[MR2] Mk 1 - worth the effort?

[Byron]

My 93 Turbo with a modified exhaust system sporting no secondary cat, an 
open intake air filter, aftermarket BOV, etc, easily passes a local test 
only station in CA. I figure that not many smog techs have ever seen an 
MR2 turbo, let alone tested one. Best part is that all of the 
measurements are almost at zero, way below the average emitter profile. 
Based on this, I wouldn't be too concerned with some modifications, as 
long as the engine appears to be stock.

Byron 93T

Aaron Willis wrote:
> I'm with you - having been on both sides of the inspection - but it's
> also quite possible to slip certain mods past a typical smog tech who
> may not be all that sharp or all that interested.  A discrete header is
> one of those things that can go unnoticed, particularly if it's well
> obscured (as it is in an AW11) and tucked under a stock-looking
> heatshield.  Lack of shiny paint or polish will also help a bit in not
> attracting their attention.  I would say that gives some of the chumps
> buying them a fighting chance, particularly given that I've seen them
> pass CA smog tests before.
>
> For that matter, a friend of mine once smogged a 16V Sirocco engine in
> an early Rabbit GTI without even mentioning the fact that the engine had
> been changed.  It was a stock-appearing VW engine with all smog
> equipment in place and functional, and the books didn't say anything
> about how many valves it had (or the tech didn't bother to read).  The
> keys are looking stock, passing the functional tests, and running clean.
>