From the forum FAQ:
No discussions about removing catalytic converters. It's illegal! Click here for federal law...
(or at least you can click in the FAQ text...)
Once again, I must point the absolute hypocrisy of that "rule".
1.) We have members all over the world. It is not illegal to remove emissions equipment in all of them
2.) It is NOT against any law to TALK about doing it, only the actual act of doing it to a vehicle which WILL BE USED ON PUBLIC STREETS/HIGHWAYS. There are many people on here, both in the "offroad", and "racing" camp, who use their Explorer/Mountaineer/Ranger/etc.. solely off-road.
Not only is TALKING about removing cats perfectly legal; certainly the hypothetical discussion of the potential pro's/con's, from a performance standpoint, are even farther from the "line" of legality. Thanks to the 1st amendment, ideas, and discussing them are NOT illegal in the US. Now, when these ideas lead to certain ACTIONS, then those certain ACTIONS can be illegal. For instance, it is perfectly legal to discuss the workings of a nuclear bomb, including how to construct one (assuming you did not unlawfully obtain/reveal classified info). However, the moment you ACT on those theories, and try to build one......well, now Lucy has some 'splaining to do.
3.) As I have pointed out before, if the standard of what is or isn't allowed to be discussed on here is the legality of the ACTION, then you've got a serious problem. As in, at least half of this site needs to be deleted; most likely alot more. What do I mean? Well:
A.) With the exception of 1 specific, fairly recent part#, SCT tuners are NOT emissions legal. SCT's "Economizer" X3 tuner, part#3030, is the ONLY emissions legal flash tuner they offer. ANY custom tunes, at all, are illegal under the same law that prohibits removal of the cats (The Clean Air Act).
What does this mean? Well, then by the "it's illegal, don't talk about here rule", then any thread discussing Any SCT XCAL tuning product, other then Part#3030, or discussions of ANY custom tuning whatsoever (this includes homemade tunes w/ the Pro Racer software, or any other competing device) are illegal and should be deleted/not allowed. Under the law, it is no different then removing cats.
B.) Any threads/discussion concerning the modification/removal of PCV and/or EGR systems are also discussing a modification that is just as illegal as removing cats. Get rid of those too.
C.) How many of you off-road guys meet the letter of the law, when it comes to your local lift/height laws? If your vehicle is not legal, you shouldn't be allowed to discuss it, or show it off here. You're encouraging and instructing others how to break the law.
Same goes for tires that are not completely covered by the fenders. Again, that's against the federal motor vehicle safety codes, and hence illegal, not to mention annoying dangerous to anybody behind you.
D.) How 'bout that huge alternative fuels section? Well, all those HHO setups are also in violation of the same federal clean air act that bans removal of your cats. Installing an HHO system, by itself, is a violation, because it is going to alter the vehicles emissions equipment/tailpipe emissions. Now, on top of that, in order to get it to work right, the ecm has to be modified w/ illegal custom tuning. In addition, a critical piece of OEM emissions equipment must be bypassed/altered/tampered with in some way, to get an HHO setup working correctly (The O2 sensor(s) ). Therefor, nearly all of the HHO threads/posts are also illegal, and should be removed under the "no talking about illegal mods" edict.
E.) I know there is a huge "Performance Lighting" section on here as well. Again, I've seen numerous discussion about installing excessive/illegal lighting. Not only do the threads/posts stay, but often moderators are participating in them, along with all the other types of threads I've mentioned.
I'm sure there are many other examples of "illegal" mods and other illegal actions being discussed, that are left up. Oh, and don't try the "mods can't see everything" excuse. Often times mods are participating in the discussions.
If there is going to a rule against illegal mods, then enforce it uniformly......and watch the site disappear.
Many mods are illegal in one way or the other. That's the whole point . "They" don't want us modifying are vehicles. "They" think everything should just stay the way it left the factory, because "they" (the government/the OEM's) think they know what's best for us. If you are going to be an enthusiast, and be into modding your vehicle, just accept that you, and others in the hobby, are going to be breaking some laws.
Lastly, there is no need for the site to prevent these discussions. As I said, discussing an illegal mod is NOT illegal. As long as Rick and/or the mods don't actively encourage people going out and doing it, and as long as they don't open up the "Explorer Forum" garage, and start actually ripping out cats themselves, the site has no liability for simply allowing people to exchange and discuss ideas. A much better policy is one in which the site makes an official statement that they are opposed to any illegal mods, and doesn't encourage such. However, being a place dedicated to the free exchange of ideas, individuals, who are responsible for their own actions, are free to post/discuss anything they wish. Further, ban mods or any "official" site representative from encouraging, supporting or participating in any such "controversial" discussion while logged in and identified as an admin/moderator. There, the site covers it's ass, while allowing people to have an intelligent discussion about an important/relevant topic, that the user base clearly has a desire to discuss and explorer.
