Pennsylvania - Headers and state inspection?

[gshopper]

I am thinking about getting a FRS/ BRZ/ 86 in the next few months. One of the first things I would do would be to get new headers and a tune to get rid of the torque dip. I have questions about how this would affect things when I get a state inspection.

If I get catted UEL headers, would I still pass inspection?
Do they do a visual inspection? OBD check? tailpipe sniff? all of these?

Or is it a matter of finding a state inspection place that has a certain...shall we say... flexibility to work with you?

Or do people remove the aftermarket headers before an inspection and swap them back on afterwords? How much work is this? I don't love getting under a car and wrenching, but I am okay with pretty easy projects.

What did you do?

Thanks in advance...

[Breadman]

when i was in pittsburgh mine ready checked and passed with ace and a tune. i have moved and added a flex kit so i dont know if that will fail me on a visual. also i run my main cat still

[Yoshoobaroo]

Originally Posted by Breadman

when i was in pittsburgh mine ready checked and passed with ace and a tune. i have moved and added a flex kit so i dont know if that will fail me on a visual. also i run my main cat still

How do you run your main cat with an ace header? The main cat is in the stock header.

OP,

You will fail visual inspection from any inspector worth their salt.

You will fail a sniff test, the secondary cat in the frontpipe won't cut it by itself.

You will fail to achieve at least 1 OBD readiness check even with a tune. I think PA allows one OBD readiness fault, so as long as everything else is in order you might pass the OBD check

[gshopper]

Yosh,

If I use a catted header, then why would I fail a sniff test and have OBD faults?

[Brz866]

I'm fully catless and pass inspection and emissions. I'm tuned so no CEL and I've never had anyone say anything to me and I pass everytime. This is in Pittsburgh Btw.

[Yoshoobaroo]

Originally Posted by gshopper

Yosh,

If I use a catted header, then why would I fail a sniff test and have OBD faults?

It really depends. As you can see above you can pass fully catless depending on the inspection shop regardless of what the state laws are. Talk to local enthusiasts who may run a catless setup.

To answer your question, most catted headers will still throw a CEL untuned, and when you suppress the CEL with a tune the ECU won't reach OBD readiness. As far as a sniffer test it depends on the quality of the cat in the header and if you still have the cat in the frontpipe.

[Breadman]

Originally Posted by Yoshoobaroo

How do you run your main cat with an ace header? The main cat is in the stock header.

OP,

You will fail visual inspection from any inspector worth their salt.

You will fail a sniff test, the secondary cat in the frontpipe won't cut it by itself.

You will fail to achieve at least 1 OBD readiness check even with a tune. I think PA allows one OBD readiness fault, so as long as everything else is in order you might pass the OBD check

ok well i still have a cat in the exhaust, whatever one that is called

[Grady]

I would not waste my money on a cated header. Just get the tune, this is what causes the torque dip. I am not stating you will not get an improvement with the header just not that much for what you spent.

Catless different story.

[Yoshoobaroo]

Originally Posted by Grady

I would not waste my money on a cated header. - -Catless different story.

Agreed

[FRSBRZGT86FAN]

Originally Posted by Yoshoobaroo

How do you run your main cat with an ace header? The main cat is in the stock header.

OP,

You will fail visual inspection from any inspector worth their salt.

You will fail a sniff test, the secondary cat in the frontpipe won't cut it by itself.

You will fail to achieve at least 1 OBD readiness check even with a tune. I think PA allows one OBD readiness fault, so as long as everything else is in order you might pass the OBD check

Originally Posted by gshopper

Yosh,

If I use a catted header, then why would I fail a sniff test and have OBD faults?

Originally Posted by Yoshoobaroo

It really depends. As you can see above you can pass fully catless depending on the inspection shop regardless of what the state laws are. Talk to local enthusiasts who may run a catless setup.

To answer your question, most catted headers will still throw a CEL untuned, and when you suppress the CEL with a tune the ECU won't reach OBD readiness. As far as a sniffer test it depends on the quality of the cat in the header and if you still have the cat in the frontpipe.

Originally Posted by gshopper

I am thinking about getting a FRS/ BRZ/ 86 in the next few months. One of the first things I would do would be to get new headers and a tune to get rid of the torque dip. I have questions about how this would affect things when I get a state inspection.

If I get catted UEL headers, would I still pass inspection?
Do they do a visual inspection? OBD check? tailpipe sniff? all of these?

Or is it a matter of finding a state inspection place that has a certain...shall we say... flexibility to work with you?

Or do people remove the aftermarket headers before an inspection and swap them back on afterwords? How much work is this? I don't love getting under a car and wrenching, but I am okay with pretty easy projects.

What did you do?

Thanks in advance...

I'm in the Philly Area as well, more specifically the bucks county area.


1) Bucks County and Philadelphia do not have any sort of sniff test
2) You really should've just googled emissions in PA for your answer
3) I've had my car catless for 3 years, it's passed emissions with an OFT Stage 2 93 octane tune, and an e85 tune, at a toyota dealerships and a subaru dealership and a mom and pop mechanic shop no less

4) The only thing our counties do is "a visual" which most don't really do all that deeply. And an OBD-II check to make sure there are no CELs related to emissions. Also as for readiness not appearing when P0420 is disabled, that is totally debateable, sometimes it will read N/A others will read not ready. For instance with the CNT UEL and STage 2 E85 tune my torque emissions test reads as such:

[gshopper]

Thanks FRSBRZGT86FAN.

I did google this topic and got a lot of confusing and contradictory stuff. So I decided to see what local people's experiences were.

I'm glad it can be done locally.

[Baron_T]

I live in Pittsburgh also, and have been running a JDL Catted UEL header for a couple of years now. My dealer has been fine with it for full PA inspections including Pgh smog requirements.

This is a road car. I got the catted because I figured that I needed to pass inspection without any hassle more than I needed 5--10 extra HP on the top end. (Probably only 5 after tuning, but that's just a guess.)

[ShansBRZ]

Same here. I passed with my catted header at the dealer with out issue.

[gshopper]

Awesome replies. Thanks, everybody.

Is there anybody in state who has had trouble passing because of headers or other mods?