95.00 is the legal limit in CA, i passed with a 94.3 Db , Invidia N1 installed.

They will inspect, catless is a fail. You'll have to put on the stock header and the muffler. I'd just put your stock taillights back in too and get signed off at once.

tbh im surprised you got pulled. Ive been running the blacked out Valentis and a Nameless Axelback with catless JDL headers for the past year and havnt been pulled. And I lived right next to a police station for most of last year.

But yeah as most others have said, go back to stock headers. Honestly that might even be enough to quiet down the exhaust. Also if you were pulled over in SJ city, the reverb of the exhaust noise from the buildings can make the exhaust sound a lot louder than it actually is. You can do a similar db test yourself with a phone app to see if you are even within the ballpark. It wont be as accurate but it will give you enough of an idea how much you need to change.

I believe the test is 30 feet at a 45degree angle from the rear with the car at 3k rpm? I could be wrong so someone please correct me.

Thanks for the info. I actually got pulled over at Camino Tassajara out in the middle of nowhere, and the officer did the dB test while right up to my exhaust. Not sure if that’s how it is supposed to be or not

Gotcha. Intake is stock, just headers and no muffler. I guess my route is to switch back to stock headers, flash to stage 1, and put my stock tails back in.

Thanks for the help everyone. Might try and sell my Valentis now and get a pair of Intec’s (If these are also illegal here then... kill me)

Found this article which explains the process.

http://www.bobsmuffler.com/noise.htm


Not sure how up to date this is as 8" from the exhaust seems a bit close. However the vehicle should be operating at around 2-3k rpm which is really quiet for our cars.


Also CA is really weird with their Modification laws. One part states that if a car is modified in ANY way that isn't from the factory, its illegal. However I find most cops tend to ignore that little tidbit. I find that most cops dont really care what mods you run as long as you are being a respectful driver and aren't making too much noise just because you like to.

Throw some stock lights back on which will take a total of 10 minutes per side that's and easy fix. Exhaust maybe a lil trickier , depending on how the ticket was written if it's fixable you can throw your stock headers and exhaust back on and get it written off by any cop, sheriff , highway patrol . If your lucky you can have one of the above as a friend and they will sign you off , if the ticket was written as non fixable just pay the fine and fix or wait to possible get pulled over again .


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Thanks for that I wasn’t aware about the correctable part. For my “tinted taillights” and “loud exhaust” he marked them as not correctable... so does that mean I shouldn’t even try fixing those and I just pay a fine?

Exactly , since it is non correctable you can't even it get it signed off and have to pay the fine , unless you go to court and try to tell the judge you have changed back to stock and perhaps he can drop the fee , I would just pay the fee because there is no guarantee that the judge will lower down the fee if you did try to fight it in court. I just recently got an exhaust ticket but it is correctable but if I didn't fix it and wanted to just pay it's about $200. I hope this helps


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If it isn't correctable then you don't have a fix-it-ticket, so you either plead not-guilty, or pay the fine. I would plead not guilty.

I have tinted side markers, and the law states that they need to be visible from 500 feet away at night. On a clear night a candle is visible from like two miles away. As long as your tail lights are visible when you are off the brakes and on the brakes (1000 feet behind you) and DOT compliant versions, ie from the sides (500 feet) then you are good. Typical officer response to a person claiming they didn't know ______ was against the law, "Ignorance of the law is not an excuse," yet many officers just assume tint on lights is wrong, so I feel like this is a case of their ignorance for wasting your time.

What was the CVC number he wrote you up for? Also, did he measure the sound of your exhaust, or did he just claim it was too loud? Again, what CVC did he write you up for violating?

I would show up or call in before your scheduled deadline, and you should say you plead not-guilty and would like a court date. I would then show up to the court date and make an argument. Don't show up to the court date with your car. If you do drive, at minimum swap your illegal exhaust components back to stock in case they want to check your DB then.

First of all, thanks for the great response, really appreciated it. The CVC for the exhaust looks like 27150(A) (his handwriting is very difficult to read), and he did measure the exhaust with some little device. He got right up to the exhaust and asked me to rev to 3k. So, to recap I should fight the exhaust and lights ticket in court? If it can’t be corrected, then I suppose it’s better than paying a fine.

I’d fight the light one and call no contest to the exhaust, since he did measure. You might get lucky, and he may not show. Just be prepared with a copy of the vehicle code that states the lights need to be visible at 1000 feet in the rear and 500 from the side and maybe give a picture that shows they illuminate red when on and when on the brakes. It is the officer’s job to prove guilt; it isn’t your job to prove innocence. Also, if they are DOT and not modified tinted lights, if you can pull the sales add that says they are DOT or take a picture of the sticker or lettering then that is more proof to dispute any claims against you that they aren’t DOT legal.

This certainly sounds like the way to go. Thank you so much for your time and help, more help than you know. Hope you have a good day man:thumbup:

The problem with his "measurement" is that he basically set you up for failure. Revving a car is always louder than a car at consistent RPMS. I know my car at a constant 3k RPM is A LOT quieter than my car getting to 3k RPMS. He also could have stuck the mic right up to the exhaust.

While I dont know if I would fight the exhaust portion. With enough messing around I could make a stock car get close to 95 db easily.

I live in that area, bizarre to get snagged on Camino Tassajara.

Side note, Valentis lack a side reflector, which is required by law, therefore those taillights are illegal. You can argue about light emission through the tint but they can get you for the side reflector so be careful.