OK, i've used the search and couldn't find adequate answers to my questions about the emissions legality of long tube headers. I live in St Louis, MO and we have the gateway clean air program run by the state for emissions testing not local grease shops like for our safety inspections like it used to be. Is CA the only state where a visual test with long tubes and high flow cats will fail you, since perfectly functioning cats were removed. I know some of you in CA say you passed with them on, but did they visually inpect or just mechanically. Any enlightenment anyone can bring to me would be helpful in my decision.

Thanx,
Bill

 

None of the Long tubes have been CARB certified, meaning that they are not legal for sale on pollution controlled vehicles. Federal law prohibits the sale and installation of any part that is not CARB certified on a pollution controlled vehicle. You might physically pass emissions, but if whoever does the testing knows what they are looking for, you will fail and you will have to put the stock stuff back on.

The only headers that have the CARB certification is the Bassani shorty's. but they suck, so there you have it.

G

 

Our California Air Resources Board (C.A.R.B.) has a website that list which aftermarket exhaust products have been board certified for CA legal emissions. So I guess the answer to your questions are.
1. I don't know if Ca is the only state where a visual test with long tubes and high flow cats will fail you.
2. I have had cars with modified exhaust and gone through CA emissions testing successfully after they visually inspected and ran the vehicle on the smog machine. Highly unusual to pass a smog test with your cats removed unless you know the mech. They will normally fail you for visual lack of cats.

 

In other words pray they don't do a visual and decide to nail you for it

 

Don't do visual. They simply do a sniffer test and away you go...

Coldie

 

Visual is req'd here. Were CA, home of the Smog ****'s.

 

You can get around the smog part on the long tubes if you want.Do like what I am thinking of I have the bassanis' cut the tag off and weld it on the long tubes.It has a carb number on it and the majority of the inspectors will look for the number but not know that its for shorties.Stan

 

And you had to put it in writing...

 

I don't think they check for that here in Arkansas. You can drive around here with open headers and get away with it.

 

look into this. Tampering with emmissions controls on power equipment and removal of limiter caps on carb settings carries a 25k fine per offense. This includes repair shops and equipment owners. We should find out if this applies to autos. Tampering with emmisions controling components is a direct void of our warrenties per ford, but i'd hate to see anyone have to pay some huge fine. That seriously cuts into mod money.

 

That also includes the computer chips that most here use on their trucks. Anyone using a crankcase breather would also probably be in violation. Correct? I was sold my aftermarket parts knowing that I could no longer legally drive upon the public roads. I never break the law.

 

It does not cover standard CARB certified programs on any chip. Those are legal. What is not technically legal is the custom programs that are sold by all off the tuners, those have not been CARB certified and do violate the Federal Emissions law.

G

 

exactly! the tuners would have to get carb certification for each non-standard program and that would be very expensive, if they could even get it. That is why I use my truck oof road only and never on public streets.

 

Man and I though you were like the rest of us. Completely stock so the warrenty won't get voided

 

Well, the warranty was voided last year and so now it will have to be an off road Lightning.