California Testing for ECU Tunes During Smog Check

Youre doing it wrong if its not fun

 

Did some research I guess were out of luck. https://www.bar.ca.gov/ARSC/Newslet...l_ID_and_CVN_Detect_Programming_Modifications . There’s no way around this.

 

There is a way around.... If you pay their "Abatement Fee" they will look the other way.

 

It’s those annoying checkpoints / mobile smog checkpoints

 

All this does is make it more expensive to tune because you now have to have your own tuner to store the OEM tune and return to stock when you smog. So the companies that offer tuners will make money on this. Most of us who have tuned at one point or another have tunes on either a completely stock motor or have it tuned based on the aftermarket hardware you have on the vehicle. If you have aftermarket hardware and an accompanying tune, chances are most of those parts are not smog legal anyways and you end up returning those parts to stock in order to smog. I had an S197 Mustang with the 4.6 years ago, which had a CAI + Tune. I had to remove the CAI and replace with stock airbox, re-flash OEM tune when it came time to smog. It was a total 15-20 minute job. It wasn't a big deal. So if you tune, consider buying a tuner. Yup, it sucks and Cali wants it that way, not necessarily to help smog either. IMO the amount of aftermarket tuned vehicles make up tiny percentage of the vehicles on the road contributing to the overall smog picture.

 

Exactly, this isn't any different than forcing water rationing on residential customers during a drought when the largest users of water, agriculture, industrial, commercial remains mostly unchecked. Vineyard water reductions alone would take care of most of the drought water issues for N. Calif.

 

I think they’re doing it because they know the number of tuned vehicles is not a small number.

IMHO, I think they will also make it harder and harder to pass smog checks. Not because what’s coming out of the tailpipe is getting worse but because California wants to get rid of ICE.

 

As per OV Tune's site:

"TUNE PACKS DO NOT MODIFY, DELETE, OR NEGATE ANY EMISSIONS CONTROL OR REPORTING SYSTEM. TUNE PACKS ARE EXAMPLE BASE FILES THAT HAVE SIMPLE MODIFICATIONS MADE (EXAMPLE: TIRE SIZE CHANGES, TRANSMISSION UPSHIFT OR DOWNSHIFT CALIBRATIONS, TORQUE TABLE MODIFICATIONS FOR THE TRANSMISSION, THROTTLE RESPONSE CHANGES, ETC) TUNE PACKS DO NOT PROVIDE ANY FILE, CALIBRATION, ETC FOR THE PURPOSE OR USE OF DEFEATING ANY EMISSIONS TESTING OR REQUIREMENT. CHECK YOUR LOCAL LAWS / REGULATIONS REGARDING YOUR INDIVIDUAL REQUIREMENTS.

OUR TUNES AND FILES CANNOT BE USED IN ANY WAY TO CIRCUMVENT EMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS WHERE YOU LIVE FOR ANY REASON. THIS REGARDS ALL ENGINES, ALL ECUS, ALL FILES REGARDLESS OF CAR, MAKE, MODEL ETC."

Does this make any difference in the ability to pass smog if the calibrations they touch are strictly for the examples above?

 

According to the BAR, it qualifies as modified.

 

Welp...I have 2 years to figure shit out. Thankfully, just smogged my 2011 in April.

 

I did not say it was a small number, I said it was a small percentage. Unfortunately, there is no dataset available (for obvious reasons).

 

I understood you said percentages but don't forget smog machines communicate at each connection. I said "I think they know it is not a small number" because I believe they have been checking for a while and decided to pass/fail it because of the numbers of modified vehicles they are seeing, not percentages.

Manufacturers also collect data on modified ECU's and many other things.

 

sub'd

 

I wouldn't be surprised if the uptick in all those sideshows from those modified cars contributed heavily to it. They used to do this heavily when street racing was a thing then it went away as street racing died down.

 

I said that in the other thread. Most those kids don’t even have licenses though.

 

Entirely untrue about the licenses although there are more than a few suspended licenses.

I just read a FB post about a kid getting a 10k judgement against for loud noise over 5 years. His treatment of his neighbors likely didn't help his cause.

Even though I own a Type R, I try not to piss off my neighbors.

 

Yeah I think it's more like the suspended/revoked perhaps. What's the other thread?

 

Must just be the group I know then, by proxy. Big group and none have valid licenses. Most just graduated HS 2 or so years ago.

Good thing in my area all but one understand the concept of rolling by off throttle. Can’t complain with that ratio. I put 4 large mufflers on my Lexus for good measure.

 

I know I'm tired of the groups of early morning drag racers going up and down the expressway at 2 or 3 in the morning...

 

So, has anyone had a successful CA smog check performed while running OVTune?