California Smog

[SmokeOps]

I have a state legal CAI on my car but I don’t have a tune and it has something inside to block some of the air so it acts as a OEM air box but I want to get shorty headers and a 91 octane tune. Is there anyway that I can get around smog check or somehow pass it by maybe going back to stock tune before I have to smog it every 2 years?

 

[RoninGT]

You are opening up the same box of worms I just opened.... We got CARB crap here in Colorado and I have kinda just given up. However where there is a will there is a way. A few options out here and unmodding the car prior to test is one of them. Some guys even register their car in non CARB areas or out of state.

best of luck! Hopefully you can find some locals who can help but this forum has proven to be a very valuable... Some smart folks on here...

 

[07 Boss]

Well you can find CARB shorties I believe. And if you remove the CAI insert and get a new tune it’s pretty easy to swap it back in and run your stock tune for the inspection.

I used to swap my mid-pipe and tune for smog inspections before I discovered a work around.

 

[SmokeOps]

Thanks for the responses much appreciated, but if I can just unmod the car and change it back to stock tune will it pass smog? I’m thinking about buying a BrenSpeed SCT tuner and having the stock tune and a 91 race tune that I can swap between. If I do that can I just put the insert back into the CAI and redownload stock tune, run that for acouple days then do the smog test but will it pass?

 

[RoninGT]

Two points below based on my journey. (You might want to read my recent thread and all the input. Maybe help maybe not)
"07 SGT Tune help"


1. There is no guarantee once you begin modding that your car will pass. Really factory stock is your best bet. Not sure about CA but here station to station can vary and requirements change yearly.

2. I was told once you unmod or change back to stock, it can take 100 miles and up to 200 for the system to reset to a pass condition. That may or may not be a concern for you. It was for me.

 

[WJBertrand]

There are tunes and accessories available that are CARB legal. They have to come with an accompanying EO# or executive order number. The number needs to be displayed somewhere under the hood or otherwise available to the inspection tech. The Ford Racing Performance Products Pro-Cal tune that I have is CARB legal. The test station just has to call in somewhere and match the EO# to the VIN of the car, to make sure it's approved.

 

[Miker]

There are tunes and accessories available that are CARB legal. They have to come with an accompanying EO# or executive order number. The number needs to be displayed somewhere under the hood or otherwise available to the inspection tech. The Ford Racing Performance Products Pro-Cal tune that I have is CARB legal. The test station just has to call in somewhere and match the EO# to the VIN of the car, to make sure it's approved.

Are you happy with that Pro-Cal tune? I have read differing opinions.

 

[RoninGT]

I have the Pro Cal tune and it passed no issues. However no one at test station had any idea it was tuned I suspect nor did they lift the hood. They checked the gas cap and then connected to the port and saw ready status , no cels and all was good.

 

[Miker]

I have the Pro Cal tune and it passed no issues. However no one at test station had any idea it was tuned I suspect nor did they lift the hood. They checked the gas cap and then connected to the port and saw ready status , no cels and all was good.

Do you like the tune? Do you have issues with pinging or randomly dieing? The reason I ask is I am looking a car that has it installed.

 

[RoninGT]

Do you like the tune? Do you have issues with pinging or randomly dieing? The reason I ask is I am looking a car that has it installed.

Runs like a raped ape. No issues hot or cold, 3500 or 6k rpm. I run 91 vs 87 recommended for standard GT I believe ..
No pinging or odd sounds..

 

[BullittSS]

Do you like the tune? Do you have issues with pinging or randomly dieing? The reason I ask is I am looking a car that has it installed.

I've had the Pro Cal tune installed since May of 2014 with no issues and no pinging. The tune requires a minimum of 91 octane. The tune eliminates accelerator hesitation, increases HP to 435 from 420, and lb/ft torque to 450 from 390 (documented by Ford engineers).

 

[MasterofDisaster]

Well you can find CARB shorties I believe. ***

I installed BBK ceramic coated shorties, and they came with a CARB EO # and sticker. The downside is that you don't get a lot of power out of them compared to long tubes. I do like that the ceramic coating reduces temps under the hood.

 

[WJBertrand]

Are you happy with that Pro-Cal tune? I have read differing opinions.

No issues here. I wish this had been the factory tune. It has eliminated the hesitations and flat spots of the OEM tune and adds a nice dose of power, but the improved drivability is maybe as big a benefit. I also get a couple MPGs better mileage too. I installed the tune on my ‘13 GT back in 2014 and have never looked back.

 

[MasterofDisaster]

Oh, BTW - don't use anything but 6-point sockets on your exhaust manifold/pipe bolts. 12-point sockets will round them off like crazy.

 

[Ret]

I think it's safe to say we all want a clean environment, even us Mustang owners. The government has taken a number of steps to achieve that goal. Wind Power, solar power and electric cars and trucks to name a few. There are some who claim that far more pollutants are produced to gather the minerals to make the batteries for cars and truck's than if we just continued to drive cars with combustible engines. Certainly, seems likely when you see the equipment used. That's not even counting the cars catching on fire and adding to the pollution, nor the ship sinking from all those electric cars catching fire and the ship sinking polluting the ocean.

But I wonder if the government is serious in their attempts. Last figure I saw was we (government) has welcomed eight million more people in the country. I haven't seen any statistics breaking down how many men, women, children are included in that number. It's probably safe to say 30 to 40 percent of that number will be driving now and in the future.

For the most part our new neighbors are not going to be driving those electric cars simply due to cost. They're going to be driving combustion engine cars. It seems the government is undermining their efforts by allowing all the emigrants into the country and in turn adding more vehicles/pollution to our environment.

Just a thought.

 

[DieHarder]

I have the Pro Cal tune and it passed no issues. However no one at test station had any idea it was tuned I suspect nor did they lift the hood. They checked the gas cap and then connected to the port and saw ready status , no cels and all was good.

You're lucky. There have been discussions that they may start using specialized software to compare against a "manufacturer" tune. If the check doesn't match they'll automatically fail you whether you meet CARB limits or not. Not worried where I live. Not in California or other CARB state...

 

[Pentalab]

It seems the government is undermining their efforts by allowing all the emigrants into the country and in turn adding more vehicles/pollution to our environment.

Just a thought.

U mean.... 'illegal aliens'.

 

[Samos3]

You're lucky. There have been discussions that they may start using specialized software to compare against a "manufacturer" tune. If the check doesn't match they'll automatically fail you whether you meet CARB limits or not. Not worried where I live. Not in Commie California or other CARB state...

The reason for CARB is twofold, neither of which has anything to do with communism. One, this is a free country and people can live anywhere they want. Even in a basin that has great weather, mountains to the north and east, and a nice big ocean to the west. It's so nice, tens of millions used their freedom to move there. Two, all those people can use their freedom to buy cars to exercise their freedom to travel. Nevermind that they chose to live in a basin that has great weather, mountains to the north and east, and a nice big ocean to the west. And easterly winds that push all that exhaust right up against the mountains and its all held down by the frequent inversion layers and plenty of nice bright sunlight to create smog. So, combine all those peoples freedom to own cars with a natural percolator and you get:







Hey, you can kind of see Nakatomi Tower in the background!

Even though the pic is of a relatively recent bad smog day, that is an improvement over the old days.

They had to do something to respond to people wanting cleaner air. You can't stop them from living there or owning cars. All you can really do is make the cars cleaner.