California Crackdown on Modified Cars

[jmortensen]

Tomohawk, I'm all about the "your rights end where my nose begins" thing, but if you really think that putting a sticker on your car should be considered probable cause for the cops to pull you over and inspect your car then our ideas of "freedom" and "where my nose begins" have some pretty serious differences.

Ed is right, if they're breaking a law, deal with them as such. If they aren't, leave them alone. Anything else is not freedom. Putting stickers on your car very well might insinuate that you have a race car, but it just as easily may insinuate that you just really like stickers. It shouldn't be an offense worthy of pulling someone over until the law is broken.

Ed is wrong about the bikes though. Everyone I knew in CA who had a Harley had been hassled about loud pipes at least once.

[Go240Zags]

Did you ever see a Hells Angel's club? You probablty think they're a bunch of bikers who are borderline criminals.

thx

Hell's Angels, borderline? I think they've crossed that border.

Free expression is great -- make your car look like you want as long as it meets safety standards -- that's a given. I can't say the same for overly loud exhaust and stereos. I live on the edge of my small town by a small bridge--cross the river and the bridge and your out of town. Why drivers of these little loud cars think they need to punch it going either direction over the bridge is beyond me. Our local cops could be passing out tickets right and left if they just parked by my house. The percentage of Asians in Eastern Washington is small and nearly non-existant in my county. We have lots of Hispanic residents, but the biggest abusers of the loud exhaust thing are non-Hispanic. As far as loud stereos and exhausts go, the prize definately goes to the under 20 set -- no matter the ethnicity.

[TomoHawk]

Not just "a sticker." these ricers are putting lots of stickers all over. R-type stickers. It's possible that a certain sticker would mean that you're in a certain club or group, that's popular for illegal racing & such. Some tattoos do that in Asian groups.

Like DatsunZGuy mentioned, his car has chrome & flares & such, but it's in the spirit of the classic sportscar ad not to insinuate that he's doing street racing or other illegal stuff.

thx

[Ed]

Ed is wrong about the bikes though. Everyone I knew in CA who had a Harley had been hassled about loud pipes at least once.

Sorry Jon, I was just trying to make a point that the "ricers" aren't the only ones with loud exhausts.

And on another note, what's up with the stickers thing? If I have an Edelbrock or Moroso sticker I'm going to get pulled over? vs. somone who has a "my son is a honor student at xxx school" or " I love my poodle"????

[DatsunZGuy]

Like DatsunZGuy mentioned, his car has chrome & flares & such, but it's in the spirit of the classic sportscar ad not to insinuate that he's doing street racing or other illegal stuff.

The yellow Z pictured in my second post doesn't belong to me. I just went to my photo album of the '04 ZCCA Meet and posted it as an example.

When done, my orange car is going to look stock, but sitting a little lower and wearing ZX six-spoke wheels.

[TomoHawk]

As far as loud stereos and exhausts go, the prize definately goes to the under 20 set

Those kids are really in trouble- they can't even dress right!!

I'm talking about the T-shirts that go down to their knees, and their pants are about a foot too long or hang off the thigh instead of the waist. Winter jackets the size that would fit a guy 150 lbs heavier. Some kids Don't even have enough sense to wear clean clothes or when the knees are torn, they need to be patched.

[TomoHawk]

The yellow Z pictured in my second post doesn't belong to me.

Sorry about that. But the point stands for whomever owns the yellow car, or something like it.

[TomoHawk]

S what's up with the stickers thing? If I have an Edelbrock or Moroso sticker I'm going to get pulled over? vs. somone who has a "my son is a honor student at xxx school" or " I love my poodle"?

Again, by stickers, the article was referring to the ones that are related to street racing & such. Like the difference between a "Hell's Angel" leather jacket , and one worn by a WWII pilot. The latter was meant for the more honorable type. As for the Moroso/Edelbrock sticker, "most" people that sport those are driving a classic muscle car, or domestic. They usually don't do a lot of street racing- probably just an occasional spurt for fun. I don't think poodles or honor students would draw much attention- except from the rival school.

thx

[sblake01]

I have not been pulled over in 9 years, and when I was, I deserved it. I am Black and I have never been involved in an kind of stop that I would consider 'profiling.' When I hear of friends that complain about that I look at their vehicle. My stereo isn't loud, my exhaust isn't loud (well, not really), I don't have 20 inch 'fat chrome', a wing, limo tint, etc. My ride has not been 'pimped', 'riced', 'tuned', or any of the modern parlance. If you ask me it sounds like 'vehicle profiling' and neither I nor any of my vehicles fit. That's all I was trying to say in my first post. I'll just stand by and read the rest of this because I don't really have anything else to add.

[seerex]

Vans with groovy paint and Greatful Dead logos, marijuana leaves, etc. is one person's way of making a statement, but when these ricers put so many strickers on the car insinuating that they are racers, is about the same as doing the actual racing, which is illegal.

Hey if I want to cover my car in stickers as long as I dont use vulgar or outright offensive ones thats my choice , and if you think that stickers are the same as racing you need help.

FREEDOM doesn't mean you can jeapordize somebody else's

Well i guess we are only jeapordizing your freedom or ours of we disagree with what YOU think and WHAT YOU belive in.

If you don't like the stickers on my cars or my butt so what don't look. I think when I break the law then stop me but if my car is lowered has a spoiler or has what ever I want on it gives no one a right to profile me nor stop me without cause.

Those kids are really in trouble- they can't even dress right!!

what are you talking about , you sound like some one who assumes one with long hair and tatoos are evil . Let me guess you want me to give up my guns , my choice of clothing and my taste in cars , weither or not it falls in your taste bracket? Tell ya what kiss my Amercian loving butt

[montoya_fan01]

...............but when these ricers put so many strickers on the car insinuating that they are racers, is about the same as doing the actual racing, which is illegal.

..........Those kids are really in trouble- they can't even dress right!!

I'm talking about the T-shirts that go down to their knees, and their pants are about a foot too long or hang off the thigh instead of the waist. Winter jackets the size that would fit a guy 150 lbs heavier. Some kids Don't even have enough sense to wear clean clothes or when the knees are torn, they need to be patched.

Having a car with racing style stickers is "about the same as actual racing"? you have got to be kidding!

I guess everyone should dress up their car and themselves to please your sense of style

check please, im outta here.

[jmortensen]

Again, by stickers, the article was referring to the ones that are related to street racing & such. Like the difference between a "Hell's Angel" leather jacket , and one worn by a WWII pilot. The latter was meant for the more honorable type. As for the Moroso/Edelbrock sticker, "most" people that sport those are driving a classic muscle car, or domestic. They usually don't do a lot of street racing- probably just an occasional spurt for fun. I don't think poodles or honor students would draw much attention- except from the rival school.

So how then is this not an abridgement of First Amendment and Fourth Amendment rights again? Poodles or honor students are fine subjects for stickers, but when a sticker says something that could be construed as having to do with import cars then one immediately forfeits their rights??? I can't believe that I'm reading this on a Z car website! Talk about self loathing...