EnviroTest is at it again.....

[YELLAHEEP]

I was at the testing station - County Line and Colorado - to get my Cherokee on 31's tested. I wasn't the person with the troubles, but I was witness to it.... get this crap.....

The guy behind me was in a YJ on 33" BFG muds. He was turned away by a tech saying that they recently changed the tire size limit to 32". That's right - according to not just one, but two techs and a manager (that the YJ owner demanded to speak to) said that the tire size limit was recently changed, 33" tires are no longer allowed on the dynos.

Anyone else had a problem with this yet? The EnviroTest website still shows 34" tire size limit.

With the Truggy on 37's with 5:13 gears, 33's would get that thing howling..... I can't imagine having to reduce the tire size even more. That's gonna blow an engine.

Once again, EnviroTest is gonna make me have to break the law and register my junk at an address I don't reside at - unless the Colorado Dept. of Health and Environment will give me a "waiver" for the dyno and let me do just the sniffer.

That right there is what pisses me off about our Govt. and their inability to conduct business using logic and reason. How friggin' easy would it be to allow us "big tire" rigs apply for a waiver so we can still comply with the law AND show that we care about the environment? There's so few of us actually driving rigs with big tires daily that we certainly aren't huge contributors to the air polution..... I'll put way less than 500 miles on my rig in a year and it certainly doesn't make sense to require it to be dyno emissions compliant.

I am going to make some calls to the CDPHE and see if I can come up with a waiver for the dyno test. If I succeed, I'll be posting that recipe for success all over the 4X boards.

WTF?!?! :dunno:

 

[philip_g]

you can use my address

 

[YELLAHEEP]

That's the part I don't get.

What keeps me or anyone else pulling just any friggin' address outta the air and using it?

From what I understand, the "rule" is that DMV clerks aren't supposed to allow vehicles to be registered to any address other than the address printed on the person's driver's license. The "technical" version of the requirement is that the vehicle is supposed to be registered in the County in which the owner is registered to vote.

The clerk I spoke to at the Arapahoe County DMV said that people try it all the time to keep from paying higher taxes on their new vehicles. She said she wouldn't allow it, but knows that other counties do it all the time - but there's no justification for them doing it - probably just laziness on the part of the clerk.

Hope I get a lazy clerk if I can't get a CDPHE waiver..........

 

[Skully]

That blows!

Envirotest is so lame...............

(kinda long, continued rant here)

My recent bad taste with them was last year with the XJ.....

The one next to me (Broomfield) after I waited like 30 minutes to get in. Got to the end and the gal asked me for my money. Handed her the money and then she said; "btw you failed". I was like what?! "Your cap didn't pass you need a new cap and come back for a re-test." I was like; "Keep the test sheet (I saw it and it said pass on everything) and I will go down and buy a cap right now come back show you and you can give me the test sheet." .......there was a napa three blocks away...... "Nope sorry got to go through the line." A hour later I got my pass sheet after going through it again and she was no longer there, but while waiting I went to the office and asked to speak to a manager and complained. ....... "sorry for your troubles that is our rules... " (I ran a DD through a year earlier and the cap failed, the tech was cool and just said if you promise to go get a cap after you leave here we are done and you can go with a PASS.

.......year before that I went through with my CJ at the one on 112th in Northglen. I had had 3 year old BFG 35"s. The tech saw them and said we can not allow those tires on our dyno. I knew that but I also knew they were under "34's. I confirmed the rule saying the max tire size was "34's right? He said ya, I told him to grab a tape measure. Sure enough they were "33.70's He was cool and let me on but warned me if it got off the rollers he would reject me, went through with flying colors.

It all depends on the staff there, some are cool, some are just down right jerks. I use to be in contact with a guy who worked for the state, his job was to sort through all the complaints and claims against envirotest to take care of them. He said he was always swamped. That is so lame that they suck so bad that the state has a guy that his job is just that. If envirotest was a regular retail or service business...........they would be out of business...

 

[YELLAHEEP]

Yeah, I've had a couple cars fail the cap test too...... totally bites having to return just to have the cap tested.

You'd think that with EnviroTest being a privately owned company, they'd capitalize on the cap test and have new gas caps available for purchase right there.

Of course, then they'd get accused of failing perfectly good caps just to make a buck...

Either way, I just save myself the aggravation and get a new cap for the vehicle I'm having tested unless I know it's a fairly new one to start with. For a "flipper" XJ I sold recently, I took the good cap off my rig since it had passed a few months earlier and put it on the "flipper" for the test - again, just to save the aggravation.

 

[Skully]

With the Truggy on 37's with 5:13 gears, 33's would get that thing howling..... I can't imagine having to reduce the tire size even more. That's gonna blow an engine.

Is the truggy a stick or auto?

One friend had a TJ auto with 37's & 4.88's, he borrowed stock TJ wheels and tires 215's I believe and the Jeep was fine.

....another buddy had a YJ stick 37's, 5.13's and stock 4 banger, 31's as his test wheels and it was not bad either.... RPMs got up there but redlining it....

There has got to be an easy calculator to see what your truggy's RPM's would be with 31's/32's and your gearing. I don't think it will be as bad as you think.....

 

[Kiefer316]

ha funny story my uncle took his ford ranger in to get tested everything passed but the cap and he went to go get a cap and went back everything failed but the cap he got mad complained and told them this stuff is bull

 

[YELLAHEEP]

It's an auto.

It's also got a mini-spool in the rear axle. Dunno if that'd be "safe" putting those kinds of RPM's thru those gears and a spool....... :dunno:

 

[philip_g]

That's the part I don't get.

What keeps me or anyone else pulling just any friggin' address outta the air and using it?

From what I understand, the "rule" is that DMV clerks aren't supposed to allow vehicles to be registered to any address other than the address printed on the person's driver's license. The "technical" version of the requirement is that the vehicle is supposed to be registered in the County in which the owner is registered to vote.

The clerk I spoke to at the Arapahoe County DMV said that people try it all the time to keep from paying higher taxes on their new vehicles. She said she wouldn't allow it, but knows that other counties do it all the time - but there's no justification for them doing it - probably just laziness on the part of the clerk.

Hope I get a lazy clerk if I can't get a CDPHE waiver..........

they don't give a crap. you don't even have to register it to the address it's titled.

the whole thing is a sham with envirotest, I'd love to see some hard evidence that it does a damn thing but lighten our wallets.

 

[Kiefer316]

its just a way to get the government more money... i think

 

[Ecomike]

Interesting. Here in Texas they do not dyno test 4x4s, they only do the sniff test. If it is a 96 or newer, OBD-II, all they do is check the computer for error codes, CELs, no dyno no sniffer.

They also sell caps and wiper blades at the test sites for convience.

 

[ChiXJeff]

No emissions testing here in MN (yet.)

When I escaped IL 2 years ago, Cook County and the collar counties all were getting away from the roller testing, and going to simple OBD-II tests. The last test I had with my 94 on the rollers was on 33s, the largest they'd run. Anything bigger went to a sniff test only.

 

[JohnJohn]

I would try another test place. One that is less busy. Maybe it's not a general rule change, just some $8 per hour dudes that think they run the program.

 

[pist5.0]

That manager is a douche! They failed my Mustang for missing two of the four cats and a check engine light, which doesn't exist on 88 5.0 mustangs. When i asked for the manager he came over with his douche like "i'm the man around here" attitude and explained that the car failed for equipment. I have long tube headers and high flow cats (only for the lame emissions). I expained the headers eliminate the first two cats and this vehicle does not have a check engine light. He said the car originally was equipped with four and it did have a light, I must have removed the bulb. The car failed the tailpipe test barely, 2.2 on Hc's . While they scoured over the car to find cats, they had shut it off for twenty minutes. I had to print off the info for the light and cat laws. Its just a scam. That location used to be pretty cool now it seems like b.s. Next it will be "your cherokee's color of paint is environmentally unfriendly as well as your sticker, you fail":soapbox: Sorry They suck!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Skully]

.... RPMs got up there but redlining it....

...I meant to say NOT redlining it

Both Jeeps I mentioned had full Detroit's in the rear as well. A spool is a lot less complicated.... You have to go to the lane that says "traction control" vehicle's only though....

Side of me says 31's/32's would be fine with 5.13's. They only run at 65mph for not even a minute I believe, at least from my experience in the past.

 

[JohnJohn]

That manager is a douche! They failed my Mustang for missing two of the four cats and a check engine light, which doesn't exist on 88 5.0 mustangs. When i asked for the manager he came over with his douche like "i'm the man around here" attitude and explained that the car failed for equipment. I have long tube headers and high flow cats (only for the lame emissions). I expained the headers eliminate the first two cats and this vehicle does not have a check engine light. He said the car originally was equipped with four and it did have a light, I must have removed the bulb. The car failed the tailpipe test barely, 2.2 on Hc's . While they scoured over the car to find cats, they had shut it off for twenty minutes. I had to print off the info for the light and cat laws. Its just a scam. That location used to be pretty cool now it seems like b.s. Next it will be "your cherokee's color of paint is environmentally unfriendly as well as your sticker, you fail":soapbox: Sorry They suck!!!!!!!!!!!

They can't fail your for engine light only, that's a recent change.

Effective April 1, 2003, an illuminated "check engine" light is no longer a mandatory pass/fail component of the emissions testing process. If the "check engine" light is illuminated, it is noted on the vehicle inspection report each motorist receives at the end of the emissions testing procedure. However, it is an informational tool for the motorist, rather than a reason for failure.

 

[pist5.0]

That was part of our argument. His response was "i know but you have disabled your light, that is why you fail that portion". I even showed him an old test that had N/A next to the light. At that point is when he said 'well that doesn't matter anyway, the cats are your main concern. I found information contrary to his info that helped me on that as well.

 

[DrMoab]

I'm curious what they would say to you if you came in with a Hummer H2?

 

[YELLAHEEP]

I'm curious what they would say to you if you came in with a Hummer H2?

Ooooohhhh..... Good point! They had an optional 315/70R17 tire available from the factory - that's a 35" tire!

I went to the Colorado Air Care website and the H2 isn't on their "exempt vehicles" list - nothing Hummer makes is on that list........ :dunno:

 

[Jawa]

Envirotest does the drive-by emissions screening now. It seems to me that that would be the route you have to go if you're running tires larger than 32". The only problem is you have to do it something like 2 weeks or more in advance of your registration being due. If you don't, you're stuck going in to a testing site.