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Old Feb 4, 2008 | 07:17 PM
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Default Z06 And Cali

I just got orders to move to California Lompoc area! I am wondering will my car pass the smog test with a vararam and Borla stingers. Also, what kind of vechicle taxes do you guys pay?
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Old Feb 4, 2008 | 07:27 PM
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if I'm not mistaken your vararam will fail.
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Old Feb 4, 2008 | 08:27 PM
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I'm fairly sure the Vararam will pass the visual unnoticed. I have a BPP Vortex and went thru my 1st inspection last year with no problem.
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Old Feb 4, 2008 | 09:22 PM
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Lompoc is only about a 100 miles north of Andy at A&A. I picked up my car there a couple of weeks ago and was questioning him about good ole Cali's smog. If you get a smog check place which does a visual, you will fail on the modified intake and the headers. Give Andy a call and see what he says.
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Old Feb 5, 2008 | 12:41 AM
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You should pass the sniffer with no problem. As for the vararam, if the tester is an **** a-hole, he won't pass you. I would take it to a gas station smog test who doesn't care. California's taxes I'm sure are higher than you are paying unless you're in New York. Welcome to California!!
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Old Feb 5, 2008 | 12:48 AM
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Vararam will fail visual, and possibly get you fined / car impounded.

Callaway Honker is CA legal though.
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Old Feb 5, 2008 | 12:56 AM
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Think having an intake shroud should pass you if there is an issue. got me passing
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Old Feb 5, 2008 | 01:13 AM
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Also if the tech gives you a problem with the vararam, go home and post a thread in socal events regional section and someone will let you borrow their stock filter for the test.
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Old Feb 5, 2008 | 01:22 AM
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Originally Posted by Kale
Vararam will fail visual, and possibly get you fined / car impounded.

Callaway Honker is CA legal though.
Car impounded? PLEASE.... do you live here?

BTW - you should be just fine with you car as-is. If you have problems, just try a different shop. I have never had many issues, and I have owned a LOT of modified cars.

Last edited by imflyinbiya; Feb 5, 2008 at 01:24 AM.
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Old Feb 5, 2008 | 02:12 AM
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Ask around for a local smog shop to go to, I'm certain the guys on the base can point you in the right direction.....
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Old Feb 5, 2008 | 05:38 PM
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Originally Posted by Kale

Callaway Honker is CA legal though.
Only on non-2002-2004 Z06 C5s

Emissions Compliance Status:
50-State Street-Legal

1997 - 2004 Corvette (except 2002 - 2004 Z06)
This product has been granted an exemption by the California Air Resources Board (CARB E.O. D-319-6). It is also in compliance with U.S. EPA Memorandum 1A.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
49-State Street-Legal

2002 - 2004 Corvette Z06
2005 - 2007 Corvette
This product is in compliance with U.S. Memorandum 1A, or this product has neither been found nor believed to be unlawful for use under the provisions of the Clean Air Act. Currently, this product is legal in California only for racing vehicles which may never be used on a highway.
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Old Feb 5, 2008 | 05:46 PM
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Originally Posted by imflyinbiya
Car impounded? PLEASE.... do you live here?

BTW - you should be just fine with you car as-is. If you have problems, just try a different shop. I have never had many issues, and I have owned a LOT of modified cars.
If I am not mistaken once you fail you have to return to the same shop. I think my wife went through this with her Jetta. The car failed visual and then we fixed the problem and went to another shop and the original shop had a hold on the vehicle.
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Old Feb 5, 2008 | 07:52 PM
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i've not once had a car failed on anything visual at all in 20 years of passing smog tests here in CA and every single car i've owned has had mods to intake and exhaust at a minimum. i've never even bothered researching how **** a particular shop was. have gone to Arco gas stations, Smog test only stations and other full service garages, whatever was most convenient at the time.
obviously i'm not saying it can't happen but you're not likely to have any problems unless they hear a lumpy idle or see turbos or blowers that don't belong.
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Old Feb 5, 2008 | 09:43 PM
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Originally Posted by wingnut037
Think having an intake shroud should pass you if there is an issue. got me passing
What is this intake shroud? A vararam cai with a k&n filter doesnt seem like it would fail. Since it is basically a filter with a long intake tube AT REST. I just hate to think that i will have to buy a stock intake and remove the vararam (pia) to pass a smog test. Since i am military if i have a different states plates will i have to do the smog test?
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Old Feb 5, 2008 | 11:34 PM
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If your military active duty you do not need to reregister your car here. You need to keep your registration current for the state that its registered for right now. Unless you want to have it registared here.
BTW just make sure your vararam doesnt have that ugly red and black sticker on it and I dont think any smog tech will know its aftermarket unless they happen to own a c5. Cat back systems (mufflers) like the Borlas are smog legal in California.
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Old Feb 6, 2008 | 12:53 AM
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I have a Procharger on mine and they didn't say anything about it.

Rick
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Old Feb 6, 2008 | 01:18 AM
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Originally Posted by NicksZ06
What is this intake shroud? A vararam cai with a k&n filter doesnt seem like it would fail. Since it is basically a filter with a long intake tube AT REST. I just hate to think that i will have to buy a stock intake and remove the vararam (pia) to pass a smog test. Since i am military if i have a different states plates will i have to do the smog test?

you dont have to replace your plates becouse u r not a res. of that state but you do have to get it smpgged to that state to get it registered on base.
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Old Feb 6, 2008 | 01:29 AM
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Default Wow!

Originally Posted by REDEVIL
My C5 passed with Vararam, Kooks long tubes, hi flow cats and B&B Tri-Flow.

The only advice I can give, is take it to a shady part of town that is happy to have your business and they don't tend to ask too many questions.

Man-o-man ........I sure hope no one with an association with CARB reads your post. You even gave them them your license number. I guess this would be like writing the IRS and telling them how you cheated on your taxes. On a public forum you never know who's reading.
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Old Feb 6, 2008 | 01:31 AM
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Originally Posted by blkdevl
you dont have to replace your plates becouse u r not a res. of that state but you do have to get it smpgged to that state to get it registered on base.
I dont think air force does this anymore since they did away with the stickers.
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Old Feb 6, 2008 | 03:38 PM
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Technically,the vararam should fail visual.
Having said that,I have passed 3 times with it.I did not seek out any special shop,just went to the normal place I always go to.They gave me much more of a hassle for my actual "carb legal headers" than they did for the v-ram.

I did not have the sticker for the headers,as I bought them second hand,and when I had them jet hot coated the e/o # that is lazer etched on them actually disappeared with the coating.Not to mention the tag is in a very tough location to read,if not prominate,which lazer etching is not.

The only thing I would suggest is to remove the GAWD awful vararam sticker on the thing.That is a dead give away.I never installed mine so it looks OEM.But I think they now come with them installed


You should be OK
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