Apparantly I've gone too far... :(
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3,857
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From: Arizona
Rep Power: 327 
Apparantly I've gone too far... :( Ok guys... If anyone's read my posts or seen my progress and mods, you know I've spent a lot of time and money on my car.
I am fully sponsered, and even with discounts have still spent a lot. I bought the car brand new, 2002 EX Coupe for 16,400 loaded. Since then, I've installed $20,700 in mods alone. Granted I didn't pay that much, at full price (not list, but what u see on sites) it's worth that much.
Ok here's the bad news... Apparently a cop in my town has been keeping an eye on my car for a few weeks now, just waiting for the right time... I was pulled over after SLOWLY pulling out of McDonalds on my 1/2 lunch break at work today. I worked a 12 hour shift, and at 7 hours with no food I was pretty hungry. Cop sees me, and swings around in the middle of a busy 2lane per side road. I pull over, he pulls up behind me. Basically gave a full inspection of my car. I FAILED miserably. In NH mods on my car are illegal as follows:
-Can't have suspension that has adjustable ride height
-Car is too low for state approval
-My "DOT" tires are not NH "DOT" just a national stamp
-My muffler is so big (piping inside) that is isn't classified as a muffler, only a glasspack
-My aftermarket turbo is illegal
-My headlight bulbs are illegal (4400K)
-Windsheild decals are illegal (my sponser logo
)
-In dash DVD (i didn't get fined for it cuz i only have cd's in my car)
Here's the verdict: He said I have 1 week to get rid of all this stuff on my car and return it to how it should be for legal inspection. He see's me almost everyday he says, and said if he sees my car with the way it was today, it will be impounded and I'll have a court date.
I have 1 week left to drive my car without getting royally screwed. I know of the cop who pulled me over. He practically runs the town, every cop listens to him.
So my passion for tuning will not slow down, and I really want to keep racing my car. So all I can do is buy a nice truck (looking at a newer Dakota or Durango) and turn the Civ into a full race car. Once I get the truck and a trailer, my civic will be completely stripped and an all out track car is in the works all fall and winter.
This could be good, this could be bad... I am upset I can't drive my car every day anymore, I really love just sitting in it, lookin at it, driving it... I also didn't want to spend this kind of money on another vehicle. But, my car will be much faster in the end, and now you can expect some real numbers out of this thing.
Any one have input on this? You guys have no idea how upset this made me, I don't want to miss driving my baby!
I am fully sponsered, and even with discounts have still spent a lot. I bought the car brand new, 2002 EX Coupe for 16,400 loaded. Since then, I've installed $20,700 in mods alone. Granted I didn't pay that much, at full price (not list, but what u see on sites) it's worth that much.
Ok here's the bad news... Apparently a cop in my town has been keeping an eye on my car for a few weeks now, just waiting for the right time... I was pulled over after SLOWLY pulling out of McDonalds on my 1/2 lunch break at work today. I worked a 12 hour shift, and at 7 hours with no food I was pretty hungry. Cop sees me, and swings around in the middle of a busy 2lane per side road. I pull over, he pulls up behind me. Basically gave a full inspection of my car. I FAILED miserably. In NH mods on my car are illegal as follows:
-Can't have suspension that has adjustable ride height
-Car is too low for state approval
-My "DOT" tires are not NH "DOT" just a national stamp
-My muffler is so big (piping inside) that is isn't classified as a muffler, only a glasspack
-My aftermarket turbo is illegal
-My headlight bulbs are illegal (4400K)
-Windsheild decals are illegal (my sponser logo
)-In dash DVD (i didn't get fined for it cuz i only have cd's in my car)
Here's the verdict: He said I have 1 week to get rid of all this stuff on my car and return it to how it should be for legal inspection. He see's me almost everyday he says, and said if he sees my car with the way it was today, it will be impounded and I'll have a court date.
I have 1 week left to drive my car without getting royally screwed. I know of the cop who pulled me over. He practically runs the town, every cop listens to him.
So my passion for tuning will not slow down, and I really want to keep racing my car. So all I can do is buy a nice truck (looking at a newer Dakota or Durango) and turn the Civ into a full race car. Once I get the truck and a trailer, my civic will be completely stripped and an all out track car is in the works all fall and winter.
This could be good, this could be bad... I am upset I can't drive my car every day anymore, I really love just sitting in it, lookin at it, driving it... I also didn't want to spend this kind of money on another vehicle. But, my car will be much faster in the end, and now you can expect some real numbers out of this thing.
Any one have input on this? You guys have no idea how upset this made me, I don't want to miss driving my baby!
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 1,460
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From: Strathroy/London, Ontario
Rep Power: 304 Dude I'm really sorry to hear that.. I hate how cops can randomly pick you off since he's been seeing you drive around ALL the time. JUST racing your civic won't be so bad.. Just get another little car to drive around for the meantime! 
Good luck!
Good luck! 
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3,857
Likes: 0
From: Arizona
Rep Power: 327 i'd get a cheap beater but i need a truck to tow the civ to the track
also, i didn't actually get fined/ticketed for anything because my record is clean, and he said he always see me driving responsibly.
I like how he can say that but still hassle me this much when there's puck kids out there street racing all the time and endangering others. I've never condoned to that action and I'm the one who get's the shaft. I lvoe hwo this F***in system works.
also, i didn't actually get fined/ticketed for anything because my record is clean, and he said he always see me driving responsibly.
I like how he can say that but still hassle me this much when there's puck kids out there street racing all the time and endangering others. I've never condoned to that action and I'm the one who get's the shaft. I lvoe hwo this F***in system works.
Chicks dig my scent
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 1,185
Likes: 0
From: Hickville, NC
Rep Power: 0 im so sorry man, you have one of the my favorite cars on the site...not to mention all your vids rock. but i hope that things work out for you, worse comes to worse do some research and take it to court, unless you know you know you'll lose
Registered!!
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 2,019
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From: Toronto
Rep Power: 289
Originally Posted by Big
Dude, I feel for you.......thats gotta blow. Just be thnkful that you're in the position of actaully affording a second car. Most of us couldn't.
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3,857
Likes: 0
From: Arizona
Rep Power: 327 i really can't afford a new car right now, im saving for my soon to be done from construction house.
I'm moving to FL this May so if anyone lives near Jupiter, FL I'll see you soon! As for now, I need to buy something cheaper than a durango/dakota i think. Maybe a Jimmy or Blazer will do...
I'm moving to FL this May so if anyone lives near Jupiter, FL I'll see you soon! As for now, I need to buy something cheaper than a durango/dakota i think. Maybe a Jimmy or Blazer will do...
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 13,151
Likes: 3
From: Washington DC
Rep Power: 425 
Lemme see how many of these I can negate by example... this cop strikes me as just looking for trouble. I don't know the NH laws but a lot of this is common sense.
-Can't have suspension that has adjustable ride height
So is it illegal to sell a VW Touareg or Porsche Cayenne in NH? They both have adjustable height air suspensions from the factory.
-Car is too low for state approval
On what basis? Just how far off the ground is it? and can you find a car lower? Ferrari, Lamborghini, some low slung factory height car?
-My "DOT" tires are not NH "DOT" just a national stamp
The federal government regulates tires, not the states, this one is bullshit
-My muffler is so big (piping inside) that is isn't classified as a muffler, only a glasspack
This one will be tough since its straight through. You could argue that an Evo, Supra, etc... has a larger one, but the muffler is going to have baffles in it, regardless of what you do, you won't have baffles. My advice is get a rear section with a smaller straight through opening, or find a muffler from a stock turbo car and make it fit.
-My aftermarket turbo is illegal
This one requires more explaination. If you can still pass ULEV emissions, I can't see how they can pull this. Whats the difference between turbocharging an NA car vs. putting a bigger turbo in a turbo car? (which obviously is harder to pick up on, but I see no difference from a standpoint of the law). If they have some kind of no-mod rule, thats crap. Its your car, yo should be able to do as you see fit, but I realize some states have these bullshit rules.
-My headlight bulbs are illegal (4400K)
Can't help there, Illegal colors are jus that
-Windsheild decals are illegal (my sponser logo )
is it too big or what? Only option is to make it smaller, or move it elsewhere i guess
-In dash DVD (i didn't get fined for it cuz i only have cd's in my car)
I don't know the rules on this... I know you can't have it in view of the driver, but it just being in the car? come on. I can't see there being an issue with this unless you were caught in the act of watching something on it.
Edit: Did some fishing around....
Your bumper needs to be a minimum 16" off the ground. Pull the cover off, measure to the bottom of the bumper bar. if its more than that, its legal. I think your turbo in and of itself is legal, I couldn't find anything that says otherwise, but searching laws online isn't too easy to do... the part that makes it illegal is this....
"Currently, New Hampshire deems illegal all modifications that increase noise levels above those emitted by the vehicle's original muffler. The original SEMA-drafted legislation required law enforcement authorities to prove that an exhaust-system modification results in a noise level in excess of 95 decibels as measured by SAE test standard J1169 before issuing a citation. Deeming the 95-decibel limit too restrictive, state legislators deleted provisions in the current law that referenced the noise levels of the original muffler."
Basically, you need to quiet it down. How, I'm not sure, most of it can probably be taken care of with the exhaust since turbos don't make much noise by themselves, I would just look into a quieter exhaust. To keep the flow up, probably not a Civic exhaust, but look into the reason behind the "illegal" turbo and let me know, I'm curious.
Most of this, I wouldn't let go without a fight.
-Can't have suspension that has adjustable ride height
So is it illegal to sell a VW Touareg or Porsche Cayenne in NH? They both have adjustable height air suspensions from the factory.
-Car is too low for state approval
On what basis? Just how far off the ground is it? and can you find a car lower? Ferrari, Lamborghini, some low slung factory height car?
-My "DOT" tires are not NH "DOT" just a national stamp
The federal government regulates tires, not the states, this one is bullshit
-My muffler is so big (piping inside) that is isn't classified as a muffler, only a glasspack
This one will be tough since its straight through. You could argue that an Evo, Supra, etc... has a larger one, but the muffler is going to have baffles in it, regardless of what you do, you won't have baffles. My advice is get a rear section with a smaller straight through opening, or find a muffler from a stock turbo car and make it fit.
-My aftermarket turbo is illegal
This one requires more explaination. If you can still pass ULEV emissions, I can't see how they can pull this. Whats the difference between turbocharging an NA car vs. putting a bigger turbo in a turbo car? (which obviously is harder to pick up on, but I see no difference from a standpoint of the law). If they have some kind of no-mod rule, thats crap. Its your car, yo should be able to do as you see fit, but I realize some states have these bullshit rules.
-My headlight bulbs are illegal (4400K)
Can't help there, Illegal colors are jus that
-Windsheild decals are illegal (my sponser logo )
is it too big or what? Only option is to make it smaller, or move it elsewhere i guess
-In dash DVD (i didn't get fined for it cuz i only have cd's in my car)
I don't know the rules on this... I know you can't have it in view of the driver, but it just being in the car? come on. I can't see there being an issue with this unless you were caught in the act of watching something on it.
Edit: Did some fishing around....
Your bumper needs to be a minimum 16" off the ground. Pull the cover off, measure to the bottom of the bumper bar. if its more than that, its legal. I think your turbo in and of itself is legal, I couldn't find anything that says otherwise, but searching laws online isn't too easy to do... the part that makes it illegal is this....
"Currently, New Hampshire deems illegal all modifications that increase noise levels above those emitted by the vehicle's original muffler. The original SEMA-drafted legislation required law enforcement authorities to prove that an exhaust-system modification results in a noise level in excess of 95 decibels as measured by SAE test standard J1169 before issuing a citation. Deeming the 95-decibel limit too restrictive, state legislators deleted provisions in the current law that referenced the noise levels of the original muffler."
Basically, you need to quiet it down. How, I'm not sure, most of it can probably be taken care of with the exhaust since turbos don't make much noise by themselves, I would just look into a quieter exhaust. To keep the flow up, probably not a Civic exhaust, but look into the reason behind the "illegal" turbo and let me know, I'm curious.
Most of this, I wouldn't let go without a fight.
Last edited by Boilermaker1; Sep 5, 2004 at 02:46 AM.
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 51,241
Likes: 20
From: NV
Rep Power: 813 Well the point is it's too late to just change stuff. And yes the pig was just trying to make up stuff. The headlights are perfectly legal, as the 4400K is a pure white. This is really stupid. He picked out your car because he's jealous of how nice everything is and just wants to ruin it. Don't let him. At least keep as a track car for now. You could always change some things and reregister if it passes smog.
Registered!!
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,222
Likes: 0
From: Middleboro,MA
Rep Power: 298 man thats BS all that hard work and safe driving and they gotta pick on you. Their are so many people out there causing trouble and so many other bad driveres in general. They really need to look at where the problems really are and stop picking on ones who abide by the laws. I recently had a bad experience with a police officer and I wasnt even driving my car. The more interaction I have with them the less respect for them, and the law I have. So to all the a-hole cops out there FU. To all the good ones, please kill your ******** friends.
Registered!!
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 117
Likes: 0
From: Sacramento
Rep Power: 0 I've got nothing but tears for you buddy... plus a comment...the cops is a ****.
there, i feel better.
I wouldn't be too angry though. The fact is, you drive a honda civic. my car only has had two mods. A new stereo, which a cop yelled at me for because the face plate is neon charged, and my 1 day old AEM short ram intake. o.k., i can understand if my stereo is two bright, but this cop actually handed me a set of tools and told me " i'm watching you for the next 5 minutes until you take that ricer S*** of your block. You got it kid?"
My response was this. " I'd like your badge number and name sir, i'll see you in court because as far as I see it. This is an act of police harrasment, you haven't told me any reason for having me get out of my car.
he ignored me until he hokked up a laptop to my cars computer and i said if you scan my car without my o.k. I will go to court for this. He told me he was loking for power modded hondas and then when he ws done he walked of. " I could have told you in the beggining that my car was stock!!" He drove off and not more then five miles down the road he had an S2000 pulled over. I yelled take down his name and badge number out the window.
i don't hate police, just thte power triped ones. If i break the law, then pull me over, but not because you got nothing else to do!!
there, i feel better.
I wouldn't be too angry though. The fact is, you drive a honda civic. my car only has had two mods. A new stereo, which a cop yelled at me for because the face plate is neon charged, and my 1 day old AEM short ram intake. o.k., i can understand if my stereo is two bright, but this cop actually handed me a set of tools and told me " i'm watching you for the next 5 minutes until you take that ricer S*** of your block. You got it kid?"
My response was this. " I'd like your badge number and name sir, i'll see you in court because as far as I see it. This is an act of police harrasment, you haven't told me any reason for having me get out of my car.
he ignored me until he hokked up a laptop to my cars computer and i said if you scan my car without my o.k. I will go to court for this. He told me he was loking for power modded hondas and then when he ws done he walked of. " I could have told you in the beggining that my car was stock!!" He drove off and not more then five miles down the road he had an S2000 pulled over. I yelled take down his name and badge number out the window.
i don't hate police, just thte power triped ones. If i break the law, then pull me over, but not because you got nothing else to do!!
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 10,658
Likes: 4
From: Woostah
Rep Power: 414 That is disgraceful and gives every officer out there a bad name.....
I agree the exhaust, windshield, and lights might be illegal, but wtf? NH DOT Tires? C'mon.... I would find myself a damn good lawyer and found out what a court would say about the mods he listed as illegal. A lawyer could tell you exaclty what the laws say and how the courts have ruled in the past.
Also, make a phone call to your local Sema chapter. They would be VERY interested in something like this, as this is the BS they fight to diffuse on a daily basis....
I agree the exhaust, windshield, and lights might be illegal, but wtf? NH DOT Tires? C'mon.... I would find myself a damn good lawyer and found out what a court would say about the mods he listed as illegal. A lawyer could tell you exaclty what the laws say and how the courts have ruled in the past.
Also, make a phone call to your local Sema chapter. They would be VERY interested in something like this, as this is the BS they fight to diffuse on a daily basis....
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 30,677
Likes: 1
From: Dallas, PA
Rep Power: 609 figures..........he just has a hard on for showing his authority. I would check into it some more........he might just be giving you a line of ****.
If you are interested in selling anything, let me know bro
If you are interested in selling anything, let me know bro
