Reply to "Pantera Failed Hawaiian Safety Inspection, Ideas?"

Tim, did the safety check station refer you to the the state 'RECON' station in your county for reconstructed vehicles? Unfortunately, I don't know whether or not there is one in your county but the safety check station should know. The bad news is that even though the state inspector(assuming that there is one there) may agree to the design and mounting of OEM split bumpers, he may not approve the aftermarket bumpers you have. If they are anything like the carbon fiber ones my friend installed on his car, they are just for looks, the material may be strong but the tabs mounting them to the body are not and will crack or break if stress is applied like pushing on them. You will probably have to buy or borrow OEM bumpers to pass this thing.

BTW - I'm surprised they didn't ask you about your rims too. When the station that checks my cars did the initial inspection on my Pantera, the first thing he did after noticing the polished rims was check the door jam decal to verify the rim size. Mine doesn't have one since it was repainted. So, he asked me what the original rim size was and I told him it was 15". Both front and rear are 17" on mine he said that was still okay. 2" is the maximum rim diameter increase you can go to without having to go to RECON. But, he told me you can't have staggered rims such as 16's front and 17's. If you do, you may have to go through another song and dance to get RECON to approve it or tell you outright 'NO'. So, downplay the wheels if yours are staggered.