dodgeguy71

Thank you Baja!! Not to single out a particular brand, but Harley. Straight piped, 2 ft long and it's ok.......cause they save lives. I had one on a nice cool day park his bike right next to my open window going down the road and he sat there for a couple miles and would just goose the throttle, I'd speed up, so would he, slow down, the same....I was in the F550 and felt like just running him over!! So now, my vengence is everytime I get near one of those extremely loud bikes, they get the smoke treatment. Covered one in diesel fumes the other morning, felt good. As most of us say, time and place and when I pass people with open windows I try and get by quick without a whole lot of throttle so not to blow out ear drums.

No muffler, well if I get a ticket...it's my fault, the muffler is sitting outside under some plastic. Pay the ticket and roll on.

Doctor Detroit

You were kidding right? Otherwise, you are not one of us. We (Californians) have had more restrictive regs - FOREVER! We went to low sulfur diesel nearly a decade ago and initially it ruined Buna O-rings in PT pumps. You have never seen vehicles designated Federal or California?

One of the Hop-up parts here for those of us that ran Detroit 8V-92's was to use Federal liners. The intake ports on a Federal liner would pass a quarter (More air) a California liner would not (Restricted).

Cummins old 'N' Series engines were designated NTC - followed by the HP rating. The same engine sold here was designated NTCC - it was modified to meet our smog regs.

Cars cost more in CA because we have the tightest regs in the country. We had an exemption for smog certification if a vehicle was 30 years old or more. That has recently been changed to a fixed date of prior to but not including 1976. They want the pool of exempt vehicles to dry up.

I believe it's SCAQMD (South Coast Air Quality Management District) that has remote units which are placed at random on freeway on ramps. They measure the exhaust as you zip past. If the system deems your vehicle to be in violation it snaps a picture of your vehicle and it's plate. You will then receive a letter telling you that you must correct the problem.

If your car is old they will offer a few hundred for you to junk it. They will go as high as $1,000. If you can prove you are definitely poor they will pay up to $2,000 dollars for you to junk your car. All of this is in addition to the smog test you must pass every other year to register your vehicle.

When smog reaches an alert level businesses above a given size MUST have a specific percentage of their employees carpool or take public transportation. It's a very long list. Most other states have it better.

Engine swaps here can be difficult to certify. I just read a notice the other night cautioning against medium duty engine swaps into light duty trucks. It stated that even if the engine was certified in the medium truck it probably will not be certifiable in a light chassis.

Thinking about coming west young man? Come to sunny pain in the.......California.

Doctor Detroit

[QUOTE=pronstar;1642481]CA has a noise requirement for mufflers.
But there is no law that states you can't replace your muffler.
And I've never heard of a book that has a list of approved list of mufflers, though that's not to say it doesn't exist.
With the exception of my CTD, I've had full custom exhaust systems on all of m vehicles and never ran into trouble.


Although I may have bounced back and forth a little in my previous response, I was not wrong. This bugged me so I looked for some of my old catalogs but did not find them. I have attended heavy truck shows for years and have had dozens of exhaust system catalogs. So, I simply went on line and did a quick search. I found the following:

1) Harley-Davidson muffler #80103-97, fits '95-'97 softails w/shorty duals.
Listed - "Not legal for sale in California on catalyst equipped vehicles"

2) Flowmaster Mufflers - "Some parts are not legal for sale or use in
California on any pollution controlled motor vehicles"

3) Harley-Davidson slip on catalyst mufflers for softail models - shorty dual
style - "Are 49 state street legal when installed on fuel injected motor-
cycles and are not legal for sale in California on catalyst equipped
vehicles".

4) DNA - Performance Mufflers and RPM Outlet.Com carry the same state-
ment - *Disclaimer: Some products sold by or on this website are not
legal for sale or use on any pollution controlled motor vehicles. Legal in
California only for racing vehicles which may never be used on U.S. High-
ways. Not legal for sale or use in the state of California nor in states
that have adopted California emission standards".

5) J.C. Whitney - Dual header exhaust systems for Volkswagen: PN#'s
ZX211839N, ZX211772Y, ZX213359B, ZX213896T. Note: "Not for sale
or use on California pollution controlled motor vehicles".

6) California Highway Patrol Website (Street Legal) -
*Exhaust syatems which meet smog requirements but are still too loud.
- Exhaust equipment that states it is "Legal in all 50 states" refers to
SMOG not noise.

*Note: New law (27150.2) does not require enforcement to use sound
level meters to test for excessive noise. Citation is based on
officer's judgement. Cited violators may have testing done at
smog referee stations or may be DIRECTED by the court to have
testing done. Vehicles in violation must be brought into com-
pliance. A fine may also be imposed.

I next checked my copy of the California Vehicle Code and I do not understand why you omitted:

Sale of Exhaust Sytems 27150.1 CVC -

On and after the effective date of regulations and standards adopted by the commissioner pursuant to Section 27150.2, no person engaged in a business which involves the selling of motor vehicle exhaust systems, or parts thereof, including, but not limited to, mufflers, shall offer for sale, sell, or install, a motor vehicle exhaust system, or part thereof, including, but not limited to, a muffler, unless it meets such regulations and standards.

A violation of this section shall constitute a misdemeanor.
Amended Ch 610, Stats. 1973 Effective January 1, 1974.


Sale of Noncomplying Exhaust Systems 27150.5 CVC -

Any person holding a retail seller's permit who sells or installs an exhaust system, or part thereof, including, but not limited to, a muffler in violation of Section 27150.1 or 27150.2 or the other regulations adopted pursuant thereto, shall therafter be required to install an exhaust system, or part thereof, including, but not limited to, a muffler, which is in compliance with such regulations upon demand of the purchaser or registered owner of the vehicle concerned, or to reimburse the purchaser or registered owner for the expense of replacement and installation of an exhaust system, or part thereof, including, but not limited to, a muffler, which is in compliance, at the election of such purchaser or registered owner.
Added Ch. 1769, Stats. 1971. Operative May 3, 1972

If you recall when buying a new muffler the customer does not go through catalogs. When the shop finds out what your vehicle is they will tell you I have A, B and C. At which point you choose.

If you have seen the recent Meineke adds on TV they list 3 mufflers: Standard $29.95, Preferred $69.95 and High Performance $129.95.

It is highly unlikely that a shop in this state would stock 49 state mufflers for installation on 'on-highway' vehicles. Legally they could not be sold and the shop's owner would be begging for fines and revocation of his seller's permit at the very least. There would also be the possiblity of jail time.

The exception would be as I stated, If someone went to a Pep Boys type store and bought an offroad / racing muffler and got some backyard guy to put it on his daily driver. He's good until he gets caught.

Your custom systems were simply legal in California. If you look at a muffler catalog from a manufacturer, they print one book for distribution throughout their system. It is much cheaper to place an asterisk next to some items which direct you to a notation at the bottom of the page. Printing separate catalogs for each state would be cost prohibitive.

dieselman43

Now see, this is why I switched orders to keep from having to go to Travis AFB. I knew that once I brought my truck out there it would be nothing but problems. Not that I don't have issues in Delaware with my trucks, but it would be worse out there. Both of my trucks are registered in Delaware now, and the have to hook it up to the emissions test even though they know it is going to fail 100% of the time. I have never had anything said about my exhaust as far as the cat is concerned. Both of my trucks do not have the cat, but they do have mufflers even though they are gutted. I have had a warning for excessive noise or as they call it "noise pollution" but they have never said anything about the system I have in the truck. I sure miss Tennessee, no rules down there.

Doctor Detroit

California can be a pain. I know that once someone moves here they have a matter of days to change their vehicle registration and plate to Calif. or face a possible fine. I haven't checked about military on the registration and plate but you would have to meet smog.

Some time ago I met a woman who had moved here from Texas. After two years here she decided to move back to Texas. Within weeks of her planned move she recieved a letter from the DMV that ordered her to change her plate and registration ASAP or face fine and possible impound of her car. She went down and told them she was going back to Texas. They told her they did not care. She had filed income tax in Calif for the previous two years. Therefore, she owed it and she had better pay.

She ended up switching everything to Calif. whereupon she moved about two weeks later. She then switched everything back to Texas.

There was a big deal here several years ago because the DMV found that a lot of owners of very expensive cars were registering them in Oregon where it is almost free compared to what Calif charges (Based upon the age/value of the vehicle). Following that they passed even more laws to make it theoretically impossible for a resident not to register their vehicle in this state.

Stacks06

i have a 06 dodge with no cat or muffler and i have a paper that i got from the texas dps web site that shows a turbo acts as a muffler..........

rustbucket

speaking of mufflers,have you seen the muffler,on the 08 duramax,a buddy of mine works at a gm dealer,and he took a picture of it,to show me. I have never seen such a monstrocity,on a truck in my life. Plus the fact it will cost ,two thousand bucks to replace. He told me how it works,but I don't remember all of the details,he said it has all sorts of things in it controled by the computer,to handle emmisions,and there is no way to remove it,and keep the engine running.

phox_mulder

I believe the Cummins trucks are getting the same thing, or at least similar.
Thank you EPA.


phox

ez_lle71

on the subject of the ticket, i agree, if a guy drives like a jerk, then he deserves the ticket. I have had 2 chevy trucks w/ 350's that had dual straight pipes, and a 73' buick 350 with straights, and a dodge 1/2 ton with a 360 gasser with straights. Plus having 2 dodge cummins right now with straights. I have never had a ticket for no mufflers! You gotta learn when to let off the throttle! Just my .02$
ez

TravisDj

A ticket for 5 over? That is a joke. In reasonable states they can't write anything for anything less that 10 over, unless it is a federal ticket. Speedometers are allowed a 5+/- mph in error due to mechanical issues and what not. Not to mention that radar is not in anyway as accurate as everyone wants to make it out to be. Good luck to your buddy though.

Ron R

yep, some of us learn the hard way, There is a place that sells mufflers that have a straight pipe welded in already. I would name names but am unsure of all the rules on this site. (im kind of new). Buy one, install it, do the speed limit. save the racing for the track.

AggiePhil

I'm a Texas cop. The inspection criteria page posted on page 1 is just that...INSPECTION criteria. It is not the Transportation Code which, for the most part, is all that matters.

The section of the Texas Transportation Code simply says that you must have a muffler "...in good working condition that continually operates to prevent excessive or unusual noise." The end. That having been said, I would not write someone for no muffler if they were a diesel driver, but that's probably because I'm a diesel driver myself. There are plenty of other violations that I write people for, but that other officers would never write for. It's all about officer discretion, which the law allows. You don't like it, become a cop like I did.

JyRO

AggiePhil - That goes back to my reply some time back. I bet the guy who got the ticket was driving like an Edit, and the loud pipe got the l.e.o.'s attention. If I were an officer I too would overlook the muffler deal, unless the driver was trying to be "smart," with me. Only the driver and the l.e.o. knows what all transpired. At the same time, the l.e.o. could have just been a ----.

05CTDN8

Boy I think we got it figured out. We are putting the fences up on the wrong borders. We need to strictly enforce removal of the Communist State of California and The God Help us Republic of Texas. Been through both, wouldn't offer you .002 cents to live there let alone travel through them again!

Being military I am exemot from having to migrate my registration or follow state inspection codes......all except California. They require that military personnel get an inspection on thier vehicle prior to the base installing a DOD decal. I had to refuse orders to 29 Palms a few years back to avoid the issues with my Hemi. I was running O2 simulators, true duals and full tube headers. I would have been screwed!

whitebuffalo

theres plenty of Texans that would gladly help you put those fences up and become independent (again).

never heard Texas described as communist before u must not have stayed for long