[Kaj Hallstrom]

How much can you alter in your engine bay before you get in trouble with the "smog police" Will adding a super charger or any other performance upgrades get you in trouble? Curious about your experience out there!!

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[ds968]

Depends on tne super charger ; you're perfectly fine with the D1R ( it's CA carb certified ! ). As for any other SCs I have no idea, but you could be asking for trouble if you get something else and bolt it on there,unless it's been tested on the car at an actual smog check station and passed . Also, to my knowledge no aftermarket Turbo on a 968 will pass emissions..but I could be wrong . In terms of chips, I think most should be ok, and probably not get close to the emissions threshold limit . I do know that the Speed 6 Racer X chip and air box mod combo is not problem at all , and tne air box mod by itself definitely would not make any difference to emissions.

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[flash]

the Design 1 Racing Supercharger Kit is the ONLY kit CARB certified.  it is 50 state legal.  there is 1 left, and then they are all gone.

 

no other forced induction kit will pass CA smog.

 

chips are dicey.  only autothority went to the trouble of getting CARB certified.  any chip "can" cause your car to fail.  it all depends on how the testing operator runs the test.  it also depends on how the chip gets its power (i.e fuel or timing)  too much fuel and you fail CO.  too much timing and you fail NOX.  it's not common, but i've seen it happen.

 

anything visual can cause you to fail.  headers, for example, are a big no-no.  aftermarket hi-flow cats are a big no-no.

 

cone filters, unless CARB certified for that application, are a big no-no. (there is no cone filter approved for the 968, except as included in the Design 1 Racing Supercharger Kit)

 

the airbox mod only passes because they are not allowed to open anything up.  if they were, they would fail it because of the air filter, which is not CARB certified for this application, even though it is a direct fit.  stupid rule.

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[Kaj Hallstrom]

So there you have it folks!!!......proceed with caution.....good info Flash..thank you!!

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[ds968]

The problem is that more and more stations are starting to look for modifications, in the engine bay and under the car . A few years ago unles it was right in their face and clearly looked to be aftermarket , they'd ignore it or just take your word for it and proceed with the test . If you passed, there wa no problem with anything you had in there . Then the state ( CA ) decided to install cameras in smog stations which have been Star certified and which now the DMV mandates for all testing , to make sure employees were not messing with the computer readings and also that they properly inspect everything ! ) . That said, you can still find a handful of stations who turn a blind eye to a lot of things and just go straight to the test, but they are vet few and far in between .


Watch our for mobile spot checks by the emissions nazis, although I've never been able to confirm if it's fake news or real news, I heard from more that one source that it does take place, but typically they target pick up trucks and cars that " look " suspicious ..


The good news for us is that the 968s run so clean ( far, far below every one of the thresholds ) that you can put any chip in there , running rich or lean and chances are better than not that you'll, still pass . You could fail but IMO it's extremely unlikely with a well running 968 , if all the other components of the emissions system is in good shape.

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[94SilverCab]

Ah, the one reason to love Pennsylvania, once I can prove that I drive less than 5,000 miles/year my car becomes "Exhaust Exempt". I could put a wood burning Hemi in and wouldn't have to answer to anyone... LOL

 

Jay

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[ds968]

 I could put a wood burning Hemi in and wouldn't have to answer to anyone... LOL

 

Jay

:lol:   

 

 

although,you're closer to " coal country"  so why even bother with just wood ? 

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[Rap]

Read the news sweetheart. Can you say shale? Gas not coal.

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[ds968]

One of the local news outlets who interviewed a former official of the EPA on Friday reported he said that it's not just possible,, but rather a certainty the new orders imposed by the WH will eliminate automobiles smog testing, in every state , as early as 2018 .


Please do not politicize this, the political oriented debate threads have been closed , so this is not about whether the action is wrong or right , just wondering if elimination of smog tests ( even in California ..) are indeed that imminent..

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[Chris Vais]

I don't think that they will be eliminated anytime soon. California has always had an independently strong environmental regulatory program in place. Almost all federal environmental laws and regulations were written with the idea that they would serve as a universal minimum standard and those states such as California can have  more stringent law and regulation if they so choose.

 

I grew up in the SF Bay Area and I can remember a time when the air pollution was so bad that you could smell it. I don't mind have to have my cars smog checked every two years. It is small price to pay for clean air.

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[ds968]

Yes, I remember the visible and breathable smog even in 1980 when we moved here.. what I do notice however in the Bay Area ( and it may be by reason of such a large segment of residents here that are rather well-to-do ) is very few cars on the road that are " older " models ; If I had to guess I'd say 75 % of tne cars are less than 5 years old , another 15% are less than 10 years olld which all run far cleaner than the pass / fail thresholds , so those probably don't really need smog checks anyway, doubtful they'll ever deteriorate to the point where they'll pollute , and as for of the other 10 % , probably only a small fraction of those won't pass smog, so I'm wondering if the tests make any difference at all. I don't think we'll ever see those old pollution levels again in this area , at least not from the cats on the road.. But if the states will continue to have the autonomy to determine their own standards beyond the Fed-dictated guidelines , I agree that CA will not likely reverse the current smog-check policy .

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[williamoss]

What I find interesting with pollution control in Oregon, is only those residents who live in the Portland Oregon area need to go thru smog control testing while the rest of the state does not. Not even in Salem which is only 45 south of Portland and is the state Capital of Oregon. This is done I believe because of the cost of maintaining a inspection station. In Oregon you cannot have it done in a garage I think.  

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[flash]

a few years ago, the new federal laws came into effect.  this involved bi-annual air quality testing by the EPA.  if an area failed, it was then subjected to the vehicle testing.  what defined an area though was left up the states.  some use regions, some use zip codes, etc

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[94SilverCab]

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[flash]

lol - if only that weren't the sad truth

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[ds968]

All, check this out : I had the six speed tested today and the results are reflected in the image below ( apologies for the faint print , but that's the best I could do for now ..) . The smog test station technician said in all the years he's had the shop , he has NEVER seen a car so far below the indicated ( avg and max ) tolerance limits, and that includes brand new cars, so for a 23 year old car this was a shock to him. For a second he thought I had replaced the engine with an electric motor, LOL . And to top it all the car is supercharged, so very much in defiance of the myth that an SC will cause you to fail smog tests . It probably helps it run even cleaner ; pretty sure these are even better results that I had prior to the SC, and the car was much much younger then ..


   

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[ds968]

California's new smog test law in 2019 - no more tests for any cars 8 years old or NEWER . Dammit , I was hoping that would have been 8 years ....or OLDER !! :-) :-)

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[flash]

sure makes getting a new car a bit more attractive, doesn't it?

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[ds968]

sure makes getting a new car a bit more attractive, doesn't it?

Or one older than 1975 . ;-) :-)

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[flash]

until the "gross polluter" laws start being enforced.  it reverses the automatic age exemptions.  it allows for "classics" and such, but limits the miles allowed.

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