isnt no convertor pretty much illegal in all of the US? if you dont get inspected then why not?.......i was just doing some reading and under the arkansas regulation it states crankcase system too, so most of you with the 14x3 and the small open valve breather are illlegal probably

 

technically it is illegal to modify most of your vehicle especially when it comes to emissions. Catalytic convertors are federally mandated under the clean air act for all 50 states. It is a veeerrrrryyyy expensive fine for removing, altering, or modifying the cat in any way. Such as hollowing them out. I personally have never seen an inspector disassemble an exhaust to see if the cat was altered. Basically under the visual inspection if it is there they are happy. same goes for smog equipment such as air pumps and air tubes that connect to exhaust manifolds. your egr valve needs to be there but it doesn't mean it functions. I have seen guys put a steel plate between the intake and egr and as long as you gasket it up right it won't leak and technically passes as long as you don't mention what you did and if asked you answer the question right.

 

What about states without a vehicle inspection like Montana? I want to remove my cat because it's going bad (rattles internally), and noone here cares.

 

well, i have mine completely removed and i dont get inspected

 

thats how it is in NC. thats why my y pipe has the shell of a muffler welded onto it

 

actually it's very easy lol

 

I am just going through this now in fact out here in So Cal. So far, I have never had or seen anyone look at my truck. We do smog every other year here and, since 2000, no one has looked under my truck at my CAT.

All they have done is place a probe in the pipe and watch the machine. But, since my truck has been stock- they don't check.

I just got off the phone with the guy who does my inspections and he tells me that they will check if they see any gross changes to the engine- such as headers. If the CAT is not located to OEM spec / location- they won't pass it and tell you to put the OEM stuff back on or, they report it through the machine that's tied into the DMV (depending on who you go to). Then the fine comes in the mail.

Changing out an intake or TB is easy but, exhaust components are not an easy change out in most cases.

Headers alone are illegal out here. Even though the gains are great with running them- they are illegal as is moving the CAT never mind taking it off. If the truck is very loud- the police pull you over and look at it out here and may tow it or if they are nice, give you a fine and a fix it ticket.

 

so technically, my truck is illegal due to the muffler (glasspack) and the 14x3 with standalone breather

 

The problem in California is that the testing machines are so damn sensitive that if you took off or hollowed out your cat, the machine would know even if the human didn't catch it. With a hollowed out cat you can fool a human but the bump in the emissions would cause you to fail, specially since every year they keep finding ways to make emissions more stringent, it's a b1tch out here. Let's wait and see what they do now with Schwarzenegger's new global warming emissions bill that is supposed to go into effect very soon. That is going to blow chunks.

 

Your out here too I take it. Yes, every year it's getting stricter. I am definitely not going with long tube headers- that much, I do know. I am going to go with a top end, tuned shorty set along with a Stock CAT. Still trying to choose an exhaust system.

If I had a welder- I would just swap all the stuff out back to OEM for inspections. Then I would take it off, put on longtubes and a CAT. I wouldn't run without it due to that one time that the police decide to perform a road side inspection. Too risky and, I have never had any problems with the law and don't need any. That's why I am planning on going with the above setup.