Any Cat experts?
 

Seriously? What is the difference between a 49 state catalytic converter and a 50 state one, if both have OBDII and O2 sensor locations?

Everywhere I look says they will not ship to CA. I'm going to get some local muffler shop quotes and if too outrageous, I will have the cat shipped to my Mom and then have her ship it to me. [gunfire]Kalifornia

I am no expert....but you will not pass CA emmission standards with a 49 state legal cat. You will need one that is for California Emmission standards. California has much stricter emission laws then the rest of the US.

I have the 49 state hfc and no cel. In IL emissions is tested by plugging into the obdII. Does California do visual inspections underneath car?

Both cats will work. The "50" state cat is CARB certified and will have a little stamp on it that says so. Basically, the manufacturer paid a lot of money for the CARB to test and approve it's quality and HC/CO/NOx reduction capability.

The only reason the uncertified one would cause a problem is if a knucklehead at the IM240 testing station looks for a CARB stamp and decides to fail you as a result.

I refuse to live in an area that requires this nonsense so I am not keen on the level of enforcement/corruption.

What model number do you have?

this is what I suspected... I didn't want to say anything in case it was wrong and he bought a cat he couldn't use.

Not sure on the model number, it's a magnaflow hfc.

Cool. I have read where there are a couple of models out there that are listed for the svt but in fact don't fit.

Got mine from cfm. Fit and looks great.
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Alright now this one I know I can answer since I have to learn this as a Ford Technician. A 50 state legal catalytic converter catalyst is designed to pass the most stringent emissions tests of California. Where the 49 state legal one doesn't have that high a level of a catalyst. The difference you will find when you try to get one from Magnaflow is that if your car came from the factory equipped with a California catalytic converter and you order a 49 you will get a MIL which no matter what state you live in you will fail emissions testing. Magnaflow actually has a code for the engines that you can get from your car that tells them what the type of catalytic converter your car comes equipped with. Here is a perfect example of why this doesn't matter what state you're in but how your car came out of the factory, I live in Pennsylvania and I purchased my car in a county that doesn't do emissions testing due to our population density and my car is equipped with a California 50 state catalytic converter.