Exhaust thats Legal in CA

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by mitch t

That isnt really true, though there are many police officers in CA that believe this as well...

They will issue a ticket with the words "modified exhaust" whitten as the description, but the penal code number is for exessive sound (above 95 DB) most folks just pay the ticket and move on, thus perpetuating the "illegal to modify exhaust" myth.

If a modified exhaust was automatically illegal in CA, then every muffler shop in town would instantly be out of business. (they are not, there are a TON of exhaust shops around here) a law like that wouldnt even really make sense in the real world, as exhaust systems need periodic replacement, and the dealership is really not interested in dealing with it.

All that being said, there ARE specific laws regarding sound levels, and since the local PD doesnt equip every car with a meter, it is up to the individual officer, which works against the twins, as they have a very unusual exhaust note, that not everybody loves.

Also, anything with emmisions equipment built into it, (such as the catted exhaust manifold or front pipe), must either be OEM, or replaced with a CARB approved alternate, with the appropriate CARB exemption sticker displayed under the hood.

LOL I don't think Dave is up for a debate!

[Irace86]

https://www.bar.ca.gov/pdf/APPENDIX%...%2012-2009.pdf

[Irace86]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

LOL I don't think Dave is up for a debate!

You of all people should know that you don't need participation from the opposition to continue a debate indefinitely.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Irace86

You of all people should know that you don't need participation from the opposition to continue a debate indefinitely.

Do so!

[mitch t]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

LOL I don't think Dave is up for a debate!

Ha Ha!

I didn't even look at the date!

[Xxyion]

Originally Posted by jflogerzi

Maybe in the next several months, I want to add a new exhaust to remove that drone in the higher RPM range. But from what I read, nothing is legal in the great state of CA. So I am asking for some help and guidance.

A lot of this will also depend on where you live and how nice the cops are.

My first exhaust setup was a WORKS muffler delete with catless headers and a catless front pipe with two resonators. I was WAY above the 95 db limit. Probably hitting close to 115db if i pushed it. The only thing i was ever pulled over for was my lack of a front license plate. Cop even said "car sounds nice" as he wrote me the ticket.

The law: Cats CANNOT be touched as modifying them in anyway is considered illegal. Currently (as far as i know) there are no aftermarket headers or front pipe's that have a CARB legal cat. There is a 95db limit. Catback Exhausts will not cause you to fail smog.

The truth: If you know you wont get pulled over for sound then run any header/exhaust setup you want and keep your stock parts and switch back when smog comes up. It all depends on the cop. I've known people to get pulled over because their exhaust looked like it was too low...and i've also known people where cops gave them a thumbs up when they ran full catless no muffler exhaust sytems.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by mitch t

Ha Ha!

I didn't even look at the date!

I had thanked 3 posts before I went "waaaait a minute here"

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Xxyion

A lot of this will also depend on where you live and how nice the cops are.

My first exhaust setup was a WORKS muffler delete with catless headers and a catless front pipe with two resonators. I was WAY above the 95 db limit. Probably hitting close to 115db if i pushed it. The only thing i was ever pulled over for was my lack of a front license plate. Cop even said "car sounds nice" as he wrote me the ticket.

The law: Cats CANNOT be touched as modifying them in anyway is considered illegal. Currently (as far as i know) there are no aftermarket headers or front pipe's that have a CARB legal cat. There is a 95db limit. Catback Exhausts will not cause you to fail smog.

The truth: If you know you wont get pulled over for sound then run any header/exhaust setup you want and keep your stock parts and switch back when smog comes up. It all depends on the cop. I've known people to get pulled over because their exhaust looked like it was too low...and i've also known people where cops gave them a thumbs up when they ran full catless no muffler exhaust sytems.

Also depends on how nice you are to the cop!

[Xxyion]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Also depends on how nice you are to the cop!

So much truth. It doesnt matter how much a **** the cop is already being. If you drive a modded car he WILL find more things to write you up for. If you are going to push back, do it in court.

[FR-Sky]

Originally Posted by PMok

cat back exhausts are primarily to improve the sound and sometimes make a little more power/torque. They have no effect on emissions. I have 3 cars with cat back or axle back exhausts, and i've taken them all to a test only smog place (which you'd think is more stringent than a normal smog place). The smog guy would actually compliment on the sound of the exhausts, so he clearly knew they were not stock, and they all passed. No doubt every smog place is different but that's my experience.

What I'm curious about is if I get a high-flow cat front pipe to replace the restrictive OEM cat, will it pass the CA emissions test? I know a lot of them are 49-state legal (which means not CA), but not sure if that means it will exceed the emissions limits in CA or just a technicality.

What makes it interesting is that from what I've read the smog test is getting simplified next year, for newer cars there may be no emissions test, just hook up the car to an OBD-II reader and if there are no check engine/fault codes, and you pass the visual, then you pass. If the smog guy only looks under the hood and doesn't look under the car then everything up to the headers would probably pass visual if it doesn't stand out too much.

So i am using the map from oft stage 2, and E85, since the map clear the code,,would it still show on their smog OBD-II reader? Can i pass like this?

[Xxyion]

Originally Posted by FR-Sky

So i am using the map from oft stage 2, and E85, since the map clear the code,,would it still show on their smog OBD-II reader? Can i pass like this?

Most likley not as i believe it does more than just check if the CEL light is on. I could be wrong though and have heard of some people's tune's getting past it.

[finch1750]

Originally Posted by FR-Sky

So i am using the map from oft stage 2, and E85, since the map clear the code,,would it still show on their smog OBD-II reader? Can i pass like this?

No cuz it still fails visual with the header.