i was looking into getting some hooker lt headers but i was wondering if they are legal in CA, would i have to end up getting shorties? thanks

 

NOT legal

 

basically you will have to get shorties. But you could get away with mid length headers. It just depends on where you go. Some places are very strict on the visual some aren't. As long as you pass the sniffer they will pass you. But these places are sort of hard to find though.

 

Moving the CATS is illegal in Cali. Some places will slide.. very very very few. I did go to a check only station and he didn't have a lift so he couldn't see under the car. He did run a test and it passed.

PS - My car is also lowered so it is difficult to get underneath.

 

how much gain would i get off shorties? also is getting them coated that much of a difference? hooker sells them uncoated for 300 i think

 

The difference on a stock block could be 5-10 hp... big deal. But if you stroke, cam, head, or blower... that gain can be 10-15 hp. It depends on the whole package. In Cali it isn't worth the risk...

I've got my Edelbrocks coated from the factory since 1995... look great. No flaking at all!

 

I have long tubes and live in SoCal...they check every 2 years so you can go and R&R every two years or slip the smog guy a C-note.

-B

 

alrite i must be dumb but what exactly is a 'c-note' and rr
thanks

 

C-Note = $100
R&R = Remove & Replace

 

gotcha would i pass the sniffer w/ long tubes because i know a place in garden grove that wouldnt care crap bout the visual

 

you need cats to pass the sniffer

 

Garden Grove? Hey, I may need that info next year

 

without cats it would be very unlikely to pass the sniffer. some shops will pass you no matter what but then you are looking at about $400 for an illegal smog. and now supposedly there are some cops that can run a sniffer test on your car on the side of the road. If you get busted by them it's a 1000 fine. and if you dont fix the car they pull your registration and make it illegal to drive your car. and more fines. I'm personally thinking about shorties.

 

What do the road side sniffers look like? I think I may have passed one a week ago because they had 3 or 4 tubes that sit very close to the ground and have what appears to be 2 cameras that take pictures. All of this is near a motor home/big truck thats parked near the side of the road. Im thinking they might just give automatic tickets or summons to report to a smog station. Next time I'm getting one of those plastic filters that blur the license plates.

-B

 

I've got the plastic cover, no tickets yet.. (knock)

Also, I've heard about the remote smog sniffers but have yet to see one.

It really won't matter anyways... wait until OBD-III where your car will have magnetic strips like a credit card. When you drive down the road, the information regarding speed, throttle position, owner data, and vehicle data.

Then we can get neural nano-implants so that when we break the law, the "man" can Tazer us remotely for being bad... lol. At that point I just might listen to the ACLU instead of flipping the channel.