It's hit or miss with smog shops and visual. I've had two smog inspections here in CA since I've had my LTs (both Test Only shops) and passed.

You always have the option of doing a pre-inspection, even though you do have to pay.

Good luck.

 

Show me, I'd like to see it. I'm not calling you out or because I don't believe you, but the law I quoted (for comparison sake) was from VC 27150.

What you say, given the state we live in, sounds logical, but I'd rather see it on paper/website to fully believe it.

Plus, on the flip side, imagine leaving that discretion to a smog tech at a smog check place...... "hey, make sure that exhaust isn't louder than stock". What does he have to compare it to?

 

Only in a cop's eye if he chooses to climb under your 4 in. clearance ride or bust out a mirror to look for it.

I only posted what was law according to the DMV's website, not what you could/couldn't get away with. Who knows, maybe it's not on the list of things to look for in the "visual" inspection. For comparison sake, when I searched the DMV website for "visual" and "smog", what I got in return was during a smog check, they look for visual signs of a fuel leak. Go figure. We all know they look for more, but I couldn't find it.

On a side note, I remember almost getting failed for AIR because the tech thought it was an illegal device. That goes to show you how much smog techs know.

 

i think in ten years ourcars will not need to be smog checked.....lol
or they are gonna make the make cars with 8 cylinders illegal...
and if you drive on you will be arrested for murder for killing the ozone..
im so board

 

Any exhaust mods are illeagal. Weather you get a ticket or fail inspection is completly different because its not heavily enforced. Almost no shop is going to tell you that they wont take your money just because you have an aftermarket exhaust. As long as you have not moved the cats and dont have LTs you should be ok. But if your car needs inspected by a state referee you are screwed unless you find a cool one.

My beast friend is a Police officer and can give tickets for ANY exhaust mod but doesnt bother anyone unless they are being a dick to him.

 

^^^ lol i'd like to see that police officer try and give me a ticket

 

Not according to the vehicle code. If your cop friend believes this, he better start reading because he's wrong.

Tell him he can start here:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d12/vc27151.htm

And so he completely understands the law:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/vc/tocd12c5a2.htm

You would think a cop would know the law.

 

Hey Bry, I found the code. Its VC27151. States "no person shall modify the exhaust system of a motor vehicle in a manner which will increase or amplify the noise emmited by the motor of the vehicle....." blah blah

Its in the March issue of GM High Tech.

 

so I take from all of this that the glass packs I was intending to put on would be no beuno?
I was looking for the performance, look, and noise of a really nasty true dual from the headers on back.
Issue is that I can play the out of state game all I want. I have IL plates because I am a IL resident due to the military. I thought that was going to get me out of CA smog, but in order to get base stickers I need to have a CA smog test. It is gay. I avoided it for a long time by using the stickers on it from the previous owner. It has a flowmaster, and that passed. I want to go TD though, and as far as I know, it is legal in IL to have true duals. They do not have smog out there, except around the major cities. Where I will be moving back to does not require it, and I can keep my residence to my parent's house as long as I am in the Military. If IL smog laws are gay, I plan on getting CA plates on it just before I leave. I plan on playing the state to state game as long as I can to keep my car loud and to have TD.
I wonder how much it is enforced though, because my buddy's TA (RedHotTransAm) is VERY VERY loud. We drove that thing around Oceanside/Camp Pendleton area for several months (before the gas started killing him) and never got hasseled. I live right next to the court house, and the cops rolled by us every day and never even blinked, and you can hear his TA at least 1 1/2 blocks away, it is nasty. I love it, and that is what I am looking for, that nasty sound.
BTW, surprised to see this thread has gone on so long.

 

Honestly, do most shops know where the cats are suppose to be? I go to an old foreign guy. I watched when he did it, they just popped the hood, didnt look underneath anyways.

 

this is true, but you can't always count on the incompetent old foriegn guy...

 

You stopped short of the noise limits part. Its not just "if it amplifies the noise, its illegal", but if it amplifies the noise so that the vehicle is not in compliance with the provisions of Section 27150 or exceeds the noise limits established for the type of vehicle .

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d12/vc27151.htm

From my interpretation, it CAN be modified and made louder, so long as it doesn't exceed the noise limit.

 

95 decibles, are they kidding? I am shooting for at least 120 decibles. I really wonder if I can get away with the whole, "but officer, it is an Illinois car!"

 

Someone should make reverse electronic cut-outs so when you get pulled over you flip the switch and it becomes alot quieter.

 

No matter what you do to your car its not leagal in CA, You could of just invented Long tube headers that Gives out 50% less Emmisons, and they still would be Illeagal. But everyone here know for a fact that they all dont care about the LAW! Everyone just wants a bad *** F-Body that can run 12's on street Tires plain and simple! lol who dont agree with me here?

 

True because i have had the DB tester busted out on me a few times and i have been fined for being over it. though i forgot what it was now ( i think 95dbs)

 

Yup your right, the law states anything done to modified a stock vehicle is illegal... anything from aftermarket shiftnobs to window tint. Lame.

 

I have a cut-out in the I-pipe and when I go to smog I close the cut-out and run my Maganflow and once the smog test is over I open the cut-out again

 

Thats why Camaros were offered with SLP 345hp, GMMG, and other companies so we could get away with that leagaly to bad some of those cars are 40k+

 

Honestly, I don't see why someone would fail emissions even though they have stock manifolds, oem cats and an aftermarket exhaust. There are a lot of people in the Bay Area and up here in Marysville that pass smog even with an aftermarket exhaust system. I mean think about it, what emissions person is actually gonna get on their knees to look under your car to see if you have an aftermarket exhaust or cutouts (that should be closed while you're getting the car tested)? As for true duals, someone go get smogged and post the results...