What I mean is: it sounds like people get pulled over and reffed regardless of whether or not they're running a cat, and even if they are running a cat it is still illegal, right?

So then once you get a ref ticket and put it back to stock to pass, why would there be any advantage to running catted (again, in the eyes of the law, I'm aware of the other negatives of running catless)? Do they roadside test for emissions around here and if they do, is the penalty reduced for having an illegal race cat vs. no cat at all?

Take this for example (from http://www.aqmd.gov/legal/enfauth.html)
Thus, wouldn't deliberately putting a less-effective cat in one's car the same as running no cat at all?

It seems like there are a lot of people running catless out there, and a lot of cat-delete-type parts, but does anyone have any experience with getting busted and taking extra penalties for catless vs. any other aftermarket part?

 

In my experience if a cops gonna hassle you and sees you have an aftermarket downpipe, you're getting the ticket regardless even if its catted.

 

Anything other than stock they can give you a ticket.

 

this is why a lot of us just leave the stock exhaust system in, it isn't worth a fine of $10,000 per day to find out the hard way... not that I've ever heard of anyone getting the full brunt of the law applied, I'd hate to even be threatened with that.

 

true but not true. technically, if you have a carb sticker, its suppose to be legal, but ive heard laws that contradict this too.. so i dont think it matters period. if you mod your car, be ready for the price to pay for it. specially in fremont with officer Rosseti.. lol

 

And ive seen roadside smog tests

 

This. ^

Any exhaust modification in the state of California is basically "illegal". Even putting on a slightly louder muffler can give an ******* cop a reason to pull you over, because even that is technically a violation.

If you have any sort of aftermarket downpipe, catted or not, the penalty will be the same.

 

Roadside sniffers...I've seen those too...

 

I wouldn't want to be threatened with that at all, but stage 2 is so tempting.

So then it sounds like the the only reason to run an aftermarket catted downpipe would be for personal reasons, not legal.

Right, which is where my original interpretation might come into play. That is, if you're deliberately messing with emissions control it doesn't sound like it matters if you're running 10% or 100% dirtier, the only thing that matters is the deliberate interference with smog controls

This seems like the normal response, man, makes it a tough call.

 

Just don't get a loud CBE.

Or get a Legacy ; )
1 year of stage 2, and 1 year of stage 3 with no probs.

 

are you dying for the extreme loudness, smell and just more attention?

i went with catted perrin and cobb cbe, cause it's quieter so pulls less leo attention but i still got good performance gains off them.

i mean, how much more whp can you get with running catless, and is it worth it to you just for more attention? what's your goals?

you can definitely tell when a catless soobie goes smashing by vs a catted.


also, if i were roadside smogged, i'd fing pass sniffer so they can go f themselves, dumb *** law. thanks feinstein and friends!


last, us wagon owners don't have it as bad as the STI guys... they have those big *** wings that attract mad leo attention and pumping their bovs constantly... lol

 

I've yet to experience a road side smog nor been hassled for exhaust. 7 years running a TBE.

 

Ive never heard of people in PA getting hassled due to no cats etc. I lived in Mtn View for many years and drove around those areas a lot.

Theres always quieter options for stage2 like catted system w/ maddad exhaust. I run a catless with maddad and silencer delete and my car is very quiet unless Im WOT. The same setup is slighly more deeper tone/louder on a 2.5L

 

Not really, haha. Its more that the cost and availability of non-catted downpipes is what makes them look attractive. I'll never come close to maxing my potential horsepower, so the extra power is not the issue. The loudness also wouldn't be particularly desirable as I'm running a Borla XR-1, which is plenty loud for me, and don't want my sound to be too over the top.

Yeah, as long as you're not drunk driving on weekend nights the cops around here are pretty relaxed, and since I'm a resident they have more incentive to leave me alone. However, I'd imagine they would not take too well to someone smashing around all the time, but I won't be testing that theory.


Really it sounds like if someone drives like an asshat and gives cops incentive to mess with them they'll probably get messed with. I'll probably wait and see if a decent used catted piece pops up, I'm an outdoors enthusiast so I wouldn't want to be a hypocrite at the same time

 

Actually, I think the biggest benefits to an aftermarket catted downpipe are (i) the lack of smell, and (ii) the fact that you can still pass smog, at least the sniffer portion.

If you've ever been around a catless car, you'll notice the smell immediately. It's very potent, and if you're familiar with that smell, you'll know right away that the car is catless. In terms of attracting unwanted attention, this can be a very big deal. For example, let's say youre at a stoplight and a cop is behind you - while your exhaust may not be very loud, if he knows what a catless car smells like, you're probably going to get pulled over/ticketed. At least with a catted downpipe, you don't have to worry about this so much.

Also, in terms of smog, if you're catless, you will have to swap back your stock downpipe before going to get your car smogged. With an aftermarket catted downpipe, odds are, you can probably pass the sniffer portion without having to swap back in your stock downpipe.