aps

Maybe so, though I feel that many members just dont know what is required in terms of street legality when modding a car for performance.We can only try help, you know the old saying you can lead a horse to water though you cant make it drink, I now understand what it meant. PETER APS

Thanks....I think we will need plenty of luck,now maybe we should bolt on some wings this way I wont be disappointed with brakes.

G'day Dean,Its quite possible though we have not considered this issue nor made any decision to date.Currently all of our efforts are bieng directed towards developing an upgrade for the auto, so we will need to consider the commerical aspects in the near future. If all goes to plan maybe this is an option we can assist you with, I need more time to ensure we at APS are satisfied with the tranny upgrade. PETER APS

Come on the T5 is not that bad surely? It has copped a lot of abuse so far and I agree that the gear shift is not that flash, though to my surprise it has not failed yet. What in your view is the wink link in the box? PETER APS

Fair comment, though I can promise you that a stock T wont/cant make 300Kw at the treads at 11 PSI on 98 ron fuel, there is something sneaky going on here. Come on martin time to come clean, or are you simply playing with the guys. PETER APS

An air cleaner element on its own in the original housing wont be a problem, though if you change the entire factory air cleaner assembly to say a pod type filter this would impact on emmisions and police or an EPA officer will defect the car. If you intend retaining the stock ford cat ,I would not bother changing the exhaust system ( cat back ) as it wont yeild any additional power. As long as you retain the stock cat in the factory position the EPA wont give you any grief,unless the noise is over the 90 DB noise limit. PETER APS

No disrespect intended, though I find this difficult to believe, that is 300Kw at the treads with only 11 PSI.I would love to see the car on my dyno to see what mumbo it makes in shoot 6 mode, I will bet you a slab it wont make 300Kw at II PSI. PETER APS

No offence taken Peter. But according to roadworthy laws in all states, I don't think that there is a car on the road even in this new milennium that would pass all the required test considering they could hang you for even a tiny oil drip from your rocker cover if they want to get technical, and there are a lot of sh!tboxes on the road to get through before they go after near new machines. Having said that, it is an honerable thing that APS have done in spending the R&D money to make sure that the mods are on the right side of the fence and therefore 100% legal. I just think you have to be doing something pretty radical dangerous or offensive to become a target of these transport *beep*. Not really DOC, the EPA, POLICE,and RTA sit outside the drag strip, car club meetings, auto salon's, Lygon street, Chapel street, anyplace where performance cars may be. Its now a frequent problem in large cities, maybe not Perth or Adelaide though in Sydney and melbourne I speak to customers weekly who have been DEFECTED for exhaust mods, air cleaner mods, blow off valves,lowered suspension, big camshafts,superchargers, turbochargers, etc. etc, this is a real and increasing problem. The Authorities are hell bent on stopping cars being modified, and call it revenue raising if you will . In any event this is what we in the high performance after market need to resist. As a group rather than put our head in the sand, we should just accept the facts unite and fight the relevant departments so we can all continue to enjoy our passion without being hassled. PETER APS

Interesting to note that only one person who is also a repeat offender has copped a $10,000 fine, and I'm sure it is fair to speculate that this person would have had more than one simple little modification. Regardless of EPA laws, if this country has got to the stage where it is completely against the law to change even an exhaust system away from standard, then we had all better move to the old Soviet Union. I think unless you are, as Brian said earlier, hanging around in Maccas carparks or other places of noterity, or have rediculously obvious mods the chances of getting pinged by the RTA (not the police) are about the same as having a comet land in your back yard. And then there is every exhaust shop in Australia being fined huge amounts of money for selling extractors and after market systems, then the BMC and K&N filter distributors, spark plug manufacturers, the list could go on forever. Face it, there isn't too many hoons running around in these cars cause they cost too much. Even though we who own or have owned them may give them a wind up every now and then, I don't think that the vast majority of us are classic cop bait. Then again if we do get pulled up it will most likely be for speeding etc. The HP officer would probably give you the usual dialouge as per Velvet Gloves quote, then write you a ticket and send you on your way. It is drawing attention to oneself through a stupid or offensive act that will get one into the poo with the EPA in the rare event that they actually did get you. Common sense should prevail No offence intended Doc, though you have completely missed the point, these are state and federal laws we are talking about. You cant even get a road worthy certificate in VIC or NSW if the car does not comply to these regulations. We are now in 2004 not in a time warp stuck in the 50's. PETER APS

psi40l, There plenty going on in this area at the moment the guys at c and v performance in Sydney are investigating all of the possible options for upgrading the auto trans, and I believe they have made significant progress to date.We at APS have a number of auto cars testing our auto mod at the phase II torque level and we are pleased with the performance and shift quality. So between APS and Cand V we will sort the issue one way or another.that's all I can tell you for now, will keep you posted on any new development. PETER APS

G'day bossman, The PHASE II system has been tested in an emission laboratory to prove continued compliance to ( Australian Design Rile ) A.D.R 79/00 emissions - which is a standard set by Federal Office of Road Safety and Transport in Canberra. This Federal body controls all of the rules pertaining to vehicle building in Australia. It is this A.D.R. that the state EPA enforces within every state and territory of Australia. Now back to the other questions you asked. If you modify a vehicle and if the mod is likely to affect engine emmisions, then the ONUS is on the OWNER to prove that the engine still COMPLIES to the revelant ADR which in this case is ADR 79/00. So off you go to the laboratory with your cheque book and be prepared to spend between $10,000 to $20,000 until you can meet the level of emmisions required by the ADR. Let's assume that you passed the emmision test, the next authority you need to satisfy for legal road registration is the road traffic authority, main roads or vic roads depending on what state you reside in. For this you will need an engineers certificate which will set you back (if you have the emmision data that APS provides ) approx $500 to $750 depending on the engineer you use. All three tuners in Sydney are experienced and competent, so it really depends on who suits you in terms of convenience. I would recommend you chat with all three to see who you're comfortable with. Sorry for the long post. I just wanted to be sure you understand all of the facts before you rush in. PETER APS

Lachlan, both the owner and the workshop are liable for prosecution under different acts - at least this is my understanding after my last conversation with the EPA head office in Melbourne in December. And, the situation in metropolitan SYDNEY is much worse than MELBOURNE. Do yourself a favour and get a copy of both the latest VIC and NSW EPA regulations. You will be shocked at what they contain. Particularly the powers granted to roving EPA inspectors in NSW As an individual, you are heavily exposed to significant fines and forced removal of non compliant after market performance products. I hope that members on this forum have gained some valuable knowledge from this discussion, however APS PHASE II System owners need not be concerned as APS has proven continued compliance to ADR 79/00 emission standards. :banghead: PETER APS

Hey thanks for your concern, I hopr it dont go all pear shaped at nearly 300KPH. PETER APS

Peter, Perhaps you could explain the process for the people who live outside Victoria. The $10,000 fine is for the company that removes the emission complying device (read Catalytic Converter for most RTA inspectors) or for the individual who owns/drives the car without such equipment? Lachlan Lachlan, No problem, this is my understanding of the laws. The emission laws are set by the federal GOVT (federal office of road safety ). Though after Ist registration of the car, the responsibility is passed onto state authorities to POLICE and to enforce Australian design rules. The EPA is run on a state by state basis and the fines will vary depending on circumstances. I know of car owners who have had registration on their car suspended for having engine mods that do not comply and worst still owners are forced to remove the non genuine parts from the car.I KNOW OF A REPEAT OFFENDER WHO HAS BEEN FINED $10,000. This is a huge problem in VIC and NSW,and the same laws apply in every state and territory of Australia. PETER APS

Brian good reply.Even Yoda is entitled to his opinion.I loved your explanation on legal road registration,though I am sure you wont like the fine if and when you get busted by either the EPA or RTA. The fines for non compliance to australian emission standards is now up to $10,000 so I am sure that any one who listens to your advice and gets caught will thank you.The put your head in the sand and the problem will go away approach does not cut it in 2004. Good to see that you support this illegal approach to engine enhancement, its a really strange approach when its possible to have high power and clean emissions and complete peace of mind by having a street legal vehicle.For those that dont know on this forum, its impossible to insure (legally) a car that does not meet australian design rules. This must be a consideration for most normal car owners.The EPA problem is a huge problem in SYDNEY even more so than MELBOURNE, I hear from people in Sydney frequently who are forced to remove products from their car because they cant prove continued compliance to Australian emission standards. Best that members know the real facts about vehicle modification before wasting hard earned money. PETER APS

Dallas,Loved your post I am on the floor in fits of laughter,could you imagine the look on the officers face as we blast by at 300kph. Might be worth the loss of my licence , that is if he can catch up.

Good point KEL, it might get a bit ugly if it breaks,time for some safety straps and a better tailshaft.

Brian, the way you post Yoda is not entitled to his opinion. I suspect that Yoda may want a car that can be legally registered in Victoria or NSW and this is a real concern to many who are wanting to upgrade to a higher power level. As of now APS is the only company that has addressed this issue, that is prove continued compliance to ADR 79/00,so maybe your car fails his scrutiny on this basis. PETER APS

G'day Robiie, The only car that I know of (not yet released) that is likely to be competitive in terms of price and performance is the twin turbo Late model camira and its around a year away from release. In the interim period the xr6t is untouchable in terms of value and performance. On the auto trans issue we have a number of PHASE II cars with the auto upgrade out in the field being tested, and the results so far are very positive. I wont talk about costs at this stage as its possible that the specification and price may alter during the development period, and I dont want any confusion on this subject. The cost of an engineers certificate will vary greatly, and it pays to talk with a number of engineers to get a quote , prior to proceeding. We have a list of registered engineers if you need some contact details or you can contact the SAE who can assist you with contact details. As APS has the emission test data ( this is the expensive data ) that proves the APS PHASE II system continues to comply to ADR 79/00 the cost of the engineers certificate should not exceed $750 and I know of people who have paid much less, I guess it depends on how busy the engineer is.I hope this covers all of your questions,let me know if you need any other information PETER APS

Thanks for your reply.Let me know who your talking with and I will steer you in the right direction to make sure you get the best tune possible. Send me a PM if you prefer I want to ensure you get to the most experienced tuner for the application. PETER APS

Gareth, Is your car an auto or manual ? The 275hp equates to just over the 200KW ,you would have to disappointed with that. that's the problem with fixed non tuner adjustable chips you can see where the problem is though you cant rectify the issue. PETER APS

We had a number of brake components in my mind and we did intend to use the best brake technology in the world,though I am not sure if we can do it for under 3K.Will need to investigate further to see what is possible.Red sounds good to me. PETER APS

Sounds like a good move, though we dont want to damage the states radar otherwise the speeding fines will be on the increase again. PETER APS

Would put a smile on my dial also,unfortunately we dont have sufficent gearing to hit the magical 300KPH. I think the 6 speed box with the good ratios would be the way to go to hit the 300KPH given theres enough power to push the gearing. peter APS

Sedan with 5 speed man box I would be stoked if we can hit 285KPH, and you dont get to keep it if you guess right, though maybe a hairy drive on a quiet country road. PETER APS