Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General California emissions option?

I was just wondering what the option "California emissions" adds to a car. I know there are different warranty periods for various items in California, but what actually makes my car different than ones without this option? According to my window sticker, it was a "no-cost" option.

California has the highest (if not one of the highest) emission standards in the country, if not in the world. This is why you will see aftermarket products like turbo's that are "pending CARB approval." CARB stands for California Air Resources Board, the governing body for our emissions standards. Anyways, Cali gets a special sticker stating that our cars meet their standards. These cars were destined for our market. Meaning an equal car to yours, a 2000 Contour, originally sold out of state, may not meet Ca. emission standards. In reality, almost every new sold out of state will also meet our emissions standards, but Cali cars get the special sticker.

Your car would have a slightly different timing set to meet the CARB emission standards. This decreases HP and torque by a couple percentage points, but otherwise should have no other effect.