suppose I get pulled over and a cop figured I'm not using a cat...

what will happen?

 

Here in Cali. Ticket is for sure and a high chance of your car being impounded. Its more than just a fix-it violation.

 

$10,000 USD... if they feel like making an example out of you.

That's why I kept my stock CATS for emission day. It only takes an 1hr to swap them out, then back, after it's all over. It's also why I got the HELIX HF cats, I can say they passed CARB emissions in a hypothetical test at one of the centers, just in case I get caught somewhere in between.

Zquicksilver

 

Does not matter one bit in Florida

 

cop isnt gonna crouch down and tell u to put a cat on hahaa ... i hope not!

 

how easy is it to tell a car has test pipes instead of cats (other than by looking) ~ would a cop know by the sound?

 

smell more than sound.

The exhaust fume will be overwhelming. You will stink like a pig.

 

Yup that's the only good thing about this forsaken state...

And yes, with test pipes it will be VERY obvious you aren't running cats. Your car will smell like a race track. I'd go with some good high flow cats if you're in a carb state.

 

Cops in CA now have portable sniffers for testing if you have Cats and such. Its a Criminal offense if you get caught.

 

Also depending upon your exhaust you can throw some pretty impressive flames out the TP ,with test pipes.
With the OEMs or HF CATs this doesn't happen. So yeh , at night could be a little obvious..