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Mufflers for Cali??

2K views 31 replies 13 participants last post by  Spawn_X 
#1 ·
hey guys. i was wondering if I would get into trouble by running a dynomax bullet muffler on my ram. I dont think thier street legal... anyone know?
 
#4 ·
...i've learned...living here in california...anything with a sound dB higher than stock is illegal, but everyone modifies their exhaust. my girlfriend was pulled over for a modified exhaust on her acura integra...and it's only a few dB's above stock...it's really up to the cops discretion whether to pull you over or not! If sounds such an issue, what about those Harley's?!?!?!...it also helps if you have friends who are cops to sign off those fix-it-tickets! :bigthumb:

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'98 Dodge Ram 1500 QC SLT 4X4 5.2, 5" SkyJacker Stage II Kit, 35/12.50/15 GoodYear MT/R's on 15X8 Weld Sidewinders, Flowmaster Cat-Back Exhaust System, Volant Cool Air Intake System w/ Ram Air Scoop, Custom Audio System.
 
#5 ·
27200. (a) The Department of Motor Vehicles shall not register on a dealer's report of sale a new motor vehicle, except an off-highway motor vehicle subject to identification as provided in Division 16.5 (commencing with Section 38000), which produces a maximum noise exceeding the applicable noise limit at a distance of 50 feet from the centerline of travel under test procedures established by the Department of the California Highway Patrol.

Limits for Vehicles under 6000 GVWR

27206. For the purposes of Section 27200, the following noise limits shall apply to any other motor vehicle, not specified in this article, manufactured:

(1) After 1967, and before 1973 86 dbA
(2) After 1972, and before 1975 84 dbA
(3) After 1974 80 dbA

Limits for Vehicles Exceeding 5,999 Pounds Gross Vehicle Weight

27204. For the purposes of Section 27200, the following noise limits shall apply to any motor vehicle within the specified manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating and date of manufacture:

GVWR-Pounds Date of Manufacture Noise Limit -dbA
Over 6,000 after 1967 and before 1973 88 dbA
Over 6,000 after 1972 and before 1975 86 dbA
Over 6,000 after 1974 and before 1978 83 dbA
Over 8,500 after 1977 and before 1982 83 dbA
Over 6,000 but not over 8,500 after 1977 80 dbA
Over 8,500 but not over 10,000 after 1981 80 dbA
Over 10,000 after 1981 and before 1988 83 dbA
Over 10,000 after 1987 80 dbA



Sorry for the long and rediulously formatted post, but bbcode doesnt have tags for tables and html is off.

You can check out the whole book <!-- BBCode u2 Start -->http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/vc/vctoc.htm" TARGET="_blank<!-- BBCode u2 End -->
 
#9 ·
damn that sucks here in Va 3/4 ton and above doesn;t have to have a muffler at all
 
#16 ·
What the hell is a decimal rating. Do you have any idea what your talking about or do you reply just to reply?
 
#20 ·
All 3 of my trucks exhaust systems are modified and very loud, my motorcycle was too, I've never been pulled over for that(knock on wood). You can be pulled over but it's all up to the peace officer. They don't usally pull you over unless it reallllly loud and annoying. Come to think of it, kind of like my diesel, which you can hear coming for like 4 blocks. It's only a fix it ticket anyways, you can fix it and pay $10 or forfeit bail(not fixing it) and pay some other fee, guessing around $100.
 
#21 ·
yeah...i've even heard of some cops who pull people over with exhaust systems that look after-market...not even involving sound...but just by how it looks, such as huge tail-pipes or shinny chrome mufflers!!! too many useless laws here in California, don't yah think??? don't they have anything better to do...??? :rant:
 
#22 ·
The decible rating is a relative rating with some other sound. That's what amuses the hell out of me with these laws.

The above are completely unenforcable. 80dB over what? If it was 80dBa, then it's assumed to be a-weighted threshold of hearing for the "average" human.

They mean to assume that it's the threshold of hearing, but it's still kinda amusing that a good physics/acoustics "expert" could screw with these laws in court... :):

Anyways,

60dB is heavy traffic, at about that distance, 80dB is getting pretty loud... about 7 times as loud as the traffic. (+3db is a doubling of the loudness).

Of course, this is what I remember from my aborted accoustics minor in college (4-5 years ago...) and could be a bit off.
 
#23 ·
they use a db meter on most circle tracks in most states.it measures a sound rating at a specified distance,ie 80 db @ 50 feet. even radio shack has(or had) db meters for sale.
your best bet is to keep it to a minimum anyway. odds are,the louder the exhaust,the less torque your getting...lol not good for 4x4s.
 
#26 ·
my 2 cents on this.

from what i know CA has 2 sound-related laws.

one being the music that has no db rating, but is illegal if heard 50+ feet away, and another being this law limiting the db to 80.

I could see how they could convict you on the loud music charge (got one.... pricy fine there), but the 80db is going to be hard.

There is no Distance stated there (distance from where your car / truck can be heard), so unless they have a db meter right there at the scene i don't see how they could prove that your vehicle is louder than 80db.


Also, I am not quiet sure but here's another thing..

db is a measure of SPL - sound pressure level. in <car audio> there are two things - sounding loud, and BEING loud.

Example: you can have loud Speakers and be heard from lets say 100 feet away, but will only be 120-125db, whereas a subwoofer can hit 140 and be heard only 50 or less feet away.. anyone understand that?

sounding loud is different than being loud.

also, 80db where? At the tailpipe? 20 feet away? Its a rediculous statement to make. The closer to the object the more SPL, so where is the measurement coming from?
 
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