Personally I am really tempted, but this kit is pending carb approval. and that is pretty much the only thing keeping me from purchasing one today.

 

you could always get it now and apply the CARB sticker when it passes...

 

So true.. what a sales man

 

Hey when I drive a 4cyl FWD car that impresses me after daily driving my turbo 350Z I have to let people know....

 

Corectection to above Be sure to mention ScionLife if calling.

 

What if it doesn't pass CARB? We're stuck with the kit they is not smog legal?

How is it going to pass CARB without a cat converter anyway with today's strict emissions laws? It's California, where there are Scion's everywhere but no wants to go turbo because of smog headaches.

How far along is Turbonetics with the CARB process really?

 

Actually the car I drove does have a cat and any kits that are CARB legal will have a cat. As far as I know they have submitted the paperwork to get the process started and have an other then turbo kit un-modified car going to the CARB for testing as soon as they are ready for it..

 

To keep things update:
I don't think you understand what I'm saying by "CARB" CARB is the California Air resources Board. This is the group that tests aftermarket turbo kits, intakes, headers, etc to ensure they do not increase the pollution output of a vehicle beyond acceptable limits. Of course you can't just drive to a smog station and have the car pass smog...UNLESS you have a sticker from the C.A.R.B that exempts the kit from being an automatic failure. Essentially what happens is the car paperwork to request an Exemption Order goes from Turbonetics to C.A.R.B. The Exemption Order or EO is a numbered document exempting the car from failure simply due to it having a turbo kit installed. Once the CARB processes the paperwork they request a car from the company making the kit with the kit, item, etc installed on it to be sent to them for emissions testing. The CARB tests the car to ensure the emissions of the kit do not exceed acceptable standards for it and if it passes they issue the EO to Turbonetics. Turbonetics then sends out the letter and sticker to all current kit owners and includes them with every new kit. From then on when you go to smog the car (which is every 5 years now from the model year of the car so if you have a 2004 car next smog time for you is 2009) they roll the car on the sniffer and get a passing amount. They then perfrom visual. When they pop the hood and see the turbo they will ask you for the EO number. You point to the EO sticker under the engine bay. He punches the EO number into his computer its confirmed as a valid number and you pass. If you are pulled over and the cop asks you about the turbo kit you point him to the EO number and he can't do a thing about it. That in a nutshell is a CARB certification.

 

So does the discounted price that Mossy is shipping at including a CAT or do I have to purchase another downpipe with a cat on it down the road?

 

At the moment no it does not include the cat..The option of the downpipe with the cat is a pretty cheap add on. For the Z its under $300 for a complete replacement downpipe with a high flow cat welded on...

 

You said the car you drove had a cat, but I just looked through all the pictures you posted and I don't see a cat on there. I also don't see how you're going to fit a cat in there with space already tight for the downpipe.

Can you clarify?

 

The car I drove had a cat right after the downpipe. It was used to test how the car would perform with a cat. Its certainly is a tight fit but if you look at some of the other stuff Turbonetics has shoe horned into other cars I'd say if anyone could fit one on the downpipe it would be them...

 

Yes I believe it would. I will be up at Turbonetics tomorrow and see if I can get some more specs on what they have done so far in relation to CARB and what testing they have already performed...

 

So on the test car the cat is placed way in the back under the car, but on the production kit, the cat will be where the downpipe is? Got it.

Where is the cat going to be for the CARB test car? I want my kit to be the same as the car that went through CARB test to avoid any hassles.

 

Like I said that cat on the car was to determine how the car would perform with a cat installed. Typically Turbonetics will put a cat somewhere easy on the car and check performance. If the performance is so reduced that it makes it not reasonable they drop the CARB project. On this particular car even with a cat the performance was not significantly diminshed. Therefore Turbonetics decided that they would attempt to pass CARB with this car. When the car goes to CARB it will have a cat placed in such a way that it can be made into a production piece. When the car passes carb with that config it will not be changed. Once an EO is issues for a kit the kit and placement of the cat cannot change or the EO is voided. So basically Turbonetics knows all this and when the car goes to CARB it will have a cat placed somewhere where it can be easily reproduced and sent to customers who bought the kit prior to the CARB cert if they want it. So essentially however the cat is positioned when it goes to CARB there will be a part made available to change your car to that configuration...

 

I understand so they still have to determine exactly where to put the cat. So that counts me out for the current batch that Mossy is shipping out because the hardware is definitely not final for CARB compliance.

Have seen too many people build nice fast cars and then have to tear it down when it comes to smog time, take it all off and sell it.

 

will it wrok with the automatic?

 

I will double check that today...

 

[quote="betterthanezra"][quote="MIAPLAYA"][quote="betterthanezra"][quote="MIAPLAYA"][quote="betterthanezra"][quote="MIAPLAYA"][quote="betterthanezra"][quote="MIAPLAYA"]The whole thing about a cat is this: It needs heat to work right. Just because you put a cat on the car doesn't mean it will pass smog. Also the more precious metal in it the better it will work. Ever wonder why Subaru had cats before the turbo? The turbo is a big heatsink. Exhaust gasses spun through it are cooler and thus don't "light off" the cat and get it to start working. The test for CARB isn't a simple smog test and if it passes it's good. They do cold start tests, hot starts, different driving conditions. The whole works. Ask Jim Wolf about it, they're still fighting 1 last thing to get their kit passed.

 

The turbo manifold doesn't eliminate the Catalytic converter to my understanding. It eliminates the pre-cat correct?

Eliminating the pre-cat doesn't necessarily mean it won't pass the sniffer test. Many cars will pass the sniffer w/o out the cat, but they will also throw a CEL wich is a no no for smog purposes.

What I am pretty much saying. In california the pre-cat in a lot of smog instances only really serves the purpose of passing the visual inspection. Since often vehicles will pass the sniffer w/o both cats.