s13feen

I drive an s13 and live in San Diego California. I've asked lots of people these questions and always hear different things, so I was wondering if anyone has the real full scoop. So my questions are.
Can sr20s still pass California smog requirments?
If sr20s pass smog are they legal to have in your car?
If you have a turbo on any motor in California, is it illegal?
If not what are the guidlines and processes you go through to legalize it?
If you receive a ref ticket what are the consequences and prosess you through?
How much is a ref ticket and if you don't pass, do you just pay a fine, or do you get flagged?
What is the California law on exhaust noise, what decible levels?
And where do you get your decible levels tested?

If you guys can help me out by filling me in, and answer these questions I would greatly appretiate it, Thank you.

sincity_sil80

the answer is no.. your welcome..lol jk.. but most of your questions can be answered by searching the web..good luck

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sincity_sil80

also.. just some words of advice, dont start a thread for stuff like this..this one is more than likely going to be locked. happy searching

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jontron5000

Can sr20s still pass California smog requirments? nope
If sr20s pass smog are they legal to have in your car? you can have an SR20 in a track car that is as legal as it's gonna get
If you have a turbo on any motor in California, is it illegal? nope, STI's and Evo's have turbos, those are legal
If not what are the guidlines and processes you go through to legalize it? if the turbo kit is CARB legal, you're safe, otherwise, you're not

I don't have any info regarding the rest of the ?'s

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Slammed Assassin

some of the answers you need are on DMV website.. if its not there try google!

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fliprayzin240sx

Better yet, there's a regional area...maybe you should ask these questions there since not everybody in this place is from Cali. This is a world wide forum...

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slomar91

wtf? Call your local police department and ask them. Were not gonna pull you over, they are. So why ask a bunch of people online about the legality of things?

zooopreme

-Can sr20s still pass California smog requirments? do NOT quote me on this but I think stock SR's do not pass visual, they can pass the sniffer though. I may be completely wrong.

-If sr20s pass smog are they legal to have in your car? On the road, no. On the track, yes.

-If you have a turbo on any motor in California, is it illegal? if your car was originally NA and you add a turbo, yes, it is illegal for street use.

-If you receive a ref ticket what are the consequences and prosess you through? My cousin advised me not to do the swap if I'm just dailying my car because if you get that ticket, you'll have to swap the OG engine appear for court to show that you had done it. If you're stubborn, you'll go through the swap process again. It's just a hassle with time and money.

-What is the California law on exhaust noise, what decible levels? It doesn't really matter, cops will harass you anyway. California police are just assholes. So unless you take it to court with an instrument that measures decibels then you won't win.

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Drift_This

Can SR20s pass smog? Sr20s will not pass smog. You might be able to pass sniffer but visual is an instant fail. Only SR that will pass is the NA FWD version out of the Infiniti g20, but good luck with getting the enigine, emissions system, and wiring harness/ecu into and working with your car.

If sr20s pass smog are they legal? Not at all for a road going vehicle since it was never offered in the U.S. as a motor option. If your s13 is only for off-road use, i.e. track car, then you can put in whatever motor you like.

If you have a turbo on any car is it illegal? No. Many stock vehicles come from the factory turbocharged. For example the FD RX-7, Supra, WRX, and the Evo.

If not what are the guidelines to legalize it? You would need to make sure the turbo kit going on your car is a CARB exempted kit. I know of only one that is for the KA24DE motor, but was only CARB'd for the s14. So to put this in your s13 and still be legal you will need to swap in an s14 motor, emissions system, wiring harness and ecu. After that you will need to take the car to a state ref and have it BAR'd as and s14 from then on.

If you receive a ref ticket what are the consequence and process? Too hard to really narrow it down but the most common ones are a fine, car being deamed not road worthy, and impounding of vehicle. I would really contact your local law enforcement and/or state ref to get a more exact answer. The process is usually your get pulled over, get a ticket, cry about it for a while, correct the violation a day before the deadline, get an extension, take it to the state ref the day before the extension is up, go to court to prove you fixed the violation, and then you pay a $25 fine.

How much is a ref ticket if don't pass and what happens? Once again this varies from volition to violation. My exhauts tickets were quoted to be between $300 and $500+. So it's hard to give an exact answer. What happens is your vehicle will still be flagged as a non-road worthy vehicle until the violation is corrected. Also, your vehicle will be impounded if you are pulled over again before the violation is corrected.

What is the CA exhaust db level and where can I get it tested? The legal db level for your vehicle is 95 dbs. To get it tested you would need to male an appointment with your local state ref.

Guess it's a good thing I used to work for a registered importer and got a shit ton of tickets. Lol

Hope this helps you out.

!Zar!

No it can not. Not legally anyways. Only way is to have someone do it illegally.

You will get a state referee ticket if the police feel that your car doesn't pass California emission standards.

If it cam factory, it is not illegal. Or if it is a C.A.R.B certified kit. None of which are available for 240's.

Long story short, there isn't any. A member on here went through great lengths to legalize the sr20, and in the end he was shot down by the government.

Worst case, they tow your car. Most likely, they give you a state ref ticket which deems your car illegal to drive on the road until you pass the state ref test. If you are caught driving the car around before you state ref it, your car can be towed and or you will receive a misdemeanor for driving it around.

I'd say expect to spend upwards to $700. If you pay the fine, it is the same as admitting guilt, and the whole situation pretty much goes away. If you pass the state ref, it is only like $15 or so.

One law states that it can't be louder than 85db or something. But another law states that it is illegal to have modified exhaust of any type.

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Drift_This

Zar actually the greddy kit is CARB certified for the s14 iirc.

Also the law states you can't have a modified exhaust that effects emissions in any way. Which no catback exhaust will.

!Zar!

No Greddy does not. It was C.A.R.B PENDING. Yes, Greddy has C.A.R.B legal kits, but none of them are for the 240sx. Since Greddy went under, there will never be a C.A.R.B legal Greddy kit for the 240sx.

And wrong again.

CA. V.C. 27151 No person shall modify the exhaust system of a motor vehicle in a manner which will amplify or increase the noise emitted by the motor of such vehicle so that the vehicle is not in compliance with the provisions of Section 27150 or exceeds the noise limits established for the type of vehicle in Article 2.5(commencing with Section 27200) of this chapter. No person shall operate a motor vehicle with an exhaust system so modified.

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Rally240sx.com

aahhhhhhhhhhh its so nice to have 100% legal n/a ka except the 16 second quarter miles

!Zar!

Having a California legal 240 can actually be fun.

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Rally240sx.com

fo sho, no better feeling than popin ur hood for a cop with 0 Fear

Drift_This

I stand corrected. You sir are correct.

I agree. It's so nice to have my hood popped and watch the officer make up illegal things to try and find a reason to give me a ticket just to point out it is still a stock piece they are pointing at. Lol

ignited

Sooo many 240's with SR's swaps for sale right now in Cali.

Because you cannot legally have the SR in a road going vehicle here in california is why I have kept my daily driver completely stock, and its not even a 240. Last place I took my 97 Prelude to the smog tech argued with me that the stock exhaust manifold (without the heat shield installed anymore) was a aftermarket header. Huge argument with him and the owner. Only a printout of the part from Honda resolved the issue when I went back.

Keeping my 240 on the track. Thats where I get to drive it like I enjoy anyway. Last thing you want to do is build up your awesome car that you cannot drive the way you like or want to.

Ithical

What is the California law on exhaust noise, what decible levels? Law Pre 2005/03 stated it can be up to 90-95DB. Post 2003/05 It is illegal to have a modified exhaust period, but cops are lenient on the law, granted the exhaust isn't overly loud and depending on the officers mood, etc. Some cities enforce that law to the T, others do not, just depends.
Also you get the DBs tested at the ref station, although DBs don't really matter anymore depending on the infraction given by the cop on the ticket.

dued

The legal California noise limit for exhaust is 95 dB.

I've received a ticket for "modified / loud exhaust" and learned this in-person at a ref station. 95 dB.

HS13KLS

For someone who lives in Illinois and will be moving to Santa Monica, would it be smart to sell my sr'd s14 in Illinois and buy a stock car? We have no emissions here so I took all that crap off..

that's what it looks like.

Drift_This

Bring it over. Register it as non-op and track it at willow springs. Buy a civic ef as a dd. Problem solved. Lol