Exhaust Volume

[US-GTR]

Is there a limit to the loudness of your exhaust?

Just a curious question from across the pond.

[steve_D]

At a distance of 0.5 metres, at 45 degrees to the outlet axis in a horizontal plane, 3500 revs or 3/4 of max power revs if MPR is less than 4500 revs, shall not exceed 101db(A).
This is the requirement for our SVA test you have probably heard mentioned.
Steve

[US-GTR]

I was wondering about vehicles that do not require the SVA (or do they all?). For example, an old truck or car and the exhaust is rotten, then placing turbo/glass pack mufflers on it.

Here police can issue a citation for excessivly noisy exhaust/stereos. Can they there?

[steve_D]

You would likely get pulled for a loud exhaust but I's unlikely to go beyond a verbal as they would need some way to measure it which I doubt they have.
Steve

[ultimasimon]

steve_D said:

You would likely get pulled for a loud exhaust but I's unlikely to go beyond a verbal as they would need some way to measure it which I doubt they have. Steve

I got pulled for a 'loud exhaust' at the Stockley by-pass near Heathrow, on a Friday night last summer. This is a well known meeting area for petrol heads. There were two officers, a guy and a rather fit girl in a new 5 series BMW.

The guy says, "Do you know why I stopped you sir?" and I replied, No officer I havent a clue. PC says "There were two flames visible from your car as you pulled away" (well when shutting off the ignition momentarily for effect this happens) He continued, "I believe that your exhaust system is illegal as it sounds like an after market system; may we have a look under the bonnet?" I chuckle to myself inwardly and then open the rear clip, produce a torch, and ask him to be my guest. He waves the torch over the engine bay a few times giving the image that he knows what he's looking for.. At this point the female PC is giving it WOW etc, what engine is that blah blah, and a conversation is struck up between myself and the female PC. The male officer now asks where the catalystic converters are as it is on a 2000 plate and he's quite sharp.

I explain the SVA regs to him, and he is agreeance with me after I tell him that the exhaust is a factory standard item and that the engine is pre '72. He makes a few light hearted jokes about not being room for cat's etc and having to have truck type exhausts coming out the top of the rear clip and sticking up in the air

I ask them about the regs for the noise and how they enfoce them and he informs me that they would normally either report the vehicle under type approval investigation (with a 14 day rectification ticket) or ask the owner to bring the vehicle into a police workshop or a vehicle testing station to be tested by them (which defeats the object really as al you would have to do is put standard pipes back on it and subject it for testing). I also asked him whether or not the police have equipment to test the volume level accurately, to which he replied that he didn't know.

Once I had found the limit of his technical knowledge, the converstion now changed from that of a suspected offence to general car banter and enthusiasm, and both officers quiz me for about another 15 minutes on all things Ultima.

While we are chatting to them, several Fast and Furious rice burners flew past at insane speeds and both officers are un-phased and not interested. It would seem that they were transfixed by the car and just kept asking more questions.

After, I pulled away sensibly, and as I changed up, I killed the ignition momentarily again for the second gear change, so as not to arouse suspician with the flames and cruised home.

So in closing, I realy don't know how they would know, but moreso, it would appear that they don't know either So, don't break the two golden rules; Be polite and act dumb.