Date: Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:12:05 -0400
Reply-To: Jim Akiba <syncrolist@BOSTIG.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jim Akiba <syncrolist@BOSTIG.COM>
Subject: Re: What is up with California and aftermarket Catalytic
Converters for the Vanagon?
In-Reply-To: <4a56b0c7.1ed6720a.6f2a.5929@mx.google.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
T-2 stands for Truck 2 not Tier 2, and is the second weight class of
light duty trucks to the CA ARB, not to be confused with Federal
emissions standards Tiers... vanagons are not Tier anything, they
predate Tiers which phased in in 96 with Tier 1. Just as PC-1 stands
for Passenger Car-1 in CA, T-2 means simply Truck 2.
It's also a way to make it more difficult to keep older vehicles on
the road. If all they were concerned about was cats not doing their
jobs and affecting emissions, actual testing would stand alone as the
primary method of control and abatement. It is not, in fact a clean
low emitting vehicle is not in any way a ticket to legal status in CA
as a result(as we all know). This is the same pattern of legislation
that is in place in Japan and Germany, and it is very effective in
forcing fleet overturn. I see it as neither sinister nor benevolent...
and both all at the same time depending on how you look at it... but
in any case it is simply an effective strategy to reach the goals of
the state government. Unfortunately it directly impacts the marginals
like us vanagon drivers in a dangerous way.
Jim Akiba
On Thu, Jul 9, 2009 at 11:08 PM, David Beierl<dbeierl@attglobal.net> wrote:
> At 06:32 PM 7/9/2009, Ken Wilford wrote:
>>
>> was even thought of. How can they ever be brought up to that standard
>> and how is a Cat with a magical number stamped on it going to accomplish
>> this?
>
> It's their way of making sure that the converter is of high quality
> -- they made it illegal to mess with the emissions gear and then
> issued individual exemptions saying ok, you can install *this*
> converter in this application without breaking the
> law. Unfortunately they don't seem to have exempted any converters
> that specifically fit the Vanagon, just general-purpose ones for
> Tier-2 Light-Duty Trucks, which is what we are.
>
> They're not expecting to bring emissions up to current standards on
> the old vehicles.
>
> You may find a niche welding the proper flanges or whatever onto
> exempted converters...
>
>
> --
> David Beierl - Providence RI USA -- http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
> '89 Po' White Star "Scamp"
>
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