[metroschultz]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

One good example: emissions regulations. Are you old enough to remember the howling, whining, and stamping of feet when they had to do away with draft tubes and put PCV valves in? There was a rocky learning curve but now we can plainly see that engines are superior in almost every way because of those regs, and I highly doubt market forces alone would have brought us to this point.

Yes I am,
I remember when PCV was mandated. The original idea was to keep engine blowby in the engine and the oil off the pavement.
We still have draft tubes on the big Ds. They, of all the vehicles out there, could use a PCV system.
I see gallons of oil draining from my trucks at work every month. Gallons of oil vapor straight into the atmosphere and onto the roadway. If PCV was mandated on them I assure you the manufacturers would clean the engines up in a short period.

I remember when AIR pumps were introduced also.
The single biggest wool over the eyes moment I can think of for Gov't regulation.
Put clean air into the exhaust stream so the tailpipe emissions come down.
Premises;
The fresh air promotes burning of the hydrocarbons in the muffler, and elsewhere there is heat buildup, so the total emissions are less.
Actuality;
I pour 10 ounces of clear water into 2 ounces of milk, now the milk looks clear.
I have personally tested vehicle for unburned hydrocarbons with the AIR system intact and disconnected. The result is intangibly small.
But We HAD to have them.
When they put catalytic converters on cars, using the AIR system to inject fresh air into the cat was a good thing, but before then it was just dilution.