Hey guys,

(Background info, don't need to read to answer my questions :])

I got a fix it ticket for my exhaust being too loud while going to the gym. I was stopped at a light waiting to turn left, when I look back and see a bike. I have dark tint, it was night, and my windows were dirty. I couldnt tell if it was a cop or not. Regardless, just to be safe, I turned as "quietly" as possible, and the lights went off haha. He pulled me over and asked me: What is the brand, how long have you had it for, is it a catback, do you have your stock exhaust. And the weirder thing is, he calls for backup?? Do they do that now? In Irvine? The second cop started shining his flashlight all over the inside of my car, wtf??


Anyways, I wanted to ask, obviously I need to get this taken care of either by getting it signed off or paying off the fine and not swapping the stock exhaust, is that right? If I wanted to get it inspected and signed off, do I need the entire stock exhaust or can I just have the stock muffler with aam y pipe and stock cats? I ask because I have the stock muffler/midpipe/cats, but sold my hr y pipe.......

And after i get that taken care of, I wanted to ask if I should just keep stock cats, aam y pipe, and aam single. Would that still be loud enough for the cops to get me again? Right now I have tp's, and wondering if stock cats would cut the sound by AT LEAST half.

Or, should I just keep the test pipes with aam y pipe, and stock muffler. Def don't want to go back to all stock. Not asking for a sound preference between the two. I just don't want to get another fix it ticket, but would like to keep the exhaust louder than stock. Sorry for the long read. Thanks.

 

Man that sucks I would say you should reduce the volume quite a bit placing the oem cats back in place. The AAM exhaust has a resonator so you should be good just ditching the test pipes. Stock cats should cut the sound a good amount. Hope you get it fixed to your liking.

 

Reducing noise can be frustrating and expensive. Pay the fine or install the OEM exhaust. Done.

 

This has happened to me too..twice. First i had test pipes, got a fix it ticket. Second time i got resonated test pipes got a ticket again, BUT that time it was non compliance so the fee was $327!! and i still had to get it signed off!!. Anyway one way out, you have to put back to stock or make it "quiet", try getting it signed off by your local police department, the CHP will charge you a fee. When you're there they inspect it and ask you to turn on the car and thats it, mail your payment, or do it in person. I fought my "non compliance" and got it reduced to a $25 fee, but now i rum stock cats and a borla and headers(quieter than stock ironically)

 

hmm, so should I just install stock cats with aam y pipe and stock muffler, get it signed by the chp, and be done with it? Is there any way of avoiding them inspecting? I read that you can just pay the fine without having them inspect. But if they do inspect, and you pass, you only pay like 15 dollars for the papers/filing.

 

What does your ticket say exactly? Reason I ask is I live in the bay area and just got cited for loud exhaust by CHP. On my ticket its said modified exhaust I run rsr axle back with Berk hfc with the xyz pipe and its loud as hell. I got out of my ticket after doing research on the basis having a modified exhaust is technically not illegal since a resonator is technically a muffler but not prefered so what he should of cited me for was a noise ordnance.
But in the entire state of California no dept. Carries a decibel meter and is not trained to measure decibels to my knowledge correct me if I'm wrong. But that's just my expirience and I did get out of mine believe it or not. Its kind of a loop hole they haven't figured out yet. GL with that

 

I think it really just depends on if you are lucky or not . . I have non-resonated test pipes, tanabe y-pipe and Agency power single with JWT intake and my exhaust is RIDICULOUSLY loud and I havent got pulled over once. I just know that Im gonna get pulled over now that I jinxed myself

 

Trade me....
But damn man that sucks, i agree with putting back the oem cats

 

Living in Cali , i would not run a single exhaust. I would run Nismo or Borla, probably Borla.

 

I was thinking about getting the TDX2 system... may be too much trouble to run that system...

 

haven't read the ticket yet. I got the ticket while going to the gym. He said "do you know your exhaust is really loud?" and he wrote me a fix it ticket. Ive had the exhaust for a few months, and never got caught till now, so yea, it is just luck. I'm waiting for the thing to come in the mail, as he said just read the thing and carry on from there. I will most likely just stick to stock cats, aam y, and aam single, instead of test pipes. That should help tone it down a bit.

 

Irvine fail. I'm glad i don't frequent there anymore.

+1 on the nismo. I've unknowingly went full throttle while the black n whites have been just a few cars behind me twice. Both times nothing happened. This wasn't in Irvine. It was closer to the 5 n 57.

you could also install a vibrant resonator. They make em in all sorts of diameters.

 

If I was in your situation, I would wait to see how much the fine is. If the fine is low (doubtful, seeing how you are from Cali) I would just pay it off and call it a day. If we are talking a few hundred dollars, I would take the time to at least install the stock cat-back. If that is still too loud, add the stock cats into the mix. Get it signed off and put your aftermarket pars back on. You just need to decide if that is worth your time.

 

HFC's are illegal in CA. That would cause you more problems and fines instead of the loudness charge because you cannot fight it. Most manufacturers (what exhaust do you have?) have the decibel rating listed or you can get it from them and I'm sure they all are within decible limits. It is only when you add test pipes or HFC's that it makes a huge jump in sound. You can get out of this easily as long as you put on your stock cats because the cop can't prove the decible but you can because you just need to get something from the manufacturer.

 

I got one of these too. Ended up just paying for it. I think it was around $150-200. In the end it's easiest and cheapest just to pay it and keep going on as you were before. If it happens again,relatively soon,then you should think about changing stuff up.

 

Wow, don't these cops have anything better to do? Maybe, like...I dunno. Fight crime? My car is pretty damn loud with my setup and I've had a cop actually pull up next to me and asked me to rev it. Maybe he was just a car guy, but it was kinda scary but fun at the same time.

 

^^Do you have headers and the single hks? Or the dual with just hfc? I used to run tp with hks dual, and that wasn't even half as loud as what I have now. Im just going to take off the tp's and put on stock. DOn't want to pay 150-200 when i can just install the exhaust myself and get away with paying 15 bucks.

 

I have the dual with HFC's and stillen long tube CAI. It's pretty damn loud through first and second gear and at WOT. I've just never heard of anyone getting tickets down here for their car being loud unless it's for a stereo system. Even in our crew we have a few with the mods you have, and I've yet to hear about any of them getting harassed by the police? Maybe it's a Cali thing?

 

It IS a "CA thing". Esp. if you have a single exit set-up, YOU WILL get picked out first.

 

hmm, i guess no one has answered this yet, but when I go get my exhaust signed off, do they inspect under the car? Or just the decibel level? Because I have test pipes on the car right now, and I would just like to run test pipes with stock exhaust, before and after the inspection. I wouldnt want them to see that I am running on tp's. Or should I just switch them out regardless just to be safe?