Got a ticket for my exaust

[95z28]

So since when does 50 state emimssions legal mean that my muffler is in adequate ???? because on the way to school friday i got pulled over by the same cop who always pulls me over for random stuff ( not joking atleast every other week he gets me in the same spot ... usualy claims im not warin a seatbelt or sumthin of that nature ). so he argues with me and my passengers that im not warin my seatbelt ,,, and trust me i never forget it i know of too many people who would have lived, or been alot better off in life right now had they worn theirs. so he then tells me to turn my car of ... im getin woried cuz im thinkin he wants to search my car. not like i had to worry but its kind of embarassing when this is right infront of the senior parking lot at my school. so i turn it off, then he tells me to turn it back on .... and get this he MADE ME rev my engine, so i rev it up to like 2500 and he makes me doi it again ... then tells me that it is "way too loud to be legal" so he asks me what i did to it n i told him its just a cat back, the car is 10 years old and it needed a new one. he doesnt buy it and writes me a ticket for inadequate (sp.) muffler. the thing that boggles me is doesnt SLP stand for Street Legal Performance ....

[Joe 1320]

This is easy to beat. Search your state traffic statutes. There should be a portion somewhere on a db rating threshold. Go to court and ask the officer to show the db recording of your exhaust and prove that it is above the legal threshold. The ticket should be dismissed if he didn't measure it. I would even go so far as to get a traffic attorney and claim harassment.

[DJ Taso]

It happens. After market exhaust is illegal, but only cops who have nothing to do will give you a ticket for it. Those are the ones you gotta watch out for, those are the a$$$oles.. My cousin got a ticket for loud exhaust in his 5.0 a couple years ago, he had Flowmasters. The cop cited him a citation for noise pollution.

[casey02ws6]

No way I would let that thing stand! If he is going to nail you he better be ticketing every Harley that rolls through your town.

[69_YENKO]

Man it seems like they are out to get you, was it the same cop that got you for no front tag?

[Dave M]

A cat-back in and of itself is not illegal. There should be a db rating that has to be exceeded, or a distance that it can be heard from. While it is possible your particular cat-back is illegal in your particular area, if the officer didn't measure it in any way you should be successful in fighting it. I would also file a complain with the department if he really has been harrassing you like you say.

And remember, if he ever wants to serach the car, you don't have to give consent. He can only serach it with consent or probable cause. He may try to **** you over by making you wait around for a drug dog if you refuse, or some other stupid excuse, but I'd be as stubborn as he is until he knows harrassing you isn't going to get him anywhere. Chances are he's doing to a lot of guys your age in the area.

[95z28]

Originally posted by casey02ws6
No way I would let that thing stand! If he is going to nail you he better be ticketing every Harley that rolls through your town.

thats what im saying ... he claims the sound limit is 90 decibles. but the local sound ordanance is only from 9pm - 7 am. and 90 decibles ... im pretty sure theres lots of things i cud point out that make more noise than that. he did claim a guarantee that it would be over 90 but when i told him to measure it he said " i guarantee that if i measure it its going to be too loud" and walked away.

[tclelland]

If he didn't measure it at the time he issued the ticket you can argue in court and win. Your word against his because without a documented decible level, noise is subjective. It sounds as if he didn't have the equiptment to measure it, so he walked away. Be careful though cause it sounds as if this guy is out to get you.

[tclelland]

Also....he should have to measure the noise while you are driving. Not while you are sitting still reving the engine. ( of us do that ) Your car might be above the decible level while driving, but that is up to the officer to prove.

[Craig 94 TA GT]

My goodness....this cop is just asking for it!! If our law system supported evidence on any claims and thoughts (i.e. it looked like you were going 75 in a 65, so I'm going to give you a ticket for 75) then we would all be in jail!!

I hope everything goes smoothly for you....and you successfully wipe the smug grin off his face.

On a side note, any bit of inproper procedure will get the case thrown out, period. My friend recently got pulled over for speeding, no front license plate, and an illegal plate cover on the rear. He took it to court because he said he was not speeding. The officer showed up with a smug grin, showed the judge his "perfectly calibrated" radar, and then showed the ticket he wrote. Well, it turns out the cop added a few notes on his copy of the ticket after he gave the ticket to my friend. The judge saw this and immediately threw it out.

I would think you would be in a similar boat because the cop did not have any evidence on the loudness of your exhaust, and you didn't even rev it higher than 2500.

Regarding the legality of an aftermarket cat-back, it's a gray area here in CA. The DMV book says you are not to replace your exhaust/muffler to increase the noise of the car over the stock system. However, it says that no exhaust system (or aftermarket exhaust) may be over 90 dB. Cops here mostly look for ones over 90 dB. In fact, I know many cops who put aftermarket exhausts on their own cars!

[94 formula]

Be careful. Some states have changed PA just changed from having to get decimals read to officers discression. Make sure you have a valid arguement first so your not going into court misinformed and have to pay court costs.

[Joe K. 99 Zeee!!]

VA will let you modify your exhaust. They'll even allow you to replace parts of your emissions control system with something that is "equivilent" or something like that. I kept a copy of the law in my glove compartment in case someone made a fuss over my emissions legal headers.

[Gary94Formula]

I'm pretty sure here in Upstate, NY the police still have to use the meter to measure the sound. I'd go to court and fight it. I have a Hooker cat-back on my Formula, and have never had any problems in the 7+ years I've had it. I'm also 42 and they don't bother us old folks...

[95z28]

^^^ where in rochester you from ???

but any way ... yea and the thing i dont get is that the officer was siting about 500 feet after the street i just turned on to. and under normal driving conditions in a 30mph zone the loudmouth realy isnt too loud ... it was designed to be loud under wide open throtle conditions ... and in a school zone where theres kiddies ... i have the smarts to not have the throttle wide open.

[raroZ28]

Easy to beat, you won't have to pay anything.

Ask for his badge number and the name of his supervisor next time. Take your car to a radio shop and buy a db meter or ask if you can use one of theirs. Get it documented by a reputable exhaust shop of the rating at redline.

Take that to his supervisor, give him the badge number of the cop, and tell him if he pulls you over again you're going to file harassment charges. I get so sick of these guys. If you ask for his badge number and supervisors name he'll probably just walk away, he doesn't want trouble, esp. if he know's he is wrong.

My conquest has a 3" exhaust, no cats and a dynomax ultro flo bullet muffler. It is LOUD. Limit for the state is 80 something I believe, my car measured a high 60 at redline. I got pulled over by a trooper, but he didn't give me a ticket.

Good luck.