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Old 07-09-2013, 12:41 PM   #1
geekxism
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Default TBE and CA Smog?

I'm looking to purchase a turboxs tbe. I know that it will not pass visual if there's any sort of thought that there's an aftermarket exhaust on, but do you think if i were to swap out the axleback to stock when it comes down to smog it, will i still be able to pass emissions?

i have an intake on right now but it has a carb sticker so i think i'm okay in that field. any thoughts?

thanks in adv.
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Old 07-09-2013, 08:27 PM   #2
Johnmoore55
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When smoging they will pop your hood and look at the downpipe. It's very easy to spot a stock dp vs aftermarket. Keep your stock dp and swap out when smog is due. The catback portion can stay on the car.
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Old 07-09-2013, 09:36 PM   #3
geekxism
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i forgot to mention I was looking at the catted version with the catted downpipe. I will still need to swap out the stock dp even when it's catted? Thanks for the tip.
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Old 07-10-2013, 12:32 AM   #4
blubug_768
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^ya ca emission standards have nothing to do with emissions. Their are 49 state legal cats and 50 state legal cats and ones just for competition rulings. Just get whatever and swap it every 2 yrs for a couple hours.
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Old 07-10-2013, 01:53 AM   #5
geekxism
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makes sense. i guess i'll be looking into more info about the catted turbo xs tbe and i'll make sure to keep all stock parts just in case i ever need to swap anything out for smog. shouldn't be too much of a hassle. thanks again.
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Old 07-10-2013, 01:38 PM   #6
geekxism
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just a quick clarification, the aftermarket dp won't pass visual but will it past the actual emissions test along w/ the rest of the other pieces of the tbe?
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Old 07-11-2013, 12:25 AM   #7
Johnmoore55
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I have a cobb catted dp and I have been told it will not pass visual. You may pass emissions with the catted dp but when running a tbe you'll need a tune. At smog they plug into your car and can see the tune on the self checks they preform and it will fail. Just keep your stock dp and replace it to stock when smog comes. Only takes about 45 minutes to replace dp once you've done it before.
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Old 07-11-2013, 01:30 PM   #8
geekxism
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thanks for the tip!
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Old 07-11-2013, 06:16 PM   #9
darthalal
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnmoore55 View Post
I have a cobb catted dp and I have been told it will not pass visual. You may pass emissions with the catted dp but when running a tbe you'll need a tune. At smog they plug into your car and can see the tune on the self checks they preform and it will fail. Just keep your stock dp and replace it to stock when smog comes. Only takes about 45 minutes to replace dp once you've done it before.
So does this mean if your car is AP tuned you need to uninstall the AP to pass the inspection? Will they look at the uppipe at all, or will this probably vary depending on the inspector? I'm new to the area, so pardon the probably n00b questions..

I might be moving here permanently in December-ish so if that's the case, I guess it's time for me to start looking for a stock DP and intake..
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Old 07-11-2013, 09:23 PM   #10
frost0fractal
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No need to unmarry your AP, just flash back to the stock map, drive it 100 miles or so after doing this and prior going to the station. It's a headache in its own right, but isn't that bad.

As for passing the emissions part:

This is not an exact science since all parts differ, but running 2 high flow cats in your exhaust system you'll be flirting with the line of passing the sniffer or not.

As for passing the visual part:

Aftermarket DP's are easy to spot, but you could potentially go full anal and custom fit some Subaru heat shields around your aftermarket DP. Even then, smog techs look at cars all the time, there is a good chance they've smogged a few stock cars similar to yours and know roughly what they should look like. Either way it isn't worth the risk, go back to stock for your inspection.
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Old 07-11-2013, 09:37 PM   #11
Concillian
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnmoore55 View Post
At smog they plug into your car and can see the tune on the self checks they preform and it will fail.

In my experience this is not true. I've passed SMOG with 3 different tunes over the years (UTEC & Opensource). I tuned a JDM v7 swap from a salvage title a few weeks ago that when he came back with a downpipe for a stage 2 tune, he told me it passed no problem with the (open source tuned) JDM ECU & JDM downpipe.

Do you have any real world data to back your statement up?
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Old 07-17-2013, 02:49 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Concillian View Post

Do you have any real world data to back your statement up?
Mine passed emissions and failed the checks. I had a cobb stage 1 tune on.
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Old 07-17-2013, 03:40 AM   #13
frost0fractal
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnmoore55 View Post
Mine passed emissions and failed the checks. I had a cobb stage 1 tune on.
Failed because of what though?
The piece of paper they hand you tells you exactly what the problem is so you can fix it...
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Old 07-22-2013, 09:18 PM   #14
amladineo
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I just passed smog this weekend with a cobb stage 1 tune.
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Old 07-22-2013, 09:28 PM   #15
NorcalPaintball
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I think it's really up to the smog shop... they can even not smog you even if you have any non-oem parts even with carb exempt stickers...

Some just have no idea what to look for even when popping your hood. With these, so long as your system monitors are ready and you pass sniffer, you're good to go!

Other shops are so paranoid that if they see anything they aren't familiar with, they'll just tell you to take it elsewhere. (they're trying to get STAR certified and don't want any marks on their record)

a place I went to, didn't even pop my hood, just hooked up the odbii, then put on the sniffer, so it all really depends on where you take it to.
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Old 07-22-2013, 09:29 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Concillian View Post
In my experience this is not true. I've passed SMOG with 3 different tunes over the years (UTEC & Opensource). I tuned a JDM v7 swap from a salvage title a few weeks ago that when he came back with a downpipe for a stage 2 tune, he told me it passed no problem with the (open source tuned) JDM ECU & JDM downpipe.

Do you have any real world data to back your statement up?
when was your last smog? I read that new rules went into place in 2013.
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Old 07-22-2013, 09:30 PM   #17
NorcalPaintball
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and if you aren't really sure if your catted dp will pass, make sure it's hooooottttt before hooking up to the sniffer. Do a few WOTs before pulling up to the shop.
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Old 07-25-2013, 06:10 PM   #18
Concillian
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NorcalPaintball View Post
when was your last smog? I read that new rules went into place in 2013.
My last smog was Feb 2011.
The JDM v7 I tuned went through SMOG about 6 weeks ago.

New rules happen in September of this year (supposedly). Those will be visual & OBDII scan only.
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Old 07-25-2013, 06:18 PM   #19
R7MR7M
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Concillian View Post

My last smog was Feb 2011.
The JDM v7 I tuned went through SMOG about 6 weeks ago.

New rules happen in September of this year (supposedly). Those will be visual & OBDII scan only.
Do you know if the new OBDII scan is more invasive than what they are doing now? I know they at least use it for the readiness checks.
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Old 07-25-2013, 06:21 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by R7MR7M View Post
Do you know if the new OBDII scan is more invasive than what they are doing now? I know they at least use it for the readiness checks.
Don't know what's changing, no.
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Old 07-31-2013, 11:11 AM   #21
kornfeld
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I passed smog with an open source tune just a few months ago. I swapped my Perrin downpipe for the stocker, but left the tune as it was. Passed visual, OBDII, and sniffer.

And I always feel compelled to correct the misconception that laws about catalytic converters are unique to California. They are federal laws which apply to everyone in every state.

The first two questions on page 2 make this pretty clear: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resour...hsysrepair.pdf

Question 6 here is also relevant: http://www.epa.gov/oms/cert/factshts/catcvrts.pdf

California just does a better job of enforcing these laws than many other states. They are still laws elsewhere, though.

I do think it's a shame that something can pass the sniffer but still be considered illegal, but I personally love the fact that we have strict emissions laws. I have a few friends that went to China for the Olympics and were disgusted by the air quality; then got home and bitched about smog tests. Can't have your cake and eat it too.
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Old 08-01-2013, 09:31 PM   #22
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Oh, I definitely am glad cats and unleaded gas exists. I grew up in San Diego in the 80s and remember trips to LA. LA has cleaned up quite a bit since then. It's definitely done some good, but feel like CARB is a little overboard now, doing things to justify it's existence.
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Old 08-02-2013, 07:50 PM   #23
newsoltsc
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I heard starting Jan 1st 2013 that they were going to stop the sniffer test on cars later than 2000.

I remember reading it on the BAR website but I cannot find it right now :/
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Old 08-04-2013, 02:00 PM   #24
super_usdm
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Just passed smog yesterday, sniffer is still in affect. Passed with fmic, cobb intake (with EO#), perrin inlet, CBE. That's as much detail as I'd like to go into on the web, smog laws are strict enough... CA doesn't need us telling them where to look.
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