Hi all!

I am running Open Hooker Sidepipes on my C3 Vettes since years and so far I have not gotten any tickets. (And those pipes are as loud as 10 Harley's together). Recently I got my first warning. The officer told me to do something about the noise. Does anyone know what the legal limits for noise are? Are those laws applicable for Classic Cars too?
BTW - I live in Florida - so I am specially interested in Florida laws!

Olivier


[Modified by GrandSportC3, 12:43 PM 8/26/2001]

 

Noise laws are a purely local matter. Usually if the local authority thinks your car is too loud, it's too loud.
When I was a kid, I was stopped constantly for "loud pipes" on my Honda. The local cops would check to see if the baffles were installed, and if they were gone it was your A-$-$!
Then we got smart, we started sawing the baffles off, so only the end at the back of the muffler was showing. They'd pull me over, make me rev the bike up, and then tell me that it was loud, but apparently legal.
It was all a matter of harassment.

 

In my younger years, I also would pull the baffles out of the Honda exhaust. I always got busted by the cops. With my Harley ... I ran staight pipes, it was loud as heck ... and cops just looked the other way. Go figure !

Here in Albuquerque they are more concerned about ricers cranking their amps up ... have a noise law for too loud of music. I like the law... I hate hearing that thumping rap music ! Now, the sound of Vette exhaust or Harley's for that is music to my ears.

 

>>Usually if the local authority thinks your car is too loud, it's too loud.

But if you go to court? I would like to know that if I would get a ticket - if I would have a chance in court.

Olivier

 

>>Here in Albuquerque they are more concerned about ricers cranking their amps up ... have a noise
>>law for too loud of music. I like the law... I hate hearing that thumping rap music ! Now, the sound
>>of Vette exhaust or Harley's for that is music to my ears.

I am not a fan o rap music either!
I looked through the Internet to find any local law about exhaust noise but I didn't find any. I only found laws against noise from Car Stereos. If you can hear the music past 100 feet from the car - it's too loud!

Olivier

 

How did you get away with no complaints for so long? I would be calling every cop within 10 miles when I use the 4 barrel if I were driving with open Hookers. I would call all cops within 1 mile if I was just cruising. I'm self conscious about mine with mufflers. If cops were that easy going about noise I would never worry! Unless you have been using ear plugs, you probably don't think it's even that bad. Your hearing is now probably about half as good as Pete Townsends. But open pipes under power sure does sound great!

Get JCL's Spiral Baffles and have the best of both worlds. Minimal power loss and very good sound control.

Chuck

 

I have a stock system and have been considering an under car chambered system. I was just wondering if anyone here has one and just how loud it is.

BIGsteve

 

>>How did you get away with no complaints for so long?

I live in Florida! Around here - cops are not too strict with classic cars around here! (exept if you make that kind of
noise with a late model car...)

>>I would be calling every cop within 10 miles when I use the 4 barrel if I were driving with open Hookers.
>>I would call all cops within 1 mile if I was just cruising.

Maybe I just got lucky. However - in the last 3 years I drove approx. 15000 miles with Open Hookers without any tickets!
I often went to Orlandos OLD TOWN Car show. It's full of cops there and noone complained...

>>I'm self conscious about mine with mufflers. If cops were that easy going about noise I would never worry!

I only started worrying after getting my first warning recently. I would like to know more about the legal situation
in Florida.

>>Unless you have been using ear plugs, you probably don't think it's even that bad.

Inside in the car it's not too bad - exept when driving through tunnels but we don't have too many of those in Florida!

>>Your hearing is now probably about half as good as Pete Townsends.



>>But open pipes under power sure does sound great!

Like a race car! - it's so much fun!

>>Get JCL's Spiral Baffles and have the best of both worlds. Minimal power loss and very good sound control.
>>
>>Chuck

What are the "loudest" legal mufflers? Are there any louder ones than the Spiral Baffles?
Where can I get those mufflers?

Thanks

Olivier

 

I think the loudest muffler availible is a flowmaster 1 chamber (I dont know that there legal or if you can call it a muffler :p: )

That is one sweet car how hard was the clam shell to install?

ZD

 

I would think, that to be enforceable, there must be a statute that spells out the Db allowed and how it is measured.

Undercar chambered exhaust can be loud when you want it to be. I can set off car alarms. At cruise or light throttle it is ok, but stand on it or start the car in a garage and the noise is excessive. I LOVE it.

 

For Spiral Baffles, check out the following site:
http://www.spiralturbobaffles.com/

p.s. You would have really disappointed me if you had said, "Pete Townsend Who?" Of course no pun would have been intended I'm sure :lol:

Chuck

 

We used to stuff steel wool up the tail pipe and secure it with a nail dropped through a hole in the pipe. Then you could drive down to the police dept., get the ticket signed off, and pull the pin when you got out of sight. Worked great. Only ticket I ever got that I couldn't fix was with a set of Cyclone 'Purple Hornies' that I ran on a '66 GTO! That was the loudest thing ever! I had to remove them and put some conventional mufflers on it.

Hans

 

I don't know how the laws work in Florida, but the way the motor vehicle code in Idaho is worded, you don't stand a chance. Words such as 'excessive and unreasonable' that place you in a situation where it's your word against the officer's will almost *always* end with the judge siding with the officer.

Of course, that same section of code also states that no one is to modify an automobile's exhaust system except in compliance with the original manufacturer's specifications, so even if there's some confusion as to whether your car is 'excessively and unreasonably loud', the same section conveniently also states that you can't modify the exhaust *anyway*, so you're hosed.

 

State of Florida Vehicle Noise Law, not sure where to find your local code laws.
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/...403/SEC415.HTM
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/...403/SEC415.HTM
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/...0333/SEC03.HTM

You can do searches from: http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/...2&Tab=statutes

Good luck understanding the lawyerspeak.

:rolleyes:

Derrick

 

Well, there you have it, right from Florida's own statutes:

"No person shall sell or offer for sale for use as a part of the equipment of a motor vehicle any exhaust muffler, intake muffler, or other noise abatement device which, when installed, will permit the vehicle to be operated in a manner that the emitted sound level of the vehicle is increased above that emitted by the vehicle as originally manufactured and determined by the test procedures for new motor vehicle sound levels established under this section."

So if they can prove you're 'louder than stock', you have no defense.

It's very interesting to read motor vehicle codes. They contain so many obscure, unobserved and rarely enforced laws that all an officer needs to do is start going down the list until he finds something you're guilty of. Of course, they don't do this unless you give them a reason to want you to get a ticket.

Bottom line...if a cop wants to give you a ticket, he'll find something to write you up for. Provided he or she shows up in court, you'll have very little in the way of defense. The best defense is not to attract undue attention.

If you do get a ticket, FIGHT IT! More than 50% of tickets atcually contested are dropped or found not guilty for a variety of reasons. The biggest and most interesting one? It's not cost-effective! Traffic tickets are all about revenue...if more people aggressively contest tickets in court (as is their right), this sort of harassment will cease to be a profitable endeavor.

 

>>I think the loudest muffler availible is a flowmaster 1 chamber (I dont know that there legal or if you can call it a muffler )
>>That is one sweet car how hard was the clam shell to install?

Is that a regular muffler or a slip in muffler for the sidepipes?

Olivier

 

Derrick,

thank you for the great links AND ALL THE OTHER POSTERS for the input!

Olivier

 

The flowmasters are regular

Just relized you had side pipes

You might want to try CC inserts they supposedly reduce db leval 5 points with every one installed (you can install them from one end of the pipe to the other if you want)

hope you can still run the pipes (it might be cheaper to add a few hundred bucks to every years maintenaince for the car,... fines :crazy: )

Thats a great custom :chevy

 

>>You might want to try CC inserts they supposedly reduce db leval 5 points with every one
>>installed (you can install them from one end of the pipe to the other if you want)

Where can I get those?
Do you have a link or phone #?

Thanks

Olivier

 

I just [put that system on my 74 and LOVE IT its loud but not obnoxious everyone says it sounds great and the
best part it took a sec off my 1/4 mile time at the track you will have to rejet your carb but that only takes
20mins to do . let me know how you make out ? I got my system from Mid america corvette
Good luck :chevy :chevy