So who here has installed the Fabspeed headers and had the car pass CA smog? Since Jeremy is offering a sale price on the headers, I am giving this some thought but I need to know if I will be able to pass the CA smog. By the way, I have a Tubi and Hyperflow cats. Thanks.
You will not pass legally. Most inspectors do not notice but consider the fact that smog regs in California and scrutiny will only get wose, they will never get easier.
What part of the emissions test will they fail? The reason I ask is because our smog tests in Ontario are also quite stringent and I was considering fabspeed for replacement headers if I can resolve the heat shield issue.
Guessing that the emissions guys are looking for OEM exhaust components only and fail non-OEM products. I doubt that the Fabspeed product will fail.
By our laws pretty much everything between the crank pulley and the back side of the cats has to be either OE or Cal ARB approved. They do look for aftermarket cats, intake and exhaust manifolds etc. It is part of the visual inspection and I know of quite a few cars that have failed because of Hyperflows or non OE ex manifolds. As I said, in the future it will get worse particularly with Californias financial problems and the new Federal Administrations focus on everything green.
Obama is not making things any easier now that he has pretty much given the California green police the go ahead to pull the lid off whatever their green plans may be. There is no limit to what those types will do out there. I am in Nevada and I am sure it is going to leak over here next. I have to pass emissions every year and last May they changed it so you cannot see the numbers your engine is blowing, only pass or fail. I guess they believe by doing that they are deterring those who are barely passing to crank down on their engines to be more green. What a farce. The egotism of mankind regarding our planet never ceases to astonish me.
Wow that sucks! I just had mine smoged in Dec with NO problems... Fab-speed headers, hyper-flow cats, and Tubi exhaust. I guess we don't have th visual inspection, and if we do the guy that did it didn't care...
I smogged my car with non-CARB rated cats and exhaust system, along with chips and passed. At some point the qualifications of the inspectors to accurately inspect a '90's Ferrari is limited. My car passed as far as the emissons tested; it has all the necessary equipment. Frankly, if I had aftermarket headers on the car, I am not sure the inspector would have known if they were factory or not. So, on one hand I do agree with Rifledriver (which is why I am not modding my car so that it causes questions at smog tests), but on the other, as long as you can pass the emissions test, you stand a good chance at slipping through the visual inspection.
If they are based on the Magnaflow metallic core cats, they WERE legal in Cali (CARB approved for OBDI vehicles based on GVW/engine displacement) until Jan. 1st of this year: http://www.car-sound.com/04basics/04california.asp
We had had many customers pass the emissions test in California with headers and sport cats. It is the visual inspection that might give you a problem, but I have not heard of anybody failing either with our components.
In the PRK (people republic of kalifornia) if a product does not have a carb EO# you are illegal. You might still pass a snif test then it is up to the ability or the lack thereof for the testor to realize you house an illegal product. It is really as simple as that.
+1 .................. they are still OK for OBDI and earlier ................... and if they were installed before that date on OBDII .....................
Very true. I do know of a number of cars that have failed for that reason and as I said in California it will get harder not easier over time to get those cars to pass. California ARB as well as Bureau of Automotive Repair are cracking down harder every day. Of all their duties BAR is really only cracking down on transmission shops and SMOG requirements and mostly the latter. The one area they are really going after is the visual inspections. It is all a part of a big numbers game they are playing with the Federal Gov for Federal funds. Don't know if any of you have looked at the news lately but Arnold really wants more Federal money and that is one area where they seem willing to give it. People ARE getting away with it every day. People are also NOT getting away with it every day.
So when I buy your old ones off fleabay, don't expect me to resell them to you for a song to become PRK legal...........
Has anyone had experience with the Fabspeed products, i.e. Carbon fiber air box covers, their high flow (very expensive air filters) and the high flow ss cat. converters. Are they worth the money and are their claims of additional HP accurate? Thanks for anyones help. Chris
+1 to rifledriver. Looking for more fed $ is exactly right. Many states have thrown out emission testing for vehicles without OBD altogether, but this farce they are playing in California gets more laughable almost weekly. If they keep saying it they might just believe it themselves one day
Don't blame it on California. It is a Federal farce, their game, their rules. We are just playing it for the money.
That is exactly why I moved from So Cal. Absolutely loved the weather and things to do but the taxes are getting too high and the regulations are getting beyond rediculous. In the next two years hopefuly, I plan to have a vacation home down in OC and live in Washington ( in Vancouver just across the river from Portland, Oregon) for 2 weeks and then So cal for a week, etc. I am an independent currency trader so as long as I have high speed internet without a delay (no sat) then it doesn't matter where my primary residence is. That is why I live in Washington (was Nevada). No State income tax. Cali can keep their taxes and illegals who suck the system dry.
