Californians, how far can you push CARB?

slayr281

The poster formerly known as slayr420
Founding Member
Jun 15, 1999
7,591
18
98
San Diego, California
I had all these dreams and aspirations of turboing my daily driven cobra to around 700hp, which sounded great. Unfortunately, I'm new to California, and not too knowledgable about CARB, which pretty much ended those dreams as there aren't any legal turbo kits.

Now what? Are all superchargers legal? How many mods can I make that will keep it legal or very close to legal, and how far can I go?
 
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All catbacks w/ mufflers are legal. BBK, Frpp, and JBA shotie headers are legal. Underdrive pullies are legal. Aftermarket upper plenium and throttlebody is fine. Most CAI are legal also. Mac straight shot is legal also the KNN FIPK too. The only thing that comes to question is the Midpipe, Only the stock midpipe is legal. But what you can do is get a aftermarket one w/2 cats of course and keep the stock one and change it out when before you take the car to get smogged. Just put about 300 miles on the stock H-pipe when you put it back on to break it in again, thats what I do , cause it only takes me 30mins to change out the pipe once every 2 years. Most superchargers are CARB legal. Some more advise whenever you get your smog done take your car to a mom and pop shop they are more passive and don't ask questions.
 
01TrueBlueCobra said:
All catbacks w/ mufflers are legal. BBK, Frpp, and JBA shotie headers are legal. Underdrive pullies are legal. Aftermarket upper plenium and throttlebody is fine. Most CAI are legal also. Mac straight shot is legal also the KNN FIPK too. The only thing that comes to question is the Midpipe, Only the stock midpipe is legal. But what you can do is get a aftermarket one w/2 cats of course and keep the stock one and change it out when before you take the car to get smogged. Just put about 300 miles on the stock H-pipe when you put it back on to break it in again, thats what I do , cause it only takes me 30mins to change out the pipe once every 2 years. Most superchargers are CARB legal. Some more advise whenever you get your smog done take your car to a mom and pop shop they are more passive and don't ask questions.
Only BBK throttle bodies are legal. Ever see a CARB sticker or EO # on an Accufab, C&L, etc etc? NO! That means they are NOT legal to have on your car. It's simple, if the mod has a CARB sticker or an EO # assigned to it, it is legal.
PM bcardinal here on stangnet and ask him, he is a CARB referee or something and knows all about CA smog laws.
 
Duane123 said:
If it makes you go fast it is illegal. (Joke) Look at our gas! And guess what it's going to get worse.
Yeah, maybe I shouldn't be making a ton of power. Currently, I'm only getting about 200 miles a tank, and at 2.50 for 93, it's a $40 fill-up.

Thanks for the suggestions guys, let's hope that Kwanza Ken is kind to me this year with legal presents.
 
Yah. The Accufab is not legal. I kept mt stock throttle for smog cert day. You can still get plenty of HP and be smog legal. Port your stock blower and throttle. Run a high boost pulley. Best mod is a tuner like the predator. It lets you save your stock tune and put in back in anytime. Depending on what you are wanting to do with the car, gears can make a big difference and are very smog legal. Suspension and stiffining are very good mods. people think that HP is the only way to go fast. Stock HP isnt bad if you have better handling and breaking.

The Duke
 
hey i heard the smog word come up. there are legal turbo kits for mustangs, however the only ones that are legal are for 5.0 stangs. most of the Kenne Bell superchargers are legal as long as they are used with a specific pulley(needs to be a certain diameter). there are no legal midpipes, u must have the OEM one with 4 or 6 cats depending on what year your car is. note: the oem cat rule applies to 96+ model year cars. you need to make sure that the part you buy carries a CARB EO number for your application. pretty much every part thats engine related need to carry a CARB EO. on the issue of cams, we cannot check the cam specs but one that is approved has a higher likelyhood of passing tailpipe. the following items i know for sure are illegal in CA: adjustable fuel pressure regulators, timing adjusters, MIL eliminators, any non stock with all OEM cats midpipe, non approved cold air intakes, non approved plenums and throttle bodies, non approved MAFs, boost controllers, stand alone fuel systems, any modification to the PCV system including any and all breather filters. there are more but thats all i can think of at the moment.
 
slayr281 said:
Yeah, maybe I shouldn't be making a ton of power. Currently, I'm only getting about 200 miles a tank, and at 2.50 for 93, it's a $40 fill-up.

Thanks for the suggestions guys, let's hope that Kwanza Ken is kind to me this year with legal presents.
where the hell are you paying 2.50 for 93!!!!!! i want i want!!!
 
1990StangLX said:
where the hell are you paying 2.50 for 93!!!!!! i want i want!!!
There's a Navy Exchange at the end of Aero Drive, take a right off of 15. My brother cut my hair so short, during my last trip home, to the point where I can easily pass for being semen. :flag:

I don't feel guilty about it either, oh no, I'm robbing the Navy .13 cents a gallon. Hell, my dad didn't even know that he had to be military, he fueled up for a couple months until they saw his gut and told him to beat it. The Costco in the Fenton Marketplace off Friar is pretty damn good too, but not worth paying their membership fees for.
 
For some reason I thought you had a GT, well I guess you don't have to worry about pleniums. Just buy any mod you want , but keep your stock parts for smog day. I know it may seem a hassle to put your stock stuff back on , but its only every 2yrs I'm sure you can manage that. California is the worst state for Stangs , it has the most ananl smog laws and the worst gas in the union 91 octane. This is what happens when you let a bunch of tree hugging liberals run your state. I still believe you shouldn't go with a off road midpipe but I don't see why wou can't use a aftermarket one w/ 2 cats.
 
slayr281 said:
There's a Navy Exchange at the end of Aero Drive, take a right off of 15. My brother cut my hair so short, during my last trip home, to the point where I can easily pass for being semen. :flag:

I don't feel guilty about it either, oh no, I'm robbing the Navy .13 cents a gallon. Hell, my dad didn't even know that he had to be military, he fueled up for a couple months until they saw his gut and told him to beat it. The Costco in the Fenton Marketplace off Friar is pretty damn good too, but not worth paying their membership fees for.
my hair is too long and i am not horny/desperate enough to pass for a navy guy. :(
and its "seaman" not "semen"..you don't want to be semen....do you?

i get costco gas cause i am a member through my dads company but you can only get 91 there. i want 93!!!
 
Slayr,

What DOESN'T bother you about taking advantage of privilege you haven't earned? I don't believe you're entitled to mock service members who HAVE earned the right to enjoy a 13 cent cut on gas in exchange for their commitment to secure you the right to purchase fuel at all. PLEASE don't take advantage of something you don't deserve. Allow those who do serve or have retired the right to be proud of something they have truly earned. Until you join the military, buy your fuel at a civilian gas station. :flag: