355 CA smog how to

I'm wondering the same thing. I live in Denver, which has the same smog regulations as California. Every car I look at has aftermarket catless exhaust, which means they have no chance of being registered in my area or in CA without the original exhaust components.

Are there OEM or after market cats available? OEM mufflers too? Any dismantlers that would have these items?

 

When I used to have Hyperflows on my 355, yup, they get swapped every two years to stock Ferrari cats, and then swapped back. You can find stock OEM cats used for $1,000 ish.

 

Without OE componants you will fail the visual inspection for cali. You also have to have all smog monitors set to test except maybe Evap. Many old OE cats off cars are off because they have failed. They were not made well. On 355's especially mixture control was is an issue. Some sys the OE headers have all the blame. Some say it is combo of OE header quality made worse by mixture control. So we see lots of aftermarket cats and aftermarket headers just to make the car run decent after being sorted. You won't get those cars past cali smog. Also in general you have more difficulty passing smog on cars that need to run on dyno. If you have a 2000+ year car for BAR-OIS you can just plug into obd2 port and pass. If monitors are set and no codes it is an easy pass with BAR-OIS.

 

It's important to note that SMOG shops are of variable quality. The 355 I bought in CA had hyperflows on (I didn't realize what I was buying at the time), but it passed smog as the shop wasn't that thorough. Technically a shop should fail you for headers and cats if they aren't OEM or have CARB EO Stamps on them, however I've never been to one that will. Pick your battles and choose your shop wisely.

 

Cats I understand, but why would headers matter? They don't do anything for emissions, do they?

 

They do affect emission if there is a hole, or two, in them.

 

Do after-market 100 or 200 cell pass CA smog?

 

CARB regulates everything related to fuel -> what's inside your block -> what comes out just after the cats. Technically you need OEM or arftermarket CARB certified parts for all of that.

CARB shouldn't be thought of as emissions, it should be thought of as a government agency. Standard setting, part certifications, fee collectors, then they outsource enforcement, which is why it's so spotty.

@ShineKen - I've passed on 200's well in spec
@mcomet - technically yes, but how many shops are intimately familiar with an F355? I remember taking half an hour at the shop because my car didn't have the CATALYST sticker that outlines the emissions flow (wasn't an original CA car). I had to tell them what was going on and in their book what code to use because they didn't recognize the car at all. You pick your battles.

 

Wow. Here in Colorado the same requirements as CA are imposed with regards to which years have to be tested and the frequency, but the only thing the techs do is check for cats and O2 sensor, then put the car on a dyno if the wheel base allows. If not, just an OBD scan and/or tailpipe sniff test. They don't care, and wouldn't know, if the cats are aftermarket or not. I used to drive 80's Porsche 911s, which are 100 times more common than a Ferrari around here, and half the time I had to show them where the cat and O2 sensor is because they couldn't find them even with a mirror. Colorado uses state-run emissions testing centers only, and they're all staffed by clueless state employees who are only familiar with common everyday cars. Ferraris are so rare here that I doubt if any of the techs could even recognize a header if they were staring at it. They only verify the emissions equipment originally equipped. If you have something resembling a cat, and an O2 sensor, you pass the visual.

 

I register my post 1975 sports cars as historical vehicles in CA. They don’t require a smog. I just give some cock and bull story why it’s historical and you get historical vehicle plates.

 

200 may pass with a restrictive exhaust that keep the cats hot enough, 100 cell or 200 with a free flow exhaust most likely no pass. I tried about every combo.

Happy New Year !!!!!

 

It's actually cars manufactured in 1975 or earlier. So, if your car was manufactured in November 1975 for the model year 1976, you are still exempt.

 

Is there a way to register, say, a late 90's sports car in this manner?

 

SB100, the kit car exemption, with a large amount of creativity.


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I registered my 86 911 Turbo as historical so I’d imagine the 90’s isn’t impossible.

 

It's possible for a Ferrari to be registered as an Historical vehicle if it is 25 years or older. But, it still needs to pass smog if it is 76 or later year.

 

In CT we also have CA emissions requirements until the car is 25 years old. I have to have my 95 sniff tested until last year. Never had a problem with 100 cell cats; 3 tests since I got the car. In fact, when I got the car it dam near passed with 1 empty OE cats and one OE cat that was disintegrating. Stock header and Tubi muffler.

 

Yes, highly insulated so cats light off faster.

 

Does some sell "OEM Original" metal tags? :>)

 

You want to end up in jail?

 

Its very important to pass the first time. If the car is rough they can brand it as a "gross pulluter" and then you have a whole other layer of bureaucratic bs to wade through. Make sure you choose a shop that is casual with the visual part but make SURE the car will pass the sniffer.