What are US emissions standards ?

[Matra et Alpine]

This is a breakaway thread to address the issue of emission standrds in US and Europe...

Yeah, California sucks when it comes to emissions, which is why I like living here in Virginia! No emissions tests!
What are national emission levels and what are differnet states doing ?
We've always known that California was extreme on it's clean-air and having seen some smog in LA I understand the reasoning.
Can't really compare one state with all of Europe :) I'm sure I coudl find some landowner somewhere who will prevent any diesels on his/her land because of pollution. Would seem odd to suggest that represented Europe !!
So what's the overal US limits and distribution of states ????

[johnnynumfiv]

In connecticut, we dont have emmissions anymore, the company that ran them went bankrupt, so the way the tests are giong to happen are still pending. Not sure country wide.

[CdocZ]

WOAH! no emmisions tests in virginia? i guess that means you can sneak one of those awesome european roadsters that are illegal in the us because of emmissions

[Renesis]

matra, this sort of relates to politics...

The US of Imperialism have the EPA to thank for emissions standards (environmental protection agency-blah). The rules are in place for the benefit of the environment, or whatever, and for national health concerns. So EPA says that cars have to pass a series of tests based on stuff.
These are

"Vehicle Inspection and Acceptance"
"Vehicle Fuel Exchange"
"Vehicle Preconditioning"
"Diurnal Heat Build (No Evap) Test"
"Diurnal Evaporative Emission (Heat Build) Test"
"Sample Collection of the Urban Dynamometer Exhaust Emission Test "Exhaust Sample Analysis Procedure"
"Hot Soak Evaporative Emission Test"
"Quick CheckCoastdowns"
"Sample Collection, Continuous Hydrocarbon Analysis, and Particulate Collection of the Light Duty Diesel Test"
"Diesel Particulate Filter Handling and Weighing"
"California Inspection and Maintenance Test"
"Canister Preconditioning"
"Horiba Emission Analysis System Sample Collection and Exhaust Measurement Procedure"


oh yeah! :D fun stuff right?!?!?
(fyi for the stupid, these pretty much revolve around the exhaust quality and the condition of the catalytic converter)

but us with its democracy says epa cant govern what the STANDARDS are, thats up to the states to decide. (Federalism versus states rights) So thats why some states have tight, virginous standards while others (cough! minesota!) don't.

note that diesal also has different standards. :D

[TheOne]

yeh, state rights:).
some get emission testing and some dont.
tho here in texas there's some places(mainly big cities) where you have to do the emissions testing, but in smaller cities/towns.....you don't have to do emissions testing, thats depending on the city/town.
as for importing cars.....they still gotta pass US customs and all kinds of crash testing that are supposed to be done here, thats why it ain't cheap to import a nissan skyline to the US.(cause ya gotta pass US customs, all the legal crash testing papers and some other fees, emissions(depending on state) and some other stuff.)

[Guibo]

The reason why California's emissions regs are significant is because as California goes, so does the rest of the nation. The federal standards being implemented over the next 4 years are the direct result of clean air legislation already in place in California. Oh, if only that landowner had a family of 35 million people...

You cannot directly cross-reference Euro standards with US standards, as US standards require cars to comply over two periods: 50K miles and 120K miles.
In g/km (for CO / NOx)

Gasoline Passenger cars
US Tier II, Bin 5 (currently)
50K miles: 2.1 / .03
120K miles: 2.6 / .04

Euro 4: 1.0 / .08


Here's a comparitive graph:
http://www.whnet.com/4x4/pix/diesel_standards.jpg

[henk4]

.

You cannot directly cross-reference Euro standards with US standards, as US standards require cars to comply over two periods: 50K miles and 120K miles.
In g/km (for CO / NOx)


My car (in Holland) has to undergo an annual technical approval test (mandatory as soon as the car is three years old). Part of the test is the level of certain values in the exhaust gases, which need to be in the vicinity of the values when new. The actual result is that before the car goes for inspection you really have to rev it a little bit to clean the exhaust system, causing some black clouds in the process (it's a diesel).

[jcp123]

Yeah, Cali's pretty extreme. I'm moving, because I'm pretty sure my car won't be smog exempt here anymore.

[Egg Nog]

WOAH! no emmisions tests in virginia? i guess that means you can sneak one of those awesome european roadsters that are illegal in the us because of emmissions

Actually, most of the roadsters, etc. that haven't made it to North America haven't made it here because of crash standards rather than emissions issues :(

[henk4]

Actually, most of the roadsters, etc. that haven't made it to North America haven't made it here because of crash standards rather than emissions issues :(

yes they have to be increasingly Hummer-proof. Or could it be that the quality of driving in the USA is so low that the authorities try to compensate that with "safer" cars? :D