anyone know about any companies that have and/or developing headers for our 2gen IS? or any TRD parts coming out for our cars?

 

megan racing has a header but only for the 250 i think

 

i called trd a while back and they said they had no plans of making anything for the is250/350

 

does anyone have any info on the megan headers? are they any good and are they worth it, i also noticed they have a whole cat-back system, what are your guys's thoughts on their products and is it worth it?

 

Yeah, they're illegal on smog controlled vehicles. You're in CA. They're for "off-road" use only. No cats. Illegal to remove this exhaust header under Federal law because it removes a functioning catalytic converter from an emissions controlled vehicle.

Pretty simple, isn't it?

 

i c, but couldn't you just get a cat converter installed to take care of that issue so when you get it smoged it'll pass?

 

You'll need documentation for why you replaced the cat. Federal law prohibits removing a cat from a vehicle unless it is damaged or clogged, or the vehicle has over 100k miles and it is being replaced with a like unit. That's not a guess, I've read the law myself.

Besides, a large share of the gain with headers is from removing the "pre-cat." The cat right up next to the exhaust port is there to start working as quickly as possible and meet cold cycle emissions requirements. The distance from the head is critical to quick light up.

A good header design won't merge the three cylinders until much further downstream, at which point the cat will not be able to meet cold cycle requirements. This is what killed the TT Supra in '98 for California. It was legal in 49 states, but not CA because it couldn't light the cat up quickly enough for CARB.

I'm certain Lexus would have preferred to make a better header, but it's not possible to meet the emissions requirements AND have a solid header design. They did the best they could given the design requirements and time allotted. If the aftermarket comes up with a solution, it will likely be "off-road only" and if you decide to run it here in CA, you'll be swapping your stock header back on the car every time you smog.

 

I was a smog tech for many years in CA until just recently and I have never heard of such a thing. It's true that it is illegal to remove it but you don't have to have any paperwork as to why you did it.

 

How would a cold cycle smog test be performed? Do you have to let the car cool over night at the testing facility? I realize that it may be illegal to remove the pre-cats, but that would prevent me from doing it if I could still pass the sniffer.

 

Texas compliance is completely different than California compliance. Smog checks here are not just tailpipe. They have a visual component, and they have pictures of what your engine bay should look like. They also check the hoses and compare them to the hose map. If you have anything that deviates from stock, it has to have an E.O. number issued by CARB indicating it has been reviewed and approved by the state as not changing the car's emissions.

If you happen to be in a SMOG Check II area, they also put the car on a dyno and test it at street speeds (15 and 25 mph) under load to be sure everything works as intended. They also check your ECM codes, so even if you've put everything back to stock, if it has a stored code indicating there was a problem, you will have a problem passing smog.

It's a huge PITA for enthusiasts. The general populace just accepts it blindly as a cost of cleaning up the air. The State HAS to do this or lose Federal highway funds. So, we the people, get screwed twice. Once by the smog checks and twice by our own tax money being squandered on crappy roads that don't seem to be getting any better.

 

You would think that toyota would push TRD into the world of aftermaket modding especially for their IS250/350 right? Am I the only one that thinks it would be successful?

 

Well, then it sounds like the aftermarket header needs to just look enough like the stocker so it will pass the visual inspection. Actually though, is our exhaust even visible from the top? Does the visual inspection done from top AND bottom?

 

They look specifically for the cats. You can't design a good header with the position of the OEM cats. The runners are too short and uneven. You'd have to do some really good NASCAR style trickery to make the OEM configuration into a decent header. I don't think it's possible.

 

I just now scoped out the exhaust manifolds from above with a flash light, and I can see what you are talking about. However, it does look like the pre-cats are far enough back that you could do SOMETHING better and still make it LOOK like the pre-cats are there. Of course, the manifold wouldn't look the same...

Hopefully someone will work on a header for the other 49 states.

 

Where do you think Texas got it's smog laws and procedures from, you guessed it good ole CA.