Here's another post from Greddy.
http://www.greddy.com/CHPnoisepolicies.html

Enforcement Guidelines

The only drivers who should be cited are those whose vehicles:

1) are not equipped with a muffler;
2) clearly emit an offensive, harsh, excessive noise, or,
3) have a clearly defective exhaust system (holes, leaks, etc.).

Clearing Citations

When clearing excessive noise citations issued by the CHP or allied agencies, personnel are to consider exhaust systems in compliance if they incorporate a reasonably effective muffler, do not emit an offensive, harsh, excessive noise, and appear to be in good repair.

Q3 Do I have to actually listen to a vehicle to cite it for a violation of either Section 27150 or 27151?

Yes. Drivers of vehicles should not be cited for violation of either Section 27150 or 27151 VC unless the officer has personally listened to the vehicle in operation. T'his can be either under actual driving conditions or with the vehicle stationary and the engine running. Even if the officer has inspected the exhaust system and does not see a muffler present, the officer should listen to the vehicle. The purpose of this is to be sure that the exhaust system does not incorporate internally baffled pipes or other components that meet the definition of a muffler. There are no specifications which state required configurations or minimum dimensions for mufflers. A vehicle that does not visually appear to be equipped with a muffler, but does not emit excessive noise, should be deemed to comply with Sections 27150 and 27151 VC.

Rob

 

A better question would be...

has anyone used those printouts from either SEMA and/or GReddy, showed the officer who pulled you over, and actually got away with it.

In most cases I hear in CA, you have to present it to the court to get away with it.

My .02 cents

 

I heard that old v8's and noisy old cars like that dont have to abide by the laws, cause they were built before the laws were enacted and some come stock with loud loud loud exhaust... i saw an old vette yesterday that was runnin headers out the sides and they just came back to the mirrors.. yea... it was insane loud... Ide take that cop to court ... not to save a buck but to prove him wrong... and if hes not there... u have it in the bag anyways... cause your the only party, and theres no opposing side (the cop)

 

that sucks man

 

i got pulled over recently. ever try to explain why your car doesn't have interior? with a sway bar, pillar bar, and lower tie bar all 100% visible from the rear, and reflecting off the cop cars headlights?

 

I understand how you feel bro... I had 2 bad experiences with cops as well. If a cop wants to issue you a citation, you have no choice but to accept it even if you clearly don't deserve it. The real trouble is having to attend court to defend yourself in front of the judge to get back your license. Here are my stories... Let me know what you think...

Case 1: I had slightly tinted front passenger windows and no front license plate (illegal in IL). State trooper pulled me over and asked for the usual lic, reg, insurance... I gave him my lic, reg but my insurance card was somewhere in the glove compartment so I was looking for it. It was less than a minute and I was still looking... The cop said ok... keep looking, I'll be back. When he came back like 15 mins later, he issued 3 tickets. 1 for tinted windows, 1 for no front lic plates and 1 for DRIVING W/O INSURANCE!? I had my insurance card in my hand when he returned with the tickets... I refused to accept the citation for no insurance because I have it. He argued I failed to produce it in a timely manner blah blah blah and he didn't feel like standing at the side of the expressway when cars were "flying" by over 60mph.
I felt if that was his concern, he shouldn't have pulled anyone over... Anyway, I refused to sign the tickets and he got really pissed. He threw the tickets into my car and said "I don't have time for this, explain it to the judge in court". He took off. What a total jerk! I filed a formal complaint to the State Police HQ and his supervisor called to apologize on his behalf. He explained the officer was wrong, not supposed to have done that but I have to attend court to explain to the judge. In court, I presented pictures of my front lic plates screwed on, quotation from a local shop to remove the tint and my valid insurance card. All 3 tickets were dismissed. I had scheduled to have the tint removed in 2 weeks.

Case 2:
This happens the following week after I got back my license and before I had the chance to send the car in to get the tint removed... You guess it! Another State Trooper pulled me over for tinted windows. Took my license but I showed him the tint removal quotation/appointment for the following week. He said nothing, went back to his car and came back with a TICKET AGAIN. I blew up this time and told him WTF did you write me a ticket??? I just went to court for this last week!!! I told him I want to follow him back to his HQ right then and speak to his supervisor about this. Judging from the look on his face, he was intimidated. He said... I'm sorry sir... You have to go to court and explain to the judge. He sped off... Well, maybe I was blacklisted or something to have to go through this BS but I had no choice. Had the tint removed, went to court, case dismissed and took back my license... Nothing ever happened again in the next 2 years.

This is a true story and I hope you guys enjoyed reading it and never have to go through this.

 

GUYS!
Like I said, The cop never said he pulled me over because of sound, He pulled me over because of looks! Thats what he said!

 

Ouch

 

Laws are different for each state but this is what I know of CA's exhaust laws. For California ALL CARS and TRUCKS must below 95db. The only exempt ones are large truck such as dump trucks and other commerical vehicles. So how do these hot rod guys drive around with open exhausts? Well if the car was made before 1970 (I might be wrong with the date) you are not required to run a cat but still need to be below 95db. Another reason is the police is less likely to pull over a 50 year old guy in a clean hot rod than a young "racer" in his Honda. The v8 guys get tickets just like the import crowd.

Rob

 

'

do you need to have an interior?