California to start checking OBDII cars for tunes

[67-ls1]

I just went on summitracing.com and there are 2000+ items listed with CARB EO numbers. Camshafts, carburetors, headers, cats, cat back systems, superchargers, CAI kits, computer chips and modules. Jegs had more than 1300+.
All perfectly legal for street legal, emissions compliant vehicles in the California.
So you can modify your car/truck for better performance or fuel economy and still be emissions compliant.
Also note this rule about ECM’s is not new. It’s been the law in California and the other (I believe) 20 states that follow California’s emission rules. The change is they're just now starting to check for the ECM mods. It won’t be long before those other states follow.

[redpoint5]

I make the opposite prediction and figure DEQ testing will be a thing of the past in 15 years. Air quality has improved so much over the years, and EVs/hybrids are likely to be so commonplace in the future that DEQ testing will no longer be needed.

Oregon doesn't even have a statewide DEQ requirement, and I suspect it never will.

[67-ls1]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I make the opposite prediction and figure DEQ testing will be a thing of the past in 15 years. Air quality has improved so much over the years, and EVs/hybrids are likely to be so commonplace in the future that DEQ testing will no longer be needed.

Oregon doesn't even have a statewide DEQ requirement, and I suspect it never will.

Oregon follows California emission laws but does not test statewide. They do test biannually in Portland and Medford areas. It’s not 100% statewide in California either. There are few exempt counties.
Whether or not other states follow Californian in looking for ECM mods is still TBD.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I make the opposite prediction and figure DEQ testing will be a thing of the past in 15 years. Air quality has improved so much over the years, and EVs/hybrids are likely to be so commonplace in the future that DEQ testing will no longer be needed.

Oregon doesn't even have a statewide DEQ requirement, and I suspect it never will.

No, Oregon doesn't have a state-wide DEQ requirement. Despite the commonly held belief that emission checks are federally mandated they are actually put in place by individual states as part of their individual plans to meet federal air quality standards in individual metro areas. Oregon has DEQ requirements in metro areas where they have air quality issues related to vehicle emissions.


I don't share your view that emission checks are going away. We have made some big gains since the 60's and 70's but recently we are basically treading water. Yes, cars are getting cleaner but metro areas are rapidly increasing in population. So far it has been about a wash.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

JSH: my Golf has lower compression than your avatar, and it makes less NOX comparatively for it's size.

Yes, a Golf pollutes less than a Class 8 truck. A Golf also doesn't need to pull 80,000 lbs.

Things haven't been static that the HD sector.

The NOx standard has decreased from 6.0 grams per brake horsepower hour in 1990 to 0.20 grams per brake horsepower hour standard in 2010. In 2024 it drops to 0.05 grams and then to 0.02 grams in 2027.

For PM, the standard decreased from 0.6 g/bhp-hr in 1990 to 0.01 g/bhp-hr in 2010. PM drops to 0.005 g/bhp-hr in 2024.

Expect to seem some interesting solutions to meet those standards

This why CARB is targeting HD trucks:

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

Vw got stuck in a spot where they couldn't compete with gasoline powered NOX standards applied to their diesel engines instead of the appropriate diesel specs they were aiming for.

VW got stuck in a spot where they decided to cheat instead of meeting emissions requirements. Regulators around the world have stopped writing special emission rules for diesels. We have almost got to the point where there is one set of rules for all vehicles regardless of fuel type.

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

The brouhaha ended with Cali giving them an exemption to "pollute" more in fewer cars. My golf emission is still cleaner than the same year suburu WRX.

That isn't quite how things work. Both CARB and EPA standards are base on fleet averages. Vehicles are certified into different bins (EPA) or tiers (CARB) based on their emission certifications. Then there is a fleet average that steadily tightens over time. So yes, CARB allows VW to make some Golf TDIs that are dirtier than average as long as they make enough other cars that are cleaner than average to make up for it. They do the same with Subaru and the WRX.

You can find way more info than you likely want here:
https://dieselnet.com/standards/#na

[oil pan 4]

Originally Posted by JSH

So it almost looks like checking obd2 tunes on cars is a waste of time.
Maybe go after heavy duty vehicles and stationary. Since HD is the biggest chunk and stationary are easy to watch.
Only a brain dead bureaucrat could look at the pie chart and be like, "lets go after that small slice and ignore all the bigger ones".

California has made some big gains since the 1960s, the top 7 spots for worst air quality in the nation. Now that's progress.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

So it almost looks like checking obd2 tunes on cars is a waste of time.

Has there ever been a study to determine the effectiveness of DEQ checks in the first place? What would be the pollution levels in a city without required DEQ testing vs with? Is the cost in both time and money worth whatever improvement in air quality is observed, or would there be better ways to improve air quality?

I wouldn't entirely be surprised if these questions were never asked.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

So it almost looks like checking obd2 tunes on cars is a waste of time.
Maybe go after heavy duty vehicles and stationary. Since HD is the biggest chunk and stationary are easy to watch.
Only a brain dead bureaucrat could look at the pie chart and be like, "lets go after that small slice and ignore all the bigger ones".

You must have missed the part of my post where I mentioned the new CARB HD NOx regulations finalized last year that drop allowed HD NOx by 90%

CARB has an all of the above approach. Apparently they can walk and chew gum at the same time.

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

California has made some big gains since the 1960s, the top 7 spots for worst air quality in the nation. Now that's progress.

Looks like progress to me:


Air quality in California is MUCH better than it used to be. That doesn't mean more work isn't necessary.

[oil pan 4]

Originally Posted by JSH

You must have missed the part of my post where I mentioned the new CARB HD NOx regulations finalized last year that drop allowed HD NOx by 90%

CARB has an all of the above approach. Apparently they can walk and chew gum at the same time.



Looks like progress to me:


Air quality in California is MUCH better than it used to be. That doesn't mean more work isn't necessary.

Everyone else was just able to do it better, faster, more efficiently, with less money and without creating a clearly failed bureaucracy.
That's why they; California still owns the top 7 spots for worst in the country. 20 years ago I think they had the top 8 spots, so I guess that's something, not much, but good job any way (not really).

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

In the end it seems to be more about revenue than effectively decreasing emissions on souped-up engines, as it may not be impossible to keep emissions within the limits even resorting to parts which may not hold an EPA certification.