All aftermarket mufflers are legal provided they meet local noise ordnance restrictions. Did he cite your muffler or your up and down pipes? As for the front plate and tint... well, duh, you knew that was illegal when you did it. Whatchu complainin' about?

You guys should be GLAD you live in a place where the cops have nothing better to do than ***** about your mods. Would you be happier if he had gone by you with lights and sirens on to go back up another officer in a robbery in progress or something? Personally, I think that's a fair trade for getting pulled over once in a while (especially when you're doing 25 over!).

 

well he said he pulled me over for modified exhaust...he didnt see the uppipe and downpipe b/c he didnt look under the car...my exhaust is pretty loud though and u can hear it from far so luckily he didnt look under the car

-Zoeb

 

did you have your windows down while you were driving/pulled over? I remember reading a guy got pulled over for tint and went to court to fight the ticket. He said something like (to the judge) that there is no way the cop could tell what % the tint was, so he can't really give the ticket. But the judge also noticed that he had his windows down at the time. And said (the judge) something like the traffic law is for public safety. and because he didn't have his windows up with the tint the judge let him go on that. I've also heard many people got away with exhaust (muffler) in the past. But you are screwed with no front plate. good luck!

Leo

 

thats a bunch of BS cuz the SRT-4 doesnt even have mufflers from the factory..its just straight pipe, and thats a 4 cyl..

-Zoeb

 

Any cop thats syas the exhaust is illegal is just messing with you. The CA law says that any exhaust that is under 95 db is legal (unless a local ordinace is lower) so I would fight that, also if your window was down when you got pulled over I would fight that too. I have heard of several people who have beat the ticket becuase their window was down. The front plate your screwed on, no way around that, just put it on and pay the 10 bux.

 

While he was pulling Zoeb over and harrassing him, someone knocked off a convenience store down the road, didn't you hear?

I'd rather have cops that are so bored eat too many donuts than so bored they must harrass me.

jason

 

LAW ABOUT TINT
If the tinting was on the front windows and the installer/manufacturer can show that it has atleast 88% light transmittance, then you are OK. Tinting the rear side is fine. Tinting the rear windshield is OK if you basically have modern side mirrors. Front windshield is a no-no. Basically the section starts out by blocking everything and then provides various stipulations. (This is exactly why cops do not know the laws well. The only read the first subsections :-/ )


26708. (a) (1) No person shall drive any motor vehicle with any object or material placed, displayed, installed, affixed, or applied upon the windshield or side or rear windows.

(b) This section [meaning all of 26708, including (a)(1) above] does not apply to any of the following:

(4) Side windows which are to the rear of the driver.

(8) The rear window or windows, when the motor vehicle is equipped with outside mirrors on both the left- and right-hand sides of the vehicle that are so located as to reflect to the driver a view of the highway through each mirror for a distance of at least 200 feet to the rear of the vehicle.

(d) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), clear, colorless, and transparent material may be installed, affixed, or applied to the front side windows, located to the immediate left and right of the front seat if the following conditions are met:

(1) The material has a minimum visible light transmittance of 88 percent.
(2) The window glazing with the material applied meets all requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 205 (49 C.F.R. 571.205), including the specified minimum light transmittance of 70 percent and the abrasion resistance of AS-14 glazing, as specified in that federal standard.

(3) The material is designed and manufactured to enhance the ability of the existing window glass to block the sun's harmful ultraviolet A rays.

(4) The driver has in his or her possession, or within the vehicle, a certificate signed by the installing company certifying that the windows with the material installed meet the requirements of this subdivision and identifies the installing company and the material's manufacturer by full name and street address, or, if the material was installed by the vehicle owner, a certificate signed by the material's manufacturer certifying that the windows with the material installed according to manufacturer's instructions meets the requirements of this subdivision and identifies the material's manufacturer by full name and street address.

(5) If the material described in this subdivision tears or bubbles, or is otherwise worn to prohibit clear vision, it shall be removed or replaced.

 

LAW ABOUT EXHAUST
27150 basically means, every vehicle must have a muffler and it must not sound offensive to the subjective ears of anyone that can legally cite you. This is basically a way for the officer to not carry around testing equipment and use his judgement (or whim). 27150.2(b) begins to define the legal parameters are, 95dA. 27150.7 is very interesting. It seems to me that all you need to do is show that it is possible for yourself to have assumed it was legal (f the defendant had reasonable grounds to believe that the exhaust system was in good working order and had reasonable grounds to believe that the vehicle was not operated in violation of Section 27150 or 27151.). So, for example, I have a letter from HKS saying my exhaust complies with 27150 and 27151. That should get me off on 27150.7, or so it seems ot me.

Now for the kicker, 27151. This section is labelled "Modification of Exhaust Systems". Remember what I said in my last post about cops only reading the first subsection? I think for this they only read the title or at best the first 28 words. YOU MAY MODIFY AN EXHAUST SYSTEM as long as it complies with Section 27150, (for us 2720* doesn't apply I think since its superceded here).

This is where the problem starts. The subjective view of the officer. There is a test for volume. There is not test for "unusual noise".

27150. (a) Every motor vehicle subject to registration shall at all times be equipped with an adequate muffler in constant operation and properly maintained to prevent any excessive or unusual noise, and no muffler or exhaust system shall be equipped with a cutout, bypass, or similar device.

(b) Except as provided in Division 16.5 (commencing with Section 38000) with respect to off-highway motor vehicles subject to identification, every passenger vehicle operated off the highways shall at all times be equipped with an adequate muffler in constant operation and properly maintained so as to meet the requirements of Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 27200), and no muffler or exhaust system shall be equipped with a cutout, bypass, or similar device.

27150.2(b) A certificate of compliance for a vehicular exhaust system shall be issued pursuant to subdivision (a) if the vehicle complies with Sections 27150 and 27151. Exhaust systems installed on motor vehicles, other than motorcycles, with a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating of less than 6,000 pounds comply with Sections 27150 and 27151 if they emit no more than 95 dbA when tested in accordance with Society of Automotive Engineers Standard J1169 May 1998.

27150.7. A court may dismiss any action in which a person is prosecuted for operating a vehicle in violation of Section 27150 or 27151 if ( ) a certificate of compliance has been issued by a station pursuant to Section 27150.2, or if the defendant had reasonable grounds to believe that the exhaust system was in good working order and had reasonable grounds to believe that the vehicle was not operated in violation of Section 27150 or 27151.



Modification of Exhaust Systems

27151. (a) No person shall modify the exhaust system of a motor vehicle in a manner which will amplify or increase the noise emitted by the motor of the vehicle so that the vehicle is not in compliance with the provisions of Section 27150 or exceeds the noise limits established for the type of vehicle in Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 27200). No person shall operate a motor vehicle with an exhaust system so modified.

(b) For the purposes of exhaust systems installed on motor vehicles with a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating of less than 6,000 pounds, other than motorcycles, a sound level of 95 dbA or less, when tested in accordance with Society of Automotive Engineers Standard J1169 May 1998, complies with this section. Motor vehicle exhaust systems or parts thereof include, but are not limited to, nonoriginal exhaust equipment.

 

Since my exhaust is not too loud, the next time I get pulled over I will ask the officer, "Was my exhaust too loud?" "Was my exhaust emitting an unusual sound?" "If yes, what was unusual about it".

Write those answers down. Cross-examine him in court and then compare to the law... oh yeah and compare to my notes.


jason