Glad you passed! This topic seems to come down to just the luck of the draw as far as passing visual. As Dave mentions above, there are zero CARB-legal aftermarket cats.

The good news, at least for many of us, is that the OEM cat is not a restriction at or near stock power level. Dave also mentions this, and I've re-confirmed from another source that the factory unit actually flows quite well and should last a very long time. I think the only problem is when you need a 2 1/2" or 3" exhaust for more serious power mods.

 

Don't know how you'd fail the visual. It has heat shields on it and looks just like any cat.. it's not like the Random Tech ones that don't have shielding and look different from stock..

 

Actually there are aftermarket carb legal cats... But only for ODBI not ODBII

 

Since I'm OBD1, I might be interested. Can you find them in the Exemption Order Database?

 

http://www.car-sound.com/02product/s...27&cat=Integra

 

I'm wondering why I can't find this unit in the CARB Exemption Order Database Query in our FAQ / Aftermarket Tech section? It could be that I'm not searching properly, but I don't totally trust what the manufacturers say.

 

It's a good thing that you're cynical about this, but OTOH you have an OBDI car, which makes things easier.

Run an ARB search by manufacturer under the category "NON OBDII CATALYTIC CONVERTER". You will see that the standards are somewhat more relaxed compared to the OBDII catalytic converters. For CarSound, the ARB listing basically says "Consult the manufacturer's catalog."

 

just to add another voice of reason to this....my brother passed the sniffer and visual of his smog with a jdm itr 4-1 with heatshields, 2.5'' carsound cat and exhaust.

it varies widely depending on the shop you take it too. some are more stringent than others.