NJ Catalytic Laws

I was interested in purchasing a set of long tube
headers with cats for my GTO. I have a question
about the NJ law on modifying or removing the
catalytic converter. I know this setup will pass
emmisions, however would it still be a street legal
car in NJ ? I heard that you cannot modify or move
the catalytic converters at all. Could you help me
on this. Thanks !!

It is against federal law to move or relocate the convertor. Now whether NJ enforces it... I don't know.
Terry

how much power do u lose through cats with long tubes on an ls1? o just purchased a set of pacesetters but am still deciding to go with cats or not.

I was interested in purchasing a set of long tube
headers with cats for my GTO. I have a question
about the NJ law on modifying or removing the
catalytic converter. I know this setup will pass
emmisions, however would it still be a street legal
car in NJ ? I heard that you cannot modify or move
the catalytic converters at all. Could you help me
on this. Thanks !!
just make friends with one of ur mechanic or somthing , but as long as u have catts most places wont even care

just make friends with one of ur mechanic or somthing , but as long as u have catts most places wont even careNJ has a mobile inspection, If your unlucky enough to be on the road where its being done and you have LT's, your screwed along w/ the shop that passed you...and believe me I see those mobile DMV vans ALL the time

know this setup will pass
emmisions, however would it still be a street legal
car in NJ ? You'll fail the visual because the cat was moved, shorties only in NJ...A ton of guys run LTs in jersey but thats a big chance there taking.

the converters (all emissions equipment as well), by federal law, cannot be moved, removed, or replaced, UNLESS they are required. if they were damaged or do not work, you may replace them with any suitable equivalent to that of the factory unit.

so, you can get aftermarket cats...you can have them put on the car, and you can get long tubes...after you have 50k on the car, or high-center on a speed bump. by the way...the dmv vans in jersey do a sniffer test...if you fail, they will further inspect to see why and submit proper tickets...and the shop won't go down if you tell them you were the one who put it on after the inspection. if your friends are cool enough to help you out...be cool enough to let them do it again by taking all the blame for yor wants :)

wow i figured NJ laws would reflect NY laws but i may have been wrong, technically LTs are illegal in most states b/c they move the catts back out of their origional locations, it takes longer for teh catts to heat up and work right and efficient

also if u car has under 5 years 50k then its also illegal to touch teh catts

its federal law, that any car that came with a cat or any engine swap where the new engine was equipped with a cat must have one....the fine for the first offense is 10,000 dollars, in my area of nj they actually have mobile inspection units, i guess ive been lucky so far

NJ has a mobile inspection, If your unlucky enough to be on the road where its being done and you have LT's, your screwed along w/ the shop that passed you...and believe me I see those mobile DMV vans ALL the time

You'll fail the visual because the cat was moved, shorties only in NJ...A ton of guys run LTs in jersey but thats a big chance there taking.

how do they no they inspected the car like that u can just say u did it after u got the car inspected

how do they no they inspected the car like that u can just say u did it after u got the car inspected
Severous01 explained that in the 2nd paragraph of his post.

A shop owner that puts a sticker on a non-compliant vehicle can get 6 months in jail, and a $10,000 fine. The MVC regularly sends rigged cars into the private shops to see if they can find all the non-compliant items. A friend of mine was hauled into court because they claimed he failed to check the second gas cap on a dual-tank truck, which had been rigged to fail the pressure test. He was able to prove that he did test it and it had passed in spite of the sabotage. But he had to spend a day in court, with a lawyer and the owner of the shop to get it resolved.

NJ is the worst.... my Formula would easilly pass the sniffer at the 500HP level, with dual high flow cats. But there is no way it would pass the "visual".... so my car is no longer street driven. It's "track only" and nowhere near as much fun to own. If it wasn't for the mobile inspection teams, I'd risk it on the street, but knowing how easy it is to get nailed by one of them, I can't risk it. :(

As already stated its not legal. NJ just happens to be really tough on this stuff. I have seen the mobile inspection teams on the TPK and 295. They are pretty decent sized box trucks and they say NJ mobil inspection on the sides. They are usually lined up with a few tow trucks and a few cops.

If you get caught, not only will the state prosicute the station but they will also hand over some hefty fines to you. In the end the fines could end up costing more than your car is worh....

IMO its not worth it in NJ. if its a street car I say go for a leagl set of shorties. If you must have LT then take it off the road.

Guys like Fred and myself have just faced the facts here and made the choice to make em track only cars.

I also have to keep in mind that I am licensed by the State of NJ as a Professional Engineer, and I don't think they'd consider it a reflection of the required "good character" if I got caught with my car on the public roads...... :D

Up until a week ago I had no problem with running LT's with no cat. I had heard about the Mobile Inspection Units, but never in my area. That is until I got stopped by one. Thank God I was in my work truck and not the Camaro or I'd be f'ed. I'm probably going to be picking up a new car in the not too distant future for all around driving (most likely a Cobalt) and taking the Camaro off the street and making it a full race car. I have friends and family in law enforcement who have gotten me out of tickets, but it doesn't help with the DMV. After I get a new car, I doubt I'll have the Camaro out for anything besides quick trips around town, its just not worth the trouble.

Where were you when they stopped you?

I've run across the Mobile Inspection Team twice this week. On Rt 34 near the entrance to Earle Naval Weapons station, and then down on Rt 70 near where it joins Rt 72. The second one was only inspecting diesel trucks. I didn't get stopped, but it wouldn't matter because its the "company car" (2003 F-150 XLT Crew Cab 4WD, with yellow flashing lights on the roof).

The majority of the time thats what they are looking for. the "work" trucks that have been neglected and the street driven race car. If its a new truck they might let it pass by. Diesel trucks get a smoke test and saftey inspection... and I think the hit the average car just at random.

I was pulled over by DOT in PA on 95 last year at my old job. They fortunately found nothing wrong and sent me on my way. I was in a Ford E350 diesel.

I know they have been getting tougher with it and rumor has it they are adding a few more inspection teams to the crack down in the near future.

Ive seen the NJ teams on several ocasions on the njtpk as far south as exit 4 where I am.

When I got stopped in the work truck, I was on 35 South in Wall Township, right near Sea Girt. I didn't have to go through the whole inspection since I had been to the inspection station the previous day and had proof. While I was there the DMV truck had a 97ish Mustang GT they were going over with a fine tooth comb. I've seen the diesel emissions tests twice on 34 North near Earle, as well as on 9 South in Howell.

dude new jersey is f-ing gay , what ever happen to our freedom

i read thru this.


mu understanding is you can have LTs legally if the car is more than 5 yrs. old or has more than 50k on it and has cats?


am i getting this right?

i read thru this.


mu understanding is you can have LTs legally if the car is more than 5 yrs. old or has more than 50k on it and has cats?


am i getting this right?


if you move the cats from factory location then its not legal. No mater how old, or how many miles it has, or who its registered to.... LT's will get you in big trouble in NJ plain and simple.

if you move the cats from factory location then its not legal. No mater how old, or how many miles it has, or who its registered to.... LT's will get you in big trouble in NJ plain and simple.


that really sucks!and its BS!:mad:

just read thru all of this, i hate the inspection laws here, what we should do is all chip ina nd buy a house down in like florida, and everyone use that mailing address and get florida, licenses and plates (no mandatory inspection) lol well neway it was a joke but would be cool lol

plenty of cars have passed with LTs.from what i understand theyre looking for codes and if you pass the sniffer youre ok.


they didnt even look under my car when i was there last month.

I just passed a crew stopping people on Thursday. They were on the Comadore Barry bridge right after you pay the toll. Guess what they had pulled over.... a shiny new red corvette.

its federal law, that any car that came with a cat or any engine swap where the new engine was equipped with a cat must have one....the fine for the first offense is 10,000 dollars, in my area of nj they actually have mobile inspection units, i guess ive been lucky so far

I understand this, except the part about the engine swap? So.... If an engine swap is done with a moptor that doesn't come with cats, it is legal to not run them? Is that actually a valid loophole? I thought that the cat requirement was based on the year requirements of the vehicle, not the motor...

Ted I belive you are correct on this. If the car was originally equiped with cats then they must still be there.

Otherwise I could just swap in a BB502 crate motor and go crusing around town. Unfortunately I already know that its not legal to do that....

Thats what I thought... In Maine if an engine swap is performed the engine must be the model year of the car or newer with all the emission controll functional and in place.

Where were you when they stopped you?

I've run across the Mobile Inspection Team twice this week. On Rt 34 near the entrance to Earle Naval Weapons station, and then down on Rt 70 near where it joins Rt 72. The second one was only inspecting diesel trucks. I didn't get stopped, but it wouldn't matter because its the "company car" (2003 F-150 XLT Crew Cab 4WD, with yellow flashing lights on the roof).
Yea theres also one not to far from that near my house on rt.9 in howell..Its only diesal. Thinking of building up another LT1..I was gonna get LTs but I also want it to be a weekend car...guess im forced to run the slps...even though recently Ive heard a few ttp customers running right through state inspection up north w/ LTs. Basically they say if you have all your emmisions hook ups and cats you should have no problem. I still am weary of trying it though I seem not to have the best of luck :lol:

plenty of cars have passed with LTs.from what i understand theyre looking for codes and if you pass the sniffer youre ok.


they didnt even look under my car when i was there last month.They did last week in freehold off kalowski rd. when I went through..on a friggin chevy tracker no less

im getting LTs in 2 weeks.im not sweating.im good for two yrs. anyway. :)

im getting LTs in 2 weeks.im not sweating.im good for two yrs. anyway. :)
yea i was thinking the same way til the kid in point said they had a mustang at a mobile inspection going over it w/ a fine tooth comb

ive never been stopped and checked at one of those inspection roadblocks.


ill take my chances. :cool:

yea ill probably end up too :D ...

btw whos that chick driving for you guys...shes leaves around 8:30 and heads towards 35...nice tan an real cute :eek:

Hi, I live in NJ as well. I never heard about these inspection trucks on these highways. I live in Central NJ, like the somerset county area. I can't say i have ever seen any. I mean i don't have long tube headers, but i was thinking of getting them. Although i am thinking twice now. I just want to get this all right. I already pitched a bit** to one of the top people at the NJ Inspection agency and i got him to side with me. He was a nice guy as well and gave me an apology. It all had to do with my loudmouth exhuast and how loud it was. But i won. So if i already got my car passed by an inspection station and have the sticker on the winshieldm they;d can still pull you over and check you? Do they ever come to the central NJ area or in suburban areas, or mostly on main interstates? What does the FBI have to do with a catalytic converter anyway? I currently have the Tubular exhuast system headers made by edelbrock which were really effective and i am not sure if thye moved the catalytic converter, but i have passed inspection with no problems so far the last 3 times. You think they look for the sports cars that have a loud exhuast? And you guys said even if got lts with cats, you can still get in trouble? Sorry for the lengthy post.

Your car could be inspected by the governer himself...If one passed you and one doesnt your screwed...as far as I know the edlebrock system is shorties(they may be mid) which means the cat wasnt moved from the original location. In New Jersey the only legal header to run is shorties, which for our cars doesnt leave alot of option except maybe overpriced slp's,bbk, or some hookers.We were just pointing out a few local spots they usually are (monmouth cty)...I guess they could be anywhere at any given time. Im getting ready to move outta state so the emmisions wont apply to me anymore. Where im moving the inspection is generally just a quick check to see if your lights work :D ..seems like everyone has seemed to get away w/ the long tubes. A ton of LS1 guys run em in state.I dont think the inspectors are trained well enough to tell if it was moved or not...so go for it.

Weird, ive never heard of them (mobile inspection trucks) before. I live in Sussex tho (nothern jersey). I guess ill watch out once i start moding the car, but for now i got nothing to worry about :D

my LTs are in.


they can suck it. ;)

my LTs are in.


they can suck it. ;)

LOL !! :metal:

i live in northern NJ and have NEVER SEEN these mobile inspection trucks you speek of. :rolleyes: i have long tubes that i want to put on during the next few months but i really dont want to pay a fine. But like i said i have never seen a mobile inspection truck so i don't know. :o

i live in northern NJ and have NEVER SEEN these mobile inspection trucks you speek of. :rolleyes: i have long tubes that i want to put on during the next few months but i really dont want to pay a fine. But like i said i have never seen a mobile inspection truck so i don't know. :o
They're scared of us! lol :D