New California car pool laws?

[McRat]

They have given so much free access to the HOV lanes that it has perverted it's intent.

First needed 3 to qualify, now only two. Motorcycles (that pollute more than cars) are OK. Hybrids are OK, Ambulance OK, Cops OK, EV's OK, Luxury Tesla OK.

Now the HOV (Previously Car Pool) lanes are as congested as the others, and the promised faster travel speeds are clogging to a creep.

Believe the obvious answer to the politicians, will be to cut out all the free stuff, and turn the HOV lanes into Toll lanes.

Every group will pay a different fee. Higher fees when they get more congested will assure quickly flowing traffic, at least to those who pay the price.

M/Cs normally have zero effect on HOV or freeway lane congestion in California. However idiots who bring a cellphone into their car make it very dangerous to be in traffic with blind drivers who lack both driving experience and common sense. Which sad to say is most drivers.

Motorcycles have catalytic converters, digital fuel injection, EGR, vapor recovery, and get 60+ mpg at 75-80mph, and many are quieter than cars.

All my street bikes are greener than any ICE econobox/hybrid that has at least at poor acceleration (as opposed to pathetic and dangerously weak performance).

But the main thing is, in 1 mile of road, you can put twice as many motorcycles, and 4 times less parking lot space.

And they make EV motorcycles if that's not 'green' enough for your needs. The slowest of these is quicker than a 2018 Model 3LR for $35,000 less.

What are the emissions on cars that trap over 150 mph in standing 1/4 mile and their MPG?
A Kawasaki will give a P100DL 10 car lengths and the move, and nearly strip the paint off the car right before the traps. There are no street cars that can trap 152+ mph in 1320 feet from a normal stoplight. And it offers 30 mpg when driven in a spirited fashion.

Sadly, we might see the end to street motorcycles. Drivers want the ability to play video games, type letters, or take pictures of their genitals to sent to friends while going 80mph in heavy traffic tailgating, and that will be our future. We need self-driving 4 or more wheeled vehicles built like armored personnel carriers in order to survive driving now.

 

[The Duke]

That really stinks. I mean, the car has zero emissions and that was the whole point of HOV lanes, right? Get people to share a ride to reduce emissions.

And to reduce traffic congestion which is becoming a bigger problem.

 

[Maaz]

I’m just glad we won’t have to see those ugly stickers on beautiful Teslas.

 

[philgrocks]

So I think of it this way.

People who want to retain HOV access will sell their EV and get a new one to get the new HOV sticker. These used EV will be purchased by someone who knows it can't get HOV sticker. This has the effect of increasing the used EV market.

 

[Pinot.Noir]

Motorcycles have catalytic converters, digital fuel injection, EGR, vapor recovery, and get 60+ mpg at 75-80mph, and many are quieter than cars.

Quieter than cars? I call total BS. They are by far the noisiest vehicles on the planet.

 

[mattack4000]

Quieter than cars? I call total BS. They are by far the noisiest vehicles on the planet.

Exactly. I do understand the d-bags ruining it for all the good drivers though.

 

[dipper]

So I think of it this way.

People who want to retain HOV access will sell their EV and get a new one to get the new HOV sticker. These used EV will be purchased by someone who knows it can't get HOV sticker. This has the effect of increasing the used EV market.

Just buy a used one from out of state that never been registered in CA. Cheaper than new.

 

[mattack4000]

I did see a X 90D with red sticker today, wonder how that person got it.

 

[dipper]

I did see a X 90D with red sticker today, wonder how that person got it.

All new decals are red now, no more white or green. Expires on 1/19.

 

[mattack4000]

All new decals are red now, no more white or green. Expires on 1/19.

I believe most 90D were sold in 2016 or 2017, how did they get it in 2018?

 

[McRat]

Quieter than cars? I call total BS. They are by far the noisiest vehicles on the planet.

I said many are, which is true.

I assume you've never heard a bone stock 2018 performance car at full tilt, correct? Like on a dyno, or working a racetrack? I used to get my jollies by setting off dozens of car alarm at a time by tapping the throttle of a bone stock 2010 car, and cars are louder today. But when you hear all the noise from a nearby freeway, it's not muffler noise. For late model cars, your tires emit the most noise while cruising with a stock exhaust. Until you can get the weight of cars down to under 500lb, you are always going to lose that contest to an MC.

But of course you are talking about guys who modify their exhausts on their motorcycles, especially Harleys. No matter how loud you think an ahole running open pipes on a Harley is, it will be drowned out by any car with over 300HP running open headers or cutouts. The kicker is, many performance cars today have cutouts from factory today. And with cars getting heavier every year, tire noise increases. Teslas even use dampers in the tires in a futile attempt to stop the racket. We have the heaviest cars in history today as a fleet, so tire noise is becoming a real concern in cities.

Yes, your Tesla is noisier than my worst bike while cruising at 70 mph on a California concrete freeway.

Trivia - Why are your tires so loud today?

• You like the ghetto-master BlingBling look and put huge wheels on your car, many of these wheels are larger than semi-truck wheels. This increases noise.
• You like wide tires. This increases noise.
• You like your tires to last forever. This increases noise.

A 16" wheel with a 55 series tire with a TW of 300-400 will do wonders to your interior noise AND exterior noise levels. Night and day difference. But the other kids at school will tease you, so don't.

 

[Uncle Paul]

"You've never heard a bone stock 2018 performance car at full tilt, correct?"

Lots of Tesla owners have these. Only thing you hear is a Woosh!

 

[McRat]

"You've never heard a bone stock 2018 performance car at full tilt, correct?"

Lots of Tesla owners have these. Only thing you hear is a Woosh!

Yeah, that's why you see dyno operators wearing hearing protection. Because the 'whoosh' damages their hearing permanently.

You've never heard a loud production car none of them 'whoosh' anymore. Not for decades. BMW even creates fake engine noise through the stereo. Ferrari tunes their exhaust in a sound studio with similar equipment to what the music industry uses. Whoosh is not a sound they will accept.

Chevy opens the exhaust up once you reach 4500rpm at WOT. Electric cutouts. It roars. Other brands do it as well, but I forget which ones.

DOH@!! My bad, you were being sarcastic. You were not referring to the fact that many P series Tesla owners have experience with high performance ICE cars.

 

[dipper]

I believe most 90D were sold in 2016 or 2017, how did they get it in 2018?

You can apply any time. You can even get a s40 to get red sticker if it never apply for one before.

 

[rallykeeper]

You can apply any time. You can even get a s40 to get red sticker if it never apply for one before.

Could have been in an accident or otherwise needed new stickers -- DMV delivering red stickers for that purpose too.

Also, you have to get a new sticker if you have a 90D since white stickers themselves expire at end of year.

 

[McRat]

Quieter than cars? I call total BS. They are by far the noisiest vehicles on the planet.

In California, light vehicles (under 6000lb GVWR, non-MC) are limited to 95db, which is hearing damage levels. I know some production cars exceed 92db as sold, since Laguna Seca will kick you off the track. New homeowners who move next to a racetrack and complain are jerks.

For MCs 1985 or newer, it's 80db in California. 95db is about 2.7 times louder than 80db.

 

[Russell]

That really stinks. I mean, the car has zero emissions and that was the whole point of HOV lanes, right? Get people to share a ride to reduce emissions.

If you are sharing a ride then you wouldn't need the stickers.

 

[Pinot.Noir]

For MCs 1985 or newer, it's 80db in California. 95db is about 2.7 times louder than 80db.

All I can say is in my 40 years of driving, the noisy motorcycles far outweigh the noisy cars. I hear an occasional loud car on the freeway. I hear EVERY motorcycle! I have never had one pass me up that wasn't audibly louder than the rest of the freeway background noise.

 

[edlin303]

I said many are, which is true.

"Many" maybe be quieter than your cherry-picked selection of loud cars. On balance, vast majority of cars on the road are quieter than vast majority of motorcycles in similar conditions. Comparing a race care at WOT to an idling bike is pointless.

Take your average motorcycle against a toyota camry, or nissan sentra, or honda element, or whatever "average" car you choose. The car is not going to be the one that people call loud.

 

[McRat]

All I can say is in my 40 years of driving, the noisy motorcycles far outweigh the noisy cars. I hear an occasional loud car on the freeway. I hear EVERY motorcycle! I have never had one pass me up that wasn't audibly louder than the rest of the freeway background noise.

After owning dozens of bikes and cars and trucks, from econoboxes to modified dragbikes to modified drag cars and someone who uses db meters and has run both car and bike dynos, I can say cars are louder apples to apples. By a wide margin.

Go to a Honda dealer. Ask them to start up a bike for you. My 2014 Honda is so quiet, that if the CTS-V is idling next to it, I will sometimes accidentally push the starter a second time if I didn't look at the tach.

At 50mph plus I cannot hear the engine running on my bikes. It's 100% trucks/cars and wind noise. Note, the engine is between my legs, not in a sound attenuated chamber from inside an insulated cabin.

Yes, as sold, a car is louder than a motorcycle. You are hearing only modified motorcycles.

I hate your tire noise. It's irritating to me. Can't you buy quiet tires? Must you sound like a Panzer tank for fashion purposes? Can't you just buy jewelry instead?

By the way, a quiet MC is not in the performance envelope of a Camry, Sentra, Element. You'd have to compare to V8 Mustang or higher for parity, but in any case cruising on the freeway, the Camry is louder. MCs are held to lower permissible noise level as sold by law than cars are.