Street Legal - Initial Timing

Is it legal? Well, is it? No, not her, I mean your ride. OK... YOUR CAR! Lets face it: It's virtually impossible to build an awesome car and still manage to escape the ink-happy fetishes of your local police officers. But with an increasing amount of aftermarket manufacturers acknowledging the value of CARB-certified performance products, the prospect has become slightly more promising. Many of you may have found out the hard way that law-enforcing parties across the country have been on a recent mission to crack down on modified vehicles that some old fart somewhere deems illegal for use on the street. We recently witnessed an event where the good old boys in blue congregated in masses around the event exit and literally swooped in on show goers like a pimp does his money. Citations were going out like lottery tickets and a swarm of unsuspecting enthusiasts were taken for a lot more dough than intended on spending. So what do you do? Do you park your ride and chance it less often? Can you build a sick car and still keep it "legal"? The answer is no, unless your idea of a modified car is an aftermarket shift knob and some seat belt pads. But maybe you can reduce the amount of fix-it chores the next time you get done. The stock stance of any platform leaves plenty of room for improvement and is an absolute customization necessity. How low you go is entirely up to you and your willingness to raise it up back up to comply with a fix -t ticket. The truth of the matter is you need to weigh whether the gains are well worth it. Realistically, there's plenty of worthwhile tweaks that won't fit under the "street-legal" confinements but why not eliminate the prospect of completely stocking out your car every time you get busted. This month we've put together a gigantic guide to performance products that will produce the goods and at the same time fit under the "50-state-legal" banner. Many of the various pieces we've showcased are available for several platforms and some are even badged CARB-legal. The ability to build a customized ride that won't get you in trouble with the law or your parents is becoming an ever-increasing reality. Enjoy the issue and keep 'em peeled for the 5.0!