Ban on "boy racer" cars

dcGT

cambo_gueno wrote:

"In what is seen as a massive clampdown on boy racer cars, the new rules would fail cars with excessively noisy engines and certain models with double exhaust pipes.

Under current legislation cars are allowed to have blacked-out windows as long as the driver's window is clear glass. But under the new criteria, cars with any of the windows blacked-out would fail the test.
"

When they say 'blacked-out' do they mean exactly that, or do they mean 'tinted'. If tinted, what percentage of tint? As said before, the details are far too vague and ambiguous. Interesting to note that the UK banned tinted windows completely on the front passenger and driver's side windows last year. Tints up to a certain percentage are allowed on the rear windows.


DC.

Clint

I think that the whole thing is ridiculous. Enforcing mods is fine once it is kept within reason. I dont have my windows tinted at the moment and while I would never go limo black (out of personal taste) I would like to tint them to a certain degree as I play regular gigs around dublin and need to hide gear i may have inside the car. As for the exhaust thing, I have no problem if they want to use a db meter for roadside tests or whatever, as most high quality aftermarket exhausts are supplied with a removable silencer which doesnt affect the performance at all if left in. Even though I am an avid modding enthusiast, I hate nothing more than hearing some little crapbox with a huge exhaust struggling to make it up a hill at 5,500rpm!(like the corolla that sits outside my neighbours house every Sat morn revving for some unknown reason...)

Fey!

Soupi/Seamus. WRT tinting, you can paint your back windscreen and back side windows black if you want to, as the driver can still see what's behind him using his rear view mirrors. If they change this, then they have to change ALL car-derived vans and panel vans with solid panel back windows/solid interior bulkheads. When it comes to front windscreen, you can tint down to the level which would be covered with your visor in a straight down vertical position, and you can tint your front side windows. Front windows can be tinted to, IIRC, 70% (70% of light getting through. so 70% is a lighter tint than 50%). BTW, I have my e39 (below) tinted within the legal rating all around, and I don't have any visability problems, and the car can be seen through as long as the driver behind me doesn't have his full lights on.
WRT front fogs, there is a section in the law about driving with them on all the time already, but you'll generally only get done for it if you come to the attention of the Gardai for something else. I use mine on bad roads, to assist with seeing the edges of the road, as they span wider than my headlights.
Seamus: You're supposed to drive with caution anyway. You're supposed to leave yourself a reaction distance (never heard of the 2 second rule?). If you're not willing to leave that distance between you and the person in front, then maybe you should consider shredding your license. Also, how do you see through vans/trucks/mpv's/suv's?
Also, what about cars with cheap tyres or with alloys with the wrong offsets for the cars they're on?

Hotblack Desiato

Fey! wrote:

WRT tinting, you can paint your back windscreen and back side windows black if you want to, as the driver can still see what's behind him using his rear view mirrors. If they change this, then they have to change ALL car-derived vans and panel vans with solid panel back windows/solid interior bulkheads.

But... CDVs and vans have larger/convex mirrors to make up for the lack of the centre mirror - so to maintain vision/safety you'd need to fit those as well if you obscure the back window.

WRT front fogs, there is a section in the law about driving with them on all the time already, but you'll generally only get done for it if you come to the attention of the Gardai for something else. I use mine on bad roads, to assist with seeing the edges of the road, as they span wider than my headlights.

There's a good reason they're illegal except in fog or snow - they're very dazzling to other drivers - designed to penetrate thick fog after all. Have a little consideration...

Fey!

Ninja - hate to be the one to break it to you, but rear tint doesn't necessarily obscure the view from the centre mirror; the laminate used is clear. On the other hand, a garage sticker midway down the rear windscreen can cause a large blindspot. And, if you had read the post I was reponding to, you'd see that Seamus stated that he was anti-tint because he couldn't see THROUGH the car; larger mirrors on the other vehicle won't help with that particular complaint.

And before I'm labelled a poseur, both my car and the CDV we use for our business are tinted a) to give a bit more difficulty to anyone trying to break the window in, and b) to make it more difficult for people to see what we're carrying.

As for the larger mirrors on vans, you need to double check that. Yes on large vans, such as Merc Sprinter size and larger. However, car derived vans don't; have a look at the next Punto/Focus/Corolla van you see, or even on the likes of a Vanette.

WRT use of fog light, I agree with you; I use them on empty, unlit roads. I should have expressed myself better.

Hotblack Desiato

It's understandable to want to block out view of the load area on a van/CDV. I thought CDVs had larger mirrors than ordinary cars, I suppose some might. If you can still see through the centre mirror with a mirrored tint on the back window, then grand.

No problem with people using fogs on unlit roads with no traffic, it's the Dublin city driving f...wits who leave them on 24/7/52 who get on my nerves. It should be made mandatory that when the ignition goes off, the fogs go off and stay off when the car is next started. Would eliminate 95% of the problem, people don't realise they have them on. Rear fogs are the worst. Don't they know that dazzling following drivers while masking their own brakelights is a really, really dumb idea?

ambro25

It should be made mandatory that when the ignition goes off, the fogs go off and stay off when the car is next started.

Old hat - my '97 Impreza does that, you have to 're-press' the f-fogs switch on next startup if you want'em on.

Soupi

so basically what everyone is saying is that the majority is on the driver not the mods so back to the original subject:banning mods from the NCT won't help the "boy racer" crisis we are in.if lads wanna fly around in their cars then they will,whether they have mods or not!!

stupid government - address drink driving before you address mods etc :mad:

dcGT

Soupi wrote:

stupid government - address drink driving before you address mods etc :mad:

Very good point... but I suppose the NCT can't scam money off that one :rolleyes:
Perhaps this 'mod ban' seems like a handy one to implement at first glance; it's something that can be handed over to the NCT. NCT generate more revenue though increased failures/retests and the government have done the socially responsible thing by ridding the country of 'evil' modifications while also removing the onus of enforcement from the already over-stretched resources of the Gardaí.

Drink-driving is indeed a much bigger problem in my opinion.

DC.

_Kaiser_

dcGT wrote:

Drink-driving is indeed a much bigger problem in my opinion.

DC.

Yep..except that too many politicians are publicans too. (Can you say "conflict of interest" :rolleyes: )

gurramok

Just read in the rag Herald that the EWFA(European Window Film Association) on behalf of BM Glass Coatings have contacted the Euro Commision and will be meeting the minister (Ivor) about what exactly is planned for the NCT in 2006 regarding tinted windows.
It was mentioned also that a successful prosecution was brought against the Portuguese govt when they banned tinted windows as they are not illegal in EU law...ie.. it was overturned in that country

5500

Does anyone know if the Nct have any devices at present to check for the mentioned changes?Im guessing there has to be some form of Db counter on the machines they use for co3 output but if not will any off the equiptment be in place by january?

Seth Brundle

Eireal, I think (given the lack of concrete evidence) that there are no particular laws against tints or exhaust noises. Assuming this is the case then nobody can do much as long as it isn't dangerous or intrusive.
The NCT manual does not contain the word 'tint'. It does however state:

3. Check that there is an adequate view from the driving seat and that it is not interfered with by objects or stickers.

which is purely opinion based.

Regarding the exhaaust:

1. Examine the condition of the exhaust pipe and silencer for security and leaks.
2. Assess the effectiveness of the silencer in reducing, as far as is reasonable, the noise caused by the exhaust from the engine.

Regarding having it in place by January, don't worry - Ivor is just trying to grab headlines with ill-concieved plans and don't be surprised if you see him focusing on department issues more than public issues shortly!

layke

Soupi wrote:

so basically what everyone is saying is that the majority is on the driver not the mods so back to the original subject:banning mods from the NCT won't help the "boy racer" crisis we are in.if lads wanna fly around in their cars then they will,whether they have mods or not!!

stupid government - address drink driving before you address mods etc :mad:

I wasn't aware there was a "crisis". But good point, removing the mods simply makes me change the exhaust I have on the day of my test. I pass, I go back to my mod garage and put it back, all for €50. If a cop pulls me, i'll just tell him it's the standard exhaust on a Type-R, unless they are a mechanic and cary DBL tester they can can say sweet FA tbh. Most coppers imo know nothing about cars anyway and think their Focus is o'rly fast.

Bartonprince

as soon as anyone i know see's a car with a rear spoiler on it. I hear "State of that" even if the car looks gorgeous. I try to explain that a wing on the back of the car in most cases helps with aerodynamics but they will hear none of it because they stereotype.

My girlfriend said she would rather sit with me in my 93 astra saool that is an eyesore then sit in a white "Unmodified" 95 impreza WRX.

Rediculous.

GreeBo

Bartonprince wrote:

that a wing on the back of the car in most cases helps with aerodynamics

But I find that "most" Fiestas dont need a wing any more than they need a big scoup on the front.

Oh yeah and its called a "Spoiler" for a reason.:cool:

Bartonprince

GreeBo wrote:

But I find that "most" Fiestas dont need a wing any more than they need a big scoup on the front.

Oh yeah and its called a "Spoiler" for a reason.:cool:

A well positioned rear spoiler on anything on a motorway going 70mph offers greater stability.

StRiKeR

so whats the situation? whats gonna fail what isn't?

I know there are boys with extremely loud back boxes, that I can understand they fail, simply because you can hear them 2 miles away for a long time, I have a full system from manifold back with silencer, when its ticking over you wont even know the car is running, when driving easy you hardly hear me driving by, when I kick it down yes it can be heard but still not very loud, atleast you wont hear it from miles away like the others. I doubt mine will fail and I have no tint

BTW, I rarely drive over the limit these days and I actually try my best not to let the wheels spin when taking off and keep the noise down, for some reason, most people wouldn't know or care about that as soon as they see a modded car they point at you and say "BOY RACERS, A**H***S< D**KS" well we not all the same, so why banning all of us. this is just like the stupid excuses they use for insurance premium

5500

Well at present your emissions are tested at idle and 3000 rpm so at a wide guess the reading could be taken around that mark.

My exhaust is the same at idle and normaly driving,its not loud unless you try to drive around at 6000rpm in second gear

StRiKeR

well at 6000rpm most Type R would be loud even stock as the VTEC kicks in, and my emission test in August when it went through the NCT was 0.35%, my fueling is turned down when it was tuned on Rolling Road. mine passed in August, thats before the new idea they have, but what about 2 yrs after, or if I get another car which I am going to sometime next yr. Better find out everything before buying any parts, there are alot of performance parts that will not fail NCT, I cannot imagine they fail my car as there's no tint and hardly make much noise.

bop1977

if they ban all mods to all cars does that mean suped up un-marked cop cars would also be illigal as their mods (ie blue lights hidden in front grills, tinted rear passenger windows ect like the mondeo going around theN4/M50 ) would also be NCT failures.


personally you should be free to mod to your hearts content no matter how crap they look

Seth Brundle

GreeBo wrote:

Oh yeah and its called a "Spoiler" for a reason.:cool:

<pedant>Its actually called an aerofoil.
The solid lip type devices on the boot are true spoilers.</pedant>

Bartonprince wrote:

A well positioned rear spoiler on anything on a motorway going 70mph offers greater stability.

It does in its arse. You would need to be doing about twice that to notice significant handling differences.

bop1977 wrote:

if they ban all mods to all cars does that mean suped up un-marked cop cars would also be illigal as their mods (ie blue lights hidden in front grills, tinted rear passenger windows ect like the mondeo going around theN4/M50 ) would also be NCT failures.

and the talivan would hve to remove the blackened stickers from the back of the vans. Can't see it happening though!

iregk

bop1977 wrote:

personally you should be free to mod to your hearts content no matter how crap they look

You should be allowed to mod you machine no argument there but certainly not to your hearts content. There has to be limits where it becomes illegal for safety reasons. Sure its fine letting someone tint their windows but tints to the level where the driver has to roll down windows to see out (seen that recently) should be illegal (actually are). Also coloured head lamps impair the visibility of oncoming drivers thus increasing the chances of having an accident.

So to say you would be free to mod to your hearts content is a stupid and irresponsible statement. Modify your car by all means but also you should keep your safety and the safety of other drivers as your number one priority when doing so.

flintash

i ve heard about protest in dublin next week, ,can someone confirm that, and give details about that , cos i am going to support ,and i from Cork so i want to know about that.

5500

Its being organised be a gang of boy racers from donegal and cork

No one from the modified sites want anything to do with it,its just an attempt to distrupt the traffic in dublin for the day which in turn will give the true modifyers a bad name as joe public will see these muppets and continue to tar the rets of us with the same brush.

BrianD

Archeron wrote:

Just heard about this on the radio this morning. Apparently Ivor Callelly is introducing a law that cars with tinted windows, loud exhausts or double exhausts will all fail the NCT. Does anyone know where we can see more details about this? It sounds like a major pain in the ass for anyone who likes their cars. Ivor Callellys website says nothing about this. Sounds like another bit of baiting on certain members of society to suit those who disapprove of young people in nice cars.

The media interpreted it as a 'ban' on boy racers but I doubt if it is. What you'll probably find is that their will be standards introduced for tinting, noise levels etc.

layke

eireal wrote:

Its being organised be a gang of boy racers from donegal and cork

No one from the modified sites want anything to do with it,its just an attempt to distrupt the traffic in dublin for the day which in turn will give the true modifyers a bad name as joe public will see these muppets and continue to tar the rets of us with the same brush.

Sadly I have to agree with this. Many a time i've been at meets with sound and stable people there is always that guy who invites his scummer mates who feel the need to skid around corners in their clapped out cars.

If it's public they need to ENSURE that everyone knows not to act the pratt as they will be watched by the press. Stunts like the above will just feed the tabloids and lets not forget our friend Ivor.

5500

layke wrote:

Sadly I have to agree with this. Many a time i've been at meets with sound and stable people there is always that guy who invites his scummer mates who feel the need to skid around corners in their clapped out cars.
.

Too true,its happened at many a meet ive been to aswell.

One of the tools organising it put up a flyer asking people to print it and put it in the local garages,now thats just in invite for tits to come along and act the maggot.

They failed to realise that as soon as any scumbum see's a convoy of modded cars driving or parked up in dublin he's gonna be onto 10 of his mates who'll all head down "for a flash".

I wouldnt actually mind if something was being properly organised and for a reason eg "a ban on all mods" but not for talk over limits being put in place which the majority of teh scene is more than happy to see introduced.

iregk

The ultimate boy racer accessory...

I fail to see how people who invest thousands of euro's into their cars would be more likely to crash them.