Connecticut: Registration, Inspection & Emissions

[philminotti]

Excellent review, Don.

Curious about the emissions waiver, though. Suppose you fail emissions twice and you have a new aluminum Robert Pond block. Those blocks have a C6AE-H serial number. Do you think the inspectors are shrewd enough to recognize it as a new block, or might you get away with saying it's a vintage block?

phil

[Don]

Phil, to the best of my knowledge, the emissions portion is still separate from the safety/paperwork Inspection at Wethersfield. If an answer to your question is needed, contact:

Dan Jalbert
DMV Emissions Div
PH # 203-805-6230

Jay, with the new emissions inspection arrangement at the individual garages, how is the emissions testing now being handled ? When the previous system was in use, I trailered the Cobra to the state emissions testing station, could not use temp plates.

Jay, just thought of another point & your opinion. Dealer plates cannot be used to drive the Cobra to Wethersfield. Regulation is a Kit car cannot be driven on the streets until the inspection is passed ? I wonder if the CT inspection could still take place prior to purchase using the original owner's plates/registration for a pre-owned Cobra ?

[v6070]

Sorry for the intrusion on the Cobra owners, but I was told that you guys were the most knowledgable regarding CT kit/composite vehicle registration. I just recently inherited a GT40 from my father and am trying to determine the best way to register the car as a CT resident. My father lived in MA and always had it registered in Maine and never had a problem. I understand that even though the vehicle remains registered in Maine there may still be a requirement to pass CT Composite inspection???

If anyone has any insight into GT40 CT registration and or out of state registration living in CT, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Paul.

[Don]

Paul, to the best of my knowledge, any type of Kit or assembled car, home or professional built, which includes the SPF etc., the same Composite rules will apply that are mentioned in this Thread.

If there were any unfortunate cicumstances, having a vehicle garaged in one state and registered in another could present challenges, from a property tax ,insurance and emissions point of view, especially if there is a traffic stop with an out of state registration.

What I am not sure of: Can the out of state registration and plates, prior to transfer of title/registration, be used to drive the Composite to Wethersfield for the CT inspection rather than having to bring on a trailer? If the GT40 is registered in CT, the name of the GT40 on the registration and title will be Composite and the year will be the year first registered in CT

Having received different answers to other questions via phone and e-mail, you might want to consider going to Wethersfield and discussing with an informed senior official if you do decide to register in CT. While the standard DMV information desk is helpful for the normal questions, this question, using out of state plates/registration for the inspection, might require an informed ruling. If it is a go, suggest you know the DMV officials name and title, should the Inspectors ask any questions

[Don]

I added a May 3rd update edit to the initial posting mentioning items from the replies etc., etc.,

Anyone have any new input ?

[Don]

Reference the following which was included in the DMV web site for Composites. I had not seen any news items etc mentioning the change. Would the interpretation be correct that after January 2007, it will be more difficult for a Composite/Kit Car to pass the emissions test ?

" The vehicle will also require a new emissions test performed at an emissions testing station. Some vehicles are exempt from emissions testing. To determine if your vehicle is exempt from emissions testing, please refer to the listing of exempt vehicles."

" Note: Starting January 1, 2007 newly completed composite vehicles will need to have an engine that will meet new composite vehicle emissions standards. The standards that will be in effect are equivalent to the two-speed idle standards for 1980 and newer passenger cars and light trucks or 1988 and newer engines from trucks in the 8501 to 10,000 lb. GVWR range. Composite vehicles classified as 2006 model year and older will continue to be subject to existing standards which are approximately equivalent to the two-speed idle standards at a level somewhere between that for 1968 and 1973 vehicles."

[Don]

NOTE: Update as of May 11th:


" Per Sec. 14-80a-1a through 14-80a-10a of the DMV Regulations for "Glass Pack Mufflers" it is based on the loudness of the vehicle measured in accordance with the DMV Regulation. The loudness is affected not only by the mufflers utilized, but also by any engine modifications. There can be two different vehicles with the same exhaust system, however, they may have different engine modifications. One of the vehicles will pass the noise level measurement test and the other vehicle may not. "

CT DMV Section 14-80a-4a , Allowable Noise Levels since Jan 1, 1979. The maximum dB for a stationary test is 72 dB for soft site( grass ) and 74 dB for hard site ( pavement ). Section 14-80a-9a mentions the distance for measuring the dB. The baseline is 48 feet or more but less than 58ft. An adjustment to the dB reading is made up or down for readings either closer or farther away than the baseline range. The max reading is 81 dB for a hard site, highway operation above 35MPH, using the 48 to 58 ft baseline for measuring.
_____

________________

[Don]

Go to:

http://www.ct.gov/dmv/cwp/view.asp?A=801&Q=252796

Scroll Down to " Are Glass Packs Legal " and click on
Sec 14-80a-1 through 14-80a10a

Should get the PDF file,"Maximum Permissible Noise Standards", on pages 164 to 166 is Section 14-80a-7a Measurements of Noise Emissions, which is the standard the DMV Inspectors should be using for testing , the test site diagram is on page 166. May or may not be a good idea, but depending how the inspection is going, ask the Inspector if they are follwing the standard mentioned above which is Sec 14-80a-1a to 14-80a-10a

The test site diagram, for the 35 mph test, must, I think but not sure, be a side reading as the test should be conducted as the vehicle approaches and drives by. Otherwise, from the rear or front the vehicle would be accelerating, not a constant 35 MPH

For the 35 MPH simulated test where they ask to accelerate the motor, might want to consider not exceeeding a RPM than the equivalent of 35 MPH in high gear. When I was racing the motor to a quick full throttle, really got some extrteme high readings as the RPM far exceeded the equivalent of 35 MPH.

Car Chemistry and Vortex Cone both mentioned their hardware is most effective as close as possible to the primaries.

[stush]

I guess on closer readng, they actually are doing a stationary test as explained in one of the sections. In that case the limit is looks like it may be 74dB...I'm screwed.

Stu