The laws in California seem pretty strict on what modifications one can make to their car and that concerns me all the time. I was going to get a JDM 4-1 with heatshields because it would look stock and no one would really notice. Now I'm really considering getting the Spoon header but the idea of cops giving me tickets on modifications is not a good thing. What about when it comes time to smog my car? It would be a real pain to remove my header just to smog it. I'm pretty sure it's not too hard to find a place that doesn't look under the hood when smogging the car.
What do you guys recommend I do?
1. Mod the car and don't worry about tickets and smogging.
2. Mod the car with only street legal parts.

Please help out. TIA

 

I have chosen Option #1...hell I have 4 years to play before the first smog...and changing out the header is easy work if you have somewhere to do the work(thanks Chris )


[Modified by Austin, 10:12 PM 12/19/2001]

 

So it's 4 years until the first smog and then every 2 years after that?

 

would you still pass smog with your JDM 4-1 header? I'm curious too since thats what i'm getting in two weeks. Do these smog station places give you a hard time on aftermarket exhausts?

 

For the JDM 4-1, it would more than likely pass smog if only based on the sniffer. If they were REALLY looking at your car, then it would fail the visual inspection test. It really depends on where you get your car smogged. Last time when I got my previous car ( '90 CRX DX), the guy didn't even pop the hood or look around. He hooked the machine up and kept running it until I passed the test.


[Modified by B2FiNiTY, 10:44 PM 12/19/2001]

 

well lets just say, if your need for power is that strong, then worrying about tickets and smog stuff is low on your list of problems. I drive my car around all the time. However I also did get pulled over by 5 cop cars this one time in my area and they all inspected my car. I ended up having to go to the CA state smog ref station. (see my past posts on that) and had to have it inspected, then smog'd on a load dyno which can detect practically anything including cams and internal work. I converted my car back to stock or legal state with just the blower on. They passed it, charged me $85 for the smog test and sent me home. I then got a ticket in the mail for the smog violation of around $150-400 even though I proved that it was smog legal.

Just becareful, cuz it can get very expensive and a large hassle if you get pulled over a lot. I now have a fighting chance because I now have a CA state smog ref sticker in my engine bay that shows the cops that my car was inspected and proved to be legal. Also to those with engine swaps, getting inspected by the state ref and getting this sticker is requirment to have.

 

smog tests suck

 

What's happen when the cop pulls you over and find out that you have a modified engine? ticket? how much? would a cop know about headers?

 

after just going through the whole gross poluter thing.
i can attest on how fun it is.

if you are worried about passing smog then get a new b pipe and weld an additional cat on. it works wonders. then just bolt back what ever else u need. sometimes if you just get a new cat, it will help out alot

trying not to get pulled over is kinda fun. not sure what u have on your car, but get a smaller exhaust tip if you have a 4" + take off any decals, and dont play your music too loud when driving around with cops near by

i live in a good little town, the cops dont worry too much about super modified cars running around with black plooms of smoke coming out the exhaust

i doubt that a cop will care if he pops the hood and sees a shiny header. worst case you could get it painted or coated or something. your aem, should not matter because it is carb legal. you could just find a used header and take of the carb sticker than weld it on which ever header u choose

good luck

 

are DC headers smog legal?

 

Depends which DC headers. I think the ones that are CARB exempt should have a label or at least include something that says it is. I know the JDM 4-1 and Race headers are not legal.

 

Some cops know as much about our cars as we do, others have no clue, i.e. Why does your Acura have a Honda engine in it??

P.S. I'm going the Number 1 route

Edit: Typo



[Modified by SoCal ITR, 2:24 AM 12/20/2001]

 

Thinking and more thinking has brought me to the conclusion of going #1 since I have many friends with heavily modded cars and they don't have any trouble at all. Little tickets here and there but nothing I can't handle. You gotta pay sometime or another.

 

I heard that if you bought the car new after 1998 then youdon't need to smog it untill you sell it!! Good luck with the mods!

 

Thats not true.. too good to be true.

 

Are you sure?? I pretty sure because a friend of mine got a car at the beginning of 1998 and he does not have to smog it because of that.... Don't know how true it all is?

 

I ran open dowpipe for a year in my old boostin gsr

 

Smog test? What's that?

sackdz- who is from

<----- Where we don't have that

 

I am sure.

 

no smog check for the 1st 4 yrs and then every other year after that.

yoshi - whose leaving work now to go install my gozig


just in case I don't log back before xmas...Merry Xmas!!!

 

Merry Xmas too everyone
It's been a fun year knowing and meeting you all... !!!!!

 

damn i feel so bad for you guys...that sucks...people should be able to do whatever they want w/ their cars...i heard they dont ever pull over domestics