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Thread: Moving to Cali (LA) - some general inquiries for y'all

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    WA
    Posts
    562
    My Cars
    '97 BMW M3/2/5

    Moving to Cali (LA) - some general inquiries for y'all

    Hi all,

    Just got the news that it's to move from where I've grown up in the Rainy City my whole life down to California (near LA/Irvine). This may not be the best subforum to post in, but this is the one I'm most active in, so here goes.

    Super sad, but this is also a great opportunity. I'm stoked to not have to worry about it raining in the middle of summer right after I wash my car, among other things Ok here's a short list of questions that I would like further input on. I've done some research and am mostly asking these questions to confirm/disprove what I think I know.

    1. Smog/CARB (of course)... Sold all my Dinan kit when I bought the car. In WA once your car is 25 years old it's a classic and all modification restrictions are lifted, as well as the need for emissions testing. Not in Cali though! This kind of throws a wrench in my plans because I was planning on FI sometime in the next 5 years (and remain my DD). But if the only kit I can run in Cali is a Dinan SC.....(spoiler alert, I'm not buying Dinan parts :P). Do I have options? I've read threads here about paying off the emissions tester, but that doesn't seem realistic to me, any input? I pass inspection, plug-in testing, and sniff testing here in WA, but I have a feeling that if I'm not running all CARB legal parts (eg my exhaust), even if I am running cleanly, they'll instant fail me, so I have to get that sorted out. I see lots of threads of guys running custom FI kit and seem to have no issues, but as I read more and more into Cali state laws it just seems like a bigger and bigger roadblock for car guys. How do you all do it down there??? I can see swapping exhausts for a test if that's all you have modified (I still have a Dinan gen I exhaust somewhere), but swapping things like headers, or other parts every time you need an emissions test seems crazy -- I guess it depends on how much you want it...

    2. Tint. In WA (probably due to lower amounts of gang violence), 20% is ok and I've been running that for years now. Cali is 70% which is mind blowing to me because of how sunny it is (even Chiraq allows 50%). I would like to know the chances of being pulled over for tint in Cali. My main motivation for tint is to protect my nice black e46 m3 seats up front, do you guys think 70% can achieve that? Or should I invest into shades? (I have one for my windshield already, but really have no idea what it's like to live somewhere where it's sunny for more than 4 months of the year lol).

    3. HPDE, meet ups, tracks, driving opportunities. One of the most exciting things about the move is that it's all new territory and sunny weather makes for great conditions to drive. What are some popular meet-ups I should not miss out on? Also, any recommendations for clubs/groups that do hpde/instruction? Track recommendations?

    That's what's been on my mind recently, everything else seems to be more or less straight forward. I know most of this information is Googleable, and I've probably already read it. Just like to see what the word is like in 2017 versus what it was back in 2005-2010.

    Thanks all for taking the time.

    Mike "Carpy" A.
    Last edited by Carpy2; 05-26-2017 at 09:38 PM.
    Feel free to ask about my car:

    TRM Coilovers 560f/784r | Epic Motorsports Tune | Apex Arc-8 17x9.5 et35 | Wilwood SL-4 BBK
    M50 Manifold | ASC Delete | Dinan BBTB | Fan Delete | Power Pulleys | Dinan CAI |
    S54 Oil Cooler
    Z3 Rack | Crossbrace | 3.38 LSD | Dinan Strut Tower Brace | AKG Chassis Mount Shifter
    SS Long Tubes | SS Race Exhaust |
    LTW Replica Wing | MM Underpanel | CF Sunroof Delete
    OE GT Front Splitter | Rear Rollbar | Rear Seat Delete | BW Fuel Starvation | Turtle Labs Door Panels
    And Really Old Paint

    Check out my YouTube channel for more DIY's and videos about my E36 M3

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    Denver, CO
    Posts
    5,343
    My Cars
    '98 M3
    Gotta have stock exhaust manifolds/cats in the car. Down stream of them, they don't care what exhaust you have. Cold air intake needs to be CARB approved. Forced induction needs to be CARB approved.

    Used to be easier to get the smog "hook up" and some people still may be able to, but the shops risk a huge fine for that and aren't nearly as accommadating as before...
    '03 911 Turbo 6MT fun car
    '18 Toyota Land Cruiser Daily driver/Ski Machine/Off Roader
    '15 Cayenne Diesel Wife's DD
    '17 KTM 690 "Adv" 2 wheeled Adventurer

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Galt,CA
    Posts
    1,068
    My Cars
    2002 M Coupe
    Quote Originally Posted by DocWyte View Post
    Gotta have stock exhaust manifolds/cats in the car. (snip)
    Not quite true. Magnaflow (and probably others) have California-approved replacement header/cats for sale.

    Marty

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Irvine, CA
    Posts
    664
    My Cars
    99 328is, 03 X5
    I can help with #3, and in Irvine as well.

    Many great driving roads all over So Cal, events/meets (cars & coffee, supercar sunday, bmwcca chapters events), and all of the race tracks are unique and fun in their own ways. I also instruct/coach with a couple organizations. The closest tracks to OC/LA will be Willow Springs, 3 different tracks, 1 location, <2 hours from Irvine.

    PM me with any direct questions and welcome to So Cal.

    -Tony

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Los Angeles, CA
    Posts
    4,146
    My Cars
    #Project333Ti & Z3 Coupe
    Since Dinan offered the later version of their e36 blower kit with a Vortech, you can piece together a Dinan CARB approved set-up that makes more power than their kit did. As for headers and exhaust. High flow cats can pass as long as the tune is on point, however headers will fail visual inspection.

    Another thing to note - you don't only have to worry about passing SMOG every 2 years, California Highway Patrol has the ability to ask you to pop your hood for inspection if you're pulled over. If they see anything that isn't emissions legal, they will give you a SMOG referee ticket, where the inspector meticulously goes through your car and will fail you for anything that isn't CARB legal. Once you get the ticket, the car can only be driven back home and you need to wait until everything is signed off by the SMOG referee, and an appointment takes 3-6 weeks minimum. I've also heard of local Sheriffs pulling people over for this more recently in certain areas as well.

    I went through that whole hassle ^ with my s52 powered 318Ti last year, all because of my Raceland headers. Oh yeah and the fine is a $500 minimum, and it's not like a fix-it ticket where you pay $25 if it's fixed or not. If you just pay the ticket and don't fix it, and are pulled over again and inspected, the fine doubles and I've heard of people getting their cars impounded.

    Pretty much, I would keep the car with Washington plates and just make a trip every time for Washington inspection.
    Last edited by e30polak; 06-14-2017 at 05:28 PM.

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