Will headers cause me to not pass smog?
 

I was looking at the Borla headers then I'm told that I won't pass smog or whatever with those so is this true or false an if it is true what headers can I buy? Thanks, Christian

Inspection maybe? I'm not positive to be honest, if you have the cats it should. I think.

Plus you can just take it to those places that help you pass when the time comes. ;)

Well i got it with the Trd exhaust I figured screw it I'm financing it I won't feel it but I want headers but I don't want issues I don't think any of us do but thank you for your response if you get any more info would you please let me know?

You will fail smog, but its a new car you dont have to smog it for the next 5 years I believe. When the time finally comes to get it smogged you can just swap out your borla headers with your stock headers.

so you got the headers from the dealer?

Anything, and I mean *anything*, that replaces the OEM cat will cause you to fail smog if they do a visual check in california. Replacing it with an aftermarket cat will not work, there are none that are carb certified.

http://www.dmv.org/ca-california/smog-check.php
In LA because california has some of the strictest emissions laws in the country it won't pass smog certification. You can only get catted EL headers, and a catted header-back exhaust, as well you will need to get a tune so the CEL will dissapear and no codes will be shown in the ECU during inspection before the smog certification test. That being said if your vehicle is six or less model years old, you are not required to obtain smog certification as long as you pay the annual $20 smog abatement fee, so you will be good going cat less for 6 years if you pay $20 every year, but honestly you would still need a tune to make sure the UEL or EL headers you get don't kick up a CEL otherwise every inspection will fail in that 6 year period, also some officers can smell the fact your car is cat less and will right you a nasty ticket, its not worth it, stay catted if you can with an aftermarket exhaust you will still get gains.

was thinking about this but as a daily driver i dont think ill be getting headers.. just going to get a exhaust..

will i still pass for a after market exhaust ? or do i have to put stock back when its time for the smog:iono:

CA smog laws are very strict. If you have a cat you might pass if the place doesn't really care about visual. But if you have no cat, you fail both visual and sniffer. But i heard they're changing it to just obd2 or something.

So basically there is no way to get headers an be comepletely legal an no to the person that asked if I got it from the dealer I got the Trd cat back exhaust an I'm shopping for a cold air intake trying to find the best one right now and headers got the money just trying to do the homework I just don't want forced induction so I gotta do everything I can possible besides that

But I've never had my car inspected when I get it smogged they just do it in like five minutes in and out

Wow you might be lucky then, or you might be driving a car that looks like a DD. Every time i got smogged in my STi, they popped the hood, looked at my whole exhaust to see if I had my cats. It sucks that there's a cat in the header because i really like port and polished stock headers. Gain performance, and it looks stock.

This is a question I've been curious about. I want to do a whole exhuast eventually, but I don't know how many cats the car has stock, or where they are. I see people always wanting the catted headers, but they seem to be pretty rare.

So I'm stuck just putting my stock headers back on in five years or however long it is. Or finding a place that will just take some extra money an let me go that would be the ideal situation

6 but yes, pretty much, or you need to go aftermarket Catted EL headers and catted headerback, and then a tune again or keep your current tune to cover up the CEL. Then hope to god it passes the sniffer in CA. We shall drink to your horsepower loss :drinking:

2 Cats, one primary and one secondary. The primary cat is important its connected to O2 sensors before and after it, the secondary can easily be removed without a CEL (hence a catless headerback exhaust can gain 10-20 hp), because that catalytic converter (secondary) is not connected to the car electronically in any way. The reason some people want catted headers is that they don't want to go full catless for whatever reason so they can run catless headerback.

Here is one way around all that. Get a PO box and register to car in Bishop or Maraposa CA. No smog in ether of those places.

What do you mean we will drink to my horsepower loss

Headers will not pass smog in California, a cat back exhaust will. They will pass the visual test but not the actual smog test. Anything from the cat up will cause you problems with cel, smog test, and pigs.

They don't use the sniffer on newer cars in CA--OBDII and visual only. You will fail the visual in CA as others have said.

From what I'm hearing, even a tune will potentially cause you to fail in a few years. Supposedly various voltages will be compared to a specified OEM range.

Mod the heatshields to fit the header, do what it takes to have complete monitors and no CEL, and bring the car in warm.

So if the O2 sensors are in front and behind the primary cat in the exhaust manifold, can you ditch the secondary cat in the front pipe and still pass the OBD-II smog test?

I understand newer vehicles are not getting the sniffer test and are OBD-II only, so even though you can't get a header in CA and still pass smog, you may still be able to get a catless front pipe and pick up 5-7hp.

I didn't want to mess with CEL and future issues with any smog tests here in WA or where I live (never in the Socialist Republic of CA.)!!!!!!!

I am going FA20Club w/CAT. I dropped the 2nd CAT on my Invidia front pipe, but for noise control added a resonator in the hope it would drop a few db.

No problem, I would reccomend an Ecutek tune though in case you get any CEL it removes and blocks all the ones caused by catalytic issues.

A proper sized high flow cat costs VERY little hp compared to a catless pipe. The big restriction is from higher cell count OEM cats with smaller diameters.

A 2.5" catted front pipe will probably make about 1hp less than a 2.5" catless front pipe, plus the catless pipe will be raspier and louder. It might not be noticeable with the stock header, but if you go aftermarket you'll hear it for sure.

Why EL headers and not UEL? Is there an EGT temp difference between the two that affects the cat?
And if both cats are swapped for high flow, will the sniffer be satisfied? I only swapped one cat for a Cobb high flow on my WRX and failed miserably. Pissed me off.

:lol: I only said EL headers because those are the only headers so far I have found that have a cat, I don't think the EGT temps would have a difference because they all collect at one point so. I do believe with a tune and two cats being swapped the sniffer will be o.k. but only in the case of the FA20.

Oic. FA20club came out with a UEL catted set not too long ago. :thumbup:

:lol: thanks but yea, I don't like how it runs up through the engine bay, I mean its good if you have a future turbo setup but my god, I would think all the heat from that header pipe will get bathed in all over the engine in the bay and if you have a vortech system it won't fit.

Is smog something that only California does? Instead of creating a new thread would someone kindly tell me if any or all of the following will cause my to fail Tx state inspection: Headers, downpipe, cat-back exhaust, or FI.

I understand this is a little off topic I appreciate all the responses and advice but how does everyone feel about the lack of power? When they're are cars like the genesis coupe for virtually the same price

I totally would understand your point of view based on all the mb chatter (here and others) about the BRZ/FRS lack of straight line performance. A common refrain from the Genesis coupe guys is that "a camry V6 smokes the BRZ...". Well, according to Car and Driver, Camry SE V6, 1/4 mile in 14.3 seconds. BRZ limited, 1/4 mile in 14.9 seconds. Hyundai Genesis coupe 2.0T (the one with all the BOOOST!!), 1/4 mile in 14.4 seconds. Wait, that's slower than the camry also, right?

HP and 1/4 mile aren't everything, you also need handling, and the 86 has loads of this right out of the box.

I totally agree but doesn't it Piss you off when some Hyundai coupe is next to you at a light an you know you can't take them I mean my car doesn't have a turbo and I don't plan on one I'm going with headers and the Trd exhaust I got as an extra from the factory a chip and a cold air intake 18 inch rims an some better tires but Ehen I was shopping we went test driving my buddy in the passenger seat we got in the frs an took off we were smiling having fun grabbing gears hugging corners then I walked across the street hopped into the Hyundai coupe 2.0 which by the way has the worst clutch ever and gearbox but we took a drive an it was just silent in the car it was like we were running errands there was no fun an that is why I got the frs but my closest friends one has a challenger 09 rt the other a 04 r32 the other a g37 the other a speed3 an they give me shit an I wanna take my 3 grand an just save more an drop a turbo an blow their doors off but I need my car to last no problems my mother is a gm of scion an Toyota dealership so I got a hook up as well on all Trd Trd parts

Its not a drag car. Its just not. You can turn it into one but from the factory dragging is not in its character. Even so, with stickier tires you should be able to take the 3 at the stop light and hang with everybody in canyons.
It pisses me off a bit when base Camaros and Mustangs rev on me and I dont have anything for them but its the same as the driver of an original Camaro thinking he's cool cuz he can take an MG on a straight road. Its stupid.
Add-wallace03 afaik most states have smog test only, and only for cars 3-5 years old. If you dont remove cats youre fine. If you do all bets are off. Just keep your OEM in case you have to swap it back on for testing, or even better, just keep the cats on. You're talking maybe 2 horses difference NA.

so your telling me some cops can actually SMELL the catless exhaust fumes, with their nose? what the hell does it smell like lol

Seems like there isn't much experience with N/A Subarus here and California SMOG laws and tests and such...

*There are no CARB legal headers yet for this car, IE nothing is technically "California Legal" at this point.

*SMOG isn't required until 5 years after the first sale of the vehicle.

*Your car will not be inspected for emissions unless its pulled over by police and they tell you to have it inspected, or if you are pulled into one of the "Rolling SMOG stations" that are around California and setup by local police or the Highway patrol.


I've run all sorts of exhaust combinations of my old Normally Aspirated Impreza here in California and never been pulled over, harassed by police, or failed an emissions test. Here are some common sense things you guys need to know:

1) Our headers are underneath the engine, and are not normally visible to a visual inspection of the engine bay. If you use headers that retain the stock heatshields or something that looks like the stock heat shields, they will probably pass a "visual" inspection. Nobody knows the wiser.

2) Almost any exhaust will at least one catalytic converter will pass an actual emissions test (excluding visual) as long as your car doesn't throw a check engine light.

3) Keep your stock exhaust so you can reinstall it if you have to have your car inspected or end up making it to the 5 year SMOG testing time. Its worth it even though it requires extra effort and somewhere to keep it.


Finally, take this all with a grain of salt and with a great deal of caution... It all depends on where you live and where you drive, what you look like and what your car looks like, and more. If your car looks modded as heck, you will probably get pulled over and inspected at some point. If it looks stock your likely hood of being pulled over is greatly reduced.

Have you never been behind a catless car before???

Would a catback exhaust system like the greddy evo3 pass smog or would that have trouble too

Catbacks will have no effect on passing smog.

im moving to LA soon. where are these places that "take some extra money" to help you pass smog?