"Jason Bleazard" <dml@bleazard.net> wrote:
> On Mon, April 13, 2009 2:07 pm, jon@dakota-truck.net said:
>>
>> I'd hazard a guess though that sooner or later, the manufacturers
>> are just going to start making everything to CA specs to save costs,
>> if they haven't already.
> That's what I was wondering, but I didn't know one way or the other.
> I remember in the mid 90's when I was vehicle shopping in Utah, every new car
> sticker listed something called "High altitude emissions package." I've never
> been able to find out what that means, or why it's necessary. Maybe they just
> have to tune the vehicles for the lower octane fuel or something.
I believe the basic thing happening there was the EPA has the idea
that emissions at higher altitudes are worse than those same emissions
at lower altitudes, so vehicles which are going to be registered in
high altitude areas need to meet a higher standard. Basically, the
whole country is saddled with the Federal emissions standards, then
getting even more strict is CA emissions (which a few other states
also follow), then getting even more strict is high altitude
emissions.
So, a vehicle that has a "high altitude emissions package" meets
the high altitude emissions standards, the same as a vehicle with a
"california emissions package" meets the CA emissions requirements.
What that "package" consists of may vary from model to model, and
its probably not going to be anything consistent. In ye olde days, it
could have included an altitude compensating carbeurator. It might be
a different cat, filters, computer program, possibly even rearend
ratios, etc. Basically, it includes whatever the manufacturer had to
do to get the car to meet those requirements. If a model already met
the standards as-is, a particular vehicle might be listed has having a
"high altitude emissions package" in Denver or "california emissions
package" in Los Angeles, or no reference to emissions at all if it is
being shipped to a dealership in Kentucky, but all three vehicles are
actually identical; in this case, the "package" listing on the window
sticker is just a confirmation to the buyer that the vehicle meets the
standards to be sold and registered in that area.
So anyhoo, given that, in general, CA emissions vehicles seem to
be down on performance when compared to federal, a vehicle meeting
high altitude emissions standards is probably even worse. (It *might*
be absolutely identical as explained above, but if any extra steps did
happen like programming changes and such, chances are the performance
is down.)
--
-Jon-
.- Jon Steiger -- jon@dakota-truck.net or jon@jonsteiger.com -.
| '96 Kolb Firefly, '96 Suzuki Intruder, Miscellaneous Mopars |
`-------------------------------- http://www.jonsteiger.com --'
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