For the first time since i had this car, I got pulled over yesterday. I was speeding on the highway, but I saw the tip of the cop car hiding, so hit the brakes and hid behind a truck next to me. As I watch my rear view, I see the cop pull right out, and come up behind me.

he comes to my car, and puts a black box over my window. my tint is 2% darker then it should be, so he goes back to his car. then he comes back with a 5 day tag for window tint, AND EXHAUST. he said it was illegal to have an aftermarket exhaust system on a car that alters the sound of the engine. BULL!! i wonder if i should fight this... my system is tack welded into place... I do not feel like taking it off

my buddy thinks he knows someone that will inspect it for me and stamp it with out taking them off, I hope he does.

sorry, I just had to get this off my chest. I am going to have to look up the laws in my state to find out why we can't have an exhaust... this is just stupid.

 

i agree that is stupid...but yes i'm pretty sure aftermarket exhausts are illegal. If you really want to be technical about it, basically anything you add to your car that didn't come stock is illegal. Police are picky about certain things like exhaust because it relates to emmissions and can also make your car stand out if it's more noisy...Don't feel bad...my friend in Ohio got pulled over for his car being too low (it really doesn't stand out as being that low it's just a smaller car) because the law is 22" from the ground to the headlight...i think that's even more picky than the cop in your case...good luck getting it resolved.

 

Oh, I thought the cop was just being an a-hole because he knew I was speeding but didnt get me on radar so he decieded to bust me on other stuff.

but come on, there are other factory cars (IE. mustangs) with exhaust systems much louder then what i have... it really is not fair... not to mention all the harley bikes out there that make me go deaf as they floor it past me.

 

Does that make your car any more legal? No, you should have know that the instant you modified your cars exhaust you made it illegal. Educate yourself so you do not get shocked the next time you get ticketed for tinit/lights/exhaust/whatever else you may have.

My car is insanely illegal, I expect it esp now that I am back in the northeast.

 

Thats BS so intakes can make a **** load of noise also it makes them illegal... Wrong K&N says all there products are 50 state legal, I still do not belive it is Illegal to have an aftermarket exhaust... Stock 350Z'S sound loud and deep

 

take the ticket to trial. I bet the cop doesn't show up and it gets dismissed... if not, then ask for a trial by jury. get some sound clips of your exhaust driving by a spot at say, 60mph on the highway somewhere. then have someone in a Maxima with stock exhaust drive by at the same speed and etc. use an SPL meter as well and note the maximum SPL of both cars..


take that back to court and show that your eshaust is not significantly louder than the stock exhaust. also be sure to test a few other cars- like stock Mustangs, Camaros, Vettes, whatever you can find and take the notes on them as well. prove to the jury that your car isn't as loud as many cars with stock exhaust.

also prove that the exhaust doesn't alter the emissions of the car. show results of any state inspections with the exhaust on the car, even if it's someone from another state. as long as you can show that it doesn't increase emissions.


At that point, they have no reason to fine you for being too loud or hurting the environment and they'll dismiss the ticket.

it's a lot of work, but will 99% sure get you out of it.

 

Ugh, believe it or not, most likely your state has laws on the books. The only two states I have owned a car in had the law on the books. In NY and FL anything other than stock, even if it were less shiny and quieter than stock it would be illegal. Speeding and driving like idiots opens us up to tickets for our other illegal infractions.

 

Matt, sounds like a good fight. However, it will take more time effort and money than just paying the ticket. Also do you think the courts are going to overturn a law that is on the books already?

 

i think SeaFoam states it perfectly.... Anything no matter how you change the car is illegal. That doesnt mean we are going to stop modding but we all need to keep in mind that at any point we can be pulled over for even stupid things as these.

 

Exactly, just move on with your life. If you can't pay for the potential tickets, don't mod your car.

 

What a D*CK dont you hate the jackas* cops that dont let anything slide. Was he a rookie?

 

Chill out... cops have a job to do as well... some just go more by the book than others... Seafoam already said it, aftermarket parts are not street legal in most states, if you're driving around with illegal stuff, then don't blame the cops for pulling you over, no matter how trivial it is.

 

Oh yeah... IBTL...

 

That's one of the main reasons why my car is completely stock. I don't have the time/money to deal with this crap.

 

Just fight it, I doubt the judge is really gonna care about something this minor even if the cop does show up. You could also just say that you're poor and your exhaust died so this was the only option as you couldn't afford an OEM exhaust or something. Good luck!

 

Yeah same here, thats the reason I'm not goin crazy modding my car... cause I know especially in Jerzey none of that stuff is legal... I mean we can't even tint all our windows anymore!!

 

also, ask to show when the lightbox was calibrated last for the tint. I got stopped in Iowa while driving back to Nevada and the guy told me it was 2.5%. It was a $25 ticket so I just payed it, but when I came back I had someone else measure with a calibrated instrument and it was 4.5%. The tint was supposed to be 5% but with the addition of the tempered glass or something it can come down a little along with differences in manufacturing tolerances. If your window tint is within 2% of the law tell the judge you payed for what's legal and some other factors resulted in it being just below the legal limit. This isn't like the law says 35% and you have 5%.

 

geez, you guys have some communist state on the east coast. keep voting Democrat.

 

Harley Davidson has an actual copyright protection (patent) on their exhaust and the stock sound it puts out. So they can get away with it... albeit it is loud, yes.

There have been several postings on the illegality of aftermarket exhaust. Plain and simple... if you put something on that makes the car louder, it is illegal (probably in most, if not all states)... like seafoam said, if you mod your car (i.e. tint on the forward windows in Illinois), prepare for the tickets. You always run the risk. If you keep the stock muffler and put on a Y pipe or B pipe, it may not be loud enough to attract attention. The more attention you attract, the more you get noticed by LE.

In Illinois, for example, it is illegal to run without the front license plate. But many of us do it... we run that risk. I have a Japanese license plate on the front of my wife's GLE... when I drive back to IL, the first time I am stopped (and cited), it will be time to take it off so I don't continue to attract attention.

A old roommate of mine had a Z28 with borla exhaust on it... it was pretty loud. He didn't really get stopped... but I what I call the "mod factor" is what determines it... just have a loud exhaust? you may or may not get stopped. Loud exhaust and tint? the factor goes up... loud exhaust, tint, and flourescent lighting? You get the picture...

 

you guys make valid points on both sides. I really did not think that and exhaust system would be illegal. I mean, certian items such as clear corners etc. I can understand, but not this. I have owned many cars with aftermarket exhaust systems, and I was never bothered, even when police are following me, they never bother me at all.

I really don't care about the ticket, or that i got pulled over. And i can afford paying for stuff like this, but I was just genuinely currious about why they are illegal. i still think its silly.

I will just buy a camcorder and have some one record me, and record another maxima driving by. do you think that would work?

 

[QUOTE=Army of Maxima]Harley Davidson has an actual copyright protection (patent) on their exhaust and the stock sound it puts out. So they can get away with it... albeit it is loud, yes.QUOTE]

Not a true statement. Harley guys swap out their pipes to A/M pipes which are much louder than the stockers. Have you ever heard a stock Harley? It is not nearly as loud as a Harley with A/M pipes. And that sound is music to my ears.

 

I don't think cops monitor exhaust as much out here in California. Own of my buddies has a ricey civic with a pretty loud exhaust and pretty dark windows. Well he got pulled over and they only wrote him up with a 'fix it' ticket for his windows.

I will keep voting Democrat, rather than a retard Republican we have now and the Gover-nater.

 

I know, trust me.... I mean they give us the benefit of tinting our back windows, just none of the fronts. But to me it looks like crap if you do it that way...

 

Its Not Illegal Midas,meinike And Other Muffler Shops Would Be Out Of Business.its Only Illegal If Its To Loud.

 

Wrong, it is not illegal for them to install. It is illegal for you to have anything but OEM or OEM replacement in most states.

 

you realize that the people that make the law aren't the cast members from "queer eye for the straight guy", right? they don't care if your car looks sassy or not.

 

what are you talking about? in IL it's illegal to have tints on the two front windows but tint stores still do it.
that's like saying, because weed is illegal, drug dealers are all struggling.

 

no sir, FL doesn't have the emission laws like most states. the only thing that may be illegal is a really loud exhaust, because it breaks the noise ordinance laws. lowering your car is fine, intakes are fine, exhausts are ok as long as u have a CAT, the other "illegal thing" is driving with an open nitrous bottle.

Sucks man (to guy who got ticket)
good luck with it!

 

If he did not alter the Emissions, with like a punched out cat or something, then I would say he was pissed that you tried to duck from him, and he did not get you on the radar and that's it. There are a bunch of other laws they could get you on if they want to be picky. Having your headlights on with windshiled wipers going, seatbelt, tint, exterior moving lights, wrong color lights, no reflective red in the tails.... etc. Also depends on how you acted with him, if you admitted you were going fast, and owned up to it, maybe he would have overlooked it. But you tried to duck, and I think that was what got you the ticket, even if your exhaust was stock, or modded.

just my .02

 

1. There was no mention of emissions, or emissions control.
2. There is a large difference between the components being illegal and the police enforcing them.
3. All items you listed are illegal. I have been a passenger in a car that was awarded tickets for all the things you listed at the same time(well, not the lowering) this was in Daytona Beach. You may still live in FL, but you know nothing.

 

No kiddin, I realize that I'm just commenting that they're pretty much being in general

 

I once pissed off a cop simply because I did not tap my brakes when I saw him in the median. I told him I had no reason to brake because I was not speeding. He ran my license, then let me go. Weird.....

 

Actually, since I have been pulled over on eight separate occasions for exhaust alone, let me tell you the FL law as it has been explained to me by a magistrate.

1. It is illegal in florida to have anything but OEM exhaust, or an approved OEM Replacement.
2. It must retain the OEM catalytic convertor if the car has less than 50k miles (this is a federal law)
3. The legal decibel limit is 120 (this is what a judge told me). However from my experience its not enforced because most policemen do not want to carry a sound pressure meter and keep it calibrated (which is a real pain)


The enforcement of these laws is TOTALLY up to the officers discretion, just like tint laws. If he wants to write you up for it..he will.

 

this is why i bought a frankencar.. i doubt i will ever get pulled over for such a quiet exhaust heh..

i cant deal with the suburbian cops that are bored in my hometown

 

The northeast is especially strict, from what I hear, on modified cars

 

here is my suggestion. go to court, and plead not guilty. the judge will make a second appearance for you, and the prosecutor assistant will usually come up to you and try to make a plea bargain (on your second court appearance). contratry to popular beleif, if the cop is not there, they will not throw your case out, most of the time the cop is on call, and can be called into the courtroom on short notice. they will try to pleabargain to some small offence, like broken windsheild, or missing headlight. this carries no points, and the payout(bribe!) is usually about $50-80 including court costs. if you really want to fight it, you can spend hours making audio/video tapes of your exhaust sound, but is it really worth it? if you decide to go to court MAKE SURE you plead not guilty the first time, and talk to the prosecutor's assistant when you go to the actual trial the second time. i have gotten out of speeding tickets twice this way, without any points, only the minimal fines.

 

I never had a prob like this before but I think if you just go to court, plead not guilty, then just talk to the prosecutor he will let you off easy... especially if the cop doesn't show up... I think the worst that can happen is having to pay court costs... But for somethin like that I don't think they would really want to reschedule for another date or make u come to court again in general... You would think they have way more important cases to take care of then stuff like this

 

Just so every one understands, Nothing is "illegal." (I say this with-in-reason, Killing someone is illegal, so don't start that BS) The first thing they teach you in law school is the law is elastic; In other words, it stretches. In my case, Do to "Medical reasons" I have tinted windows all the way around that are at 15% and it's perfectly legal. Anything that a person writes (i.e. Laws) is imperfect; you just need to read the fine print. There are loopholes every where, Take it from a future lawyer.

 

in IL the sound of exhaust can't be more than 106db standing 20 feet away from the vehicle. I never got any beef for my Stromung/HS header combo with no cats.

 

Wouldn't it be "DUE" to "medical reasons" ... Mr Future lawyer .... Hey, I'm only kidding so don't get too butt torn and sue me ..



And about killing someone, what about self defense .... Sorry I'm bored.