EcoModding Vehicle Laws - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

swoody · 09-17-2008, 07:11 AM

I thought it might be a good idea to centralize all the info from different states/countries about things of a legal nature that would pertain to us Eco Modders for anyone who might be concerned about any repercussions (i.e. removing mirrors for reduced drag, removing lights for lower draw on the alternator, engine-off-coasting, etc.). I had always worried in the back of my head that something I did to eco-mod my car would land me a nice ticket, so it would be nice to know ahead of time the legality of what I'm planning. I'm hoping this will quell some myths about laws, or inform someone of the consequences of their actions

I had the chance to speak with a nice State Trooper early this morning (as he was seizing my Civic

) and I asked him about the mirror laws and taillight laws in IL. I don't know how accurate this is, so if you have more info, or info pertaining to your area, please post it.

Basically he told me that you only need 1 (ONE!) working taillight to be legal in IL, due to the fact that some older cars only came with a single taillight (1920s-1930s??). He said you can have all your brake lights burnt out, but as long as you have just one brake light you're good.

Secondly, he told me that you only need one mirror to be legal, and I had mentioned people removing their side mirrors for better aerodynamics, and he said as long as you just have one rear facing mirror (he pointed at the inside rearview mirror) that you are good to go. So I guess IL is a pretty aero-friendly state

Also, if you don't already know, it is ILLEGAL to have your front side windows tinted in IL. That's not just dark tint, it means no tint whatsoever! So if you're tinting your windows to keep your car cooler in the summer, and use less AC, keep that in mind. Although I've had friends who have had tinted windows for years and never had a hassle, and friends who have had to pull their tint off after 2 days. The cops seem to be pretty random about how often they pursue this. However, any other window on the car has no limit. You can spray paint your rear windows black if you really wanted to, and still be legal.

It is also illegal to drive without a front license plate mounted on the front of your vehicle (bumper) in IL. I've been pulled over for this on more than one occasion, but some officers are rather forgiving, and wont give you a hard time for not having one, or having one in the windshield instead. Again, this seems to be a pretty random thing as to how often the police actually enforce it, so it's your risk, but it is illegal.

What else? More input for other eco-mods or from other towns/counties/states/countries would be awesome!

wagonman76 · 09-17-2008, 12:12 PM

IMO I wouldnt trust what a cop verbally tells you. Next one to come along would probably write you up for some of those things. Best thing to do would be to go to the library (or maybe even a state government website) and look up vehicle code laws for your state. Then if you do get a ticket, you have something official to fight it.

mavinwy · 09-17-2008, 01:49 PM

I do know that a front plate here must be visible and on the front of the car. I had an 88 thunderbird that did not have a front mount anywhere, so I threw the plate in the front windshield. When I got pulled over, I asked the officer to look at the front of the car and tell me where I should mount it...he did not ticket me, but suggested that I should look into some way to mount the plate.

I ended up bending the plate to match the nose of the car and mounting it on the lower air dam. Likely that was illegal for defacing the plate....but whatever.....

Other than that, I have seen states with minimum height for the bumper and body panels from the ground, number of lights that must be visible, color of the lights etc. The best thing to do is look up your local motor vehicle code....

But we could hear some good ones here.

Jim

Vince-HX · 09-17-2008, 03:10 PM

Had a small run in with an Arizona DPS officer this morning and was pulled over for no side mirrors. I was under the understanding that you only need one rear facing mirror with the capability to see 200 feet behind you (rear view). Well she pulled out this huge book and read a law to me stating that if your side windows are tinted you need @ least one outside door mirror.

I keep them in the trunk so if she really wanted to ticket me i could have put it back on in about 2 second

I then preceded to tell her how much the top lights were screwing with her Aero and she laughed and told me she has to fill up @ least one per day

thats my tax money

swoody · 09-18-2008, 12:57 AM

Does anyone know if laws for vehicles pertain to any vehicle driving through the state, or do they only apply to vehicles registered in the state?

I do a bit of interstate driving on roadtrips and such, and it would be a pain to have to put my mirrors on for driving into other states.

Frank Lee · 09-18-2008, 01:03 AM

I'd suggest looking online for your state's statutes. I've been looking for info on building a motorized bicycle that's street legal. The licensing department didn't know what to suggest, so they sent me over to the police station. The cops didn't know what to suggest, so they sent me over to the highway patrol. The highway patrol didn't know either; they said they would call me back two days ago and I haven't heard from them. Well if nobody knows WTH is going on, maybe I'll just go ahead and use MY interpretation of the statutes.

Duffman · 09-18-2008, 02:37 AM

Anouther thing to note is that certain standards apply to certain years of vehicles. That is just because in 1948 you didnt need outside mirrors doesnt mean its legal to strip them off of your 2000 models (just a fabricated example).

swoody · 09-18-2008, 02:50 AM

Frank Lee - Any advice on where to find the state statutes? I've been searching around the web quite a while without finding anything useful.

Frank Lee · 09-18-2008, 05:06 AM

Google "Illinois motor vehicle statute" and you come up with a whole bunch to choose from; best one is this: 625Â*ILCSÂ*5/**Illinois Vehicle Code. Then cruise down to Chapter 12.

klrv6 · 09-18-2008, 05:47 AM

So, you only need a single rear view mirror but, you can spray paint your rear window? That's funny.

In KY, you need both side mirrors if you can't see out your back window. I know this because I once had a wall of 8 15 inch subs in my car. I had to check with the PD first.