I'm sure that many of you know that if a cop pulls you over and finds that you have an SR20 your car will be impounded. I also know that search and seizures are not legal without probable cause. but probable cause is a very thin line. cops can easily make up something if u r in ur car n on public road. if u look like a description of a criminal, affiliated with criminals, known street racers, or affiliated with street racers they can easily get a probable cause. o ya n racial profiling or car profiling does still happen. so what general areas would you say that cops are dicks and pull you over to check out your car? and what places will most cops know to look for aan SR20. I know that one place I have heard of is Rowland heights. I have also heard that cops really crack down near diamond plaza in rowland heights. any other places you guys know of?

 

Arcadia/Alhambra/San gabriel, that area cops can be some big aholes.

 

west covina... buddy got popped.. but this is the first i have heard of the impound for a modified engine.. only time i have heard of being impounded if you are caught racing.

 

The engine is illegal(SR, RB, CA) and if the cop catches that he can impund you.

 

That sucks pretty bad. I wonder how they can really tell. Without the center coil cover, it says 'Nissan' on one side and '16 valve' on the other. The only noticeable difference would be a blow off valve, which most don't know crap about, an air filter., or if you take the heat shield off the turbo

 

The engine looks totally different, the IC piping, if you have a FMIC the IC. Then again, they can just give you a court date and make you go to a referee and get smogged by them. Either way your ***ed

 

well my buddy has a delsol with a b20 turbo setup. was pulled over and asked to pop the engine. officer pointed and asked a specific question, something in regards to pointing at the extrnal wastegate. he shruged and said "oh my friends put it in i don't know what it is"

officer decided to cite him for modified intake or something like that and place a nice little sticker on the back of his ticket that required state smog referee to sign for correction

anyways.... after all was said and done. he received a fine in the mail for around 400 dollars and that exempted him from visiting the smog referee....

 

theorectical question -

if an sr is illegal and you put it in a car like a '73 240z which is now smog exempt. is that still illegal?

 

Its still tech. Illegal I belive, but who is ganna really care since its smog exempt.


As for your friend, guess he was lucky. You can always try and play it off, but you might get caught.

 

The engine itself is not illegal, putting it in your cars that are required to pass smog is illegal, you can put an sr20det in any smog exempt vehicle and you are fine,

 

According to this http://www.epa.gov/Compliance/resour.../engswitch.pdf
The engine wasnt originally in the US spec car, then its illegal.

 

I don't understand sometimes. Motorex is able to import cars with 'foreign' motors because they have crash tested them and paid. We should at least be able to use 'foreign' motors in our vehicles already equipped with US spec safetly devices so we won't have to go through what Motorex did to legalize the Skyline. I'm sure if they enacted a law stating you can have a 'foreign' motor by paying a certain amount, they wouldn't mind at all. Politcs...

 

Thats how it is, gatta live with it.