As a resident of CA, it's been slim pickins so far on CARB legal parts for my '04 MCS. I've gotten by with a CAI and Borla Exhaust system which easily pass smog checks, but, I want more... I Haven't been able to find any good news on any manufacturer that makes a smaller pulley system that is street legal in CA.. what gives? I'm sure many other Cali Mini's have many more upgrades than mine, so what exactly does one do to get around this? I've read in some places that as long as you have a discreet looking pulley most shops won't notice...? Thanks in advance!
From what I understand because the JCW uses a smaller pulley, CARB isn't a concern for a pulley swap.
Hopefully some Cali's will chime in hear, but I know a lot of people out there that have reduction pulley's on their MINIs.
I have a 16% reduction pulley on my '05 R53. While I've never heard of this, I'm sure it could be so. Anything's possible out here. I've never had an issue with passing smog and have never had a smog technician ask a question regarding pulleys. Any mods made where a red flag may arise have been done so as to not draw any extra attention. I will ask the question to a couple of reputable sources and drop back to let you know what I find out.
OK, so one quick call later and I believe I can address the original question with relative affirmation. A smog technician typically is only looking at modifications such as headers, intakes and any extra hoses and/or other "foriegn" lines running around the engine that don't appear to be OEM for the particular vehicle they are inspecting. That said, in the instance of an intake for example, some are CARB legal and some are not. They will be stickered appropriately so as to reaffirm their legality to the technician. K&N intakes are typically OK as a CARB legal part. In my case, I originally added a DDM Works intake, but opted to go with a gutted JCW intake so as to avoid the question... Now I'm not saying I believe DDM to not be CARB legal, I don't remember for sure. I'm saying I wanted to avoid the question when inspection time came around, so I opted for an OEM part. Additionally, when I added my catch can, I was careful to add it inline wihout disrupting the OEM flow, so to speak. The MSD coil pack I installed came with a CARB sticker which I affixed to the inner firewall. My exhaust is a JCW so I have no issues there either. Pulleys are not on the radar and it's likely that this mod will never be detected. As was stated above, I too believe the JCW has a reduction pulley as a stock alteration. If you're looking at adding a header, I'd suggest contacting RMW or another reputable tuner to get their take on that particular modification. I say go for the pulley change, and any others you can put together, and enjoy!
You are a sir and a gentleman. This news makes me very excited, thanks so much for your help! /endthread
As was said earlier, pulleys are not on the radar. Any "catback" exhaust is legal, headers, thats a different story, none that I know of are legal, only the OEM. Intakes, a couple aftermarkets are legal, but, you need to make sure your year car is included in that. Funny thing is, you said you're intake passes, mine never does. Remember, always things you can do, take a look at my garage
Without becoming political, I'll just say that California is a state of being..... And being as I just said that, I believe I'll drink. They haven't kept me from doing that yet! :beer
Yo Firebro17, just a heads up you may want to get rid of that little red "ECU Killer" MSD coil. Those things have been known to cause many problems in MINI's and I hate to see you mess up your car. Just ask WAY or call Jan and ask about those things. The OEM coil and wires are still better than the aftermarket stuff.
And its coming to a state near you :lol: From Wiki: Due to its preexisting standards and particularly severe motor vehicle air pollution problems in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the U.S. state of California has special dispensation from the federal government to promulgate its own automobile emissions standards. Other states may choose to follow either the national standard or the stricter California standards. States adopting the California standards include Arizona (2012 model year),[1] Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico (2011 model year), New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, as well as the District of Columbia.[2][3] Such states are frequently referred to as "CARB states" in automotive discussions because the regulations are defined by the California Air Resources Board.
Actually all aftermarket pulleys are automatic fails, if the tech sees them, during inspection. The JCW pulley is CARB certified because it went through all the tests and is an OEM piece. Also because it's from the manufacture there is no exception number required. If you have decided to do a pulley paint it black as that helps to make it less noticeable and closer to stock. The same rules apply to the Sprintex Supercharger. I believe they offer 3 different pulleys yet in California only one, a 70mm pulley, is CARB certified and California legal. Hope this helps...
Well seeing that we have so many different responses, is there an actual law forbidding upgrade pulleys in CA? :confused5: Just to set it in stone... It is always up to the tech who inspects it, though... Anyway, I just ordered my own 16% WMW pulley, so I guess I'll at least be taking some high-heat range spray paint to that sucker... Man I really dislike the visual inspection aspect of all this, it really should just be up to the actual emissions your car produces....