Berk Dual Muffler Delete Municipal Code?

[davidchoi]

Originally Posted by Tim_Asphalt_FRS

The cops are technically supposed to have a dB meter to measure anything they think may be above 95 dB.

Modifying an exhaust after the catalytic converter is not illegal as long as it isn't above 95 dB. That is state regulation. It outweighs any municipal code.

If you feel the need to, contact the SEMA action network. www.semasan.org They represent the interest of motor vehicle enthusiasts at the state and national level. They may be able to tell you how to proceed.


Sent from my iPhone

Agh thanks for this. This was what I was hoping to see.

[Malt]

Originally Posted by Tim_Asphalt_FRS

The cops are technically supposed to have a dB meter to measure anything they think may be above 95 dB.

Modifying an exhaust after the catalytic converter is not illegal as long as it isn't above 95 dB. That is state regulation. It outweighs any municipal code.

If you feel the need to, contact the SEMA action network. www.semasan.org They represent the interest of motor vehicle enthusiasts at the state and national level. They may be able to tell you how to proceed.


Sent from my iPhone

This is mostly true. While I can not speak for california state law since I don't live there, municipalities are allowed to enact local ordinances that are more strict than state or federal laws. These are city codes and while you may not have to appear before court when ticketed with them, the fine is still a very real possibility regardless of what state or federal law requires if your city has such an ordinance.

[troek]

Originally Posted by Tim_Asphalt_FRS

The cops are technically supposed to have a dB meter to measure anything they think may be above 95 dB.

Modifying an exhaust after the catalytic converter is not illegal as long as it isn't above 95 dB. That is state regulation. It outweighs any municipal code.

If you feel the need to, contact the SEMA action network. www.semasan.org They represent the interest of motor vehicle enthusiasts at the state and national level. They may be able to tell you how to proceed.


Sent from my iPhone

this ^^

[Malt]

As a follow up, cities are allowed to enact local ordinances to restrict loud and annoying sounds as they so choose. Just out of curiosity I looked up my town's ordinance and it limits sound from automobiles to 60db with an exemption to public right of ways. Meaning as long as its on the road you are exempt from that requirement.... but wait theres more.

If two parties complain that shall constitute a violation of the ordinance regardless of where the violation occured. It also specifically states that all vehicle exhausts must discharge through a muffler. The ordinance provides for civil fines of $100 per day up to 5 days. After 5 days the fine goes up to $500 per day. There is also criminal penalties involved that constitute a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment not to exceed 30 days or by fine not to exceed $50.

Keep in mind this is only applicable to my town and your town's local ordinances might be (probably are) different.

So yeah, if you think that just because the state has different requirements or allows certain sound levels means you don't have to follow local ordinances, you might be in for a rude awakening.

Just for extra fun, my town also has an ordinance against rapid acceleration that is defined by "It shall be unlawful to operate or accelerate a motor vehicle in such a manner as to cause squealing or spinning of tires or to propel sand, dirt, gravel or rocks by the tires."

Fun times.

[calmtigers]

Just a heads up on this, I was driving to work one day in my corolla that just has a pretty quiet aftermarket muffler. I got pulled over and the cop gave me a ticket. I asked for a db test because it is really that quiet..

He told me it was modified so he can give me a ticket.
At the end of the day I learned that regardless they can give you a ticket and it's something you dont want to deal with. No matter how nice the cop is, they'll ticket you.

Your delete is far louder than my car, if I was you I'd rather replace the muffler than have a cop come by to give your car a full once over and pick up more than the just the noise!

GL

[diss7]

Drive it harder/louder, in defiance.

[Walla Walla]

too bad too sad..
i have a berk dual delete... and i know it make noise...
i enjoy it, but i try as much to take care of my surroundings

but once someone target you... what can you do.. i mean.. it's not like you didn't step on their grass... you have a nice noisy exhaust,.... who isn't nice to others...

if something like that happened to me... it would just become a track day exhaust, as i dont feel like my own self pleasure outweight other's disturbance!

[1086]

So he is going to tell on you? What a joke. I would continue to give less of a shit and continue doing what you want. Still respect the noise level and keep it down but I would ignore your neighbor. People like that need to learn how to communicate better, not leave a note.

If you can, try to get a picture of him using his phone while driving, then leave a note. Moo ha ha ha

Before you know it, we won't be able to take a sip from our water bottle while driving...


I just got my berk single exit track pipe soooooo I am excited to hear the loudness - suck it California

[Malt]

Originally Posted by 1086

So he is going to tell on you? What a joke. I would continue to give less of a shit and continue doing what you want. Still respect the noise level and keep it down but I would ignore your neighbor. People like that need to learn how to communicate better, not leave a note.

If you can, try to get a picture of him using his phone while driving, then leave a note. Moo ha ha ha

Before you know it, we won't be able to take a sip from our water bottle while driving...


I just got my berk single exit track pipe soooooo I am excited to hear the loudness - suck it California

Just out of curiosity, how old are you? Do you think you will feel the same way in 10 years when you have kids if you don't currently have them? If not, maybe you should rethink how you interact with other people, because I promise that one day you'll reach a point where the things you thought were cool suddenly become less cool. If you've driven around and not given a single thought to everyone else around then you won't have a leg to stand on when that stuff starts to bother you.

[davidchoi]

Okay, did my research and based off this CHP Bulletin: http://www.bobsmuffler.com/chp.htm

(To put it simply)
An officer can't give me a citation unless he/she personally hears the car running. He/she also can't cite me on purely visual inspection of not having a muffler since the definition of muffler isn't stated. A muffler can be integrated into a straight pipe with baffles and technically count as a muffler.
If an officer does hear/see my muffler delete, I get a fix-it ticket.

The exhaust has to be 95 db or quieter from 20 inches away from one exhaust exit. After looking through Dsport's BRZ/FRS exhaust tests including the sound levels vs stock,
my muffler delete is most likely not under 95 db.

Also, city municipal laws regarding sound are invalid. If I get a citation, the CHP bulletin says that the citation is invalid since the sound law is state wide and cannot be affected by city placed regulations.

Here's the sound chart for the Berk single exit. I have a dual exit but it should be around the same.





Also, there are exhaust silencers or baffles that dampen/quiet exhaust noise and can be put into the exhaust exits. A cop in one forum said that it's common to see people in Cali just place a baffler in each tip right before being tested since it's completely legal to do so. The law states that it only has to be under 95 db at the time of testing.






So what I'm going to do is just be even more conscious coming in and out. Barely enough gas to go out, continue rolling in neutral to come in. The likelihood of the person getting a cop to intercept me in the garage is pretty slim since I go in/out during the middle of the day.

I might get two baffles and put it in my exhaust exits after I park, just so whoever is out to get me sees that there's been some change. Also, incase the person brings an officer down to attempt a visual inspection he/she has something to look at lol. I need to start going to the HOA meetings also lol.

Someone in my city got dinged for something similar and he collected a list of ~300 cars around the area with the same modification and brought to the board saying they have to cite everyone and not just him. My city ended up just dropping his citation lol.

[1086]

Nice find! Thanks man.

[1086]

Thanks for the lesson teach but I am already 10 steps ahead of you. No but seriously, you may have overlooked some of the obnoxiousness in my reply. I am not being 100% serious - I was giving somewhat of an exaggerated response. I am completely conscientious of how I treat others as well as how I drive. Being considerate of others and showing respect is very important to me, however, being a buzz-kill is not. From what I can tell, the OP-er is not habitually trying to be inconsiderate nor is he trying to make a fuss, yet his neighbor is (at least in the way he is choosing to "deal" with it - buzz kill). His neighbor sort of comes off as passive aggressive which I think is not the best way to handle it. Lastly, I love California but you can take the "suck it California" seriously - moouahahaha


I get your point, and I can't disagree - I would just handle it differently if I were his neighbor is all. Hope that makes sense - cheers.

[davidchoi]

Originally Posted by 1086

Thanks for the lesson teach but I am already 10 steps ahead of you. No but seriously, you may have overlooked some of the obnoxiousness in my reply. I am not being 100% serious - I was giving somewhat of an exaggerated response. I am completely conscientious of how I treat others as well as how I drive. Being considerate of others and showing respect is very important to me, however, being a buzz-kill is not. From what I can tell, the OP-er is not habitually trying to be inconsiderate nor is he trying to make a fuss, yet his neighbor is (at least in the way he is choosing to "deal" with it). His neighbor sort of comes off as passive aggressive which I think is not the best way to handle it. I get your point, and I can't disagree - I would just handle it differently if I were his neighbor is all. Hope that makes sense - cheers.

Thanks. I try to be as considerate as I can be. I mainly got the muffler delete because it's the cheapest option to hear my car. Coming from an '02 miata, I was used to hearing my car loudly in cabin. So the muffler delete seemed right for me.
Odd thing is, there's a Ferrari parked one level higher and when he keeps his car idling I can hear/feel it 3 stories up in my bedroom. I wish my neighbor would confront me in a respectful way and maybe we could work out our differences.

But I just had my friend sit in my patio and listen to me coming out of the garage as quietly as I could. He said he didn't hear me until he could see my car a little ways down the street and even then it was quiet. So it looks like I found a nice way to leave.

[1086]

I hope that continues to work for you without any problems or retaliation of some sort. I completely understand your reasoning for getting it too - I got my single exit for a similar reason, so I can hear the engine kickin ass lol. Plus the post you provided regarding the single exit exhaust's dB level basically refutes that original note left by your neighbor - game on!