CARB legal downpipe

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Old 04-21-2009, 09:43 AM
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Jesus - what a PITA I think I'll just run stock pipe for now.
There are rules stating that you can replace the cats with aftermarket ones, but it the original has to have "failed" and have more then 50K miles
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Old 04-21-2009, 09:48 AM
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Originally Posted by willow
Good days are over with all these CHP now looking really hard to pull us over. Put those cats back on.
Yep hence my idea of "stealth" install. I am working to hide each mod so a look under the hood even by a well trained person will see nothing.

My only catch is the exhaust, I can hide the fact its 3" pipe by using it all the way out (no change in size = not detectable) but what do to for a muffler. I was thinking just a stock STI one
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Old 04-21-2009, 10:31 AM
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Originally Posted by Overbear
Thought about that, played around with a spair shield I pulled from a junker. Too thin and would show the marks. When I ran it on the wheel I got a nice smooth look that with a little work was "stock" as can be.

also the tig weld is important so the joint/gasket wont fail down the road. I would more than likely wrap the whole pipe before I bolted on the shields to hide the bright polish.
yeah i completely forgot about how bad taht stuff is

its some crap pot metal

i tried polishing the stock turbo heat shield

it took an hour
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Old 04-21-2009, 10:32 AM
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Originally Posted by Lowend
Jesus - what a PITA I think I'll just run stock pipe for now.
There are rules stating that you can replace the cats with aftermarket ones, but it the original has to have "failed" and have more then 50K miles
yes you can but they have to be CARB approved
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Old 04-21-2009, 12:44 PM
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you could possibly replace the flange on the OEM downpipe with a cast bellmouth, similar to the APS part, and still be legal.

but that's a lot of work to stick with the stock cat.
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Old 04-21-2009, 12:57 PM
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Originally Posted by Overbear
The best I have come up with so far, is to run the perrin 2 piece downpipes, weld the 2 sections together (tig) then take the stock shields off the stock downpipes. Run them in a English wheel to stretch the metal out and make it fit the new 3" pipe and rivet them on.

The only way at that point anyone would know, is to rip the shields off.
yeah, I think a few people have pondered that route. It'd take a lot of work, but probably is doable. Make sure you weld everything down well, or it'll rattle and annoy the hell out of you! Didn't maddad make a stock looking cat delete for a while?
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Old 04-21-2009, 01:01 PM
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Originally Posted by RussB
you could possibly replace the flange on the OEM downpipe with a cast bellmouth, similar to the APS part, and still be legal.

but that's a lot of work to stick with the stock cat.
probably still illegal

tehy dont like you messing at all with the cat pipe
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Old 04-21-2009, 01:31 PM
  #23  
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Originally Posted by Overbear
The best I have come up with so far, is to run the perrin 2 piece downpipes, weld the 2 sections together (tig) then take the stock shields off the stock downpipes. Run them in a English wheel to stretch the metal out and make it fit the new 3" pipe and rivet them on.

The only way at that point anyone would know, is to rip the shields off.
Sounds like a waste of money to me.

If you have the skills to weld the 2 pieces together, english wheel the heat shields then why buy a manufactured exhaust set up? Just buy a couple hi flow cats and build your own.

The english wheel work is gonna be just as evident to a trained eye as a highly polished exhaust... and if you think they can't tell the difference between a 3 inch exhaust and the sock exhaust just because it is the same diameter all the way back then why cover it at all... they must be stupid. Right.

hell you can tell while you're driving behind the car if it's 3 inch or stock.

If you're gonna go through all the effort to weld up nice polished bits and try to cover them then I'd suggest building you're own TBE out of non polished stainless and use a stock(ish) can. That is the only true "stealth" exhaust.

Bottom line is these laws are gonna keep piling up as long as enthusiast keep letting them. And companies are not gonna pay for the process to make things CARB legal until we make them.

Look at the perrin piece. It's legal in all non carb states. Why would a company go through the extra effort when the part can be sold EVERYWHERE else.
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Old 04-21-2009, 01:55 PM
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More I hear this, more I don't like CARB. Why don't we just let snif test determine smog test and no visual? It may encourage more enthusiasts to buy exhaust pipe with high flow cat rather than going catless or external waste gates.
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Old 04-21-2009, 01:57 PM
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Old 04-21-2009, 01:58 PM
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Originally Posted by OneManArmy
Sounds like a waste of money to me.

If you have the skills to weld the 2 pieces together, english wheel the heat shields then why buy a manufactured exhaust set up? Just buy a couple hi flow cats and build your own.

The english wheel work is gonna be just as evident to a trained eye as a highly polished exhaust... and if you think they can't tell the difference between a 3 inch exhaust and the sock exhaust just because it is the same diameter all the way back then why cover it at all... they must be stupid. Right.

hell you can tell while you're driving behind the car if it's 3 inch or stock.

If you're gonna go through all the effort to weld up nice polished bits and try to cover them then I'd suggest building you're own TBE out of non polished stainless and use a stock(ish) can. That is the only true "stealth" exhaust.

Bottom line is these laws are gonna keep piling up as long as enthusiast keep letting them. And companies are not gonna pay for the process to make things CARB legal until we make them.

Look at the perrin piece. It's legal in all non carb states. Why would a company go through the extra effort when the part can be sold EVERYWHERE else.
Do you ever look at anything as "half full" rather than "half empty"?
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Old 04-21-2009, 02:00 PM
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Originally Posted by willow
More I hear this, more I don't like CARB. Why don't we just let snif test determine smog test and no visual? It may encourage more enthusiasts to buy exhaust pipe with high flow cat rather than going catless or external waste gates.
LA use to have smog days where you cant go out side to do activities

now we can

but im trying to get it back to how it was
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Old 04-21-2009, 02:00 PM
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Originally Posted by Overbear
Do you ever look at anything as "half full" rather than "half empty"?
no not ever




ever ever ever









ever
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Old 04-21-2009, 02:22 PM
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remember, all companies have to do is pay CARB to test out their products to be legal for sale in kalif...

assuming it will pass.

but most dont wanna spend the $$$...
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Old 04-21-2009, 02:26 PM
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Originally Posted by Overbear
Do you ever look at anything as "half full" rather than "half empty"?
I have an empty iced mocha next to me... be nice if it was full.

Has nothing to do with that. it's just cold hard facts and logic.
California is trying to become **** germany minus the concentration camps... oh wait we're not to far off... seems every race and type has it's own "part of town" these days, even the gays.

Just saying man... if you've got a wheel and a tig and the skills... build your own TBE and save yourself the dough. While you're at it build me one.

Care to roll out some floor pans for me? My caddy needs some rust repair. Damn passenger side is all jacked up.
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