Before I ask, just know that I read through the extensive exhaust list from the noob sticky above and am very thankful for the OPs hard work and putting it all together.

With that good sized list, how many of those exhaust systems are legal for road use in California? I definitely want my R53 to sound good but I also want to be able to pass SMOG as it is my daily driver. Anyone know how to tell if they are SMOG legal or not?

 

As long as it is a catback system it should be fine, full exhaust systems are when things get tricky in Cali.
So typically if you leave the stock manifold and cat you should be fine, assuming it doesn't go beyond acceptable noise levels.

 

Man I wish that were true. The muffler and resonator functions can dictate Cali legality. Cat back simply means from the catalytic converter and back. I have installed and ran 20+ different systems on different cars with most passing SMOG but not all of them!

For example, I know for sure that the Invidia system does not comply with California requirements (according to WMW). I was just wondering if anyone knew the status on the others.

 

I wrote to Borla about this question before buying my system (they answer very quickly).

They said "Thank you for your interest in Borla Performance, that is correct all of our cat back systems are street legal so long as the catalytic converter is still in place. So yes that specific part (140027) is street legal."

 

Okay great. That's good to know that Borla is 50 state. Anyone know about the others?

 

Here's the thing... you're sort of asking two questions and it's confusing people... you asked about the legality of an exhaust... to which Borla replied that all of their Cat-Back systems are street legal.

Street legal just means:
A) It actually has a functioning muffler. (Not just straight pipe.)
B) It doesn't have a Cut-Out or a Bypass.
C) It doesn't emit excessive noise. (Less than 95 Decibels)
D) It doesn't interfere with emissions equipment.

That's what makes an exhaust system street legal. The catalytic converter is the last part of the MINI Cooper exhaust system that's considered to be apart of the emissions equipment.

Myself, testing many exhaust systems in the industry for years, have never seen a Cat-Back system that changed the emissions enough to fail a smog test. I know that on some occasions the system would lean out a little bit, but most cars can compensate for it.

 

We sell several different brands of exhaust and on an R53 the cat is in the header/manifold pipe which bolts to the exhaust. So legally you can install and exhaust after the stock header/manifold and you are legal. Even the Invidia would be legal.
On the R56 MINIs there is a second cat in the exhaust pipe and if you remove that it is not legal, so that may be why Invidia would say it's not. But same deal there as long as you don't remove that second cat you can install anything you want behind it even a straight pipe and your still legal. Now you could have a sound ordinance that would prevent it from being legal if too loud. But off the shelf exhaust rarely are too loud for that with a stock header/manifold.

Now picking one out will be on you for what sound, fitment, and budget you have.

Over the years I've installed and driven cars with every brand and chose to use our WMW Stratmosphere as our preferred R53 exhaust. It fits right the first time, sounds great, makes the best torque numbers, has a great finish with quality welds, and doesn't drone.
Before that we used the Milltek which works well but not the quality and the strat was a little more affordable.

 

The more research I do, the more I get conflicting answers. Some say that there is a 2nd catalytic converter in the pipes before the mufflers while others say that it's just a resonator to prevent drone.

To my understanding, if this is removed (and it is a cat or provides similar functions), wouldn't that change emissions? This is what I was referring to when asking what systems were legal in California. I understand that I may or may not have used the exact "terms" for the other 49 states, but here in California, street legal and emission testing legal are the same thing. This is why many performance companies offer a California legal system in addition to their normal system. The cat is NOT the only thing that can change emission testing and as previously stated, some systems can even cause the car to run too lean to meet Cali SMOG regulations. Because of this, many companies do not even bother with California's overly-strict emissions regulations. And don't even get me started with their overly-enforced decibel rating system. But I digress.

Regardless of what specific words you would like me to use to ask, I just wanted to know if anyone knew which systems are tested to pass California SMOG restrictions. I wasn't trying to ask two different questions or confuse anyone. Sorry, I thought what I was asking was pretty straight forward...

 

I have taken smog tech classes in California and the answer is basically that you cannot change or alter anything from the exhaust manifold to the end of the Cat. You technically can't even install an AFR sensor. After the cat it is all legal. You can even take and pass an emissions test without the exhaust past the cat since the test doesn't care how loud the exhaust is. Loud exhaust tickets are issued by police, not the shops. The bottom line is as long as you keep everything that came with the car intact from the catalytic converter to the head it will be legal fore emissions.

 

Okay that makes sense. So are the California versions of exhaust systems only different based on their decibel levels?

 

For the R53 in California you can change anything past the Header/Cat.

You cannot change this:


You can change any of this:


Maybe there is confusion because the manifold includes a small pre-cat and a normal Cat (where the #1 points to in the diagram).
Also the cat-back portion of the exhaust includes a resonator (first can) and a muffler (second can).

 

And the resonator doesn't provide any emission functions, right?

 

Correct...resonators are for MOSTLY sound...
They can, in some cases, slightly increase HP... Mildly debated, but a manufacture will say it helps to ease the exaust pluses to make an exaust flow better...but I bet 99% of folks who ever deleted one gets more gain from the loss of the wight, and the smile from slightly more sound.

 

Correct the resonator is not part of the CA emission controlled system. You can change the resonator and muffler. You do not even have to have the resonator (silencer) and can just have a muffler. WMW sells the Stratmosphere with and without the resonator. Without the resonator is louder but still CA emissions legal.

 

And then I just have to keep an eye out for those black and whites...

 

Pretty sure the magnaflow system is cali decibal legal too.

 

Just the thread I was looking for. I had posted my concern on others, but have yet to receive replies. I believe my question was answered by batrugger's post (#9), thanks, but I still have one last question. Like many others, my down pipe cracked at the bottom weld on the pre-cat. Is my only option to replace the manifold/cat with an OEM?

 

To be fully smog legal you would need an OEM manifold & cat.
However, I have replaced many manifolds with headers and aftermarket cats in CA and have never had an issue with inspections as long as the car was not throwing any codes and passed the sniff test (which now is not even done on newer cars, they just plug into OBD). For the Mini with the header covered by a shield, I cannot image any issue at a smog check as long as the car is not too loud and the header has a good quality cat that is not creating any codes. The inspector will not even be looking close enough to know whether are not the header is OEM or Aftermarket.

 

My problem is with my luck, they're going to notice. The whole better safe than sorry mantra is what I have to go for here in Cali. Hence the reason I never go to Vegas; my wife and I would end up living in a single-wide.

To answer 2seven's post, quikmni nailed it. In order to be "CA Compliant" you will need an OEM manifold and cat. However, I have heard of shops doing a macgyver-esk thing where they take a more free-flowing header/manifold setup and use the stock cat and it looks and sounds pretty close to stock. I don't know how easy that would be with our Minis but it can't be all that more difficult than all of the other BMW jobs you see flying around here.

 

Just had the One Ball Mod done to my 05 MCS for $60 by SuperTuning Performance, custom exhaust specialists in Van Nuys, Ca.
Ask for KoKo.
Guys a master at his craft I was in n out in 30 min. Lifetime warranty on work performed.
I called all around the Valley and westside and half the mini specialists didn't even know what a One Ball MOd was let alone ever did one !? And wanted to charge $100 -150 !!!

She sounds great now on decel and I dropped 30 lbs. AND it's smog legal !

Jeff

 

Thanks for the input guys, I greatly appreciate it. If I were to risk it and go with an after market configuration ($1000 for an OEM part is steep), can anybody offer a suggestion on components that would pass smog?

 

Do you already have a cat-back exhaust system, if so what brand/type?
Not too many options for headers with cat.

I would check out the Milltek ($1150) or Flashpoint ($780).

http://www.waymotorworks.com/milltek...fold-pipe.html
https://www.ecstuning.com/Mini-2005-...nce/ES2827801/

http://www.waymotorworks.com/flashpo...eader-cat.html

 

No, I don't have a cat back system, but I plan to purchase one, which is why I'd like to save money on the manifold/cat. One of the hangers broke on my OEM muffler a couple years ago, had it welded back in place, and I've since lost the popping sound made when decelerating in gear. Quite disappointing to say the least. So, in all, I'd like to get my car back to its, actually, a greater performance mode than original. However, it's my daily driver & needs to be street legal for CA.

 

... And I do like the position of the flex joint on the Flashpoint. I've heard too many complaints about the down pipe banging on other parts of the car when the flex joint is positioned lower down the pipe.

 

If budget is a concern, a less expensive manifold option is the PaceSetter 757410 manifold. It is closer to OEM type, however it is still only 49 state legal. I think you can find it for less than $400.

I would suggest the Stratmosphere cat-back and Flashpoint manifold. You should be able to get the set for less than $1,600.