How loud is allowed?
Discussion
Big_M said:
Are they really within the legal limits for a road car?
And what are the legal limits?
1) yes
2) tbh im not 100%, but the current SVA limit is 101 db at 1 metre at 3/4 of engine revs. if an officer was concerned, its likely that these would be the criteria applied to a 'noisy' exhaust. from personal experience, TVRs, the griffiths at least, are well under this compared to other cars that i know to have passed the test with flying colours.
paolow said:
Are they really within the legal limits for a road car?
And what are the legal limits?
1) yes
2) tbh im not 100%, but the current SVA limit is 101 db at 1 metre at 3/4 of engine revs. if an officer was concerned, its likely that these would be the criteria applied to a 'noisy' exhaust. from personal experience, TVRs, the griffiths at least, are well under this compared to other cars that i know to have passed the test with flying colours.
I'm not too hot on TVRs but do they need to go through SVA?
edc said:
paolow said:
Big_M said:
Are they really within the legal limits for a road car?
And what are the legal limits?
1) yes
2) tbh im not 100%, but the current SVA limit is 101 db at 1 metre at 3/4 of engine revs. if an officer was concerned, its likely that these would be the criteria applied to a 'noisy' exhaust. from personal experience, TVRs, the griffiths at least, are well under this compared to other cars that i know to have passed the test with flying colours.
I'm not too hot on TVRs but do they need to go through SVA?
no they dont as they go through the relevant testing (crash testing etc) to get type approval (i think its called) to make the whole of that production run rubber stamped by officials. (someone correct me if im wrong!)
the reason i mentioned the SVA is that it is (iirc) the most current and thorough test for a car with regards to noise, emissions etc, so if your car can pass that, you should be in the clear.
note - im no expert - so im happy to be corrected, but thats as i understand things to be!
edit - oh yeah, sorry, the reason i use SVA criteria is that the current SVA criteria are what i understand the current legal limits to be. ergo, if your car can pass whatever test emissions, noise etc at SVA standard, then it must also be utterly legal. again - as I understand it - more knowledgeable pistonheads may well put me straight on this score. note also that some aspects are age related, especially emissions and that 2 similar cars can well fail on the same thing, with the same reading because of this.
note also its getting late and my grammar and puntcuation aren't what they should be. on that note, im off to bed!
>> Edited by paolow on Monday 12th July 00:03
deeen said:
Yes, they go through SVA. However, that only applies to new cars, they cant use it against you retrospectively. IMHO, as usual.
they SVA all thier new cars? apologies for my earlier posts in which case, i could have sworn i read that they went through the relevant checks for approval. it would however make sense given the high costs of such. thanks for putting me straight!
and a final edit or this will bug me!
in answer to both your questions then:
- tvrs 'get away' with having louder cars because, WHEN TESTED they are still under the noise limit.
>> Edited by paolow on Monday 12th July 00:12
SVA is not just for new cars, for example an 'old' import might need to go through SVA if it doesn't have type approval here or you build up a car and want to use it on the road, it may be built from no new parts whatsoever but it will still need to go through SVA. It's just a case of 'getting through' cos once passed that's all you need to keep it legal (apart from the usual MOT, tax, insurance etc).
deeen said:
hi paolow... maybe i'm wrong, but the point is i'm pretty sure (as mentioned above) its a new car thang and not something they can use against you later.
At least i hope not...
hi deen, yeah - i see what you are saying and its a tricky one. if i buy a car, in good nick and am subsequently nabbed for noise regs even though its OEM standard. that could be interesting!
EEC directive 70/157/EEC
http://europa.eu.int/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexapi!prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=EN&numdoc=31970L0157&model=guichett
At least two measurements shall be made on each side of the vehicle. Preliminary measurements may be made for adjustment purposes but shall be disregarded.
The microphone shall be situated 1.2 metres above ground level at a distance of 7.5 metres from the path of the vehicle's centre line, CC, measured along the perpendicular PP" to that line (Figure 1).
Two lines AA" and BB", parallel to line PP" and situated respectively 10 metres forward and 10 metres rearward of that line, shall be marked out on the test track. Vehicles shall approach line AA" at a steady speed, as specified below. The throttle shall then be fully-opened as rapidly as practicable and held in the fully-opened position until the rear of the vehicle (1) crosses line BB" ; the throttle shall then be closed again as rapidly as possible.
The maximum sound level recorded shall constitute the result of the measurement.
http://europa.eu.int/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexapi!prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=EN&numdoc=31970L0157&model=guichett
At least two measurements shall be made on each side of the vehicle. Preliminary measurements may be made for adjustment purposes but shall be disregarded.
The microphone shall be situated 1.2 metres above ground level at a distance of 7.5 metres from the path of the vehicle's centre line, CC, measured along the perpendicular PP" to that line (Figure 1).
Two lines AA" and BB", parallel to line PP" and situated respectively 10 metres forward and 10 metres rearward of that line, shall be marked out on the test track. Vehicles shall approach line AA" at a steady speed, as specified below. The throttle shall then be fully-opened as rapidly as practicable and held in the fully-opened position until the rear of the vehicle (1) crosses line BB" ; the throttle shall then be closed again as rapidly as possible.
The maximum sound level recorded shall constitute the result of the measurement.
paolow said:
Are they really within the legal limits for a road car?
And what are the legal limits?
1) yes
2) tbh im not 100%, but the current SVA limit is 101 db at 1 metre at 3/4 of engine revs. if an officer was concerned, its likely that these would be the criteria applied to a 'noisy' exhaust. from personal experience, TVRs, the griffiths at least, are well under this compared to other cars that i know to have passed the test with flying colours.
Standard Griff500 at 4500RPM = 103db
at 4000 = 98/99db
Depends on what you use as your maximum revs though. No need to go all the way to the limiter.
Soon after buying my Precat Griff, I had a visit from the local blue rinse mafia, telling me that my car was too loud and that they were going to action against me parking it outside my home. To be honest I am an I.T Guru, working in Central London at the time, and left home (when I drove) at about 0530 hrs 
However I did try and be as quiet as poss, and did leave the car park at a snails pace to keep the rpm down, no stereo etc etc.
After my 1st visit, I rang a Traffic Plod friend of mine, all the way from Alton Nick, who said that in reality, unless I had seriously modified the car, or was being anti social, that they did not have a case. He suggested speaking to the local enviromental health dept of the council in Pompey.
I did so,and he just said, are you sitting there at that time of morning, revving the guts out of the engine with the stereo blaring, and / or has the car been modified to make it loader, if so that they do have a case, if not then there is nothing they can do.
However I do recall in my fs1e days....remember them?? that I did get stopped by the BIB and got a slapped wrist for making to much noise from my "original" (honest) peashooter exhaust.. those were the days!
However I did try and be as quiet as poss, and did leave the car park at a snails pace to keep the rpm down, no stereo etc etc.
After my 1st visit, I rang a Traffic Plod friend of mine, all the way from Alton Nick, who said that in reality, unless I had seriously modified the car, or was being anti social, that they did not have a case. He suggested speaking to the local enviromental health dept of the council in Pompey.
I did so,and he just said, are you sitting there at that time of morning, revving the guts out of the engine with the stereo blaring, and / or has the car been modified to make it loader, if so that they do have a case, if not then there is nothing they can do.
However I do recall in my fs1e days....remember them?? that I did get stopped by the BIB and got a slapped wrist for making to much noise from my "original" (honest) peashooter exhaust.. those were the days!
paolow said:
no they dont as they go through the relevant testing (crash testing etc) to get type approval (i think its called) to make the whole of that production run rubber stamped by officials. (someone correct me if im wrong
All production Cars, and (I think that does now include TVR's are subject to the aforementioned Type approval, cars made after the initial VI tests are subject to the manufacturers adherance to the issued certificate.
The SVA is only applicable to Self-Build cars, imports, or re-builds where the registration and majority of the car is new. The limit IS (or was when mine was tested) 101dB, and jamming wire wool (
)in the exhaust was perfectly acceptable at the time of test. The noise levels are never retested unless you happened to be issued with one of those vehicle defect order for noise levels. (I'm sure they exist somewhere down the line).
The exaust on my car can set off car alarms at 50 yards, and has done with the BiB behind me.... nothing came of it though.
As long as it's not *insanely* loud
, I'm sure you'll be fine. Gav
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