Muffler dB levels

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Jerry Abson 2

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Alright, my friend who drives a little ricer got a ticket Sunday for illegal modification - noise. Turns out its illegal to have modifications done to the vehicle that produce noise levels above manufacturer levels here is WA state. So, an exhaust is the biggy. I need to know how much increase am I looking at for replacing stock with a magnaflow catback system, or what system is best to keep the noise levels down! This also needs to pass the wife test. If I drive and people can hear me from 1/4 mile away - bad. Need as close to stock as possible.
 
God damned Magnaflow on the neighbor's truck wakes me up every morning. All he has to do is turn the key without hitting the gas. But he always does a vroom, vroom once it's started. I don't know if his plan is to make sure the whole damned neighborhood knows when he goes to work or if he's just an egotistically son of a bitch who gets off on hearing the sound of his own truck.
 
You could possibly get away with the Magnaflow catback system, just keep the silencer on from the factory exhuast. There's a smaller muffler looking pipe the is further back on your stock exhuast, that's the silencer or whatever they call it. Splice that into the catback system and it should reduce the db's.;):banana:
 
I still can't understand why people rev their engine in stopped traffic. I've never done that and I find it pointless. It doesn't really show anything and it doesn't sound as good as when it's moving.
 
Thanks Jerry Gerner, will look into that. But need to clear that with the noise department (my wife) first. Thats why I was wondering just how much louder it is. I didn't want some loud rice burner shuttle launch sounding system anyway, just something that would help the performance without advertising.
 
When I had the dual resonated tip on my exhaust, it was fairly quiet till you got on it. Idle was justabove OEM, cruise was no different than OEM, full throttle is where the sound came out of hiding.:D



Was filling up last week and a old beat up "ricer wanna-be" was running next to the pump beside me. The stupid thing would almost stall, then rev way up, then try to stall. The owner (a female) and her friends came out and got in. Then she sat there a reved the damn thing till I left. I guess she wanted to get some coffee in her first before driving. Of course there was an old woman waiting behind her to use the pump and adding to the noise by blowing her horn.:D
 
Ask the guy what dB is the limit on that vehicle, and what he was using to determine the dB was above factory. If he pulls out a Radio Shaft sound meter, ask when it was calibrated. Also as is the scale he would use in A or B weighted... Maybe they'll leave you alone... This is very subjective area. Here in NY, I find it odd that they will pick on cars for loudness, but every @$@!%^ Harley onthe road will wake the dead... :angry:
 
It was because he had a ricer, he will try to get out of it. I was thinking of grabbing a personal audio assistant with a dB meter, checking truck right now, and then another with simiar exhaust, but what are the chances some shop has a sport trac in right now?! So just need to continue to research so that I can make an informed decision, and keep the better half happy! Happy Wife, Happy Life!
 
Turns out its illegal to have modifications done to the vehicle that produce noise levels above manufacturer levels here is WA state.
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I did a little research, and as STanner said, it's a very subjective and gray area. Here what it says in RCW 46.37.390:



(3) No person shall modify the exhaust system of a motor vehicle in a manner which will amplify or increase the noise emitted by the engine of such vehicle above that emitted by the muffler originally installed on the vehicle, and it shall be unlawful for any person to operate a motor vehicle not equipped as required by this subsection, or which has been amplified as prohibited by this subsection. A court may dismiss an infraction notice for a violation of this subsection if there is reasonable grounds to believe that the vehicle was not operated in violation of this subsection.
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This seems pretty gray to me, and very hard to prove in court if one wants to challenge it. What are they using as a standard for "noise emitted by the muffler originally installed on the vehicle"? Seems like it leaves way too much latitude to the law enforcement officer to simply write tickets for no other reason than to generate revenue.:angry:



This statute (WAC 204-10-038) says nothing about vehicle exhaust noise:



Exhaust system.



A motor vehicle must be equipped with a leakproof exhaust system that includes the exhaust manifold(s), headers, the piping leading from the flange of the exhaust manifold(s), the muffler(s), and the tail piping.



Exhaust systems on property-carrying vehicles must:



(1) Discharge the exhaust fumes to the rear of that part of the vehicle designed and normally used for carrying the driver and passengers.



(2) Discharge the exhaust fumes at a location to the rear of the vehicle body or direct the exhaust fumes outward from the side of the vehicle body at a location rearward of any operable side windows.



(3) Not have any part of the exhaust system pass through any area of the vehicle that is used as a passenger compartment, nor in close proximity to the fuel system without being properly shielded
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Both statues found in pamplet linked below.
 
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Yea, its the RCW 46.37.390 that concerns me. While WAC 204-10-038 is about life and safety, they don't care if its loud. And our lovely govenor gregiore :wacko: (I voted for her 3 times, and her opponent twice, in the same election!) :huh: had it indicate max 95 dB's, but with our several billion dollar hole, :blink: she removed that wording. So, now need to be sure I am running silent!
 
psycareyo:

I still can't understand why people rev their engine in stopped traffic. I've never done that and I find it pointless. It doesn't really show anything and it doesn't sound as good as when it's moving.
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I've always thought the same of Harley riders! WTH???
 
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In texas sound level is subjective to the officer. Once I had an old plmouth with blown out glass packs. I slowed for a stop sign next to acycle cop. He wrote me up.

Next time I was drag racing my harley. Got a ticket from a ccycle cop for loud pipes. He let me go on the drag race. Maybe because he had a harley.....:)
 
The problem is anything is louder than stock. If your woried keep the resonator on. It is a straight thru no restriction. Dont use an oversized tip, it will amplify unless it isresonator type.
 
Thanks everyone, I am unsure if I will be able to get this through since its gonna get louder when I mash it, which we all know guys will do once they get a new mod. I will be reviewing the information I have and see if its a possibility.
 
I still can't understand why people rev their engine in stopped traffic. I've never done that and I find it pointless. It doesn't really show anything and it doesn't sound as good as when it's moving. I've always thought the same of Harley riders! WTH???
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+1



I third this motion. I'll be rolling in the Trac with the windows down, and all is good until a harley decides to roll by, letting its presence be known for a half mile before and after it due to having pipes which I could believe exist for the sole reason of amplifying the sound, as the rider is a definition of a french shower. Most of the harley guys around here are obese older guys who want to live out Sons of Anarchy or something, so I regarded it as some attention getter, but it is still ridiculous.



If the asian motorcycles can sound like weedwhackers or the Deliverance "piggy squeal", why then does a harley have to be so profanely loud as to drown out both the black dude in the civic with 10x the bass as he has HP (who thinks it is his mission to spread the music of gangstalicious...I mean 50 cent to the masses), AND the school bus idling next to me at a stop light.



More on topic, I can understand noise regulations. I was stuck on a 20 mph entry road to a state park behind an early 90s mustang which had a permeating resonance that was really infuriating me and my friends. I was sorely tempted to ram a fellow Ford product because it was just that annoying. When you are idling or going slow, and your ride sounds like a thunderstorm, you are a jerk. Also, hearing a loud rumble at 20 mph really takes any sort of awe away when you hear the same rumble when the vehicle then goes faster.



 

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