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excell

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Posts posted by excell

  2. Ohio front plate law, again (HB 62)

    in Passing Lane

    Posted

    I 100% agree with Chris here. It's funny how my 20-yo self wanted to skirt emissions testing because I thought running without cats is cool, but especially the last couple of years I've "matured" (gotten older) in my thinking and a $200 PCM tune will make my car run far better than lopping off cats and calling it a day.

     

    Now, the holes in my '79 Lincoln's cats? PO did it...I don't know how those got there. :) However, to Chris' point, historical tags FTW. I'm not driving the old cars more than 3k miles a year anyway.

     

    And honestly, it's not that hard to skirt. If you want to do mods like removing your cats, a well tuned car could have hollowed out cats and still pass easily. At least in Allegheny County where I am, they do a visual safety inspection of the outside of the vehicle, check for proper function of signals/lights, inspect the suspension/engine/transmission/brakes/etc. for worn items and good function, and then do a smog check to make sure it's still above whatever emissions standards which as I understand are pretty forgiving. I got banged last year for having red-tinted license plate bulbs. :lol: But it's not like they're dropping the exhaust or anything to check for the honeycomb. A high quality modded car should have no trouble passing. The whole thing is pretty painless and costs $42, would gladly pay more for a directly guaranteed funding source for road costs.

     

    Growing up there, there hasn't been much changes/improvements around there except when they finally finished Rt. 28 (which still sucks north of Rt. 8) and when they were forced to fix bridges after that one collapsed in Minnesota years ago.

     

    Ain't no joke about that. Pittsburgh's road system is royally fucked compared to the relative flatness of Columbus and the pristine organization of DC, though I am starting to get used to it. :)

  3. Ohio front plate law, again (HB 62)

    in Passing Lane

    Posted · Edited by excell

    But, Racecar??

     

    I know, I know. Hasn't seemed to effect that business in the slightest. Modern cars that are built well don't have a problem passing, and older cars get to skip the inspection if they have a Historic plate. My two Mustangs both have Historic plates, so they're not subject to inspection. In fact, Historic plates don't even need renewed -- I pay a one time fee of like $85 forever for the life of the vehicle.

     

    Ninja edit: Historic plates do restrict the amount of time the vehicle can be driven, so they're not for daily drivers -- which is the point. Enthusiasts get to enthuse, everyone gets to not drive unsafe shitboxes.

  4. Ohio front plate law, again (HB 62)

    in Passing Lane

    Posted

    Being a PA resident for a few years now, I'll say this:

     

    1) Fuck raising gas taxes. PA has one of the highest gas taxes in the nation and our roads are just as bad. They keep raising it, and road quality is always a justification, but it's the first source of money to get funneled to unrelated shit. Call your reps and tell them to write into the increase that the money MUST be used for X, Y, and Z reasons only. It'll never fucking happen, but make your voice heard anyway.

     

    2) No front plate is a no brainer. One of my favorite things about this state.

     

    3) I can't believe I'm saying this: Ohio needs statewide annual vehicle safety inspections, and put a use-tax on that for road safety/rebuilding instead of a gas tax. I am always astounded when I drive back to Ohio how many shitboxes with rusted out fenders, missing bumper covers, no exhaust, belching blue smoke, and broken lights there are. I never noticed it until I moved away. DC, MD, VA, and PA all have pretty robust safety inspections, and it is worth the minor inconvenience to do that every year. PA isn't perfect obviously, far from it, but vehicle safety is noticeably better here. 20 year old me can't believe I am saying this, but I now happily support regular inspections.

  6. Question regarding towing

    in Passing Lane

    Posted

    I've done a lot of towing with several rigs small and huge. My opinion, and in consideration you're going cross country:

     

    1) Inspect your trans cooler, if it's in good shape and not a single row/very tiny it's fine. If it's in bad shape or tiny, upgrade to a better one.

    2) Get a good trailer brake controller

    3) Ensure all vehicle fluids are flushed and clean (differentials/transfer case too)

    4) Add a set of air bladder helpers to your rear, inflate as needed while towing to level out the trailer and CHECK THEM OFTEN -- you don't need a complicated set up, just the $100 bolt in bladders with a Schrader on the side. Keep a decent air compressor in your truck.

    5) Get a weight distributing hitch, it's worth the money especially with a smaller truck!!!

    6) Inspect the shit out of the underbody and hitch to make sure it's not rusting away/is in good condition. Replace/recondition as needed.

     

    All of this will put you better than the factory towing package, but don't ever exceed 6000. You'll be just fine. Mind your TOTAL weight -- fully loaded, all gear and people, full tank of fuel. Distribute your stuff evenly.

  22. Why doesn't anyone make a race truck anymore?

    in Passing Lane

    Posted

    I truly do not understand how or why someone would DD a pickup of any sort. I wanted to punch a baby every day I had to DD my Suburban.

     

    I love daily driving my truck. Even here in Pittsburgh where the roads are stupid. It's got plenty of power, room for my family, room and versatility to haul said adult and family junk around, and it makes my dick hard every time I hop in for a drive.

     

    My only wish is it came with big ass brakes, a big ass tuned suspension, and 500 more horsepower.

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