Originally Posted by Alan Lindquist (Post 5191741)

I don't run SSIs but I do live in California. I have an 80SC. I run stock headers, a J-Pipe (with OX sensor) bypass, no smog pump, and a Dansk stainless steel muffler. Every two years I bolt up the Cat in place of the J-Pipe and take the car to a local Porsche Independent mechanic. He tunes it for smog and delivers the car to the smog station. It passes with HUGE margins. (BTW - I have little to no compression in cyl #2 but no visible oil smoke). When he gets the car back to the shop he re-tunes it for street and I pay him about $75 total and go home and put the J-Pipe bypass back on. I don't ask why it passes visual with no smog pump and I don't wonder why the scores are so low, but the motor has 185,000 miles on it and it sure is tired. Then I run the snot out of it for two more years and repeat. It's worked for two tests in the last five years. I'm guessing he has a "friendly" smog test station near by.

Originally Posted by fumanchu (Post 5192184)

You need to have the stock components to pass visual in CA.

Caveat here is that MOSTLY none of the current smog techs would know the difference between the stock setup and the modified SSI setup, hence it passess visual. I have been thinking of this setup for years, but was not willing to gamble the thousands on SSi's and 2 different exhaust setups... 1000's of dollars on a gamble. I currently have a factory testpipe on the factory setup so switching out the "custom" cat converter setup on the SSi's is a no brainer every other year... super easy. I was waiting for someone to post something on this to give me the balls to try.

Originally Posted by fumanchu (Post 5192184)

Caveat here is that MOSTLY none of the current smog techs would know the difference between the stock setup and the modified SSI setup, hence it passess visual.

Originally Posted by aigel (Post 5192447)

I have smogged my 911 cars since 2003 or so. Never had any one take more than a glance at the underside of the engine. The SC would have passed every time with a cat/muffler set up like the one listed.

That said, are you going to roll the dice?

George

Originally Posted by aigel (Post 5192447)

I have smogged my 911 cars since 2003 or so. Never had any one take more than a glance at the underside of the engine. The SC would have passed every time with a cat/muffler set up like the one listed.

That said, are you going to roll the dice?

George

Originally Posted by Peter Zimmermann (Post 5192502)

Interesting. The guy who does my car actually reads the smog info decal on the underside of the engine lid, properly verifies the idle speed, reaches into the engine compartment to touch the O2 sensor's wire at its connector, and removes the fuel filler cap and puts it on some sort of a leak detector. All of my bi-annual smog tests have required that I use a Test-Only station, this might not be the case in other areas/counties.

Originally Posted by efhughes3 (Post 5191203)

That won't work in Califonia-it won't pass the visual...
But Ca looks for stock components, they literally match the engine to pictures. Aftermarket does not fly.

Originally Posted by DailyDriven'88 (Post 5192550)

Thats different. Under the lid and under the engine are 2 different places. All of the techs I've run across seem to be more concerned with general vacuum line routing and an overall condition of the engine (excessive smoking, visual torn hoses etc). IMO, its as if they have to go thru the motions of glancing at various things in order to satisfy the protocol should any state inspector be watching. All cars have the gas cap tested, regardless of year as well as an evap test. Thats required, no way around it.

Even if they do peek underneath the engine, 95% cant tell if they are looking at something stock, aftermarket, or modified in any way, shape or form. This of course doesnt hold true if you have a highly polished set of headers or the like. Anyone can probably tell at that point.