Bill

im gonna post a well written thread on the exact topic of muffler violation. This post was written by my good freind Chadfrom Barrie, he has been accused 2X by teh same officer of having illegal exhaust. Hes doen his research, and understands automotive products. He is a class A mechanic, and just finishing up Automotive PRoduct design at Georgian. Here is his post from LAC, If you wanna read the entire thread, Ill post the link at the bottom, there is alot of usless BS in the thread, but this post was well written and full of good facts, and evidence that the law here in ONtario is vauge.

Oh man……Where do I start. I have had a performance muffler on my car for about 2 ½ years and have recently received two “improper muffler” tickets from the same officer in 2 months. The second time I was pulled over the officer told me to “go to the library, read the highway traffic act and get educated” And that exactly what I decided to do!! Here we go……………………………….

AJL wrote:
^ I think that if your exhaust can be heard a block away you deserve to be pulled over and given a ticket for noise pollution


Well what is your definition of loud? The problem is that is the officer’s discretion of what is loud. Ontario doesn’t have a dB rating. You can buy a brand new car and if an officer thought it was loud he could give you a ticket. Everyone’s definition of loud is different. You ask a teenager and a person in their 60’s what loud is and you will get two different answers. The new Dodge SRT-4 doesn’t even have a muffler right from the showroom floor! Does this mean that an officer can give you a ticket for “no muffler”. In theory ……yes, but the car came without a muffler…….so who’s right?

It does not say in the Ontario Highway Traffic act that your muffler has to be stock. It also doesn’t say that the muffler on your car has to muffle as much as a stock muffler. If this were true maramont mufflers from Canadian Tire, and econogold mufflers from Midas would be illegal. It also doesn’t say that performance mufflers are illegal. This was the purpose of Bill C241 that the Ontario government tried to pass last year. Fortunately for automotive enthusiasts this bill did not pass because it was so poorly worded. It’s purpose was to combat street racing, but the way it was worded it would have made simple things such as spoilers, body kits, and other components that have nothing with a cars performance illegal. (among other things)

http://www.naaaccc.ca/sema_jan_2003.htm


I’m sure police get a lot of complaints about these mufflers, and I agree some are extremely loud. I feel it‘s the police that are caught in the middle here. I’m sure they receive noise complaints from the public, but I also feel the law is too vague because it doesn‘t define loud. The problem I feel is the law itself, it is a gray area. So what do we do…….

I suggest that we do what they did in California, Maine, and Washington where it is based on a dB system, this way it makes it fair for everyone. Here is some information on how it is done.

http://www.motortrend.com/features/n...s040210_noise/
http://www.overboost.com/story.asp?id=1115
http://www.racingwest.com/news/story.php3/5175



After receiving my second ticket I went to the performance shop where I had purchased it. I talked to Barry Trapp and Performance Unlimited (who was extremely helpful). I told him that I had purchased a Vibrant muffler from him about 2 ½ years ago. I explained my situation and asked him if he had anything to say whether the muffler was legal or not. He said I was in luck, that Vibrant Performance is currently trying to get the law changed and gave me a contact name.

I then contacted Dino Rossi, Jr. at Vibrant Performance and made arrangements to meet up with him at their head office in Mississauga. We had a very good talk and he said they are trying to get the law changed so it’s based on a decibel system. He then gave me a letter stating the Vibrant mufflers meet the 95 dB requirement as stated by SAE standard J1169, which happens to be the only standard in North America. He also told me that if I am convicted, to appeal it and he will appear with me in court. I told him that I want to be involved and will do anything I can to help. I also went to Performance Improvements here in Barrie and they had another letter from Vibrant stating that all of their mufflers meet the 87 dB requirement as stated in the Motor Vehicle Act. I am currently trying to find out how it is measured, and I’m looking for any information I can to prove my muffler is legal. I want to go to court prepared with everything I can find. This will make it harder for the officer to prove his point.

Stevo wrote:
^ take it to the track


I agree 100%. Race on the strip.......not the street.

DadsGrandPrixGT wrote:
^If people would actually fight these tickets and go to court for a day instead of just simply paying the city, I'm sure they would get off. If enough people would fight these tickets the police would either have to start buying dB testers, or stop handing out these tickets. There may not be a change overnight, but eventually a change would happen.


I agree. Just because an officer gives you a ticket doesn’t mean that he/she is automatically right. The more people that fight these tickets, the better chance that the police will buy a dB tester.

500k_93_civic wrote:
^ lets see...for me to make a court date....

one day at work at 23/hr x 8 hours = about $170-175

for the "improper" muffler ticket of $100....it would be a better beneit to me jsut to apy the ticket, cus then i don't lose a days pay, and have to go through all the bullshit


I would gladly pay more than the fine itself to prove that my muffler is legal. I am waiting for a trial date on my ticket and I’m very confident that I can prove my muffler is legal. When I go to trial the officer should be there and he will see for himself that my muffler is legal and that they can’t do anything about it.

02civic wrote:
^find me the law...find me what the ontario db limits are for excessive muffler noise.......

he can issue a ticket for whatever he wants...if he says its a noise voilation and you take it to court...you're going to have some kind of proof that it's not too loud. the judge isnt gunna come outside and listen to it himself...and he's not gunna just throw it out cause the cop very well might of been right. He's gunna trust that the cops "discretion". what are people to do!!.... go through the hastle of getting a reading, then driving to court, missing work for the initial hearing...then another drive and a days work for the actual trial, just to avoid a $100 ticket ????!?!?!?!

but like i said..find me the law about noise limits relating to exhaust...and the law to what makes a muffler improper...and you'll see what i mean


Like I said earlier in this post. I will gladly take a day off work and drive to court or spend my own money to prove that I am not guilty. Take it to court if you believe you are not guilty. It’s what you should do…and it’s your right as stated in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

4thgen wrote:
^ I talked to jonas about this one time because I figured the first passage screwed all of us. apparently technically the straight thru cannisters we all buy, like on my car, are still legal.

straight thru means absolutely no glass packing or muffling material of any kind. in which case your car would obviously sound like a harley


Straight through mufflers are legal. They were used as OEM equipment by Audi on all 1986 and 1991 5000CD and 200 Turbo vehicles, as well as the Saab 9000.

People have a misconception about glass packed mufflers. They automatically assume that they are loud. This is because of the old school glass pack mufflers. Technology has come a long way since then. The new Nissan Titan has a glass packed muffler as OE equipment. This information was taken from Automotive Engineering International which is magazine put out by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)


If performance mufflers are illegal, then why are performance shops, and places like Canadian Tire allowed to sell them? Do your homework……….Be careful what you buy, some mufflers state right on the box “for off road, or show use only”

I really want to be involved in this and have thought of contacting SEMA, the P.A.C.E.R. program, writing my MP, contact all local newspapers, and television stations. I think we need to raise public awareness and get people talking about it. The more people talk about it, the more they voice their concerns and the sooner action will take place. Educate police, the public, and car enthusiasts (of all kinds) because I feel it is a concern for all three. I’m pursing this as much as I can right now. I’m in my final semester of college so it‘s kind of hard at the moment. Funny enough………..I will be graduating from Automotive Product Design and I’m a licensed Automotive Service Technician.

A Message to 02Civic - If you want or need help I would be more than happy to do anything and everything I can.

I don’t want to drive something everyone else has, that‘s why I love this hobby. It allows me to express myself and make my car different from everyone else’s. I will always have a modified car because I like to be unique.

“The Chad”

here is the link : http://www.londonautoclub.org/web_fo...=asc&star t=0

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Bill Woodcock
1997 Jeep YJ / 1992 Honda Prelude / 2008 Honda Civic
www.tunerzine.com