[Brucelee]

Lets try to wrap this silly ass thread up.

If you drive in CA without mufflers but with the legal cats in place, the officer can decide it is illegal, ie, write you a ticket for a loudness violation. It appears that he cannot impound your car if the smog is legal, BUT if he thinks it might be, he has that discretion. You then and go fight with the judge as to whether he overstepped his bounds.

If you are really running straight pipes, ie, neither cats nor muffler, it is pretty clear he can and will simply take your car. This is a clear violation of CARB regs.

On the truck you go!

Having said that, I know the CHP ARE picking up ricers and taking their cars if they SUSPECT that the engine and exhaust are not CARB legal. While the ricer may get his car back if it proves to be legal, that is faint consolation indeed, to my way of thinking.