legal loophole to get out of emissions
 

I face a delimma which I assume I am not alone. I want a resonated midpipe but have to deal w/ annual inspection and emission testing.

A few options I'd have:
1. Try to find someone shady to pass my car regardless.
2. Reconfigure my car every year at inspection time.
3. Find a legal loophole and leave my car w/ midpipe year round.

As for option one, I don't know of anyone.

Regarding option two, currently my car has intake, DP, CB, and PFC w/ base map. If I add MP, I will get it dyno tuned by Rx7 Store which is 3 hrs away. Then when I need to get it inspected, I would have to swap the MP for the cat, and assume also I'd need to swap dyno tune for base tune (can anyone verify if this would be necessary to swap tunes for emission testing?).

As for the third option, I'm wondering if anyone has ideas. I live in and my car is registered in PA. OH does not require emissions testing. If I registered my car in OH, would this work? If so, what is required to register a car out of state... a mailing address such as a P.O. Box? Would I need an OH driver's license?

Thanks!

register it in a county that doesn't have emission requirements.

youll need more than the "base tune". the stock maps on the pfc are very rich. youre gonna have to play with the fuel and timing to get that thing to pass emissions. . . and probably add a bit of denatured alcohol.

i think it would be hard to do state to state. try county to county. in tennessee its regulated by the counties. i can get a p.o box in "a" county and live in "b" county w/o testing. . . while everyone else in "b" county is doing their yearly ritual.

paul

arkansas has NO emissions testing or car inspeciton anymore. so when i get my 7 i guess i have more flexibility with exhaust options.

So if I can find a county here in PA that does not require emissions testing, I'd want to get a PO box there and then what... do I contact my local notary who handles my registration paperwork and let her know my address has changed? Will it matter that my drivers license will have my home address but my car will be registered in another county?

As far as reverting to the base map, on a previous 3rd gen I had the M2 stage 2 kit (rich ECU, intake, DP, and CB) which passed. This is why I assumed the PFC base map would pass. This gives me even more reason to try to get my car registered elsewhere.

Thanks for the quick responses guys.

Your license can have a P.O. box instead of a home address. Alot of (paranoid) people (Actors) do it here.

Zeravla,

You could go ahead and do the MP. Then when it came time for inspection, have another map set up on your PFC that is very very lean with the timing correct and switch to that once you pull into the parking lot of the inspection place. Since they pretty much don't take your car above idle anyway it would be safe and you wouldn't have to worry about detonation. Also, that should let you pass emissions without removing your MP once it's on there. Just a thought though, someone else care to comment on that one?

Zach

I don't know the rules about addresses / counties, but only 2 areas in PA do emissions: Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. All the talk of adding emissions for the rest of the state is for 96+ year cars, so I'm safe.

I imagine you need to have your address changed on your driver's license in order to 'qualify' for a non-emissions setup. Unless you move or buy another place, that could be a lot harder than you think. I really, really doubt PA allows PO Box addresses, but check anyway.

Dave

I've heard that if ownership constantly changes hands, you'll never get a notice (at least, out here). Try "selling" it back and forth between you and a relative every year.

if you drive less then 5k miles a year you are exempt.
I don't think getting a PO Box in aother county w/o at least owning porperty there is going to cut it. It's worth looking into I suppose.

There is no way you will pass with a mid pipe. No way.

Do the emissions free county registration.

i never heard of this....you sure?

Is this a law in the emissions-testing areas? Is it part of the annual inspection?

Dave

(shouldn't this be moved to the NE forum? - after all, emissions are strictly state-specific)

I passed just fine with an intake, downpipe, cat back, stock cat, and properly functioning airpump running the base maps in the Power FC. If you have access to the Datalogit, swapping the maps and the stock cat will be trivial come emissions testing time.

Don't risk registering it in another county or state. It's not worth the hassle.

-Scott

Even if you could tune it really lean, you'd still fail the visual.

Well, that's the way it is on PA anyhow.

Yep. You have to get it inspected once and then if you don't go over 5k a year you are exempt. Hopefully, I will fall into this category. Actually, I was told that if I spend $150.00 on emissions related parts/service I can be exempt for that year too. If it doesn't pass this time I am pulling out my receipts. It might be different from county to county though. I am in Westmorland county if that helps ya.

That's what I've done. In Tennessee Montgomerty county doesn't have emissions (where my dad lives), and where I usually spend most of my driving time is in Williamson County which does...car is registered in Montgomery County. Gotta love it! :D

Lots of good info on here.

I called a local inspection/emission shop who confirmed above. He states that in about 6 mths the state will change all of this. No specifics set at this time, but generally he says they are making the laws tougher. However, I heard the opposite from someone else that the laws will be made more lenient.

Above is true, but problem is I don't have a Datalogit or laptop necessary to do this.

IDEA: I work in a neighboring county that does not require emissions. I know people who live in this area. If I get my driver's license changed to their address, saying that I live with them on a part time basis as a roommate, then get my car re-registered in their county, might this work?

High flow cat
 

Maybe I should just do a high flow cat, but it seems that there is not much to be gained from it. I haven't heard any hard HP numbers, but I am guessing that it may add around 10 hp, whereas a MP may add over 30 hp.

If I went with a high flow cat along w/ my current mods (dp, intake, cb, and pfc), do you think pfc base map would be adequate?