USA vehicle modification rules - (BRZ)

[Trap63]

Originally Posted by JeremyR

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?

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.

[zimo]

Originally Posted by Trap63

t.
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.

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

[JeremyR]

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.

[zimo]

Originally Posted by JeremyR

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

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by JeremyR

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.

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.

[zimo]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

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?

[Grady]

Originally Posted by zimo

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.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Grady

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?

[Yoshoobaroo]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

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.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Yoshoobaroo

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.

[Roadcone]

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.

[Grady]

Originally Posted by Yoshoobaroo

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.

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.

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

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

Not all states have front plates, so the cop may pursue you without seeing your tag. Then he may not realize you're from out of state until he runs up on your ass at high speed and aggressively tailgates you. By then he's already pulling you over.

Originally Posted by zimo

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

There was a long thread on this on Officer.com about this, specifically in response to a question about tint laws. According to the cops who participated in that discussion, they can pull you over and ticket you for "illegal" mods, but most don't ticket out of state drivers for equipment violations because it's a waste of their time. Equipment violations in most states are "fix it" tickets, where you can avoid paying the fine by fixing the violation and then getting a sworn law enforcement officer to inspect it and sign off on the ticket. You send in the signed ticket, and the court dismisses the citation. It's a waste of everyone's time for a cop to ticket you only to have you take it to another cop for sign-off and get it dismissed. Sometimes you don't even have to get a cop to sign off, but just call the court and tell them you're from a state where it's legal, and they'll dismiss it.

There were a few on there who said they wrote tickets anyway, knowing they would ultimately be dismissed, because they felt it was important to make sure those people knew they weren't welcome. I recall one of them said he didn't know all the laws in other states, so he was going to write the ticket anyway based on the law he knew, because ignorance of the law in HIS state was no defense.

Originally Posted by Tcoat

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.

In a lot of places modifications are secondary offenses, meaning that the cop "can't" (LOL) pull you over just for that. They're supposed to see you commit a primary offense, usually a moving violation. (Or make one up.)

Certain states are known for it, though. Over in the Jeep community, Pennsylvania has a bad reputation for cops pulling Jeepers over to harass them about their mods. I mentioned above that the way the Pennsylvania law is written, it can be interpreted as being illegal to remove the doors from your car even if it was designed with removable doors. A lot of people have been ticketed for taking the doors off their Wranglers. Wrangler people have even gotten ticketed for running half-doors.

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by Yoshoobaroo

I got pulled over for tint in Florida with a Pennsylvania plate.

Sorry, I don't believe that.

Florida's front/rear/back limits are 28%, 15% and 15%. That's ridiculously dark. Those are among the darkest limits in the country. About the only way you're running darker tint than that is if you have limo tint on your car. Cops in Florida don't bother with tint violations, because there's simply no point.

In contrast, Pennsylvania's limits are 70%, 70% and 70%. The factory Chrysler tint on my Jeep is not even technically legal there. If you were running tint that would get you pulled over in Florida, you were long past illegal in Pennsylvania and should have gotten a ticket anyway.