[depotdan]

Your Mini is a public nuisance. ?

Yes it is. Pow, pow, pow.?

Dan

 

[zxtwou2]

Nothing my Spider can do will ever make me think it's loud after daily driving my SCCA racer for years. ITBs plus 2-step.

 

[pikeman]

Personally, I’d want to avoid any mod that results in gunshots. Anybody read the news?
Best regards
Pete

 

[zxtwou2]

I work on North Grand in St Louis. I hear gunshots on the way to the parking lot after my shifts at least once a month. And I go to Ferguson in that car to pick up beer from my favorite brewery. Ain't no care.

 

[Daim]

@depotdan, I just did the sound test. I got very weird results that I hope someone else can double check. My first test was according to the above video, 19.5 inches at a 45 degree to the muffler at muffler height. I was in a school parking lot. I was using a Radio Shack digital sound meter. Here are the results:

Idle: 69dB
2000: 102 dB
4000: 104 dB
6000: 97 dB

I then repeated the test at 10 feet centered on the rear, muffler height.

Idle: 70 dB
2000: 90 dB
4000: 102 dB
6000: 90 dB

I can't explain why it's less loud at virtually WOT except to say the sound has much less bass and boom at WOT.

For those following this I have a Goodwin Racing resonated catback exhaust with the Goodwin Racing Sportcat downpipe.

Awesome stuff. Could you try the German method? Which has validation in Europe...

For idle at lights (for example): stand next to the car around half way between the front and the rear, walk 7 m away and hold the sound meter at around 1.2m height and then check the figure?
(picture for reference: X marks the spot of where to measure: https://www.maxrev.de/files/2015/03..._files_2015_03_celex_31970l0157_de_txtpdf.png)

7m = about 22'
1.2m = about 4'

That would help me find out if I can get away with the exhaust legally or not

Cheers!
Damien

 

[spidernut79]

This is why I call this state the People's Republic of California. Those who also have the older Spiders like me have to deal with ridiculous emissions laws requiring any car built after 1975 to be unmodified with all original emissions in working order. Since nearly none of the parts are produced any longer and NOS are long gone, keeping a classic Spider on the road in this state is getting harder and harder. That's their goal - crush all the "old" cars and force people to buy Chevy Sparks, Volts, Priuses and Teslas.

 

[The Chin]

Every freedom get abused first and the most in California. I live on a long stretch of road that people race on every night. I can't believe how loud some of the exhaust are on these cars that are doing these 3 a.m. runs. Straight pipes everywhere. It's the wild west out here. People do whatever the hell they want and eventually that leads to new laws restricting freedoms. I guarantee, you live in any High population area you're going to have this problem and you're definitely going to have it here where everybody has at least one and usually two cars. Whats ruining Cali isn't liberals, although they are not helping, its way way way too many people. Most of whom do not give a damn. And when that happens someone will always respond whether they're liberal or conservative, "there ought to be a law." And sure enough there is.

 

[spidernut79]

Every freedom get abused first and the most in California. I live on a long stretch of road that people race on every night. I can't believe how loud some of the exhaust are on these cars that are doing these 3 a.m. runs. Straight pipes everywhere. It's the wild west out here. People do whatever the hell they want and eventually that leads to new laws restricting freedoms. I guarantee, you live in any High population area you're going to have this problem and you're definitely going to have it here where everybody has at least one and usually two cars. Whats ruining Cali isn't liberals, although they are not helping, its way way way too many people. Most of whom do not give a damn. And when that happens someone will always respond whether they're liberal or conservative, "there ought to be a law." And sure enough there is.

There should be a limit on the amount of noise and I don't argue that point at all. I had a neighbor who bought a Ford Raptor. First thing he did was a muffler modification. My entire house shook every morning at 5:30 when he started his truck and let it idle for 10-15 minutes. I'd guess it was in excess of 150 decibels when standing at my front door. that is excessive.

The real question is regarding what that noise limit and solution should be. I submit that $1,000 fine is disproportionate in California where a thief can walk out of a store with $950 of merchandise and only be liable for petty theft which is a max of a $1,000 fine. I'd say that is far worse than a loud exhaust. Here are some California fines:

Driving while on a cell phone (a major cause of accidents) carries a $20 fine.
Windows tinted too dark (a risk for police officers in traffic stops) carries a $25 fine
Failure to have any license plates carries a $195 fine
Driving without insurance: $796 fine
Speeding up to 25 mph over speed limit: $328
Passing a school bus with children unloading and lights flashing: $616

I'd submit a loud muffler isn't as bad as any of these infractions, yet they are going to fine $1,000? Insane.

 

[The Chin]

Proportionality and California law are distant cousins which are currently not on speaking terms

 

[Daim]

There should be a limit on the amount of noise and I don't argue that point at all. I had a neighbor who bought a Ford Raptor. First thing he did was a muffler modification. My entire house shook every morning at 5:30 when he started his truck and let it idle for 10-15 minutes. I'd guess it was in excess of 150 decibels when standing at my front door. that is excessive.

The real question is regarding what that noise limit and solution should be. I submit that $1,000 fine is disproportionate in California where a thief can walk out of a store with $950 of merchandise and only be liable for petty theft which is a max of a $1,000 fine. I'd say that is far worse than a loud exhaust. Here are some California fines:

Driving while on a cell phone (a major cause of accidents) carries a $20 fine.
Windows tinted too dark (a risk for police officers in traffic stops) carries a $25 fine
Failure to have any license plates carries a $195 fine
Driving without insurance: $796 fine
Speeding up to 25 mph over speed limit: $328
Passing a school bus with children unloading and lights flashing: $616

I'd submit a loud muffler isn't as bad as any of these infractions, yet they are going to fine $1,000? Insane.

Come to Germany and we can talk about useless laws and fines...

Example?
Speeding through a village, up to 10 kph: €10
Speeding through a village, 11-15 kph over the limit: €20
Speeding through a village, 16-20 kph over the limit: €35
Speeding through a village, 21-25 kph over the limit: €70 and 1 point.
Speeding through a village, 26-30 kph over the limit: €80, 1 point, 1 month ban

And it carries on with loads of other steps and versions and what not...

 

[The Chin]

Sir, thats cheap, speeding tickets in California are anywhere from a minimum of $350 to $1,000

 

[Spoolin32]

Well. Someone lacks a sense of humor.

Don’t think that’s the case at all, plenty here register out of state so they don’t have to comply with local emission and tuning restrictions while driving around in LA. I’m sure cases have been had but the friends I know that do this don’t have issues .

personally Im not against it. It’s really annoying when some straight piped obnoxious car is putting around me smelling up the streets revving in traffic and Of course flooring it around town. I wouldn’t drive my car around town for this reason. But with a cat and non res muffler the 124 actually sounds good. It’s not too loud so don’t think we will have an issue.

 

[The Chin]

I detect much California hate. I am from California and I love all my fellow citizens from all the other 49 states and United States territories. I will never let the television or the radio turn me against my fellow Americans no matter what state they are from. Neither will I put down anybody’s state or the politicians from anybody’s state such is the respect that I have for my fellow Americans And the personal choices they make which are unique to the circumstances of their great states. And I hope to one day visit every single state in this great union. And to meet all the great people and all the great state of the union. I have had the good fortune of visiting 23 states in the United States and I loved every single one of them. And never will I question the reasonable political decisions that the citizens of those great states make for themselves. Their laws only have to be consistent with the Constitution. And that is not for me to judge.