help!noise ordinance problem with muffler

[94cordvtec]

ok i just got a ticket cuz some dumbass cop said my muffler was too loud! ok wtf in my city we have motorcycle rides and the damn motorcycles and motorcycle cops are louder than my car. so what they can be loud and i can;t? i have to pay 122.50$ if i pay this ticket do i still have to replace my exhaust? i thought about goin to the police department and geting them to take a decibel meter to it or tell me if its too loud or not but this is really a crock of bull.i thought about takin it to court and fighting it too. but ne help would be greatly appreciated.

[swipter]

It is not that it is too loud, they are too high. All the kids want those can mufflers which sound like *&#$. I would rather have a sleeper any day. You can't fight City Hall. You probably won't have to replace your muffler but don't complain when you get the next ticket.

[WhyteAccord]

Go to court, plead not guilty and they'll give you another date plead not guilty again and they'll give you an option. You probably wont get the whole amount taken off but they'll take off a percentage because it cost them too much for court. Get a silencer and pay a fine.

[Igovert500]

Well, you could go to court, and argue that the officer didn't use a decibel meter, 'so how could he know exactly how loud was too loud' etc...but the cop could simply say it was obviously too loud, or it was obviously aftermarket...the judge isn't an idiot...he drives behind loud obnoxious 4-5" mufflers every day on the way to work...so whether your's is loud and obnoxious or not...he will be thinking it is, and probably issue you the ticket to teach you a lesson...and then you will have to pay an extra $30 for wasting the court's time.

Most municipalities have some sort of fix-it ticket, where you replace (with OEM) or fix(silence) your muffler, take it to the court house or whereever, show whoever needs to see it...you pay $30 for wasting their time, and they let you off from the ticket.

So go to the courthouse or wheveever and ask the nice lady behind the counter what all your options are(as each state and county differs). Also there is a 'traffic violations' section of AF, under 'Cars in General'...this question gets asked there about once a week...so perhaps you will find some more useful info if you look there.

Last but not least, I have a silencer from my universal racing muffler...it might not fit, but if you measure you'r muffler, I can measure mine and let you know the exact size of the thing...if by some chance it does fit, I'll sell it to you cheap if you want it...

Hope something in there helps a bit.

[mpumas]

It has nothing to do with how loud motorcycles are. They base their opinion on how loud yours is compared with a stock OEM muffler for your car. You need to go to the library and look up the vehicle code for your state. That will state what the law sezs. I suspect you got a fix it ticket and if it isn't fixed you may not be able to reregister your car at registeration time.