TEXAS RESIDENTS!!!!

[Mtnbikecrazy55]

If youre worried about inspections, you should come to OK. No inspections whatsoever. I can do whatever I want to whatever vehicle I want and as long as it has a tag and insurance I can drive it on the road. Now if you get pulled over and the officer is having a bad day or something then you can be ticketed for dark tint, no converters , etc. but I've never known it to happen.

X2, Wisconsin doesn't give a shit what you're driving or what's under the hood as long as it's insured and has tags lol

[bighossf150]

Around here we have 93 and e85, if you know where to go you can get an inspection sticker as long as you have insurance, a few years ago I got my old heads/cam camaro inspected with open cutout right after the longs tubes

[stevog]

Here are the counties which do emission testing according to the txdps site. 93 octane fuel is available everywhere. You say you have light sensitivity just go to an eye doctor have him sign a specific waiver submit it to the state and you can have 5% tint on the front no problem.

[98crewcab]

If youre worried about inspections, you should come to OK. No inspections whatsoever. I can do whatever I want to whatever vehicle I want and as long as it has a tag and insurance I can drive it on the road. Now if you get pulled over and the officer is having a bad day or something then you can be ticketed for dark tint, no converters , etc. but I've never known it to happen.

eh, not that Im worried about any inspections, just would like to know what Im getting into. We have all newer vehicles....well, damn. I guess the civic is older than I thought....a 2000....lol, but after being here for so long now and not doing ANYTHING to them as far as aftermarket, would be nice to have more freedoms...... And kinda crazy that the counties are so separated like that......could just register with a buddy a county over if that was the case....lol

And as far as work, I am a general contractor here. The permit costs, engineering costs......blows my mind how a state can get so involved and add so much cost to a project. The latest bathroom addition we started went from $1500 for permits, to $4K with engineering and energy crap......So hoping that Texas is a bit more on the normal side. Here, something as simple as a small deck can cost $2K just for permits and plans....

ALSO!!!!! CCW here......sounds like Texas is a great place for gun owners....lol

[98crewcab]

Whats up all!!! So, pretty fed up with being a business owner here in Cali.....we have decided to make a move to Houston area. just outside of it, actually. Looking at properties in Katy, TX, and several others. I have a friend there that is a mechanic for a classic car restoration company, and thought he would be able to answer my questions. But he is usually to high to keep a train of thought, lol

My questions are:

Do they smog check/emission check vehicles? Never had a problem with any of our vehicles passing...but nail bitter everytime it comes up. Also, would love to LS swap the civic....hard to do here in Cali! Do they care if you swap in a motor NOT originally equipped in that car?

What does the "inspection" consist of? In New Orleans, it was just a lamp/horn/safety inspection kinda thing.

Tinted windows? Hate that I cant legally tint my front side windows.....Can you tint in Texas?

lowered/lifted laws? Is it really "bigger in texas"?

And if there is ANYTHING youd like to add about your state....Id love to hear all about it!!! Dont want to get there and be ANYTHING like Cali.....

Motor swaps are legal, however you need all the parts on the engine that deal with emissions such as egr valves, catalytic converters, mufflers, resonators (for newer diesels). Basically, if it came stock on the vehicle it must remain (im not saying aftermarket isn't allowed). The only issue I see with a motor swap has to deal with the OBD system. ONLY IF IN EMISSIONS COUNTIES ( El Paso, Williamson, Travis, Denton, Collin, Tarrant, Parker, Johnson, Ellis, Kaufman, Rockwall, Dallas, Montgomery, Ft Bend, Brazoria, Harris, Galveston) do they hook up the state computer to the OBD port to read engine codes (this checks for MIL/CEL on the computer status and also fails if the codes are recently cleared. This also pulls the information from the cars computer to know what car it is hooked up to). This prevents someone with a MIL/CEL that would normally fail and emissions inspection from hooking up a different car in its place. Emissions inspections that hook up to the computer are only on 1996-present (OBD 2 systems), while emissions inspections that do a smog check (probing the exhaust) are for cars pre1996 till 25yrs of age. Any car 25yrs and older is a safety inspection.

Safety inspection- Horn, no holes in anylight assembly, headlights (high and low), brake lights, tail lights, blinkers, clearance lights (if you have cab lights, they have to work), license plate lights (only 1 has to work), serpentine belt (rips, frays etc), power steering (no leaks, not low), brake fluid level, brakes (stopping distance going 20mph, parking brake (hold on a hill in drive or on flat surface while under "slight" load), tires 2/32 minimum and no cords showing, lug nuts present, only 1 mirror of the 3, wiper blades cannot be torn, tint (anything behind driver can be 0%, driver and front passenger nothing below 25%, windsheild tint cannot go past AS1 line or if no line present then it is no more than 5". Only eyebrow tint and can be 0%) Gas cap test (yes it is in safety for some reason, stupid law). Seat belts. Exhaust system (cats, mufflers)

Lifted trucks- I believe headlights cant be higher than 72". Ive never had a truck that big in 3 years so it wont be an issue for you lol

We don't deal with smog checks.

You could put whatever engine you want in your car. As long as it passes inspection it's all good.

Inspection main parts are horn, lights, brakes, legal tint, general safety. Basically if your car got you to the inspection place and isn't falling apart it should pass.

You can have 5% on back windows, 25% on front driver and passenger window and 5% above the AS1 line on the windshield.

For lifted I think your headlights have to be like under 5 ft. from the ground or something like that to pass inspection. Can't remember exact number. I don't remember on lowered. I think lights have to be like 18 in. from the ground.

Yes parts of Texas do smog checks.

Are these inspections annual? How much does vehicle tags cost and are they annual or not?

Annual inspections. Safety inspection is $14.50, emissions depends on which county because some put them on a dyno and some dont. Emissions could be $28.75-$40

I have light sensitivity, but Cali doesn't care. No matter, my fronts are always at 5%.

The emissions part is awesome though. I can build my motor, WITH a crazy cam, to make stupid power from a small block on pump fuel.

OH yeah, does Texas have octanes higher than 91?

Most rural areas the highest is 91. Most more developed areas highest is 93

35 in front and whatever in back is legal.

I have 5% in front, and double 5 elsewhere.. Cops don't trip on it.

They don't trip on lower / lifted.

Annual inspection. Tons of places you pay a little more and get it done if you don't leaglly pass lol.

If you're gonna open a shop here, be prepared to deal with cheap customers as in this area (I actually work at a shop in this area)

Your tint comment in wrong.

You (almost) cannot pay to avoid an emissions sticker. Almost guarantee for the inspector to get caught (if 1996-newer). Maybe you pay extra and he passes you but only does a safety inspection and you dont know the difference on the sticker color, but we do.

Safety inspections anyone can pass if payed money lol

Absolutely the kind of smog /inspection info I was looking for. My buddy said no smog checks, and Texas DMV said otherwise....so I was incredibly confused....lol

[ChevyBoy95]

I haven't read all the posts, but I live in houston and almost every major gas station has octane 87, 89, and 93.

Inpections are basically check engine light, brake lights, emissions depending by year (for my 95 they probe the tailpipe while idling.) and they might throw a code meter on it of some kind but not 100%, dont pay a ton of attention when they do it. Place i get inspection is 40 bucks and if it doesnt pass and little "tip" and they will throw a sticker on it.

Window tint is none on windshield, no darker than 25(?) on the driver and passenger windows, and anything behind that it fair game.

[boom50cal]

Oklahoma doesn't have shit for emissions laws. No annual inspections, Claim 25% tint all around is max. Medical exemptions are allowed. None of my friends have ever got pulled over for tint here...most everyone has 5%, including me.

87, 89, 91 around here for the most part. Bigger cities and some shell stations have e85 and 93.

I'll give it to texas, 75mph highway speed limits and 80mph+ toll roads are badass.

No suspension lift laws, or bumper laws. But the min/max headlight distance is 22 and 54 inches from the ground, respectively. There are some OHP officers that will troll you for having wheels/tires that stick a certain amount out past the fenders but those are few and far between.

Contractor laws are pretty lenient around me. Most home remodel projects don't require a lot of city permits, from the ones I've been involved in.

[98crewcab]

Oklahoma doesn't have shit for emissions laws. No annual inspections, Claim 25% tint all around is max. Medical exemptions are allowed. None of my friends have ever got pulled over for tint here...most everyone has 5%, including me.

87, 89, 91 around here for the most part. Bigger cities and some shell stations have e85 and 93.

I'll give it to texas, 75mph highway speed limits and 80mph+ toll roads are badass.

No suspension lift laws, or bumper laws. But the min/max headlight distance is 22 and 54 inches from the ground, respectively. There are some OHP officers that will troll you for having wheels/tires that stick a certain amount out past the fenders but those are few and far between.

Contractor laws are pretty lenient around me. Most home remodel projects don't require a lot of city permits, from the ones I've been involved in.

Cool beans, thanks bro