light if included by constructor

Plate
you cannot remove any kind of plate both front and rear and you cannot relocate them.

Window
you can install only an overlay with homologation, only in Monaco (Principaute) the vehicles can be since constructor with dark window front and front side windows too. In Italy is forbidden , you can overlay only rear and rear side window.


So this is a little resume of some rules, usually rules are common in Europe (28 countries) but each country can issue national rules (not in versus with ECE rules).


I will thank in advance the euro mates for any add-on to my words.




Thanks to all mate!

I'll leave the Richard Rawlings comment for someone else..

- Wheel, on our car paper issued by National Motor Bureau of Transportation the constructor specifies the measures of ET, Size of rims. BMW and Mercedes-Benz usually specify several measures from 17” up to 20” on same model. Subaru not. In Europe the only road legal measure of rims are 17x7 ET.
As far as I know, there is no restriction on road legal wheel size/specs that a car can run. For the most part, many of the automotive laws differ from state to state.

- Tyre, the measure of the tyres are on paper, i.g 215/45 R17 for BRZ
Only in Germany if a rims is TUV certified might be installed with no need of test, in Italy you cannot. You need a certified set of rims for that vehicle, i.g. OZ Wheels for BRZ on 18” (18x8 ET45, 5x100) to install 225/40 R18 and later you drive to Motor Bureau to pass test. Since July of last year the new paper of National Bureau reports the ET measurements too.
The only tires illegal to run are slicks, like Hoosier tires, or off-road only Mud/rally tires. Also, some states like NY allow studded snow tires, while here in Ohio, studs are illegal.

- Aero parts (wing)
Only in Germany and Switzerland the parts can be installed (with no test) only if they get the TUV or CH Zutaten, otherwise you need an homologation test within euro road rules (edge curve not lower than 2,5 cms)
In Italy on car paper is mostly specified “vehicle with aero parts since constructor”, on this vague specification you might install a wing i.g. within the maximum wide shape of car. It’s risky…mostly.
As far as I know, aero can be run legally. Obviously, if the wing or other components physically make the car too big to drive in it's own lane. I also know that when lifting a vehicle (probably not done very much in Europe), there is a certain height off the ground that the front bumper has to be below. This is because in the event of a crash, the lifted car will not run over a smaller car.

- Engine bay
- Air intake, is forbidden (for road ) to install a Takeda i.g. or a new air intake, you need an homologation very difficult to obtain as you modify a section of emissions rules, we haven’t a Carb Legal way
- SC kit or Turbo, you need a test and homologation (impossible in Italy, costs are between Eur 5/6,000 with no guarantee of success) to modify the engine output power for tax too. An owner of Impreza WRX STI in Italy pays Euro 1.650,00 about owner tax (yearly) for 310 HP.. BRZ is Eur 486,00 yearly in Italy.

This one varys a lot based on the state and even counties (smaller divisions of states) you live in. California, for example, has very strict emissions laws. Intakes and exhausts can be changed, but they must be CARB legal. In Ohio for example, you can do anything you want to your intake/exhaust since we don't have emissions testing, however, in Cuyahoga county (Cleveland), they do have emissions testing, but still less strict that California. Deleting catalytic converters is illegal in all states though.

Headlight
no blue emitting lights are legal everywhere in Europe, no change between Xenon is allowed if not included from constructor.
Only for fog light might be allowed an emitting yellow light if included by constructor
I'm fairly certain that having bright HIDs in halogen housings is illegal since they are so much brighter than the normal halogen bulb, but annoyingly, people do it all the time. The only color I know is illegal to have on the front of your car is red.

Plate
you cannot remove any kind of plate both front and rear and you cannot relocate them.
Rear plates are required in all states, but front plates are only required in some states. I believe that relocating is legal, but that might be based on different states that require them as well. Some people even attach them to the passenger side sun visor and drive with it down so the plate can be seen through the windshield.

Window
you can install only an overlay with homologation, only in Monaco (Principaute) the vehicles can be since constructor with dark window front and front side windows too. In Italy is forbidden , you can overlay only rear and rear side window.

Again, this one is different per state. Some have no laws preventing tint, some you can't touch the windows at all. However, police don't tend to pull you over for this unless you've done something else wrong.


Hope this helps shed some light on our laws. For anyone who knows the laws better than me and I have provided false info, please let me know. These are just based off of experience, and some casual research before doing some of the modifications to my vehicles in the past.

All lighting has to be DOT approved in all 50 states. Halogen to HID conversions are almost all illegal. Headlights have a minimum and maximum distance off the ground.

Tires need to be DOT approved, but almost all are.

Generally, air intake before the MAF and exhaust after the last catalytic converter are not regulated.

I believe maximum width without a special (and temporary) permit is 102 (thanks for the catch Leo) inches. Not too many wings or lips reach that.

Rear licence can be relocated, but must retain illumination.

The main issue, if you want to call it that, isn't laws...the laws are there in more cases than most would think. It's weak and lazy enforcement.

Don't your countries have sound / loudness restrictions as well?

I believe it's 95 db in CA

Max width is 8' 6" , or 102 inches.


http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/Safety/Do...Limits_ORS.pdf

yes, we get some restrictions, all muffler measurements will follow usually 77 Db max within 50 cms at 4.500 rpm , 2nd gear for sport cars and over 250KW (Tollerance of 1.9 %point), city cars cannot exceed 70 db and we need road homologation ECE90 for aftermarket exhaust too.
Therefore is usual in Europe for many constructors realize exhausts with double valve (open full sound) to retain road rules.
In 2024 Euro rules foresee a max db of 68 Db....
it depends from Country, in Italy the exhaust sound of supercars like Ferrari or Lambo is very loveful and loved, it's very difficult to pull a ticket. In Switzerland is like to make a murder...
I drive with HKS Spec L Ti...over 91 Db (max legal in idle is 81 db for BRZ), I think to be a lucky police loved man...

In some race circuit sometimes it occours a Db measurement test...too especially for bikes.
This is the sheet for BRZ/86 where you can see genuine muffler values and maximum for homologation sheet.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/Dcs5UX.jpg

^ this.

Some stuff that are illegal in NYC but still seen on cars:
1. Cat deletes
2. Tinted front side windows
3. Tinted tails

The only thing cops really care about in terms of your car are broken lights and tinted windows. All of the above and anything ranging from worn brakes to malfunctioning seat belts should cause a car to fail the yearly inspection, but its easy to find a shop that will look the other way and pass you for some extra $$$.

Tint has weird laws. In Oregon; I can only have 35% tint on my FR-S rear window, but my truck is allowed to have 50% tint on the rear window.




Also, there is only emissions testing in urban areas. Meaning only Portland cars have to meet the standards. (Rural farm trucks are never going to comply here)

@BigTuna:

Couple of clarification points

So most "drop in" or "bold on" engine mods are designed to meat CARB standards, since obviously they are the strictest nationwide. Had to wait for CARB certification before I could get the SC installed on my old tC, despite living in Ohio. Other modifications besides the removal of the catalytic converter and oxygen sensor are unregulated, as you stated. As long as you dont remove those two, or use mods that are not CARB compliant, you will pass emissions testing here in Cuyahoga county every single time.

Quote:

Headlight

Dont remember the last time I heard someone pulled over for HIDs in halogen housings, so never bothered to see what was illegal from that standpoint. However, the only legal light colors on the front of a car, at least here in Ohio, are amber or white. Red, blue and strobes are called out specifically as illegal due to similarity to emergency vehicles.

@Trap63, no offense, but I would not want to live in Europe from a car modification standpoint, so I can see why you guys view the US as being a bit of a Mod Utopia.

reason you may see extensive modifications on those cars from the tv shows, there are different rules for antique vehicles (anything more than 20-25 years), as well as farm trucks. In texas they no longer measure emissions with the tailpipe & just run the ecu test to confirm the sensors are functional.

@HunterGreene...don't worry...Me and all italians face off every day with a kind of unbelievable rules that first of all has come to destroy the History of Automobile.
20 yrs ago our tought about US way and cars was very negative about automotive....It's hard to say that today we should be pleased to live in US, in a free country with no obsessions.

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I love your signature...

Without commenting on politics or anything--lol. At least we have something going for us.

I've never understood how cars can have sound restrictions, but motorcycles get away with murdering your ear drums. If there are laws against loud motorcycles, they're NEVER enforced.

Without getting too deep in the weeds on politics, I'll just say that this is largely because for the most part the US has followed the principle laid out in the 10th Amendment of our Constitution which is to reserve most of these powers to the states. That means there are very few national regulations about vehicles other than those which are strictly required to promote safety. Combined with a prevailing attitude in most states (which is unfortunately changing) that it is not necessary to have a nanny state decide things for you, as only those things which could harm others should be regulated. After all, if you do some mod and hurt yourself, who but you is responsible?

Unfortunately, this is a very different social outlook from Europe, which is to a large extent why I think you see many more "supercars" made and sold in Europe vs the US, because in the US it is possible to take a good chassis and put in the necessary TLC in your own garage to rival many "supercars". I don't know that it's necessarily better or worse, but at least in the US loving cars is approachable to people at every budget level from the guys scrounging parts in the pick n pull and doing their own fab from the hardware store, to the guys who are able to afford to get high-quality work done at the very best of performance shops. I feel from my travels in Europe that it is a much more pay to play endeavor there, and that the love of cars and the expression of that love is limited to the rich.

Here in Texas, we are lucky in that we avoid nearly all the restrictions that our neighbors in other states have to put up with. There is very nearly nothing that is illegal, and what is illegal is rarely enforced unless it's egregious or you are clearly doing something dangerous. This is what allows people to do crazy rat rods, massive power drag builds that are streetable, and build aero cars with partial cages which are streetable. We also have 93 and E85 readily available in Texas :) Thanks to that, the car scene here in Texas is legendary.

Just watch an episode of Netflix's "Fastest Car". That gives you an idea of what car enthusiasts are allowed to do to their cars here in the U.S. And most, if not all of those cars can be driven on the streets.

California has the strictest car laws... They're almost a foreign country to me as far as car mods go = Too strict, plus subpar fuel lol :D

Italy is the worst country on the planet when it comes to mods. Of course in the USA there is just less stuff to hit.

What I've noticed is that California may have the strictest laws on paper, but you're much less likely to be harassed here while driving a heavily modified car. I've had cars here that would have been pulled over all the time in the midwest due to ride height, exhaust noise, wheel fitment, lights, etc, that you could daily in LA and never have a problem.

And I've never understood who makes all the rules there, the country itself or the EU? :iono:

One more interesting note. The act of removing a catalytic converter is a federal offense, but getting caught without one isn't. So depending on the state laws and inspections, your car can be perfectly legal driving around without a cat.


Also in PA there is such a thing as a "street rod" and/or "exempt" registration which, like historical vehicles, does not need emissions inspections. There's annual mileage and some other restrictions of course.

I always hear about how strict modification laws are in place like Europe and Australia/New Zealand, but are they actually enforced?

I feel like California has really strict laws, but they are not that enforced unless you are doing something stupid.

I have no problem modifying my car how I want, even if it's something illegal. I've had motor swapped cars, cars with loud exhausts, cars with no front plates, etc etc.

I always wondered how strict it really is over there. You always see pictures of high end and super cars with front plates attached. It blows my mind. I won't attach a front plate to my 20k Subaru, I sure as hell wouldn't do it to a 200k car.

Is the punishment really that bad? Will they tow and crush your car?

I'm not trying to be rude, just trying to understand. A lot of people outside of the United States seem really hesitant on modifying their vehicles out of fear of the mods being illegal.

Are people just afraid of breaking the law? Or is the punishment and enforcement really that severe?

What you can legally do depends for the most part on what state you're in. For example, Gas Monkey Garage (or "Ass Monkeys" as their crazy Asian upholstery lady calls them) is located in Dallas, Texas. Texas has statewide safety inspections and emissions testing in 17 counties, but they're pretty lax compared to some other states. For the old cars the Ass Monkeys build, there are very few rules. They pretty much just have to meet the safety standards, which means they have to have all the correct lighting, be able to stop and not have tires that will explode unexpectedly. If the Ass Monkeys built a NEW car, I'm pretty sure it would still have to be able to pass the OBDII test for emissions to be registered in Dallas.

Other states have their own quirks. In Pennsylvania, you can't remove your doors. There have been lawsuits over Jeeps that came from the factory equipped with removable doors being ticketed because they didn't have the doors on them. In Oregon, if you lift a vehicle higher than a certain height, it has to have mud flaps on it. In Hawaii, your tires can't stick out more than 3/4" past your fenders. In Florida, where I live, there are no inspections and very few rules about what you do to your vehicle beyond federal lighting requirements.

Every state has its own set of tint laws also, and they vary dramatically from state to state. Here's a site that lists the basic requirements in a handy table:

http://tintlaws.com/

My understanding of California is that enforcement is handled primarily through inspections. Is this not so? If you have an illegally modified car, you're not going to pass. In states with more lax inspections or no inspections at all, enforcement of safety and nuisance regs would fall to law enforcement officers. I would guess cops in CA don't bother because there's another enforcement structure already in place.

That's not necessarily true. A few are designed with CARB exemption in mind from the outset, but I'm under the impression most are not. It's an expensive regulatory headache that a manufacturer can just step around by marking it as not for use in California or New York and leaving it up to the user to take the car back to stock for inspections. I have a number of parts on my modified Jeep that are not at all legal for registration in California. I'm pretty sure neither my exhaust nor my intake for my BRZ are CARB exempt, and neither would pass inspection in California.

Many manufacturers have two versions of the parts, a non-CARB version and a more expensive CARB version. The CARB version of the high flow cat on my Jeep is exactly twice the cost of the non-CARB version, despite the fact that they appear to be the exact same part other than the CARB EO imprint. It makes sense. Why pass along the cost of CARB certification to people in other states who didn't vote for it and don't deserve it?

California actually sends lobbyists to other state legislatures to try to get CARB rules adopted in as many states as possible. The reason is that huge difference in price between non-CARB versions and parts with CARB EOs on file. California requires manufacturers to go through the certification process but thinks it's "unfair" to CA citizens to be charged more for it, so they're trying to get other states to adopt their rules to force the manufacturers to just provide one (more expensive) version after all. Fourteen states have already adopted some or all of the CARB bullshit.

Bikers are very under ticket risk every time they drive about exhaust and turn signal, plate. It's an heavy illegal act i.g. the misalignment on top of the plate to bypass speed detectors and cams
Police is well focused on all bikes and first of all here about Harley & Davidson, but people love them.

Yeah, you're partially right, but Denmark and Switzerland are the worster ones. Worst than Italy. Unbelievable the daily war against.

About Automotive and many economics Europe will issue Directives (like to be a Federal trust) to which each member state must mandatory issue a settlement of proper rules within a specified timing.
Each country can maintain a proper general rule only within the directions that Council of Europe has issued, this is the example of Road Code Rules (speed, exhaust, turn light, colours of lightning, paint - eu plated cars cannot be painted with gold or steel film, reflectant - and so on)
Only UK preserved a proper special status about RH drive, therefore each Japan import car will pass and import in Europe thru UK Customs. Cars can be nationalized as UK cars and the law grants to Europeize that vehicle thus is Uk car.
For instance Germany can accept all modifications if parts are under TUV certification, some countries accept this certification, Italy not.
Many of us use to de-plate the car, nationalize it as Germany car to pass the homologation and emissions test in a TUV Centre and than re-import to Italy (as the euro rules grant). The car become regular to drive within Italy upon EU directive. This you need to do with a Supercharger install if you wanto to drive with no aims to be like a serial killer on road.

this occours to our historic cars (over 30 years here) with exemption of road tax or minimum taxation. No emissions test, but is mandatory a Registry and a compliant check.

So, I will explain hoping to clarify.

First of all you need to understand that Justice is not at equal level of quality all over euro countries. The Italian one is one of the worst in Europe for timing. Only Greece wins the latest place over all.
You can be pulled (ITALY) about 2 rules of road code, Art 72 and 78 (modifications):

- - Exhaust sound level, up to eur 486,00 and mandatory test by local Bureau of Transportation. You only can drive the car for reaching the Bureau to pass new trial test. You need to return to a stock build. Car papers are banned from Bureau up to return back to stock setup
Your car papers will record this violation (and the others all) forever, therefore in a future road check point you’ll be under investigation again as records are marked on. -
- Dekat, car needs to be removed from road circulation and this represents an administrative and penal violation, you’ll go to Court (up to 6/12 months of jail on paper). Many EuroK of ticket up to 3k, lawyers (you cannot defend by yourself in a penal judgement, you need a lawyer) and car might be canceled by Bureau. Get towed.
- - Tyre measures not compliant with car papers, car hold on, you need to go for new check at Bureau of Transportation with right tyre measures, ticket within Eur 600,00. This is same for lightning, turn signal, Xenon not compliant.
- - Plate removal or relocation is a violation under penal jurisdiction. You are inflicted about two heavy violations. Heavy tickets.Get towed.
- - Engine modifications (it's enough air intake) same as dekat and sound level, in add to this Police can make a request to Bureau of cancelation of the vehicle for road use. To make road legal again you need to return stock, ask new registration, pass new test, very much expensive. It’s a risky level up to Eur 8,000/12,000.Get towed.
- -Aero modifications, still remains under general modifications and car papers are banned from Bureau up to return back to stock setup.
- -Engine swap, car needs to pass a new full homologation by Bureau and report must be approved and signed by a certified tech, engineer. This is due to safety and tax rules. If you are caught with a swap not registred, you fall down in penal and administrative judgement. Towed.

This is the real situation but you need to consider that in Italy some of the rules are on the “air”. It’s a Lucky matter each day.
People don’t require tests or homologation thus is very complex and not useful and you can only reach on the paper.

I asked to OZ Wheels to homologate the new 18” rims measures for BRZ and we all owners waited about 14 months. OZ has done and over pass all requirements to obtain a certificate from Bureau of Transportation to put on sales the new rims with legal power.

The risk is very moderate altough really strict laws, but they are not that enforced unless you are doing something stupid on the road. You cannot reach the centre of an historic town (all here) like to be at Monza Circuit or Montecarlo Rally.

Actually not so many ( at least in my experience) due to the cost that is around 5/6k euro ( 7k around dollars)

Thank you for the information!

We here in the states have similar fines/punishments for our vehicle code crimes. The only real inspection is a smog test every couple years, but that only applies to certain car models/year ranges. No one really checks or inspects the other items on our vehicles unless the police specifically pulled us over for modifications. At that point, we COULD be sent to a state-sponsored smog test to make sure our emissions pass.

If it's non-emissions related, it's usually a fix-it ticket. You can fix the issue then have an officer sign it off, or just pay the fine and move on.

Because the automobile is such an integral part of American culture, we have some of the toughest safety/emission standards. However, the fines/punishments are not so severe that it would dissuade people from modifying their cars illegally.

illegal modifications here are considered non-moving violations, and do not affect your driving record.

Specially in Italy i think they are trying to destroy our car culture:iono:

Again, that depends on the state. Not every state has smog, yet many states also have annual safety inspections in which they check equipment other than emissions. For example, Louisiana requires a safety inspection, during which they pull out a meter and measure the tint on your windows to make sure your tint isn't darker than the state allows. Massachusetts state law says you can't lift or lower your car more than 2", and they specifically test for "altered vehicle height" during the annual safety inspection.

Just because something is a certain way in YOUR state doesn't mean it's the same way everywhere.

And when u go in other state can they pull over u?

If they see a violation then yes you may get pulled over. However once they realize the car is from a different state then they have no jurisdiction over those types of laws on your car.

Ummmmm... wouldn't they know you were from out of state by your plates before they pull you over?

They can still ticket you. It won't hold up, but they can. I got pulled over for tint in Florida with a Pennsylvania plate.

I was more referencing the "once they realize you are from a different state" part of what was said.
Sure they may ticket you hoping you just pay up even though they know they can't make it stick.
In my 40+ years of modding cars I don't think I have ever been pulled over for a basic mod. I have been pulled over for driving like an ass and then had the mods mentioned but not for the mods themselves.
The only mod I was ever pulled over for directly was with my 70 R/T which had the rear jacked up so high you could see the gas tank. In hindsight they were not wrong in being concerned with that.

I live in South Carolina and I literally know people who drive with 5" downpipes aimed out of the front bumper while riding around on actual Slicks. you can pretty much get away with whatever in america as long as you're not in Kommifornia.

This is getting deep into our legal system. Yes a police officer can ticket you for anything! Made up or not. After that it is up for the courts and a Judge to decide.