Cam Question: California
07-08-2014, 12:17 AM
#1
Cam Question: California
So I live in California and I don't have an issue with the smog hookup, I'm just worried about something we have here called a State Ref. Basically your car gets towed off the road and has to be put back to stock and checked by the state, if that happens you end up coughing up like $2,000 to get your car back to driving on the road.
I'm interested in camming but I'm not too sure if I want to run the Hot Rod Cams or the Comp Cams NSR Stage II cams which doesn't have a lope to it.
My exhaust setup is going to be this,
Pypes Long Tube Headers
Shorty Offroad X pipe
Magnaflow Street Axlebacks
At the moment I have,
Offroad X pipe
Magnaflow Street Axlebacks
They're quiet when i'm idle and daily driving but loud when I want them too. Would hot rod cams be obnoxious or would I be able to get away with a Cam as a Daily Driver?
If I buy the Comp Cams NSR Stage II is there any way I can get a custom tune that I can flash that will give my car a lope when I want it to, but when I reflash to the city tune it wouldn't have such an aggresive lope?
I'm interested in camming but I'm not too sure if I want to run the Hot Rod Cams or the Comp Cams NSR Stage II cams which doesn't have a lope to it.
My exhaust setup is going to be this,
Pypes Long Tube Headers
Shorty Offroad X pipe
Magnaflow Street Axlebacks
At the moment I have,
Offroad X pipe
Magnaflow Street Axlebacks
They're quiet when i'm idle and daily driving but loud when I want them too. Would hot rod cams be obnoxious or would I be able to get away with a Cam as a Daily Driver?
If I buy the Comp Cams NSR Stage II is there any way I can get a custom tune that I can flash that will give my car a lope when I want it to, but when I reflash to the city tune it wouldn't have such an aggresive lope?
07-08-2014, 01:08 AM
#2
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Redding, CA
Posts: 4,552
Good luck with getting that question answered. I do not believe there are any CA legal cams. But, you have to ask yourself how they are going to prove you have cams in your car. It will be difficult to get a cam that makes a performance difference and passes the sniffer, but not difficult to pass the ear test.
You would be more likely to get in trouble for having no cats, the wrong cats, an illegal blower or CAI.
Law enforcement won't mess with you if you are behaving for the most part.
They do have smog check points I think. But I'm not exactly sure how those work.
You would be more likely to get in trouble for having no cats, the wrong cats, an illegal blower or CAI.
Law enforcement won't mess with you if you are behaving for the most part.
They do have smog check points I think. But I'm not exactly sure how those work.
07-08-2014, 02:11 AM
#3
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: May 2013
Location: The Golden State Cali.
Posts: 222
I was told long tubes were a automatic fail in Cali. Don't know much about cams being a smog issue as long as you got your stock catalytic converters still, they also do a visual to make sure you have not removed your converters. Unless your going to change out your long tubes headers back to stock every two years for smog checks. Also if you tune your computer I would definitely retune it back to stock as well before smog test.
07-09-2014, 12:36 PM
#5
This is why everyone should move out of the Communist State of California... It's absolutely retarded the hoops you have to jump through. I'd never live in CA if you paid me $1,000,000! Ya'll should file a class action suit against the gov't of CA... I mean, they can take your car and return it to stock? Go F*** yourself, you don't have the right to tow my car and touch it!
07-09-2014, 02:13 PM
#6
Don't bother!
You will not pass with L/T's or Cams. Even though there are some good tuners out there who can write you a tune to pass the sniffer, you will not pass the visual once they hear the lobe on Hot Rods or see the L/T's. (even though you can still technically pass the sniffer test with one cat)
You will be fine if you did shorties and a catted mid pipe.
BTW, if you get popped for mods, you just get an order to see the Ref and pay the $200+ testing fees. I got popped years ago in my WRX. Cost about $500 to clear the ref.
You will not pass with L/T's or Cams. Even though there are some good tuners out there who can write you a tune to pass the sniffer, you will not pass the visual once they hear the lobe on Hot Rods or see the L/T's. (even though you can still technically pass the sniffer test with one cat)
You will be fine if you did shorties and a catted mid pipe.
BTW, if you get popped for mods, you just get an order to see the Ref and pay the $200+ testing fees. I got popped years ago in my WRX. Cost about $500 to clear the ref.
07-09-2014, 04:29 PM
#7
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: May 2013
Location: The Golden State Cali.
Posts: 222
Don't bother!
You will not pass with L/T's or Cams. Even though there are some good tuners out there who can write you a tune to pass the sniffer, you will not pass the visual once they hear the lobe on Hot Rods or see the L/T's. (even though you can still technically pass the sniffer test with one cat)
You will be fine if you did shorties and a catted mid pipe.
BTW, if you get popped for mods, you just get an order to see the Ref and pay the $200+ testing fees. I got popped years ago in my WRX. Cost about $500 to clear the ref.
You will not pass with L/T's or Cams. Even though there are some good tuners out there who can write you a tune to pass the sniffer, you will not pass the visual once they hear the lobe on Hot Rods or see the L/T's. (even though you can still technically pass the sniffer test with one cat)
You will be fine if you did shorties and a catted mid pipe.
BTW, if you get popped for mods, you just get an order to see the Ref and pay the $200+ testing fees. I got popped years ago in my WRX. Cost about $500 to clear the ref.
07-09-2014, 05:31 PM
#8
Gentleman's Relish
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: AZ
Posts: 13,090
everyone is pointing to LT's as an automatic fail...anyone else catch the Off-road X? That means no cats are present. Good luck passing smog without cats.
Off-road is called off-road because they are not intended for street use in states where they have smog laws.
What you need to look for are parts that have a C.A.R.B. certificate.
You can search those here:
http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/aftermk...es/amquery.php
As I recall, LT's are an automatic fail because they usually drop the cats and force you to use an off-road x or h pipe. However, I want to say Kooks was working on a CARB certified set of LT's for the Mustangs a few years ago. In order for the cert to be valid though, the headers could only be paired with their mid-pipe.
Might want to google it. Cams, can't help you there but you may want to look at FRPP or STeeda. Those two would be the only two that I think would care enough or have the pockets to make their stuff CARB certified.
Off-road is called off-road because they are not intended for street use in states where they have smog laws.
What you need to look for are parts that have a C.A.R.B. certificate.
You can search those here:
http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/aftermk...es/amquery.php
As I recall, LT's are an automatic fail because they usually drop the cats and force you to use an off-road x or h pipe. However, I want to say Kooks was working on a CARB certified set of LT's for the Mustangs a few years ago. In order for the cert to be valid though, the headers could only be paired with their mid-pipe.
Might want to google it. Cams, can't help you there but you may want to look at FRPP or STeeda. Those two would be the only two that I think would care enough or have the pockets to make their stuff CARB certified.
07-09-2014, 06:46 PM
#9
A lot of you guys seemed concerned about my Long Tube headers and offroad x pipe. As I stated above "I don't have an issue with the smog hookup,".
The issue that I'm having is daily driving a car with an insane lope to it, which would get me pulled over and my hood popped. Regardless I know I won't pass smog, because they're not legal. However one of my buddies I met at the gym had his 07 GT with the hot rod cams, he had put everything back to stock, and smogged his car on the stock tune as well and he passed.
How did he not get a check engine light?
Do you think the lope with hot rod cams is too much, or should I go with the Comp Cams NSR Stage II which has a slight lope and the same amount of power gains?
The issue that I'm having is daily driving a car with an insane lope to it, which would get me pulled over and my hood popped. Regardless I know I won't pass smog, because they're not legal. However one of my buddies I met at the gym had his 07 GT with the hot rod cams, he had put everything back to stock, and smogged his car on the stock tune as well and he passed.
How did he not get a check engine light?
Do you think the lope with hot rod cams is too much, or should I go with the Comp Cams NSR Stage II which has a slight lope and the same amount of power gains?
07-09-2014, 06:48 PM
#10
Don't bother!
You will not pass with L/T's or Cams. Even though there are some good tuners out there who can write you a tune to pass the sniffer, you will not pass the visual once they hear the lobe on Hot Rods or see the L/T's. (even though you can still technically pass the sniffer test with one cat)
You will be fine if you did shorties and a catted mid pipe.
BTW, if you get popped for mods, you just get an order to see the Ref and pay the $200+ testing fees. I got popped years ago in my WRX. Cost about $500 to clear the ref.
You will not pass with L/T's or Cams. Even though there are some good tuners out there who can write you a tune to pass the sniffer, you will not pass the visual once they hear the lobe on Hot Rods or see the L/T's. (even though you can still technically pass the sniffer test with one cat)
You will be fine if you did shorties and a catted mid pipe.
BTW, if you get popped for mods, you just get an order to see the Ref and pay the $200+ testing fees. I got popped years ago in my WRX. Cost about $500 to clear the ref.
A lot of mustangs near me have been getting towed off the road by CHP for no cats.