Notices
991 GT3, GT3RS, GT2RS and 911R 2012-2019
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Yikes!!! New 2019 California Auto Exhaust Laws

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 01-09-2019, 02:12 PM
  #61  
Archimedes
Race Director
 
Archimedes's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 13,163
Received 3,858 Likes on 1,902 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by Randy M
The difference is that it used to be a fix it ticket. Now it's a fine. That's a huge difference. If there's money to be made, they're going to enforce it. The bike cops will do it as their sole mission is revenue generation.
Nope. The cops around here could be making bank just writing hundreds of speeding tickets if revenue was the only goal. They're not doing that because they're short staffed and have been for over a decade. I expect they'll pick out the ridiculous offenders when they have time, but the expectation that there's going to be some massive enforcement now that they can write a $150 fine is misguided. They just don't have the resources. Honestly, I wish they did and they went after the extreme offenders hard. Too many retards around here run full or near full race exhaust on the street, which is just incredibly disrespectful to our fellow man and woman.
Old 01-09-2019, 02:16 PM
  #62  
ipse dixit
RL Community Team
Rennlist Member
 
ipse dixit's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 16,334
Likes: 0
Received 10,767 Likes on 4,770 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by Archimedes
but the expectation that there's going to be some massive enforcement now that they can write a $150 fine is misguided.
It’s a $1000 fine
Old 01-09-2019, 02:28 PM
  #63  
Archimedes
Race Director
 
Archimedes's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 13,163
Received 3,858 Likes on 1,902 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by ipse dixit

It’s a $1000 fine
Good. I'm all for it. Still don't expect anyone's getting one anytime soon unless they're a) an extreme offender and b) very unlucky.
Old 01-09-2019, 02:46 PM
  #64  
stout
Rennlist Member
 
stout's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: ^ The Bay Bridge
Posts: 4,869
Received 1,257 Likes on 588 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by ipse dixit
Nice find. Very reasonably written—though not sure that professionalism/reason well carry to all LE.

Originally Posted by Archimedes
If only, but it won't come to pass. The law has been on the books for years, the only difference now is fine vs. correctable. Fact is, aside from sporadic sweeps, the cops simply don't enforce this law out here in the Bay Area at all. All the police and CHP are understaffed and spend most of their time working accidents.

I really wish they would enforce the sound laws because things have really gotten out of control, but I don't expect they will. Honestly, it's hard to even get a speeding ticket out here these days, as there just aren't enough cops to do adequate patrols.
^ Agree with the above in bold,

However, things have changed in SF proper (a lot more speed enforcement in the city where there was effectively none, a good thing in my view) and speed enforcement on 101 in Marin (once near zero) has become a daily routine and is clearly revenue based (speed traps to nail drivers on the downhill slope right after a long uphill slope) rather than safety related (not so great, as I've seen it bunch up traffic where it used to flow freely and thus more safely, particularly around off-ramps and merges). That said, like you, I think there's a place for more enforcement in some cases.

Originally Posted by Archimedes
Fairly certain that is an old memo. There is a very objective law on the books in CA with specific dB levels and field testing methodology. They just don't enforce it much.
Good point. Would love to know the date on this memo.

Originally Posted by robmypro


They also send you to the state vehicle inspection (BAR). It is a $1000 fine PLUS the state inspectors will make it impossible to register your car until you fix it. This is going to kill exhaust mods in the state.
This is the real issue...my take is that most drivers of cars with modified exhausts, so long as they're not jerks on the road, won't have a problem.

The irony is that Harleys have a total exemption, and those that run open pipes are arguably the greatest noise nuisance on the road.

Originally Posted by Alan Smithee
If you are running without cats, yes, you will be sent to the BAR. Nothing new there.
And I'm all for that. The power gains are minimal, while the downsides for everyone else are considerable.

Originally Posted by robmypro
27150. (a) Every motor vehicle subject to registration shall at all times be equipped with an adequate muffler in constant operation and properly maintained to prevent any excessive or unusual noise, and no muffler or exhaust system shall be equipped with a cutout, bypass, or similar device.

Doesn’t this law make Sharkwerks and other bypass exhaust devices illegal in the state of California? Or, at least it subjects all owners to fines and vehicle inspections?
If they're over a certain db, I suppose they are. Thing with SW exhausts I've noticed and remain kind of mystified is that you can, as the driver, use the car in a way that is reasonably quiet around town yet the thing sounds like a Cup car when you're out in the middle of nowhere (or just want to be a hooligan for a moment). I suspect most of the cars with their setups I've driven can be driven by an officer looking to enforce the new law without raising an eyebrow.

Originally Posted by obbob
While the parameters of the enforcement and noise levels did not change, expect an officer to be far more likely to write a noise violation now. Especially since $1000 is a huge fine....that’s higher than reckless driving!


^ This is the thing worth noting. I'd much rather see a fine like this applied to bald tires, obvious safety issues, distracted driving, plugging up the fast lane (which has knock on effects that can stretch back for miles, and agitate other drivers who then do stupid stuff), etc.
Originally Posted by Waxer
oh good a law the permits arbitrary enforcement with subjective standards. What could go wrong?

instead of worrying about exhaust noise because it’s a nuisance maybe they should give illegal immigration a look...but then again that’s only costing the state hundreds of millions and ballooning the crime rate. Yeah, focus on exhaust noise. Much more important to the Starbucks crowd and elites in their limos living in their walled compounds.
Lol to your first point. To your second, yes there are bigger problems—but this is a car forum.

Originally Posted by mooty
I don't have front plate
I get toll evasion all the time
they will get your rear plate
soon we will need side plate, and tattoo on forehead
Side plate. (cringes)

Wonder which the car nut would accept first, a tattoo or side plates? I'm betting on the latter...




Old 01-09-2019, 03:13 PM
  #65  
Alan Smithee
Rennlist Member
 
Alan Smithee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 5,270
Received 259 Likes on 137 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by ipse dixit
It’s a $1000 fine
That's what's been spread around the internet. If you have an official source for that information, I'd love to see it.
Old 01-09-2019, 03:56 PM
  #66  
David Carp
Intermediate
 
David Carp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Northern California
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
Default

It is against the law in CA to drive while talking on a cell phone. We all know how that worked out in CA.

i didn’t have a front plate on my 996TT nor now on my 991.1GT3 yet I get the mail invoice for crossing the GG bridge. They never missed sending it to me. And don’t be late with the payment either.
Old 01-09-2019, 04:20 PM
  #67  
A/S
Burning Brakes
 
A/S's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: U.S.
Posts: 846
Likes: 0
Received 283 Likes on 130 Posts
Default

$1000 fine will motivate CHips, LAPD, cities, counties to write everyone, the state is on life support for public funding and government jobs depend on that funding, so the message to them is clear. $1000 tickets per day, that's $360+ millions a year on new State income.

Valved exhausts exist for a reason, the EU mandated sound restrictions and car manufacturers got creative around that. A bone stock GT3 with a valved exhaust driven at CA speed limits should not be opening the exhaust valves, once you open the valves (heavy gas and 4k rpm and up) the car exceeds 100 dB at 50 ft and around 98 dB at 100 ft (what we measured at high RPM and Full-Throttle).

All the center bypass pipes while keeping the side mufflers, and all the side bypass pipes while keeping the stock center muffler will produce acceptable sound levels with the valves closed. Most classic muscle cars, motorcycles, the whole Mustang/Camaro/Challenger millennial crowd, coal burners would get fined in large proportions before the relatively small Porsche GT crowd in California.

...and here is how it is happening, so have your $1000 stash handy....

https://tiremeetsroad.com/2019/01/05...ified-exhaust/


Old 01-09-2019, 04:36 PM
  #68  
no401k
Instructor
 
no401k's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 161
Received 38 Likes on 25 Posts
Default

so if the car is stock, we are good right? even though certain stock cars are pretty loud with valves open (ferraris and gt3).
Old 01-09-2019, 04:43 PM
  #69  
chachee
Rennlist Member
 
chachee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 68
Received 10 Likes on 2 Posts
Default

Just bought a GMG center bypass also

I wonder if this will have any impact with this new law.
Old 01-09-2019, 04:50 PM
  #70  
ipse dixit
RL Community Team
Rennlist Member
 
ipse dixit's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 16,334
Likes: 0
Received 10,767 Likes on 4,770 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by A/S
$1000 fine will motivate CHips, LAPD, cities, counties to write everyone, the state is on life support for public funding and government jobs depend on that funding, so the message to them is clear. $1000 tickets per day, that's $360+ millions a year on new State income.

Valved exhausts exist for a reason, the EU mandated sound restrictions and car manufacturers got creative around that. A bone stock GT3 with a valved exhaust driven at CA speed limits should not be opening the exhaust valves, once you open the valves (heavy gas and 4k rpm and up) the car exceeds 100 dB at 50 ft and around 98 dB at 100 ft (what we measured at high RPM and Full-Throttle).

All the center bypass pipes while keeping the side mufflers, and all the side bypass pipes while keeping the stock center muffler will produce acceptable sound levels with the valves closed. Most classic muscle cars, motorcycles, the whole Mustang/Camaro/Challenger millennial crowd, coal burners would get fined in large proportions before the relatively small Porsche GT crowd in California.

...and here is how it is happening, so have your $1000 stash handy....

https://tiremeetsroad.com/2019/01/05...ified-exhaust/


To be fair, the car that got pulled over was this monstrosity.

View this post on Instagram
Old 01-09-2019, 05:01 PM
  #71  
Ducati1199
Burning Brakes
 
Ducati1199's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Danville, Ca
Posts: 939
Received 4 Likes on 4 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by Sunny_M3
Oh no! Life is over! LOL! So what; this just forces manufacturers to make higher quality exhaust and helps reduce the overall amount of carbon that gets thrown into the air (given that less people will be willing to drive a car without cats). You can still get a decent SharkWerks exhaust and abide by the law; calm down everyone.
Cat converters don't remove carbon - they convert CO to CO2, convert unburned hydrocarbons to CO2 and convert nitrous oxides to free nitrogen.

Originally Posted by br911
in a couple of years the only way drivers will be able to avoid tickets in CA will be by driving a Prius or Tesla ( driver must be wearing Birkenstock's, however).
My neighbor got stopped on 680 last w/e by CHP and given a fixit ticket for driving with no front plate. She has a Model 3 Tesla. The cop told her he'd been there all day specifically targeting model 3 Tesla's as few of them run front plates. TBH I don't have front plates on any of my cars and muffler deletes and we've always enjoyed a "free passage". TBH I'm a bit more concerned about both the new 2019 plate and exhaust laws as I believe there will be some targeting by the CHP. Hope they stick to nailing the Tesla's
Old 01-09-2019, 05:33 PM
  #72  
Alan Smithee
Rennlist Member
 
Alan Smithee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 5,270
Received 259 Likes on 137 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by RDCR
The other law they are enforcing starting this year (at least with the dealers) is the front plate mount requirement. Dealers have to provide a method of mounting a front plate, they can't just have the buyer sign off on it. Again this about $ since all the bridges/toll rds catch people by taking pictures of their front plates...
Not exactly.
Originally Posted by Ducati1199
...TBH I'm a bit more concerned about both the new 2019 plate and exhaust laws as I believe there will be some targeting by the CHP.
There is no new plate law, either. What is new and long overdue are the temporary tags now issued in CA. Whereas before it was a small white slip of paper taped inside the windshield, dealers not having anything but advertising to actually mount to the front bumper, so buyers could ask for them not to...as of Jan 1 we are like other states with actual temporary paper plates, unfortunately both rear AND front, affixed by the selling dealer, necessitating a front mounting point. Hopefully lenient dealers will allow a tow hook mount or other removable mount.
Old 01-09-2019, 06:03 PM
  #73  
shamoo
Instructor
 
shamoo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 236
Likes: 0
Received 4 Likes on 4 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by Randy M
The difference is that it used to be a fix it ticket. Now it's a fine. That's a huge difference. If there's money to be made, they're going to enforce it. The bike cops will do it as their sole mission is revenue generation.
It is a big misconception that the actual police department gets significant revenue from writing tickets. Out of a $150 ticket, they may get a few dollars after everything is all said and done.

Yes, a large portion goes to the state, but I don't think that'll motivate the police officer to do anything since they don't receive any direct benefit.

Otherwise the state would be hemorrhaging money for all the people who don't use turn signals or stay to the right on a highway.

From asking a police officer a while back:

Originally Posted by Police officer somewhere
The notion that tickets are a "revenue stream" is a bit short-sighted.

A police officer issues a citation. The motorist pays the fine. Now, where does that money go? The easiest assumption would be that it goes back to the department that issued the ticket. Nope, not at all.

The money goes to (most commonly) the county government. Now, all of the facets of the court system - the county attorneys, public defenders, court security deputies, building maintenance...everything down to the staples on the district court docket sheets...has to be paid for. That motorist who plead guilty and paid a $200 fine is also paying for the costs involved in the motorist who decided to fight the ticket in court.

There's no profit whatsoever. If there was, there wouldn't be a need for taxes to help pay the costs involved in running the court system.

Fines are simply the most humane way to penalize somebody for an infraction. We don't cane people, we don't stone them, and we don't put them in pillory in the town square. The courts punish less serious violations by way of inconvenience.
"If I write a ticket a day, I make the department less than $300 a year." Granted this probably varies a little by region, but it gives you some insight.
Old 01-09-2019, 06:09 PM
  #74  
Archimedes
Race Director
 
Archimedes's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 13,163
Received 3,858 Likes on 1,902 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by stout
Nice fin
The irony is that Harleys have a total exemption, and those that run open pipes are arguably the greatest noise nuisance on the road.
No exemption. Any modified exhaust on a Harley is illegal in California and there is a field decibel test for motorcycles. But if the exhaust has been modified in any way with parts that are not stamped CARB compliant, it's illegal and has been for years. It's just not being enforced.
Old 01-09-2019, 06:15 PM
  #75  
stout
Rennlist Member
 
stout's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: ^ The Bay Bridge
Posts: 4,869
Received 1,257 Likes on 588 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by Alan Smithee
Whereas before it was a small white slip of paper taped inside the windshield...as of Jan 1 we are like other states with actual temporary paper plates, unfortunately both rear AND front, affixed by the selling dealer, necessitating a front mounting point.
Suspect this is related to FasTrak, which seems to grab rear plates in my experience.

Originally Posted by Alan Smithee
Hopefully lenient dealers will allow a tow hook mount or other removable mount.
Suspect this will be the primary workaround, if dealers can do it for customers who supply said mount. That, or bumperplugs is about to get a lot more business along with the first company to do a magnetic front plate holder.


Quick Reply: Yikes!!! New 2019 California Auto Exhaust Laws



All times are GMT -3. The time now is 03:37 AM.