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CARB Certified DP/Cat?

Keehs360

Autocross Champion
Location
Denver
Car(s)
Mk7.5
Are you sure about this part? I don't see on the Air Care Colorado site that's called out. It seems that that once you move into the cars 8th year they require an emissions test, which can be waived if you pass the Rapidscreen roadside tests you see setup near highway on ramps and such. Not sure where it indicates that an OBD scan alone does it. Everytime I go to AirCare I see cars run on the dyno and either fast pass in the 3 min test or move onto the full 10 min test, either way they all run on the rollers.

Currently running full stage 2 with APR catted downpipe on a '16 GTI, which if I read the Aircare site correctly "Most vehicles do not require an inspection until they are eight years old." https://aircarecolorado.com/faq I'm guess I'm not getting tested hood up on rollers until '24?

BTW anecdote about the CO referee process...I have an '84 Jetta GLI with full 2.0 ABA motor swap including '96 OBD1 management. Car has full Techtonics 2.25" exhaust with Bosal 4/2/1 long tube headers with a tiny half sized Magnaflow pre-cat instead of a full sized one located about 18" behind the stock location. Definitely not stock. I went through the normal emissions line a few times over the years and just played dumb and it worked. Got some static once during the visual and the inspector brought his supervisor over and they said "let's see what it does on the rollers" and the car passed.
After I sweated through that I decided to do the full referee procedure and decided to get the car certified emissions wise as a '96. I scheduled an appointment at the Broomfield AirCare facility (heard the ref there is a car guy and swap sympathetic, if done right) and sat in a room while the inspector went over the entire car for about 30 min, including running on his emissions dyno. I have the OBD scan port hooked up, all evap stuff hooked up, and as mentioned the micro-cat, logo and serial # side down for visibility, and it passed. Guy complimented me on my swap and passed the car. Next emissions test I have to bring the paperwork he gave indicating it's a '96 as far as the inspector is concerned and I run through the regular line.
I’ve only seen awd cars get the obd monitor treatment. Air care stopped putting awd cars on the dyno a long time ago. Apparently a very high horsepower evo 8 bucked hard and was damaged. This was before Colorado went carb.

Subaru’s and other awd cars don’t get dyno’d anymore. I guess air care wants to avoid that costly situation.

iirc every single fwd and rwd car hits the dyno. But I can’t say with certainty

also, the rapid screen is twice a year right? I wonder what that consists of.
 

bicycle019

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Denver, CO
also, the rapid screen is twice a year right? I wonder what that consists of.

I believe, not confirmed, that you have to pass rapid screen testing twice in the year or six months before you are due for it to count and avoid going onto the rollers. They do list locations they are running the testing at so you can ensure you run past. Best bet is to be running things as hot as possible before rolling through so the cat is at full efficiency. Not sure about best practice for speed or throttle position though - fast, slow, on gas, off gas, to get the best result test wise. This to me is our best bet long term, pass rapid screen and never let anyone look under the hood. 👀
 

Keehs360

Autocross Champion
Location
Denver
Car(s)
Mk7.5
I believe, not confirmed, that you have to pass rapid screen testing twice in the year or six months before you are due for it to count and avoid going onto the rollers. They do list locations they are running the testing at so you can ensure you run past. Best bet is to be running things as hot as possible before rolling through so the cat is at full efficiency. Not sure about best practice for speed or throttle position though - fast, slow, on gas, off gas, to get the best result test wise. This to me is our best bet long term, pass rapid screen and never let anyone look under the hood. 👀
I’ve never met anyone that’s done it tbh. I’m not even sure how it works.

But I’ve met one dude who went in a catless wrx with e50 in the tank and failed LOL.
 

IanCH

Autocross Champion
Location
MA
Car(s)
'20 GTI
Yo why is colorado, a state with almost no people so strict on the vehicle emissions? What you guys are describing sounds insane!

They should be cracking down on trucks and other big polluters not passenger cars...
 

docwyte

Go Kart Champion
Location
Denver, co
What is air care ref?

In Colorado they have special stations that look at cars that have been flagged, or cars that have engine swaps to make sure they have all the necessary emissions equipment installed. When I LSx swapped my Porsche 944 I took the car there, they inspected it and then made an entry into the computer that my car should be tested as a 2002 camaro.

Basically if a cop or the regular emissions place thinks something on your car isn't proper, they send you to the Air Care place and they go thru the car with a fine toothed comb.

I've never heard of someone getting pulled over by a cop and being sent there, in any of the forums/facebook groups I'm on. All my cars run cats, even tho the 911 and the R are more on the loud side. I rarely speed in town tho and I'm 50 and Air Force, so that probably helps...
 

docwyte

Go Kart Champion
Location
Denver, co
Are you sure about this part? I don't see on the Air Care Colorado site that's called out. It seems that that once you move into the cars 8th year they require an emissions test, which can be waived if you pass the Rapidscreen roadside tests you see setup near highway on ramps and such. Not sure where it indicates that an OBD scan alone does it. Everytime I go to AirCare I see cars run on the dyno and either fast pass in the 3 min test or move onto the full 10 min test, either way they all run on the rollers.

Currently running full stage 2 with APR catted downpipe on a '16 GTI, which if I read the Aircare site correctly "Most vehicles do not require an inspection until they are eight years old." https://aircarecolorado.com/faq I'm guess I'm not getting tested hood up on rollers until '24?

Yes, I'm sure of it, years 8-13 are OBD2 scan only. After that you go on the rollers AND the OBD2 scan. Unless you have a 996 Turbo, then they just OBD2 scan it. :cool:

Your GLi should be in the system, I never had to bring paperwork for my LS swapped 944 once I went thru the referree process.
 

docwyte

Go Kart Champion
Location
Denver, co
I’ve only seen awd cars get the obd monitor treatment. Air care stopped putting awd cars on the dyno a long time ago. Apparently a very high horsepower evo 8 bucked hard and was damaged. This was before Colorado went carb.

Subaru’s and other awd cars don’t get dyno’d anymore. I guess air care wants to avoid that costly situation.

iirc every single fwd and rwd car hits the dyno. But I can’t say with certainty

also, the rapid screen is twice a year right? I wonder what that consists of.

They Rapid Screen constantly. You can go on the website and see where the stations are located. I called and talked to a very helpful guy there when I was getting ready to bring my LS swapped 944 thru. He said you need to pass several of the mobile stations a few months before you're due and you can't do laps past the same one. He said it doesn't matter if you coast past it or WOT past it, it's either going to register a reading or it won't. If it doesn't register a reading it doesn't count...
 

Keehs360

Autocross Champion
Location
Denver
Car(s)
Mk7.5
Yes, I'm sure of it, years 8-13 are OBD2 scan only. After that you go on the rollers AND the OBD2 scan. Unless you have a 996 Turbo, then they just OBD2 scan it. :cool:

Your GLi should be in the system, I never had to bring paperwork for my LS swapped 944 once I went thru the referree process.
My 2009 Altima got out on the rollers last month 🤷🏽‍♂️
 

Keehs360

Autocross Champion
Location
Denver
Car(s)
Mk7.5
Yo why is colorado, a state with almost no people so strict on the vehicle emissions? What you guys are describing sounds insane!

They should be cracking down on trucks and other big polluters not passenger cars...
Carb is a fucking hustle. These local muffler shops will have to dump all their epa stamped cats because they don’t have a carb stamp

carb makes Cali more money than medical cannabis! And they share a bit of it with Colorado. Since Colorado went carb. It’s ridiculous. Modern cars have egr’s or secondary air injection and two cats. They shouldn’t be tested at all till the 100k mark tbh
 

Keehs360

Autocross Champion
Location
Denver
Car(s)
Mk7.5
They Rapid Screen constantly. You can go on the website and see where the stations are located. I called and talked to a very helpful guy there when I was getting ready to bring my LS swapped 944 thru. He said you need to pass several of the mobile stations a few months before you're due and you can't do laps past the same one. He said it doesn't matter if you coast past it or WOT past it, it's either going to register a reading or it won't. If it doesn't register a reading it doesn't count...
Gotcha. LS swapped 944 you say?!?
 

IanCH

Autocross Champion
Location
MA
Car(s)
'20 GTI
Carb is a fucking hustle. These local muffler shops will have to dump all their epa stamped cats because they don’t have a carb stamp

carb makes Cali more money than medical cannabis! And they share a bit of it with Colorado. Since Colorado went carb. It’s ridiculous. Modern cars have egr’s or secondary air injection and two cats. They shouldn’t be tested at all till the 100k mark tbh

Not to mention that it's effectively just another steep tax on the poor since a compliant cat is tons of money, even more if you're car illiterate and at the mercy of your shop/dealer. The only people affected by this are people driving old cars.
 

Keehs360

Autocross Champion
Location
Denver
Car(s)
Mk7.5
Not to mention that it's effectively just another steep tax on the poor since a compliant cat is tons of money, even more if you're car illiterate and at the mercy of your shop/dealer. The only people affected by this are people driving old cars.
Exactly. Local news here determined that running emissions testing at the current routine creates 4% more pollutants in the air.
 
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