Neon:

[Unit 5302]

You'll find most members of this site very close minded as to what is acceptable in the form of modification to your Mustang.

I'm not sure when the whole neon underbody lights became a ricer modification. There were several fox body Mustangs that would be out cruising the streets locally in the early 90s with neon underbody lighting (years before the ricer craze).

I suppose it was probably about the same time that nearly any rear spoiler became a ricer modification, and around the time that any interior changes such as white faced gauges or color accenting became repulsive. Anyway, last I checked, neon underbody lighting has been around for decades, and so have wings on musclecars, even from the factory.

Meanwhile, it's perfectly okay to chrome everything within sight under the hood... lol, well, at least until import sport-compact car drivers start doing that, too.

[Mach 1]

Neon underbody lighting has ALWAYS been "rice", we just didnt have the word to describe it yet when it first came out!

If you are confusing factory rear spoilers with 4 ft aluminum rice wings, you clearly have no idea what rice is.

consider it anything done "untastefully". White face gauges done tastefully arent considered rice.

In fact, if u have to ask what "rice" is, then you are a ricer at heart, because those who label things as "rice" have no problem distinguishing between tasteful and rice.

Of course, every one has different ideas what is tasteful and what isnt.

So guys who feel one way about cars decided to give a label to mods they thought were ridiculous, and called it "rice". It seems to have stuck.

[Mr 5 0]

Originally Posted by Unit 5302

You'll find most members of this site very close minded as to what is acceptable in the form of modification to your Mustang.

I'm not sure when the whole neon underbody lights became a ricer modification. There were several fox body Mustangs that would be out cruising the streets locally in the early 90s with neon underbody lighting (years before the ricer craze).

I suppose it was probably about the same time that nearly any rear spoiler became a ricer modification, and around the time that any interior changes such as white faced gauges or color accenting became repulsive. Anyway, last I checked, neon underbody lighting has been around for decades, and so have wings on musclecars, even from the factory.

Meanwhile, it's perfectly okay to chrome everything within sight under the hood... lol, well, at least until import sport-compact car drivers start doing that, too.

Here's my take:

There has always been a certain level of animosity between muscle car owners and those who drive imports. As we all know by now, muscle car guys loved their cars because they were fast...and both looked and sounded fast. In the late 80's and early 90's, when guys started inheriting their parents used Hondas and Toyotas and began doing what young guys have been doing for over 50 years...'customizing' them, with wings, loud exhausts, neon, etc, the muscle car guys resented it because they considered this simply a pretension of power that the little 4-bangers did not possess. I have always agreed with that conclusion.

As time went on, NOS and turbos gave a minority of the Japanese cars some real power that could actually compete with the American V-8's, but more often the majority of so-called 'ricers' in the high school and college parking lots were still stock or near-stock 4 cylinder cars that ran 17-second quarters (on a good day) but looked and sort-of sounded like they were much faster, at least to the uninitiated among us.

Most Mustang owners I know (quite a few) would never try to pretend their 'Stang was more than it was, mainly because, if you put a super-loud exhaust system on your Mustang, added a big-scoop hood and so on, you were inevitably going to be challenged on the street and you would look pretty stupid when your near-15-second Mustang automatic was trounced by a more 'serious' modified Mustang V-8 that ran mid-13's and could blow you away in a drag race. Think of it as 'truth in advertising'

I owned a near-stock Mustang 5.0 that ran high 13's (if I drove it right) and I kept it looking bone-stock for the entire 15 years I owned it, including the factory wheels and 15" tires. Occasionally, I ran another muscle car (Camaro's, mostly) that sounded 'bad' and had the wing, hood scoop, etc. Ohhhh. In many cases, I beat them, making their driver incredulous and probably thinking he had been 'fooled' by my car's stock appearance. Not really. Any 5.0 'Stang with a 5-speed was capable of pulling high 13's if you changed out the rear ratio, added a 'pro' shifter and a few other mods, as I did. Nothing special about it. He just was over-confident that a loud exhaust and a few 'muscle car' add-ons equalled 100 HP, much like the 'ricers' still believe. They do not.

In any case, the idea of basically stock Japanese (and european) 4-cylinder cars displaying all the accouterments of a true 'muscle car' remained offensive to many drivers of American V-8 muscle cars - and that hasn't changed. 'Appearance items' such as neon lights just seemed gay as they were far removed from anything signifying 'muscle'. What next? Valour? Unfortunately, many teens just getting their first car that happened to be smart enough to purchase a Mustang (usually, a well-used one) bought into the 'bling' concept and added questionable items to their Mustangs, such as the now-infamous exterior neon lighting that CupCake unfortunately inherited on the Mustang she purchased.

At this post-Mustang point in my life, I don't care much what anyone does to their car, no matter what it is, but I still do wince a bit when I see a perfectly sharp Mustang with a laughably gigantic rear wing or, gasp! exterior neon lighting. Don't you?

[Mach 1]

I wonder if theres an age line where people hate rice or like it? Like over 30 hating it....

I guess you cant generalize like that. There seems to be plenty of younger people who hate it as well, and even some older people who like it. Go figure...

[69fastback]

The word rice to has been around as long as i can remeber. I am only 29, but i remeber as a kid my dad calling anything car from asia as rice. The meaning of it has gotten changed some how, but it is not a new word.

who cares what the hell anyone else thinks of your car as long as you are happy. I get alot of shit for moddifing my 428CJ but I like it the way it is.

[mustangII460]

Hey guys, I don't think she wanted to know if Neon's were rice. Only if they were legal in Pigeon Forge.

Start a new thread if you feel the need to bash neon's.

my .02$

[Mach 1]

This one is actually working quite well. maybe we can covince her to remove them! one less ricer polluting the highways!

[fred414141]

the blue neons should be run thru a flasher...........and drive thru south carolina..........you'll get to spend the night in the crossbar hotel for sure! only copcars get to run blue lights of any kind in sc

[CupCake]

Actually Mach 1, this thread is not working just fine. I never asked whether neon light or any other modifications were rice or not. I just wanted to know if neon light were illegal.

Since I have the opportunity to help a lot of police officers in my town since I translate for a lot of people. I was able to ask one of them about the neon. Her answer was that neon is not illegal in the state of NC as long as the shine 20 inches outside of the car. Which mine doesn't since I turned it on and showed her, which she thought it was really cool.

I am going to follow her advise and ask a police officer as soon as I get to TN on friday. I have seen a lot of cars in the past with neon so I have no idea. Oh and they have not been "ricers".

Thanks to the guys that answer my question and were nice and gave me the information that I wanted to know. I will try to see if I can meet up at Cheroke but I don't know. If you are going to be around Pigeon Forge look for a 2001 blue convertible mustang with 18" wheels. Not crome, I will try to post some pics here before the weekend.

[Mach 1]

I believe your question was answered early on. If you dont like the way the thread is going, feel free to no longer participate.

Rice on!

[Mr 5 0]

CupCake:

Your question regarding the legality of outside neons in Tennessee was answered in post #19:

Yes and no

No Blue lights period.

You can have other colors but NOT hooked to a toggle switch. Example: Toggle switch on the dash that only controls the aux lights.

I do know Gatlinburg has a city ordinance against auxillary lighting. Especially under car type. Im sure its a hefty fine, as all of them are up there. So NO lights there period.

Pigeon Forge I dont know. But Id say they have a simular City code.

Any light anywhere can fall under "glaring light," ticket. Those license plate neons will get you stopped everytime.

All these violations fall under Tennessee Light Law, subsection whatever.

signed,

The Police


Don't take the negative comments here too 'personally'. It's more about neon lighting on Mustangs than about you.

The discussion over the pros and cons (mostly cons) of exterior neon lighting on any car, especially a Mustang, was to be expected. This is an opinion board - for the most part - and exterior neon lighting strikes many Mustangers as borderline-gay. It's simply a point of view, albeit a popular one, I suspect.

Besides, you stated that you are now receiving legal advice on the neons from the local police you are acquainted with and that is even better than advice from anonymous strangers on the internet, well-meaning as they may be.

At this point, I think you can basically ignore this thread if you wish.

[rwhite65]

If you want to avoid the law, keep them off unless you are in a parking lot or on private property somewhere. Most lights like neons are generally illegal. I am not from Tennesee, nor am I arguing with the cop that told you the "20 inches" theory, but I know I wouldn't want a cop meausirng 20 inches from my car either...then realize my exhuast was loud.....what ever else he might find while he was lookin around.

enjoy your show,
Ryan

[mustangII460]

Strange,

Ive been a officer for 12 years in the county shes coming to. Gave her the 411 on the area she is going (see previous post)as I know, and the Tennessee law aswell.

..and tried to get the thread back on topic....

Did she skip my post, am I invisable ?

Why ask for advice?

Is the earth flat?

Why are my inlaws worthless?

Will gas keep going up?

Why do bugs splatter my windshield dead center in my view, everytime?

Do aliens have 6 toes , or 9?

If you were going the speed of light and turned on your headlights, would it matter?

From now on Im charging for legal advice.

Signed, The Invisable Cobra Cop.

[rwhite65]

MustangII460-
Bud, I hope you know I wasn't trying to undermine your advice.
Ryan

[mustangII460]

Ryan, Nah.

General rule around the country is; If there off there legal.

But each city can "Add to" the state violation. That way the local municpalities can collect the fine, instead of the state getting the cash.

Say if its wrote as " Violation of light law" Thats a state offense. Nowhere in the T.C.A. code does it say NO neons. The closest thing to neons in our state law is "Glaring lights." So they would write VIOLATION OF LIGHT LAW, with a side note of GLARING LIGHTS. State gets the cash.

Whereas; The City code ( Gatlinburg ) [may] have NO UNDERCARRAIGE LIGHTING. So they write the citation as a code violation to collect the money. They also don't have to send the ticket into the state.

Cities can have their own codes made to reflect the generic state law.

Gatlinburg is a heavy cruising town. They also have a "Sound Ordanance." I think its around 70db, not sure. If they didn't, they could still write you for the State Law for " Excessive Noise." but State gets the cash.

These are examples of Tennessee only.

Each city has their own ordanances. I can't keep up with them, but then again I dont have to. I havn''t wrote a ticket in 4 years.

[Mach 1]

Wow, you havent wrote a ticket in 4 years! You are my kind of cop!

But please, if some idiot is driving past you with blaring neon lights, distracting other drivers, because they think it looks cool, please do the right thing and give them a ticket to discourage the advance of ricedom across our great nation.

[rwhite65]

MustangII460-
Most of our ordinances parallel state law, except the noise ordinance. The noise one is termed "excessive noise" and states exhaust that can be heard from over 100 feet away are deemed excessive.

As for lighting, the state here is along the lines of "improper lighting.....or any combination not here by authorized".

When I first told her to leave them off, was before I realized you work in the state in question. We here in Illinois tend to be pretty heavy on the equipment laws, if it is restricted, we are one of the states leading the way on restrictions.

Mach 1-
I personally stop most of them, it gives me bona fide excuse to approach the car any time I feel necessary to see what other nice things I can find up there .

Ryan

[CupCake]

First of all, I want to say that I didn't take anything that was said here personally. Everybody is entitled to its own opinion and therefore are allowed to share it at anytime. I just don't appreciate being called names or else specifically by one person in here.

You are not invisible. I did read your post,I didn't ignore it, the reason why I asked the police officers that I help is because I am on a different county and state and wanted to know what were the regulations here before I get a ticket, I don't want one. Never gotten one.

[stanger66]

Hey mustangII460,

In Va, Md, and DC if you cant have neon lights even on your car on or off unless it is deemed a show car, hot rod, classic car. If you get caught with them on your car when off you can get a fine from $500-$3500. If you have them on $2000 to $10,000 depending on how many tubes you have on your car that are turn on.

Now when noise pollution tickets stereos, exhaust, etc. you can get a fine up to $15,000 depending on what is going on(complaints or officer is there). I got a 2 tickets a couple of years ago for noise pollution and neons being on in a parking lot I was fined $17,183 and had to go to court for it. And this was right when it got dark they said they had so many people complain about how loud my music was-they even tested my db level coming out of my car (state police station in VA).So I fiqured I let you know what they do up here so if you have to come up here watch out. The cops are dicks.

ross

[mustangII460]

Ross, Thats why I moved from Rockville Md, LOL. My dad is still in Olney and moms at the beach. Maryland is whack on all of its laws. I thought about buying a vaction home in Delaware though.