Mackitraz

Have to agree, when a ticket seems bogus, it's really worth looking into fighting it. Especially if the cop didn't seem all that enthusiastic to write it. If you've never fought a ticket before, it's pretty easy, all you have to do is tell your local magistrate or other ticket body you want to contest the ticket. If you lose, you pay the ticket and court costs, if you win, nothing. You need to examine exactly what the ticket is for, and what your local noise ordinance laws are. You can't be disturbing the peace if you're not violating the established standards for noise in your area. If the cop wrote you for a ticket and didn't test your car with a decibel meter, how does he know in any way that you're violating anything?

If you already paid it, consider the high flow cats just to get exactly legal, and then make sure you comply with local law. If you get a beef again from the cop, have paperwork handy about your setup and complain that you're being harrassed by your neighbor. You shouldn't be penalized if you really aren't doing anything wrong.

Black GT500

To remove or disable a catalytic converter is a violation of federal law. If one were to be prosecuted for this there would be a fine in excess of $1000 and even possible confinement. The Environmental Protection Agency {EPA) is tasked with enforcement.

As to the disturbing your neighbors with the noise from your exhaust system, that is just plain inexcusable, period.

If you like your loud exhaust system, that is fine, but please be respectful of others who do not. The offensive and basically juvenile attitude that some espouse here about punishing people around them who don’t share their own enthusiasm for a noisy exhaust system is simply pathetic. And I don’t like them giving me, a true gear head, a bad name. Besides, everyone knows or eventually learns not to **** in their own bed anyway.

If you were my neighbor, I would ask you to stop disturbing me with your noise pollution once, if you didn’t make an honest effort to do so, I guarantee I would win the competition of who could disturb whom the most effectively. Been there done that twice before with two different inconsiderate neighbors. They both got down right polite in relatively short order.

Deric

Did you install both at the same time? I don't know if you could fight the ticket since you said you have an O/R pipe but I would look to highflow cats just to be legal. I thought there were some that were around $70 each. Put them on your stock H and if you like the sound sell the O/R setup to return some of the money for the CATs

Mackitraz

He's just been saying that he takes measures to try NOT to disturb them if I'm not mistaken. Personally, I'm not for a very loud exhaust, and I've kept mine stock, so I understand the neighbor's point of view. However, he's at college, gone a lot, and the neighbor hasn't made any effort to appeal to them in person. I think that's just rude to resort to cops as your first measure.

Starfire

Yeah that's just not way to go about it, they should have at least approached you first about it.

05fordgt

No problem bud. I hate when neighbors can't be friendly. About the sound off, the only one I did, was in New Jersey. It was at a car & bike show. Alot of fun. And sorry to say, that wasn't my car in Oregon. The furthest its been away from home has been MIR in Maryland. If you do put on cats, the muffler you have is legal. Just keep something from the manufacturer's website that shows this, and show it to the cop the next time the neighbor calls them on you. You'll be fine.

nynvolt

It's strange, I was expecting to get a noise ticket for my slp's after getting them. have never had any problems with them, been on my car 2-3 years. That includes cold starts in a parking garage after a movie and a motorcycle cop being one isle down, set off alarms and everything but he didn't pay any attention.

Now a friend of mine who has a rediculous stereo system has been pulled over and ticketed 3 times for that being loud lol.

If I were you I'd just put the stock h back on and call it a day if the mufflers are legal in your state.

I think in California any alteration or increase in sound from after market exhaust is illegal. They seem to only enforce it on bikes, including Harleys and fart can equipped "sport compacts"

2k7gtcs

I have always tried to keep the car as quiet as possible. I'm not looking for trouble. I have to drive by about 100 houses to leave my subdivision with no posted speed limit. I go about 20mph so noone can ever say a word. I drive slow and quiet. The police chief lives in my neighborhood and I have never had a problem (knock on wood). I have some of those neighbors who look for anything and I've given them nothing to date. Those are the same ones that go 35 or 40mph in a hurry to get home talking on the cell phone in the neighborhood. Or the ones that let their kids between 5 and 8 PLAY IN THE STREET while they are inside completely out of view. If I'm at a light and there's a cop around I'll take off in 2nd and take it easy. I don't need any trouble and will avoid at all costs. But down an open road or a deserted highway I'll let her rip. It's just the way the world is. But my father used to get scolded for his straight pipes in the '50s and I'm sure his father did something loud or fast in his car before him (provided they even had fast cars then).

I guess I'm saying be respectful and hopefully the first run in you have won't be with the cops causing you to remove your hard aftermarket work. I don't want to pull these headers off, ever. They were a PITA to get on, and I'll park it before I take them off.

fastmover05

yeah I told the cop id replace the h this weekend and then figure out what im gonna do. the stingers sound great with the stock and arent very loud. its just that i want to hear the deep rumble and its hard to find a setup i really like. Just gonna have to play around with my options some more. This thread has alot of really good ideas and advice thanks guys!

mustang_lurkers

As long as you are within the law in reference to DBA's or audible distance who cares what your neighbor thinks. Most noise laws allow for vehicle exhaust to max out at between 70 and 95 dBA's and that is pretty loud. A car with a performance exhuast is quieter than your neighbors lawn mower and how many of them have cut the grass at 7 a.m. when you were asleep? As long as you are not reving the motor and making lots of noise on purpose I don't think you are being a bad neighbor just because your car exhaust is about 30 DBA's louder than the soccer mom's minivan down the street. Like I said before even with your CATs removed and stingers on your car is not as loud as a Harley Davidson Motorcycle. I have Dynomax mufflers on my car and yes they are pretty loud but not enought to violate the law but honestly the car would probably wake the baby so I would be a nice neighbor and by the kid some ear muffs!

futuresvt

If you do and he does, just go fight it. A girl could win in traffic court!



Cops are idiots. Use two syllable words to confuse him and you'll be fine!

I'm j/k. Only some cops are idiots - traffic enforcement.

samckernan

Really?

Black GT500

Yeah, I believe in treating others like I want to be treated. Many people do not, and that is just too bad. But I have no problem treating people like they actually deserve to be treated… Being kind and polite while not being a pacifist is very effective.

"Walk softly and carry a big stick”
Buford Hayse Pusser, Sheriff McNairy County Tennessee

"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people and I require the same from them."
John Wayne ('John Bernard Brooks') "The Shootist"

Mackitraz

Hey fastmover05, have you ever talked to the Harley guys and asked them if they've encountered similar problems?

Sorry to reiterate, but calling the cops without a prior discussion seems a "shoot first and ask questions later" kind of a approach, and hardly what I'd consider being respectful of others or how I'd like to be treated either.

adrenalin

I have a few buddies that are police officers (City and OPP) in Ontario. They both confirmed that the Ontario law states that if a muffler is replaced it must meet OEM spec (which includes db rating). So basically just about every replacement muffler you get, even from Canadian Tire could potentially get you ticketed. I know my one buddy gives every car that has one of those fart can mufflers (typical on cavaliers, civics, sunfires) tickets. After a second ticket he gives them a 48 hour notice to have it removed.

I personally have not received a ticket but have been questioned by an officer about them.

MustangLynda

Clearly there WERE prior discusssions. I also don't see how they would know it was the neighbor calling the cops if there were no discussions ever. Just sayin'.....

SixtySix

Whoa! Not to get off the subject of a busybody neighbor, but let's not give the impression that a setup with longtubes and aftermarket cats is legal. They aren't "legal" in ANY state.

Being legal and passing emissions are 2 separate issues. Just because enforcement is lax doesn't make it legal.

Just sayin... I have the same setup, and assume the risk knowing that they are indeed illegal.

Mackitraz

Getting to the heart of your comment, I'm not saying the neighbors should suck it up, and I already stated that I don't tend to like extremely loud vehicles. So in my own mind, I initially found myself very sympathetic to the neighbors. But fastmover05 hasn't stated at any point that the neighbors talked to them at any time, he stated there were previous callings of the cops, which you just pointed out. Are we wrong in assuming this fastmover05? I know my neighbors have children, but I have yet to have a single conversation with them. He did state that he likes his car the way it is, but that he recognizes it's loud so he tries to do things to keep it from being noisy around them. I'm assuming, and fastmover05 can correct me here, that they are the only close neighbor so I'm guessing the assumption is that there is no one else who would be doing it. What are the other choices? The Harley people even farther away? He also said he's away at college, so it's not like he's running up and down the street every day at 4 in the morning...

I guess I'm responding the fact that he doesn't seem to be acting out of malice or negative intention toward his neighbors, and yet he's getting it in return. I see this as unfair. I see it as bad form to involve legal action in an attempt to "teach him a lesson." Or make him see the errors of his ways. What would you do if your neighbor decided he wasn't in love with the sound of your Bullitt mufflers (which I love the sound of btw!) and decided you needed a few visits from the local police to give you that impression? If the neighbors want some consideration, IMHO they need to give it, or they need to stop. I'd be curious to know if they have or why they aren't bothering the folks with the motorcycles, considering I'd bet they aren't away at college.

StangMahn

But his neighbor didnt ask, if my neighbors asked me to quiet down, I'd try to; but to call the cops before even asking is just being a total douchebag!

05fordgt

Well, when I got my car inspected this January, it wasn't at some back-alley shop where they just slap stickers on. My father inspected the car, AND he's had an inspection license for many years, and it passed with flying colors. In PA, you need cats, and no CEL's when doing the test. I passed both requirements.