High mount turbos and external gate - how hard to get permits or clear the pits?

[milkandoj]

In my search for my next car im looking at rwd Nissan's and Toyota's with high mount turbos.
But I see a lot of cars coming up for sale that have been stickered so being sold as track cars or saying it just needs permits for high mount or external gate.
im not interested in these cars, but dont want to buy something registered then end up in this situation later.

For either of these two setups:
*High mount turbo with external gate, plumed back in.
*Stock manifold with a bolt up turbo, but gate welded shut and an external gate welded to manifold, plumed back in.

Whats the process for permits, if you go for the inspection and they dont like it do they slap a sticker on your window?

I just dont want to end up with something that will get stickered and become track only. This may sound like a noob question but my last VR4 didn't attract attention apart from the lumpy cams and everything was black under the bonnet so i get left alone even after they popped the bonnet.

[kyle_340]

it's easy. get pre approval forms, and take your car for an emmisions test with a decent cat. after this take all forms to an engineer, he will inspect the car and sign off on it. take his report to pits and pay $20 for a permit, then they'll give you all permits.

go home, proceed to un-plumb gate, and go have happy fun gate time

[milkandoj]

I thought the emissions test came in a few years ago, only to be canned a few months later?

And yes that was the idea, get permits then vent the screamer / plumb it back in only when I get a sticker

[kyle_340]

nope need emissions. easy enough to get, depending on what year your car is haha. gets stupidly stricter every 2 year. i just scraped through with a retune on the emissions tester in my 01 s15. if i was in my 88 s13 it would have been a breeze

[killabeez]

How much did it cost you all up to engineer yours Kyle?

[kyle_340]

$400. super cheap cause im a good looker

[Sack]

In my search for my next car im looking at rwd Nissan's and Toyota's with high mount turbos.
But I see a lot of cars coming up for sale that have been stickered so being sold as track cars or saying it just needs permits for high mount or external gate.
im not interested in these cars, but dont want to buy something registered then end up in this situation later.

For either of these two setups:
*High mount turbo with external gate, plumed back in.
*Stock manifold with a bolt up turbo, but gate welded shut and an external gate welded to manifold, plumed back in.

Whats the process for permits, if you go for the inspection and they dont like it do they slap a sticker on your window?

I just dont want to end up with something that will get stickered and become track only. This may sound like a noob question but my last VR4 didn't attract attention apart from the lumpy cams and everything was black under the bonnet so i get left alone even after they popped the bonnet.

It's not hard but is just a drawn out process because of the DOT.

[milkandoj]

Would a bolt on turbo to stock manifold, with external welded onto stock manifold - be easier to get passes than a high mount with external. Or soon as u have external gate it needs to be engineered anyway so makes no difference, low or high mount? Other than cops not spotting it for a sticker in the first place?

To get "permits" do you have to get engineered, or is that a separate easier process? Would u get engineered first or wait till u get stickered?

Sorry if these are simple questions, I just haven't been through this shit, talked my way out of 3 stickers. But what I want next I can see it coming up as the love to pick on the more popular cars.

[disc0-dan]

Its a hit and miss exercise, as an overarching rule Kyle is spot on. I was lucky enough to not have to worry about getting my high mount engineered, the pits looked over it said all was in good order ( was plumbed back and had new CAT installed ) and passed me as is. Big turbo beanie on it and all, my jaw proceeded to drop as that wasn't a issue.

[Chu]

Sorry to hijack this thread but do you need to get coil overs and pod filters engineered on a 32 gtr or is just a matter of paying for the mod permits?

[Sack]

Any mods legally need to be permitted bar a few that are on the Dot website.
To get permits, you need to get engineers reports to say the mod is compliant with relevant ADR's.
If you bolt on a different turbo than stock even on a stock manifold, technically, you'd need a permit which means emissions test. You would have a better chance of it not getting picked up though with a low mount on stock manifold.

I would get mods engineered before you get a yellow. I got my yellow extended 6 times to see out the process and to keep the car on the road over 3 months. At $60 a pop for reinspect you're half way there to spending the money on getting engineering reports done.

[Sack]

Sorry to hijack this thread but do you need to get coil overs and pod filters engineered on a 32 gtr or is just a matter of paying for the mod permits?

To clarify this for anyone else, you cannot just get a permit, you must get engineering reports, plain and simple.

With coilovers, The car must have 100mm ground clearance and when the permit is issued, it states the eyebrow height of the front and rear of the car, so if the cops are pingpingpingpings, they can just measure and if it's not the height specified, yellow sticker.

Pod filter just has to be secured with a bracket but be wary that the turbo flutter will be very noticeable, which is a no no

[Fukushima]

Dumb idea to drive a street car round with less than 100mm anyway

[milkandoj]

Do you need to get engineering for an external gate welded to a stock manifold, if its a "stock" looking bolt up turbo. The argument thats its only there to better control boost may not work anyway?

[Sack]

Do you need to get engineering for an external gate welded to a stock manifold, if its a "stock" looking bolt up turbo. The argument thats its only there to better control boost may not work anyway?

Yeah because it's not original fitment and it can change emissions. Don't argue that it is a means of controlling boost as they would see it as a being a boost controller (illegal and you can't permit it)

Fill out a mod app and send it to DOT and they will tell you if you can do it or not. About a 2 week turn around.

[NoOg_sTaR]

Dumb idea to drive a street car round with less than 100mm anyway
Gets a child. Instantly becomes a old pingpingpingping.

[Uber XR]

To clarify this for anyone else, you cannot just get a permit, you must get engineering reports, plain and simple.

With coilovers, The car must have 100mm ground clearance and when the permit is issued, it states the eyebrow height of the front and rear of the car, so if the cops are pingpingpingpings, they can just measure and if it's not the height specified, yellow sticker.

Pod filter just has to be secured with a bracket but be wary that the turbo flutter will be very noticeable, which is a no no

They don't even have to measure it.

mate was standing next to his car with a tape measure and all they said was "nope it looks to low so we are gonna sticker it" went to the cop shop to protest and they just laughed.

[milkandoj]

A lot of it comes down to an attitude test though, u can either be civil and say as little as possible or; be a smart ass n they will sticker u for no water in your washer bottle.

[Fukushima]

Gets a child. Instantly becomes a old pingpingpingping.

No, anything over 130mm is too high :P

[Lonewolf]

Gets a child. Instantly becomes a old pingpingpingping.

still appears to have 100% more gate than you

[hEEVO]

i used to own a VLCT with a T04z high mount with 48mm external waste with screamer vented to atmosphere,i took it over the pits for permits back in 2008 (when oconnor was there) and when asked if the screamer was loud,of course i said no lol,got the permits for everything,the only note on the paper work was "waste gate not to make excessive noise"

[kyle_340]

they must have confused it for a BOV. most general mechanics dont know the difference

[hEEVO]

yea it supprised the hell outa me,he only noticed it when he looked under the car and saw the screamer pipe,wasnt complaining but!