seahtech
New Member
Well last night on the way home from my graduation I received my third modified exhuast ticket.. This one ironically is the first I have gotten with an aftermarket exhaust. The other two were with my LS exhaust that I cut the muffler off of because of rust. It wasnt anywhere near as loud as my previous Tanabe and Skunk exhausts but nonetheless. Right now I have full exhaust, no cat w/ buddy club spec 3. I was also stopped two weeks ago for not having a seat belt on until he got to the window and saw my harness so when I was stopped it was just like holy hell what is it now.
Here is the story and my convo with the officer who was actually a pretty cool guy...
I am driving up a really long steep hill going to speed limit with my dad following behind me in his duramax diesel with aftermarket exhaust. Having to accelerate up the hill definitely makes gets my exhaust going and makes it a little loud. I see a stater on the side of the road just chillin and drive past. Usually I push the clutch in the cutout the exhaust as I pass cops but this time I thought naw i'll be fine and Im not even speeding. As soon as we pass him my dad texts me and says get ready to be pulled over. Sure enough he cuts in front of my dad and pulls me over.
He comes up to the window and this is our convo word for word:
c: hey hows it going man do you know why I stopped you?
m: no sir actually this time I do not
c: that exhaust is just to.. ***at this point 2 harley's go by so loud i cant even hear him and he starts to chuckle*** sorry about that but your exhaust is just to loud. Do you have any sort of muffler or baffle?
m: yes sir there is a resonator and a muffle and it will meet the decibile rating of WA. I had an extra silencer in the muffler but it came loose and shot out going down the freeway and by the time I could get back to it it was already gone. I have another one on its way in the mail from Buddy Club USA(true story!!!)
c: wow really okay, well license, registration and insurance please
At this point he goes back to his car and takes forever so I know I am getting a ticket. I text my dad saying im getting an exhaust ticket and he says "lol wtf my truck was louder then your car going up that hill thats bs". Cop comes back..
c: okay I am giving you a modified exhaust ticket and I see that this is your third one. You gotta get this fixed man or find a way to quiet it down a little.
m: alright. Can i ask you a quick question?
c: sure whats up?
m: How come those harley bikes roar by and never get stopped or my dad in his truck behind me who going up that hill was much louder then me?
c: *laughes* well your not the first racer to ask me that quesiton. The statute says that if the exhaust is modified it is illegal. I cannot definitively prove those bikes were not that loud from the manufacturer but I know for certain this acura didnt sound like this.
m: really? you cant honestly believe that nobody modifies their bikes and that those bikes came that loud. I have had dirt bikes and quads since I was 4 years old and its pretty obvious to me. I will point them out for you.
c: *laughs* I have been riding for years as well and although I believe those bikes have been modified it I cannot say 100% for sure and if they were to tell me they arent I would have to believe them.
m: so anything other then OEM is illegal?
c: thats right
m: so any midas or aftermarket replacement muffler is therefore illegal?
c: *laughs* actually yes thats true.
m: do you see my point on how this seems a little biased and targeted? My dads truck roared by you right after me and I can promise his truck was a quiet as can be off the floor from Chevy.
c: Hey man times are rough for us with Gregoire's (our oh so fabulous govenor) new taxes and police cuts.
m: Alright well thanks for taking the time to explain that
c: no problem and as you can see on your ticket I wrote it up as a first offence to save you 100 bucks. By the way nice car. Drive safely
m: you too
So there you have it. I have always wondered about street bikes and trucks and such. Now I guess I know. Does that seem right or "fair?" No not at all but the cop said it best; Times are rough even for them and with our state spending money out the ass they need all they can get. The ticket is only $138 so i'm not to upset but oh well. Cop was pretty cool and seemed like he knows how to party lol I'm sure I will meet him again in the future.
Here is the story and my convo with the officer who was actually a pretty cool guy...
I am driving up a really long steep hill going to speed limit with my dad following behind me in his duramax diesel with aftermarket exhaust. Having to accelerate up the hill definitely makes gets my exhaust going and makes it a little loud. I see a stater on the side of the road just chillin and drive past. Usually I push the clutch in the cutout the exhaust as I pass cops but this time I thought naw i'll be fine and Im not even speeding. As soon as we pass him my dad texts me and says get ready to be pulled over. Sure enough he cuts in front of my dad and pulls me over.
He comes up to the window and this is our convo word for word:
c: hey hows it going man do you know why I stopped you?
m: no sir actually this time I do not
c: that exhaust is just to.. ***at this point 2 harley's go by so loud i cant even hear him and he starts to chuckle*** sorry about that but your exhaust is just to loud. Do you have any sort of muffler or baffle?
m: yes sir there is a resonator and a muffle and it will meet the decibile rating of WA. I had an extra silencer in the muffler but it came loose and shot out going down the freeway and by the time I could get back to it it was already gone. I have another one on its way in the mail from Buddy Club USA(true story!!!)
c: wow really okay, well license, registration and insurance please
At this point he goes back to his car and takes forever so I know I am getting a ticket. I text my dad saying im getting an exhaust ticket and he says "lol wtf my truck was louder then your car going up that hill thats bs". Cop comes back..
c: okay I am giving you a modified exhaust ticket and I see that this is your third one. You gotta get this fixed man or find a way to quiet it down a little.
m: alright. Can i ask you a quick question?
c: sure whats up?
m: How come those harley bikes roar by and never get stopped or my dad in his truck behind me who going up that hill was much louder then me?
c: *laughes* well your not the first racer to ask me that quesiton. The statute says that if the exhaust is modified it is illegal. I cannot definitively prove those bikes were not that loud from the manufacturer but I know for certain this acura didnt sound like this.
m: really? you cant honestly believe that nobody modifies their bikes and that those bikes came that loud. I have had dirt bikes and quads since I was 4 years old and its pretty obvious to me. I will point them out for you.
c: *laughs* I have been riding for years as well and although I believe those bikes have been modified it I cannot say 100% for sure and if they were to tell me they arent I would have to believe them.
m: so anything other then OEM is illegal?
c: thats right
m: so any midas or aftermarket replacement muffler is therefore illegal?
c: *laughs* actually yes thats true.
m: do you see my point on how this seems a little biased and targeted? My dads truck roared by you right after me and I can promise his truck was a quiet as can be off the floor from Chevy.
c: Hey man times are rough for us with Gregoire's (our oh so fabulous govenor) new taxes and police cuts.
m: Alright well thanks for taking the time to explain that
c: no problem and as you can see on your ticket I wrote it up as a first offence to save you 100 bucks. By the way nice car. Drive safely
m: you too
So there you have it. I have always wondered about street bikes and trucks and such. Now I guess I know. Does that seem right or "fair?" No not at all but the cop said it best; Times are rough even for them and with our state spending money out the ass they need all they can get. The ticket is only $138 so i'm not to upset but oh well. Cop was pretty cool and seemed like he knows how to party lol I'm sure I will meet him again in the future.
