@ssbfgc , you called me out on the motorcycle, that's fine. I responded with some questions for yourself and Thomas, to which he at least replied. In my follow up response to him I included a link to an article on modern motorcycles, that recognizes they still fall short of modern cars. Yet using the big picture framing that you think I don't get and that Thomas alluded to in his post it's likely that the impact of my motorcycle overall on the environment is less than that of your S2000 and most of older vehicles. So again I"ll ask you: How many vehicles with ICE's do you own? What are those vehicles? How many miles in total do you travel in those vehicles on an annual basis? How many S2000's do you own? Have they been modified in a way that impacts their emissions? How many miles do you travel in your S2000's on an annual basis? Do you own a gas lawn mower? If so, what is your lawn size and how often do you mow it? Do you own a smartphone? (I'll assume that it's made in China, but if not then please note it for bonus points.) How many smartphone's have you purchased in your lifetime? How many bicycles do you own? How far do you travel on an annual basis by bicycle?

 

Wow, I feel bad I started this thread.

This was not my intention to cause dismay amongst members. More just a nod that our cars are getting old, and can be registered with Historic Plates in most states.

OEM Cats are expensive, especially new ones that don't rattle - and will also likely reach the same rattling fate
Air injection pumps are getting harder to find.

I didn't intend to start an argument over emissions.

 

Don't feel badly about anything. Hopefully everyone realizes that we're not going to agree on everything, and that we should all behave like adults and not take shots at one another. I think that some of the guys (including me) were trying to point out that the car performs well bone stock. If people want to remove the cats and perform other mods to increase the performance of their car, it's certainly their right to do so, and I understand why they would (I've been tempted to go down the endless-mod path, too), but leaving the cats and other emission control devices oem and on the car is a little easier on the environment. Now I'm thinking that I should get rid of my gas lawnmower and get an electric one!

 

Don't feel bad! I'm just trying to figure out if GuthNW wants to be the kettle or the pot?

 

Lol stirred up some emotions eh. I don't have a dog in this fight. I just think your initial statement was very hypocritical. So you want to be the pot or the kettle? I'll try to answer some of your questions, but c'mon, that's a lot. My wife doesn't even ask me this many questions. Own a gas lawn mower (battery power weed eater and leaf blower - is that okay for you?), jacked up Jeep Wrangler, and Hellcat. No S2000 right now, and probably won't own another. Have motorcycles from time to time, but not currently. Raced them back in the day, in fact. Not sure how many miles a year. It's spread among several vehicles! Trying to rack them up right now though while gas is cheap and working from home. 'Merica! I don't ride bicycles (peddling is too much work), but I do have an assault bike - helps me stay jacked! And hell yes, I have a smartphone. It's 2020 if you haven't noticed. I need to respond to important work emails. Is there anything else you'd like to know? I'm not available for a date...sorry.

 

If you lived in LA you would feel differently about the environment. Once the smog was so bad you had to turn the headlights on at noon to see where you were going. Most places in the US didn't have that kind of air quality problems. Now most days you can see the mountains now, and cars run well with the emission controls in place and working. So it's not a technical issue any more.

 

Meh, no desire to live in LA. I go to San Diego 1-2x per year, which is awesome. Traffic is always brutal in LA, even at 6a.m. on a Sunday.

 

These are good points regarding the costs associated with these items that are sure to have some impact on anyone like myself wishing to keep these cars stock down the road, as well as those who are forced to keep the emission controls intact due to the laws governing them that I can appreciate. Regardless, the reality is that dismay is always going to exist between members of almost any forum on a variety of topics. The key is how people choose to deal with that dismay, for better or worse. To be fair, as far as my initial response goes, I never would have made the association that your original post was a nod to our cars being closer to being registered with Historic Plates:
Honestly, while I was reacting to your second sentence, it was that last comment that really provoked my response. But you spoke about something that excited you, not to mention something that more than likely generates excitement amongst the majority of car guys. I can understand your excitement, but just don't happen to share it. Were I forty, or thirty years younger then maybe I would, I honestly can't say. Please don't lose any sleep over what has followed — that's definitely not on you.

 

The emotions were already there. To be blunt, I would rather be hypocritical than a person who never changes. Furthermore, if you don't have a dog in the fight, why toss in the snide remarks to begin with? Give me a break with your wife comments and any others that are nothing more than a distraction. This behavior is much like our politicians today who seemingly can't directly answer any question asked of them. Thus far based on the information that you've provided it would seem that I'm the one gallon pot while you're the 10 gallon cauldron.

I'm openly acknowledging the impacts that my ICE-base vehicles can and do have. I've noted numerous ways that I personally have tried to make a difference at an individual level to offset these impacts as best I can — shy of removing the ICE-based vehicles altogether (a sad possibility the way things are going in this world). The actions that I've pointed out and that you've felt the need to mock are a response to the big picture that Thomas Guide noted — the very thing that you seemed to support and alluded to as follows...
To use your analogy, in my world the minnows and the big fish both matter. I'm interested in addressing both of them as best I can. I am the one minnow that I can impact the most so that's what I do. But when it comes to the big fish I'll admit that I can use some help. So go ahead and help me out here. Lay it on me when it comes to the big fish in the context of the impacts emissions are having on this world and specifically what you, I and others can do to address them as it relates to these big fish and how specifically we should go about it. If you were just spouting off then fine. But if that that's not the case and you can provide some actual details know that I'm open to learning more.