Not in Phoenix/Gilbert AZ. its $24 for a smog test last time I had it done now this year I didn't need smog and it was only $15 just for new tags.

If you don't think any aftermarket thing like a tuner wouldn't show in California you are fooling yourself they can tell easy they are hardcore.

Not much you can modify in this part of the USA on an auto I was worrying about swapping my throttle body last year but I slipped by I was surprised but all it does is allow more air to get in the engine faster so the PCM just adjusted to it is my guess.

 

Not illegal to own, or even illegal to build. Just expensive. CAFE fuel mileage standards are going up (and should.) We can still have our powerful engines, but the auto/truck manufacturers are going to have to keep innovating to build economical and ecological engines. And should, the free ride is over and the social, environmental, and economic costs of building big, dumb engines should be too.

I've talked to guys with the Ford Ecoboost V6 full sized truck and they love them. Better mileage, good power, and a lot greener. High end hybrids are built to provide more power when needed as much as the energy savings.

 

when i worked for the F dealer earlier this year (off road sector), we were doing 8-10 6.0 diesel swaps a week and 3-4 ecoBoost swaps a week. Work well in normal use, but heavy throttle kills them. Ring lands were getting wasted.

 

yea I really don't think the average internal combustion engine can squeeze much more power out of them and be economical at the same time.

Plus be dependable you can only strip so much weight from an engine and expect it to be a long lasting engine like the old days.

The small cars can do it because the weigh of the car is so little like a Honda

I have heard the same thing regarding the new Ford engines that they are not as dependable from a machine shop that gets work from all the local dealerships in town.