Hyundai Elantra N Owner has car deregistered for driving in "N" Mode

[Cobra Jet]

Interesting article pertaining to factory exhaust sound level in "N" track mode (similar to Ford's Active Exhaust capability).

Owner in CA was pulled over for the vehicle being too loud. Owner explains to Officer that it's factory exhaust and was in Hyundai's "N" mode (their "track mode"). Officer tells owner he now has to sue the state of CA and deregisters the vehicle (can't be driven on public roads). Owner is paying on a brand new vehicle he can't legally drive. Hyundai is now actually involved in the case. They have the car and are running tests but have confirmed the car is 100% factory stock as built. The Owner has retained legal representation.

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Could this now set a precedence for any vehicle equipped with a factory exhaust system where the exhaust mode can be changed and the volume of the exhaust is "legal" per the manufacturer's specs?

Complete story as posted by CarBuzz:
Hyundai Also Wants Answers After Elantra N Owner Banned From Road For Stock Exhaust https://carbuzz.com/news/hyundai-al...ra-n-owner-banned-from-road-for-stock-exhaust

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Discuss

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[CrackedHorn]

Reason #486 not to live in California.

 

[sk47]

Hello; Seems simple enough to only use the loud exhaust where you can get away with it. I tried out a Mustang with an exhaust you can open up or close to run quiet. Even I know better than to run it wide open some places.
Seems to me the loud pipes ought to be a separate standalone function and not tied into the track mode. That way you can have the steering/suspension/braking with loud pipes or quiet pipes.
That said my guess is active exhaust will go the way aftermarket tuners and the like. What do you want to bet Ford caves and active exhaust goes away???

On a personal note, I have come to dislike loud exhaust. I live where there is a tunnel between me and the town where I do most of my shopping. That 3/4-mile tunnel I have to pass thru twice to get my groceries. Some diesel trucks with loud exhaust are bad because a few are set up to run "burning coal" as well as being loud. Bad news to be in the tunnel with one of those.
Loud motorcycles are bad in warm weather. Especially if a group are passing thru the tunnels. I often have the windows down in warm weather so the noise can be bad. Have friends with Harleys and almost all put straight pipes on the bikes. Get 25 or 30 running together and they are loud everywhere, not just in the tunnels.

 

[Cobra Jet]

What I've always wanted to know is this:
Why is it a motorcycle (Harley or Harley-like) can run any exhaust as loud as it can be - but sports cars, muscle cars and trucks need to be silenced?

The above is in no way a "dig" at any Motorcycles or Motorcycle Hobbyist who has loud pipes - it's just a casual observation through the years...

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Back to topic of factory exhaust sound levels or ability to change exhaust modes per manufacturers "as built" design elements:

Does anyone believe if a vehicle is manufactured with the ability to change exhaust note/sound that there should be a penalty leveled by the State/Town/Province due to what someone believes is "too loud" by their personal hearing or feelings?

 

[sk47]

What I've always wanted to know is this:
Why is it a motorcycle (Harley or Harley-like) can run any exhaust as loud as it can be - but sports cars, muscle cars and trucks need to be silenced?

The above is in no way a "dig" at any Motorcycles or Motorcycle Hobbyist who has loud pipes - it's just a casual observation through the years...

---

Back to topic of factory exhaust sound levels or ability to change exhaust modes per manufacturers "as built" design elements:

Does anyone believe if a vehicle is manufactured with the ability to change exhaust note/sound that there should be a penalty leveled by the State/Town/Province due to what someone believes is "too loud" by their personal hearing or feelings?

Hello; To your first question. I also do not get why loud pipes on bikes get away with the noise. My first guess is the police officers have the loud bikes and like Harleys.

Second question - For some reason I thought the police have decibel meters that can be used to test sound at some set distance. I get the devices may not be in every patrol car. I also get that we can know when loud is too loud with our ears.
If I were pulled over for loud pipes, I would prefer the officer use a test meter over his/her own ears. I do get that by ears only would allow an officer to get at someone for personal reasons.
Thing is I have run the active exhaust a bit and knew it was too loud in the open position. Not sure it matters if the open pipe is a factory bit, aftermarket or home made.

What I need to do is read the link you provided to see if the car owner is trying to claim that since the exhaust setting is a factory bit that such is a justification for being too loud. Loud is loud whether it is factory or not. If the cop used a sound decibel meter, then factory does not matter. I will read and may get back.

 

[CrackedHorn]

Hello; To your first question. I also do not get why loud pipes on bikes get away with the noise. My first guess is the police officers have the loud bikes and like Harleys.

Second question - For some reason I thought the police have decibel meters that can be used to test sound at some set distance. I get the devices may not be in every patrol car. I also get that we can know when loud is too loud with our ears.
If I were pulled over for loud pipes, I would prefer the officer use a test meter over his/her own ears. I do get that by ears only would allow an officer to get at someone for personal reasons.
Thing is I have run the active exhaust a bit and knew it was too loud in the open position. Not sure it matters if the open pipe is a factory bit, aftermarket or home made.

What I need to do is read the link you provided to see if the car owner is trying to claim that since the exhaust setting is a factory bit that such is a justification for being too loud. Loud is loud whether it is factory or not. If the cop used a sound decibel meter, then factory does not matter. I will read and may get back.

The Harleys the cops ride aren't loud. In fact, almost no bikes are loud from the factory. There has been belief for decades that (right or wrong) loud pipes save lives.

As a person who rode for years, I agree that those loud pipes are annoying and disruptive.

If this is the case in the OP I'm thinking of, there is video of the person being pulled over. In that video, there was no Db meter used and the cop was just being an arse to the person he pulled over. Even then, it isn't the consumer's responsibility to ensure that Hyundai is selling a car that meets a local/federal laws and regs.

 

[sk47]

The Harleys the cops ride aren't loud. In fact, almost no bikes are loud from the factory. There has been belief for decades that (right or wrong) loud pipes save lives.

As a person who rode for years, I agree that those loud pipes are annoying and disruptive.

If this is the case in the OP I'm thinking of, there is video of the person being pulled over. In that video, there was no Db meter used and the cop was just being an arse to the person he pulled over. Even then, it isn't the consumer's responsibility to ensure that Hyundai is selling a car that meets a local/federal laws and regs.

Hello; Only thing I can come up with is most cars can break any speed limit from the factory. If I run a factory equipped car over the speed limit it is on me to pay the fine. Same for a loud button for the exhaust. Factory or not if i use the loud setting it is on me.

 

[CrackedHorn]

Hello; Only thing I can come up with is most cars can break any speed limit from the factory. If I run a factory equipped car over the speed limit it is on me to pay the fine. Same for a loud button for the exhaust. Factory or not if i use the loud setting it is on me.

Touché

 

[Stang 19]

Officer probably a prius driving woosy

 

[Vlad Soare]

Am I the only one who finds the idea of a loud Hyundai utterly laughable? Hyundais are the automotive equivalent of woolen knickers. What's the point making them loud? They aren't fooling anyone anyway.

 

[Stang 19]

Am I the only one who finds the idea of a loud Hyundai utterly laughable? Hyundais are the automotive equivalent of woolen knickers. What's the point making them loud? They aren't fooling anyone anyway.

Yes. But have you seen the specs on the new Ioniq 5? Yes, electric, but super quick. Will spank a stock stang.

 

[Tinpot]

Maybe the Hyundai owner should use ‘Track Mode’ for the track ?

 

[Jimmy Dean]

shit, I've run a 513 c.i. high compression big block with 3" open pipes around here. no issues. my daily is a 351W w/ glasspacks (actually hate how loud it is, was on there when I got it, going to get all that changed here in a few weeks along with some engine work), and my mach 1 goes into track exhaust as soon as I start the car.

 

[James1980]

What I've always wanted to know is this:
Why is it a motorcycle (Harley or Harley-like) can run any exhaust as loud as it can be - but sports cars, muscle cars and trucks need to be silenced?

The above is in no way a "dig" at any Motorcycles or Motorcycle Hobbyist who has loud pipes - it's just a casual observation through the years...

---

Back to topic of factory exhaust sound levels or ability to change exhaust modes per manufacturers "as built" design elements:

Does anyone believe if a vehicle is manufactured with the ability to change exhaust note/sound that there should be a penalty leveled by the State/Town/Province due to what someone believes is "too loud" by their personal hearing or feelings?

They aren't. I've seen many motorcycles around here cited for aftermarket exhaust, almost always crotch rockets. No idea why they get singled out and Harleys ignored.
For the most part, the police dont care about silly stuff like this and they leave us alone.
It's just that one dick head that wants to hassle us is the problem.

As far as the Elantra. Dumb kid said way too much. He never should have said anything other than it was stock. Instead he admitted to both the Police officer and the smog ref that it was in track mode. All of this could have been avoided if he had kept his mouth shut. Then it would have been a simple trip to the ref, put the car in quiet and pass the test.
Never say anything more than necessary to the Police, EVER!

 

[JohnnyGT]

Criticizing the driver for making his car loud...when stock? This is a fucking Mustang forum, making them louder is a thing talked about all the time.

My question/issue is how and why was a highway cop able to "de-register" a car on his/her call?

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