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So if you buy a used STS kit from before they got CARB certified, can you get a CARB sticker for it? Or do you have to buy a new KIT from after they got certified?
updated link for anyone that does a search and gets this thread as a result.
As far as reply #11 goes, theres more to legality than just not changing the location or presence of emissions equipment. Most laws, Clean Air Act included, state that a modification cannot increase emissions. What that means is even if a catalytic converter is there, if a modification causes it to no output "legal" exhaust, the modification is illegal. Each component and it's software in the PCM if its computer controlled is designed to work with a certain amount of air and fuel being injested by the engine. When a modification causes whats leaving the combustion chamber to reach the point they start exceeding the capacity of those systems as it left the factory to clean up the exhaust, its an illegal modification. When people like STS design a kit to be carb legal, they have to demonstrate with dyno results, mimicing all different types of scenarios, that their product keeps the exaust within acceptable limits. That dynoing, and redesigning something if needed and dynoing all over again, is what makes CARB certification (and hence the final product sold to consumers) cost so much. The crappy thing is there are many parts that dont really increase emissions enough to make "bad exhaust," but for costs of time reasons, the part maker doesn't go throught that process. They just throw a "for offroad use only" or "not for pollution controlled vehicles" or "not for highway use" warning out there, knowing 95% of people are going to buy it anyway. Then when they go somewhere that does a by the book inspection, they fail and want to say the inspector is wrong.
Its my understanding that The sts is simply a bolt on kit that replaces the muffler. The muffler is not an emissions component, just for sound. Now inorder to make the sts work at its maximum potential the motor needs to be built as in any forced induction application. Otherwise thise who just bolt it on are severely disappointed in the power gains per dollars. ~Hawk584, former owner of 1995 firehawk #584 with built 385ci.in LT1 w/ intercooled STS.... you're eff'ed in California
10-07-2010, 09:54 PM
STS Kits for 99-02 LS1... CARB Legal? 
