Sneaking headers through a Calif smog check?
12-16-2006, 05:09 PM
#1
Nordschleife Master
Thread Starter
Sneaking headers through a Calif smog check?
I was looking around my 83, from above and below, and this lightbulb came on, hey I can't see a freaking bit of my exhaust manifold, maybe a set of shorty headers would go unnoticed even in a Calif smog test visual inspection. Maybe have them JetHot coated in black to make them really hard to see, or in "rust" to look original. 
Or am I chasing my tail and 85/86 manifolds are fine and much easier?
Or am I chasing my tail and 85/86 manifolds are fine and much easier?
12-16-2006, 07:42 PM
#3
Under the Lift
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Lifetime Rennlist
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In my experince they look for prescribed items, like cats, O2 sensor, air pump. I don't think they would know stock exhaust from headers. Now, when my 66 Corvette failed smog years ago and I was sent to a referee station, they went over every engine-related part on the car.
12-16-2006, 08:29 PM
#5
Nordschleife Master
Thread Starter
Referee station takes letting NOTHING past them as a personal challenge. They put the cars on a lift and check block and head IDs, read codes from the ECM (which also better match the vehicle).
Even worse some of them now take pictures of whats installed, and if later on things have been changed they can take a very dim view if anything illegal was done.
Right now I am edging in the 85/86 route, its a no brainer, plenty of the manifolds around cheap, and smog problems very unlikely. I did look around some at the MSDS site, but ultimately this isn't about getting the last hp from a 16v. Getting the sound the way I like it makes me happier than going fast.
Even worse some of them now take pictures of whats installed, and if later on things have been changed they can take a very dim view if anything illegal was done.
Right now I am edging in the 85/86 route, its a no brainer, plenty of the manifolds around cheap, and smog problems very unlikely. I did look around some at the MSDS site, but ultimately this isn't about getting the last hp from a 16v. Getting the sound the way I like it makes me happier than going fast.
12-17-2006, 03:54 PM
#6
Rennlist Member
Headers on a late car should be a non-issue. One problem that would arise on my car is that the EGR is built into the exhaust manifold, and there are no headers that provide EGR. With that removed, I would probably have to change my fuel and ignition curves. Too much trouble to change around every two years. Later, when I have a lift, I may come up with a different assessment.
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12-17-2006, 04:21 PM
#8
They are pretty much idiots there. Not to say that some people dont just like to hassle you becuase you own a porsche.
If you are running cats and O2 sensor and blow clean they are 90% likely to not even look closely..
The air pump is hard to see... so I think that if you want to disconnect the air pump or put a dead pulley there you are fine.
If you go headers like Devek ones or Anderson ones then I am pretty sure the rest of the exhaust need to be changed.
headers is to no headers
as
hot rod is to fast car
The headers are probably overkill but they are cool...
The problems with the 85-86 exhaust seems to be the cats and kinks in the rest of the system.
From what I can tell from reading adding and X and going up in diameter slightly with some mandrel bent tubing is a safe way to go.
So for mine I think that I will go ahead and make a dual 2.5" for now and see how that goes... it will be fun to try.
Loren
If you are running cats and O2 sensor and blow clean they are 90% likely to not even look closely..
The air pump is hard to see... so I think that if you want to disconnect the air pump or put a dead pulley there you are fine.
If you go headers like Devek ones or Anderson ones then I am pretty sure the rest of the exhaust need to be changed.
headers is to no headers
as
hot rod is to fast car
The headers are probably overkill but they are cool...
The problems with the 85-86 exhaust seems to be the cats and kinks in the rest of the system.
From what I can tell from reading adding and X and going up in diameter slightly with some mandrel bent tubing is a safe way to go.
So for mine I think that I will go ahead and make a dual 2.5" for now and see how that goes... it will be fun to try.
Loren
12-17-2006, 04:29 PM
#9
Rennlist Member
Originally Posted by tdelarm
It's a high-performance German sports car by Porsche...I doubt they would even know if it was stock or not.
12-17-2006, 06:54 PM
#10
Nordschleife Master
Thread Starter
Mine is an 83 and there is no room to run a dual pipes all the way to the tail pipe, unless the passenger side was routed below instead of in front of the battery box, and that makes it kinda low with any clearance. I haven't looked inside the battery box, so maybe the front bottom area could be "adjusted" inward a bit. I don't have a problem with running a single 3" pipe, its more a question of where the Y or X goes, before the cat, in the cat (magna flow carb eo# cat is 2 in 1 out), after the cats (o2 sensor issues), or after cats and mufflers. 2 in Magnaflow cat since its high flow and legal is high on my list, but I think I could also do a Y and a universal single cat.
OBDII cats don't use a air pump, so I am wondering how that might go legally and otherwise.
I saw the worst ricer exhaust on the freeway today, looked like a 2" pipe going to a chrome muffler and a big exhaust tip. Whatever pokes out the back of my car is going to be black.
OBDII cats don't use a air pump, so I am wondering how that might go legally and otherwise.
I saw the worst ricer exhaust on the freeway today, looked like a 2" pipe going to a chrome muffler and a big exhaust tip. Whatever pokes out the back of my car is going to be black.
