Cops Strick Again. - You'll Like This One.

[SlowWhite]

So yesterday I'm up at Elite watching cars dyno. And it's about 8:30pm and I called to check in with Jenny. Who then tells me that the concorde is making a really nasty noise and that she needs me to come pick her up at work (10pm)


So I take off (in my 1995 GSX which at this point has been up and running for less then 24hours) So I'm sitting at the stop light waiting to get onto the highway(been a good 2 minutes) when a cop pass's me by turns on his lights and does a "U" Turn.

And pulls up right behind me. My window's down so I put my head out the window and look at him and point to myself as if to say "are you pulling me over?".

He nods, so then I ask do you want me to park here or do you want me to move to a safer location (ie:I'm trying to be curtious... being on a bridge blocking traffic and all)

He's on his radio and just puts his finger up as if to say "1 minute" so I say ok.

Then he gets out and walks up to my car and says the reason I pulled you over is because your Exhaust is to loud and these big exhaust are cool looking and all but they are Illegal.... I look at him with a complete dumbfounded face. And reply with something like "I sorry I had no idea, I've had it on for almost 5 years now with out any incident".....Mean while the two Harley Davidson's that were parked next to me take off and head onto the highway. (so loud the cop stopped talking till they left, and then finished his sentance)


All Said and Done - $220 Ticket - infraction description "Modified Exhaust/Falty Exhaust"

I was so flustered. I'm idling at a light for at least 2 minutes. I get pulled over for Noise Ordanance (at IDLE? not reving, not doing a damn thing) Then while I'm pulled over 2 harley's pull up and are sitting there next to us. There exhaust was drowning out my Exhaust while we were sitting there.

Hell I was in my work out fit all Snazed up so not like I looked like a Mischief maker or anything? Hell with out my hat on I look like I'm 50.

Anyrate I was told I have to put my stock Exhaust back on and that my These type of exhausts are Illegal.

I mean the police officer was nice and all... But damn. I know my exhaust is load when I'm on it but at Idle it's not that bad unless your in a confinded area. where it can echo off everything.

For those that are wondering I run an Apexi N1 Cat Back on my car.

Go to court and ask why they didnt give the Harley's a ticket. And while you are at it ask if they can reexplain some of the reasons you got the ticket because you couldnt hear everything the police officer said since the Harleys took off while he was mid sentence. Dang import profiling these days.

It is so dumb.

-Tim

[Enes]

Bikes are excluded out of the noise ordinance if i remember right!

-E

[SlowWhite]

I'm going to pay the fine cause, yes it's "modified" like the ticket states, But pulling me over for "loudness" come on. I was at idle sitting at a red light for at least two minutes. And he couldn't have possibly heard me driving, cause he was coming from the complete opposite direction of where I was coming from.

And the direction I was coming from has a Wall so he wouldn't have even been able to see me, and know it was me. (I was parked at that light for 2 minutes....when I was pulling up to the light it was turning yellow, so I stopped...then waited for the duration of the other light. So how ever long that takes.

I think us imports (mnsportcompacts and all) should ban together and raise a stink about import car profiling.. Heck if race profiling hits the news why cant we and then if we ever get pulled over we can pull the profiling card LOL seen it done too many times over "race" so ya..

-Tim

[SlowWhite]

That whole Harley thing was just Salt on an Open wound.

Seriously. My car was running the entire time during out discussion but when they pulled up and took off. He had to stop in midsentance till they left.

I think they need to start being more specific on laws that get passed. Cause every day I see how the Government and Police, bend them to there needs/situations.

I am a strong advocate of being fair, I just don't get, if they can do it why can't we. I think we need some way to be able to defend ourselves against things like this.

I could state at least 4 times I've been pulled over for something that they said I did that I didn't but had no way to prove otherwise or someway to defend myself against it.

Like the time I got a ticket for no insurance. I had insurance but couldn't find my card. He said if I find it hold it out the window..... Well I found it and held it out the window. He then walked up to the car and said sorry I already wrote out the ticket.

I got the ticket dropped in coart but I still lost out on the money I would have gotten had I not had to take off that day.

And what's with there being - No such thing as a "Fix it" ticket these days. How are you supposed to know if a tail light goes out while your driving or something?

You should be able to fix something then take it somewhere to get inspected and have the ticket dropped. Most of the time the government close's before I get off work. So I always have to take off work if I ever want to fight something in coart.

Honestly I think it's rigged that way so that they get more money cause less people will want to loose the money of leaving work, etc.

[AJ]

It's really not profiling. The cop could have been on a stint with others in the area to start cracking down more during such and such time frame. In reality it doesn't matter what you change on a car, mods are not DOT approved. You can find little specs in the books that say changing an exhaust or even a CAI is not legal. Same thing as the whole DOT approved tail lights. They ended up not being DOT approved, a bunch had to be recalled and people got fined for having them on the cars. It's suck, but it's all about equpiment from the factory. Harleys come that way, and everyone knows it. They are legal out of production since the government regulates and approves it.

As far as the banning together to make a stink about it. Sorry, but that just isn't going to happen. Plain and simple it will not work.

Brian maybe now you should look into a stock cat back and change up to a cutout like John has.

My 2 bucks.

[SlowWhite]

Then what the hell was it when a guy with an EVO got pulled over for too large a wing?

It comes from the factory like that but it's not legal?

Also didn't ACRazy get pulled over for his "Stock" Exhaust on his SRT-4 being to loud?

It's not about banning together. it's about getting them to actually be more specific.

The laws are writen so leaniently that you apply just about any law to any given situation.


And the price tag. Hell I'd rather of been speeding (would have been cheaper, other then the whole record thing but hell my last no front license plate tickets went on my record as a moving violation as well so there really isn't any difference)

[AJ]

Yeah, I remember the EVO wing thing, and that was just plain stupid. I agree the ticket is BS, but hey.... fighting the "man" is a waste of time.

[JET]

Harley's don't come with nearly as loud of an exhaust as most of them have. Most of them are actually pretty quiet from the factory, until they put straight pipes on them.

Unless they changed it recently, there is no law against changing your exhaust except that it cannot be above a certain noise level. How do you think these muffler shops could be in business and custom bend exhausts if it was illegal??

Go to court and fight it. Even just meeting with the city attorney should do it. The cop didn't have a sound meter, so he doesn't have anything to stand on. Now if you got a ticket for not having a cat, that is a different story.

[curt_gendron]

I totally agree with JET. The cop didn't prove it was too loud. You have an excellent chance at getting this thing reduced or thrown out. Go to the appointed court date and talk to the city attourney.

The cop was obviously profiling you because of your car. Don't let him get away with it. I've challenged a couple tickets in my life and if you act professional with the attourneys, and you have a clean record, it usually works out pretty good.

later,
Curt

[scheides]

I could state at least 4 times I've been pulled over for something that they said I did that I didn't but had no way to prove otherwise or someway to defend myself against it.

What ever happened to inocent until proven guilty? I think that way too much power to prosicute or profile as their mood leads them.

Anyways, here's what mn law says about it:

Minnesota Statute 169.69, aka "muffler statute" and 169.693: motor vehicle noise.

169.69 Muffler.

Every motor vehicle shall at all times be equipped with a
muffler in good working order which blends the exhaust noise
into the overall vehicle noise and is in constant operation to
prevent excessive or unusual noise, and no person shall use a
muffler cutout, bypass, or similar device upon a motor vehicle
on a street or highway. The exhaust system shall not emit or
produce a sharp popping or crackling sound. Every motor vehicle
shall at all times be equipped with such parts and equipment so
arranged and kept in such state of repair as to prevent carbon
monoxide gas from entering the interior of the vehicle.

No person shall have for sale, sell or offer for sale or
use on any motor vehicle any muffler that fails to comply with
the specifications as required by the commissioner of public
safety.


169.693 Motor vehicle noise limits.

It is unlawful to operate a motor vehicle in violation of
motor vehicle noise rules adopted by the pollution control
agency.


On a side note, my brother used to get pulled over all the time for exibition driving and speeding...not because he was clocked going over the speed limit, or because they physically saw him racing. Every time it was because they 'heard him doing it' from around a corner or whatnot. Granted, he DID have an integra with dual 4" pipes (the rice-rocket of all rice-rocket exhausts). Still, a bit hard to believe...but that's what he gets for living in a small town, I guess.

-scheides

[SlowWhite]

I hope so. Lucky it states there are 4 court house's I can go to and one just happens to be right down the road from my office. So at least I won't have to drive so far, and hopefully they won't be so busy, etc.


Few things that bothered me:

1) I was parked for 2 minutes he was coming from completely opposite direction as me so there's no way he heard me pull up to the light

2) he turned on his lights as he came past my front bumper

3) there was a cement median so I don't even see how he could see my exhaust till he turned around.

4) the whole stopping in mid sentance for the Harleys to leave. Where as my exhaust was to loud? Though yet it was quite enough to talk over.


I was polite and so was the officer - but damn it's been bothering me all night/morning. I can't believe how this whole thing went down. As well as the price of the ticket, and there not being an option of a fix it ticket so that you can get it dropped. Seriously isn't the price the same as 20 over or something?

Originally posted by JET@Jul 13 2004, 09:08 AM
Unless they changed it recently, there is no law against changing your exhaust except that it cannot be above a certain noise level. How do you think these muffler shops could be in business and custom bend exhausts if it was illegal??

There is no law on it, I asked a couple cops that I know. But with the noise thing, Its is, sadly, up to the cops discretion to what the definition of ''loud' is. They are the ones who decide what is too loud and what isnt. Completely Bogus.

It is also messed up that you can get tickets for mod exausts when you can purchase them at any car store. When I was at Tires Plus the other day, I saw an exaust that was about 4-5'' HUGE. If those are ''illegal'' why are the stores still selling them? Wouldnt the cops be on them saying they have to take them off of the shelves? It just all seems bogus to me.

[illz]

dynomax superturbo 17793 3" offset in 3" centered out

[SlowWhite]

IllZ - I don't get that last post?

[SlowWhite]

Ok I was looking for something that might help me with this ticket here's what "Extreme PSI" has posted on there website.

In the N-1 Endurance Race, efficiency is everything. With that in mind, the N-1 exhaust systems were born to satisfy the want for quick throttle response and to effectively handle the rigorous demands of high-horsepower engines. The pipes were engineered with the aid of sophisticated CAD systems to develop the straightest possible lines and least number of bends. The straight-through canister projects from the car at an angle, which helps smooth the exhaust flow. The canister is built from SUS 304 stainless steel and features a 115mm tip with aggressive style. The Super Silencer is included on selected models, which can reduce noise levels by up to 7 decibels. The N-1 Series Mufflers are available for both NA (naturally aspirated) and turbo-charged cars.

Key Points: and yes I'm pushing it with this but what the hell.

The straight-through canister projects from the car at an angle, which helps smooth the exhaust flow

Which contradicts the cops words of it no flowing with the car... as well as the first part of the Statue that states it has to help blend the flow of exhaust noise.... this actually says it helps improve flow.

The Super Silencer is included on selected models, which can reduce noise levels by up to 7 decibels

Which also contradicts the Loud part of the whole thing.


And to someone who doesn't know anything about cars (refering to the judge hopefully) This should prove my point.

[SlowWhite]

I just looked at Apexi's site and the above quote that Extremepsi has is straight off Apexi's site word for word.

I still say take it up with them and if you still have to pay oh well at least you tried

-Tim

That sucks man, theyre definitely crackin down on imports for no good reason. I've been hearing this shit a lot lately. They should not be allowed to stereotype all imports because of how some stupid ricers act.

andy