Funny you should ask. I just passed last month. The tech did say that California no longer performs even a sniff test on our cars and relies only on what the ODB port tells their computer.
I put my stock exhaust before the test so I can't say if I would have passed otherwise. I do remember that he had a mirror on a stick that he used to look at the exhaust and if the car smelled like it had no cats I may have failed the visual inspection which is all it takes to fail the test if I'm not mistaken.
Since we only have to do it every two years I don't mind the small inconvenience of putting on the stock exhaust for a week.

 

i agree, and i have 200 cel cats sitting if need be. but my latest thinking, and i'm emboldened by the fact there is no more sniffer, is that with the cat delete pipes ( ..and no one has offered what purpose they serve, since there are in point of fact "straight" pipe extensions ) the car as is ( w cat deletes ) might well pass the visual. in fact, i'm going to have my guy look at them first, since ( again ) all my codes read "ready" w/ no soft or hard codes stored, and it sure doesn't smell like fuel, and it's only "rich" at startup. though yeah, soot, for sure lol.

i think i'm gonna do a test run. I've been going to this guy for YEARS. he'll tell me what's up. or the cats go back in for a minute. no problem. i'm happier with pu**y-cats in the car, even if the car isn't

 

Also be aware you might have some drone issues going cat less depending on your muffler construction.
At my 600/625 rear wheel HP,, I did not make any more power on the dyno with catless verses my large 100 cell HJS ,Milltek, cats.. It did spool a little quicker down low though.

 

My Kline decats are straight in shape and look nothing like cats, do you have the same shape as the cats that you swapped out?

 

they aren't as "bulbous" as the cats obviously, if that makes sense? and do look more like straight pipe "extensions". but for one reason or another i'm thinking they might look passable as they are simply bolt on in place of the cats? but i'll have to look more closely at them. they are the std kline decat pipes, so i probably am completely wrong about them passing visual as they wouldnt pass more than a cursory glance. either that, or the idiot looking would have to be me lol

edit: went to garage. looked at the cats. just awarded myself dummy of the year award. no, they wont pass a visual. thx jim lol

 

Ok, no problems. Mine are sitting on the shelf from day one in full view in my garage, so I know exactly what they look like. Shame they dont have the cat shape.

 

Guys, we do offer fake cat pipes, decat pipes that look like cats, if anyone is interested pm me.

Going decat you really feel the extra torque. You can smell the fumes a little more richly, if parked up and standing behind the car, depends on how rich your software tune is also.

It's possible to map the post cat lambdas to remove the sensitivity, so no obd errors, as well as the lambdas remaining “ready”/”active”.

So yes you can trick the visual and the the obd, so if the tester doesn’t notice the smell or do a sniffer test you would get through ok

Any questions im here to help

 

i knew i wasn't crazy. no wonder i thought they'd work and pass ( hope ) and some brave soul has to try, so let it be me

you have already. only thing better than your exhaust is the decat pipes going with with it. hah!

btw..i smell no added fuel in the cabin, though it's a bit rich behind the car at startup ( ahem/cough ) but the added tq/hp IS immediately noticed.

thx for checking in felix! my "sanity" restored

 

Definitely not crazy, maybe just Kline crazy

Regarding sound, many didn't think there really is a DECAT system which can be daily driven. With no headaches

You got it, anytime!

 

well, given your exhaust doesn't drone, its probably better to have someone repeatedly drone on about them.. and the price is right lol.

all kidding aside. in my experience your decat pipes are NOT too loud for street driving, as noted zero drone in cabin even with them, and i have fairly frequent interactions and proximity with law enforcement while the car is running. no problems. now if only i can get past an obd tester ha.

we shall see.

 

Not bad at all. I think it also depends on what exhaust it is.
Markski

 

well, given i like to hear myself type.. repeating myself as I've said..in my tuned hybrid turbo car, there is NO added fuel smell to the cabin. none at all. but in back of the car standing above the exhaust? sure, yeah, it's noticeable, but i don't stand there often, for long. also, nothing visible out the tips either. though there is no doubt more unburned fuel is escaping.

al "gore" and his business partner named "blood", are looking for me now. something about a "value added carbon tax" they want to impose

 

Well here is my FVD exhaust with gutted cats on start up

http://www.thebartman.com/fvd/movie1.mp4

Now I have 100cell cats and no smoke......

 

irony of ironies.. i started my car in a regular parking spot and two aging malibu hipster types ( yea, i wanna save the whales too...) looked at me aghast as they were loading up the back of their 120K merc suv and the lady was holding her nose and loudly complaining to her husband ( heard OVER my decatted setup ) at the odorous emanations from my exhaust, and as i backed out of the space i mentioned to them that a moment of my exhaust smell wouldn't cause them any undue long term effects and that their 5 million dollar malibu beach house sand was far more radioactively toxic from the ambient fukushima radiation the entire west coast is being hammered with daily, than a moment of my exhaust.

they didn't know wtf i was on about either lol. but now that i think about it? perhaps it does smell a bit more than i thought. who knows, i'm never back there while driving!

 

!! two different websites and still couldn't get that audio to play. I'm buffered out lol. could be my lousy i'net.