Pulled over for/gotten a ticket for stock GT350/R exhaust?

[pyrophilus]

I thought that was one of the reasons behind the factory active exhaust. Mist states are 95 dB and even on the GT PP sport+, it is around 95, and the track mode is tad over 100 dB, which would be illegal in many states, and that's why ford puts that warning, "track use only"???

So wouldn't the exhaust be legal if it were not in track mode? And if a cop pulls you(me) over and I switch to quiet mode before he gets out of the car, how's he going to issue a ticket??

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[460Fred]

What am I missing here? Track mode is the same as sport mode as far as the exhaust is concerned.
GT350 right?

 

[Nardly]

I was looking at Va. laws and as long as it's factory or made to the specifications of the Society of Automotive Engineers, the American National Standards Institute, or the federal Department of Transportation it's legal. Then after all this the law then states: No law-enforcement officer shall stop a motor vehicle for a violation of this section. No evidence discovered or obtained as the result of a stop in violation of this subsection, including evidence discovered or obtained with the operator's consent, shall be admissible in any trial, hearing, or other proceeding.

 

[09cs]

What am I missing here? Track mode is the same as sport mode as far as the exhaust is concerned.
GT350 right?

correct. the GT's/500s have more exhaust modes

 

[FreePenguin]

I don't see an issue then, keep it in quiet mode when traveling through risky areas from sounds of it, that is LEGAL in all 50 states, the higher track modes will draw the wrong attention.

I dont think an officer would have any knowledge on the modes though even if you was in track and flipped to silence. but I personally would stay in the quiet mode if you are in any doubt

 

[Epiphany]

It's 50 state emissions compliant. I don't think that means it's also sound compliant.

Exactly. Exhaust emissions standards and noise standards are not the same.

No muffler or exhaust system on any vehicle mentioned in sub. (1) shall be equipped with a cutout, bypass or similar device nor shall there be installed in the exhaust system of any such vehicle any device to ignite exhaust gases so as to produce flame within or without the exhaust system. No person shall modify the exhaust system of any such motor vehicle in a manner which will amplify or increase the noise emitted by the motor of such vehicle above that emitted by the muffler originally installed on the vehicle, and such original muffler shall comply with all the requirements of this section.

This is the Wisconsin statute.

That is rather poorly written. So where in the Wisconsin V&T code are the factory decibel numbers for various speeds, loads, etc, for each and every car that is registered there? I'd venture to guess the state of Wisconsin has nothing of the sort. Furthermore, thank to federal statute, it is legal to use substitute aftermarket components (including mufflers) that do not violate the OEM warranty for durability or exhaust emissions. And often times due to patent law, the design or construction may be different than the original part which may directly effect tone as well as the db limit (which could be higher or lower than factory). So it is reasonable to assume that the average citizen may have a vehicle equipped with an exhaust component that was not sourced from the OEM. The bolded part in your quote is drivel ripe for a challenge and in need of a rewrite. To attempt to enforce the above is to violate numerous consumer protections written into federal law.

 

[friedmud]

I said it in the other thread recently: but I can't see any of these tickets holding up in court.

Here is the current California law:

(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.

Note the SAE Standard J1169 May 1998...

You can see a preview of that standard here: https://www.sae.org/standards/content/j1169_199805/preview/

There is also a summary here: https://www.fs.fed.us/t-d/programs/fire/spark_arrester_guides/_assets/OHV209-308Blue.pdf

(I also hate that a law is dependent on a document behind a paywall...)

Important pieces of that standard that there is no way a cop is going to do on the side of the road:

• Meter must be set to slow exponential time-averaging
• Calibration of the meter _must_ be checked before and after the measurement
• If the before/after differ by more than 0.5 db then the results are invalid
• An instrument with 2% accuracy must be used to measure the engine speed
• Test must be done on a hard surface (NOT grass, gravel, or soil)
• The test area should be a flat, open surface free of large sound-reflecting surfaces within 16 feet (5 meters), such as parked vehicles, buildings, signs, and hillsides
• Always use a windscreen under windy conditions. The stationary test procedure should not be conducted if the wind speed is 20 mph (9m/s) or higher.
• Ambient sound level must be 10db below the vehicle's sound levels
• The microphone must be 0.5 meters away from the exhaust opening and at a 45-degree angle
• Microphone can't be closer than 0.2 meters to the ground
• Reference axis of the microphone must be pointed at the exhaust
• The test RPM is one-half the maximum rated RPM unless in a table given in the standard

There is absolutely NO WAY that a cop is getting all of that right on the side of the road. A few simple questions in court should render the readings completely inadmissible.

I would start with leading ones:

"Did you put the meter directly behind the exhaust?" (They probably did - and therefore are not in compliance)

"Did you have the meter within 1 foot of the exhaust?" (They probably did - or don't know... and will be out of compliance)

"What was the ambient sound level?"

"What were the calibration readings before and after the measurement?"

etc., etc.

If they don't follow the standard then their readings are irrelevant with respect to the law.

 

[m3incorp]

Drive in front of this guy and problem solved.

 

[m3incorp]

Wait it may not be that loud, so dang still a noise ticket for the Stang.

 

[Lorne34]

Car and Driver long term review of 2017 GT350

"This Mustang lives its best life confusing law enforcement: It's blue and striped, and it sounds like it's traveling 100 mph just trundling down side streets in second gear." —Alexander Stoklosa

I still have my resonators, so I don't think there is anything (tickets) that would hold up with mine....

 

[03reptile]

I deal with police officers on a daily basis. Yes, they do get 2 hours minimum of overtime for showing up for court. At least the departments that I deal with.

The only time police officers get OTP for going to court is if it occurs on their day off or is outside of their shift schedule. At least that is how my department operates. As said, most governmental agencies would not be fond of dolling out OTP for normal court appearances.

 

[carpenj]

I haven't had any trouble yet but it looks like Indiana specifically prohibits cutouts and bypasses, so there are thousands of cars coming off dealer lots already illegal every year I guess. Most performance cars have valved exhausts at this point.

 

[Nardly]

I haven't had any trouble yet but it looks like Indiana specifically prohibits cutouts and bypasses, so there are thousands of cars coming off dealer lots already illegal every year I guess. Most performance cars have valved exhausts at this point.

Cutouts and bypass’ are before the muffler. I thought active exhaust was after.

 

[Point45]

Cutouts and bypass’ are before the muffler. I thought active exhaust was after.

Correct.

Do people here really think Ford sells a car with an exhaust not legal in all 50 states?

 

[ice445]

Wait it may not be that loud, so dang still a noise ticket for the Stang.

I've heard way more ear rape diesel trucks and harleys than sports cars, yet the police never touch them.

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