Can somebody PLEASE point me in the right direction for a cat for our car in CA?!?!?!? My last one went out after 2 short years. Can I go aftermarket? How serious is the smog check with the laws out here? HELP PLZ REGISTRATION DUE and I don't know where to go.

 

I'd try a spark plug non-fouler on the back o2 sensor. I don't know how thorough california's visual inspection is, but you will probably have good tailpipe readings with the non-fouler installed. 2 years out of an aftermarket convertor isn't all that bad. Some of them will set a cel right out of the box. Check around; you may have an extended warranty on your convertor.

 

Xlr8 hfc ftw

 

I found my receipt and I bought it last may! It went out in less than a year! What a POS. I have to contact them. There's gotta be some sort of warrant or something. That's ridiculous. I don't want a weld on one either. The options are very very very limited out here. I really just want to know if I can get away with a normal cat, or if they really do check.

Ya if you have $1,000,000 laying around :|

 

FWIW, I change an aftermarket CAT on my Odyssey van and it passed smog, but then six months later code came back, so then went with non-fouler route and no code since, but have yet been back for smog with non-fouler.

 

It's like 300 bucks I believe.

 

Since it's basically ignoring that o2, will it pass smog?

Is that cat CA legal?

 

As far as I know it is illegal to install any aftermarket cat on a vehicle equiped with OBDII (post 1995 i think) in cali. However with aftermarket cats at $200, high-flow cats at $300, and the stock cat at $1500, most would probably try an aftermarket solution and hope they don't get too nosy during the visual inspection.

 

I agree with quinn; the last I read, there was no aftermarket cat legal in california. I think that is recent because you could go aftermarket previously. I think the minimum, federally mandated warranty every cat mfgr. must offer is 24 months, so get yours warrantied.

 

Ya I think you're right. I think I remember the smog guy just looking to see a cat and that was it. Not sure, and not sure it's worth the risk of going aftermarket and getting tagged.

Thanks I'm going to look into that.

 

Just bolt the shield back on it and they'll never see it. As long as there's no code you're ok as far as I could imagine.

 

But as far as aftermarket reliability, what are our options...Xlr8 hfc? Any others?

 

They will all work reliably with regard to engine performance. As far as setting a p0420 code most of the aftermarket cats will only reliably keep the cel off if a spark plug non-fouler is added. Sometimes they will be ok for a few months up to a couple years, as the emaka9 has experienced. The factory cats cost 3 or 4 times what an aftermarket sells for, but will usually go as long as the original before setting a cel. With the xlr8 cat you get increased performance and a little louder sound as a bonus.

 

Looking around 10hp for the XLR8 Cat right?

 

Haha ya might as well. The CARB options are GARBAGE.

Idk, but I would like to know too.

My light actually went off yesterday! lmao this cat has to be the worst one I've ever dealt with. I just want to pass smog and then I'll upgrade when it takes a crap on me. I want to know how long the xlr8 cat has lasted you guys though.

haha uhhh?

 

Just bumping to see what you ended up doing emaka9.

I just went though smog with my stock cat and now am thinking about headers and high flow cat for the next two years. I watched the inspection--he never looked under the vehicle. With the shroud over an aftermarket cat i think i could pass visual. I'd also have two years to figure out a good solution to obscure the headers. hmm...

 

Well, my cel went off the next day, so I took it in real quick to get smogged and it passed! So i'm still using this pos cat, and the cel came back a couple days later haha. I'm good for 2 years now so...I really don't know what to do. We have no options except an expensive high flow cat (XLR8,) or OEM

I would like to have the XLR8 one, but not with stock exhaust. I want to do headers, xlr8 cat, and exhaust, all at once. But that's way too much right now. So for now, I'm using this pos cat...