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Comment by rascul | Hacker News Reader

Some of that might be to satisfy the EPA since it's technically against their rules to do engine swaps in many cases or delete or modify emissions devices.

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I don't know about the federal level, but in NY State, the rule on engine swaps allows for a newer engine to be installed in an older car as long as the newer emissions equipment is installed as well. So swapping a 2010 k series motor into a 90s civic would be legal if you also bring the ECU (because obd counts as emissions) and the catalytic converters. At least that was my read of the law.

My buddy and I did a California BAR swap of a k20a2 into a civic EG. The things a ripper.

We also had to bring over all the emission EVAP stuff, for the evap on the RSX tank (plastic irrc) we bought a new EG tank and welded all the necessary fittings to get it to work.

Very engaging car to drive.

I was looking at buying something similar on cars and bids a couple of years back that didn't have cats, so I looked into the law in ny. I've been in a stripped eg with a similar motor at an autocross and it does rip. Loose rear and front grip with an 8200rpm redline? Heck yeah. Would recommend looking up your nearest scca and going out for a day to see what it does at the limit

Then why are they able to provide a 500hp gas crate motor?

There's probably a disclaimer that it's not for street vehicles.

Note in the eCrate link it's explicitly claimed to be legal when done correctly.

More information:

What I was recalling is the EPA's Engine Switching Fact Sheet from 1991.

https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/documents/engswitch_...

I learned today that it was replaced in 2020 by the EPA Tampering Policy. This one doesn't seem to focus so much on engine swaps but on the emissions devices themselves.

https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-12/documents/ep...

When you do that you're supposed to classify the vehicle as an OHV, or off-highway vehicle. Problem is a lot of states don't actually do emissions testing, others don't do vehicle status inspection, and some don't do either. You ever wonder why Indiana has such a huge number of drag racing cars in the Prostock and Superstock classes? There's no emissions testing outside the capitol.

>> You ever wonder why Indiana has such a huge number of drag racing cars in the Prostock and Superstock classes?

I can honestly say I've never wondered that. It's so oddly specific lol.

Having grown up in Indiana, and having watched a lot of drag racing, and even crewed for a friend drag racing motorcycles, I have not once wondered that, either. I, of course, just assumed it was that way everywhere. “What, your small nowhere town doesn’t have its own drag strip or dirt oval? How odd…”

(And when I say “nowhere”, I mean go look up Bunker Hill, IN as a go-to example. It’s a fine town as far as small towns go, but a long way from any major metro.)

Back when people still watched cable Street Outlaws was Discovery's biggest show for a while. It is an oddly specific thing, but a question I heard a lot about ten years ago. The two places where drag racing are biggest are Oklahoma and Indiana.

Isn't it true that you can also be emissions exempt if you drive under 5k miles a year?

Edit: and off road motors still have standards, just different standards.

That's done on a state-by-state basis. The EPA knows nothing of how many miles you drive nor does any yearly emissions testing.

Of course, the emissions testing is a state issue. Even the federal regulations say that federal government vehicles have to be tested in the state they are stationed in.

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