Confused About VA Exhaust Laws
02-10-2014, 08:54 PM
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Confused About VA Exhaust Laws
In Virginia the law pretty much states any aftermarket exhaust is illegal.
It also states any vehicle equipped with chambered pipes shall be in violation of this code.
My Integra GSR came factory with chambered pipes...
I get pulled over if i have my Buddy Club on or my factory exhaust...
It also states any vehicle equipped with chambered pipes shall be in violation of this code.
My Integra GSR came factory with chambered pipes...
I get pulled over if i have my Buddy Club on or my factory exhaust...
02-10-2014, 10:32 PM
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Re: Confused About VA Exhaust Laws
Don't have a stupid loud exhaust and don't drive like an ass hat then you'll be alright.
02-11-2014, 03:14 AM
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Re: Confused About VA Exhaust Laws
I've been pulled over in Roanoke for driving the speed limit and being off throttle when I had the old fart can exhaust on the 240. Ot was really just a case of the ticketing officer feeling like getting an import that day. I think it really boils down to area and the gumption of the offcier, but I digress.
The law states that your exhaust can't be louder than stock, but that's a bit subjective. In practive, police tend to pull over based on appearance of the exhaust. I had a friend going through police academy back in 2006, and the topic came up. He more or less confirmed that it's appearances more than actual decibal levels because I pulled the tired trope of why domestics are less likely to get exhaust tickets. His response "the whole muffler is tucked under the body and we can't see it"
The law specifically states you can't use straight through mufflers (glasspacks), but chambered exhausts are fine. I switched to a magnaflow chambered muffler with an inline resonator and have had 0 issues. Plus getting rid of that awful ricetastic exhaust was more than worth the cost. It was a total embarassment, but it was on the car when I bought it.
Edit: there was a law going through VA legislature to amend the law to a decibal restriction rather than the current subjective draconic version. It was tabled and dropped in '07. It would be nice if SEMA would step up some lobbying action, but the state legislature isn't too concerned about it right now. My proposal was to tack dB checks onto the state inspection and have the state charge a few dollars more to make up for the potential loss in munincipal tickets.
The law states that your exhaust can't be louder than stock, but that's a bit subjective. In practive, police tend to pull over based on appearance of the exhaust. I had a friend going through police academy back in 2006, and the topic came up. He more or less confirmed that it's appearances more than actual decibal levels because I pulled the tired trope of why domestics are less likely to get exhaust tickets. His response "the whole muffler is tucked under the body and we can't see it"
The law specifically states you can't use straight through mufflers (glasspacks), but chambered exhausts are fine. I switched to a magnaflow chambered muffler with an inline resonator and have had 0 issues. Plus getting rid of that awful ricetastic exhaust was more than worth the cost. It was a total embarassment, but it was on the car when I bought it.
Edit: there was a law going through VA legislature to amend the law to a decibal restriction rather than the current subjective draconic version. It was tabled and dropped in '07. It would be nice if SEMA would step up some lobbying action, but the state legislature isn't too concerned about it right now. My proposal was to tack dB checks onto the state inspection and have the state charge a few dollars more to make up for the potential loss in munincipal tickets.
Last edited by Hijacker; 02-11-2014 at 03:18 AM.
02-11-2014, 04:27 AM
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Re: Confused About VA Exhaust Laws
I've been pulled over in Roanoke for driving the speed limit and being off throttle when I had the old fart can exhaust on the 240. Ot was really just a case of the ticketing officer feeling like getting an import that day. I think it really boils down to area and the gumption of the offcier, but I digress.
The law states that your exhaust can't be louder than stock, but that's a bit subjective. In practive, police tend to pull over based on appearance of the exhaust. I had a friend going through police academy back in 2006, and the topic came up. He more or less confirmed that it's appearances more than actual decibal levels because I pulled the tired trope of why domestics are less likely to get exhaust tickets. His response "the whole muffler is tucked under the body and we can't see it"
The law specifically states you can't use straight through mufflers (glasspacks), but chambered exhausts are fine. I switched to a magnaflow chambered muffler with an inline resonator and have had 0 issues. Plus getting rid of that awful ricetastic exhaust was more than worth the cost. It was a total embarassment, but it was on the car when I bought it.
Edit: there was a law going through VA legislature to amend the law to a decibal restriction rather than the current subjective draconic version. It was tabled and dropped in '07. It would be nice if SEMA would step up some lobbying action, but the state legislature isn't too concerned about it right now. My proposal was to tack dB checks onto the state inspection and have the state charge a few dollars more to make up for the potential loss in munincipal tickets.
The law states that your exhaust can't be louder than stock, but that's a bit subjective. In practive, police tend to pull over based on appearance of the exhaust. I had a friend going through police academy back in 2006, and the topic came up. He more or less confirmed that it's appearances more than actual decibal levels because I pulled the tired trope of why domestics are less likely to get exhaust tickets. His response "the whole muffler is tucked under the body and we can't see it"
The law specifically states you can't use straight through mufflers (glasspacks), but chambered exhausts are fine. I switched to a magnaflow chambered muffler with an inline resonator and have had 0 issues. Plus getting rid of that awful ricetastic exhaust was more than worth the cost. It was a total embarassment, but it was on the car when I bought it.
Edit: there was a law going through VA legislature to amend the law to a decibal restriction rather than the current subjective draconic version. It was tabled and dropped in '07. It would be nice if SEMA would step up some lobbying action, but the state legislature isn't too concerned about it right now. My proposal was to tack dB checks onto the state inspection and have the state charge a few dollars more to make up for the potential loss in munincipal tickets.
Chambered pipes are not an effective muffling device to prevent excessive or unusual noise, and any vehicle equipped with chambered pipes shall be deemed in violation of this section.
tl;dr - Modifying your exhaust in any way is illegal. It's supposed be stock or a stock equivalent. Though, I've never had problems in the domestics I've owned, just the one import I owned.
02-11-2014, 04:32 AM
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Re: Confused About VA Exhaust Laws
My Evo has an Open downpipe and apexi full 3" exhaust. I live in roanoke and, from dealing with cops throughout the state if you're getting tagged for stupid shit like that you're drawing attention to yourself in other ways. I have yet to be pulled for my stupid dark tint, no front plate, or exhaust. Take it with a grain of salt but it's probably because you either drive like a penis monger, or you drive an annoyingly loud import that probably has stickers and shit all over it that attracts attention in ways compareable to the Vegas strip at night time. My $0.02
02-11-2014, 04:37 AM
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Re: Confused About VA Exhaust Laws
If an officer HEARS you before they see you…plan on them LOOKING for you.
You can drive with nearly ANY exhaust, and if you stay under 3k, they are fine.
The WORST FUCKING THING IN THE WORLD is having some fuck with a Buddy Club Spec 2 banging it absolutely everywhere they go.
You can drive with nearly ANY exhaust, and if you stay under 3k, they are fine.
The WORST FUCKING THING IN THE WORLD is having some fuck with a Buddy Club Spec 2 banging it absolutely everywhere they go.
02-11-2014, 06:32 AM
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Re: Confused About VA Exhaust Laws
No, they're not.
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp...+cod+46.2-1049
tl;dr - Modifying your exhaust in any way is illegal. It's supposed be stock or a stock equivalent. Though, I've never had problems in the domestics I've owned, just the one import I owned.
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp...+cod+46.2-1049
tl;dr - Modifying your exhaust in any way is illegal. It's supposed be stock or a stock equivalent. Though, I've never had problems in the domestics I've owned, just the one import I owned.
02-11-2014, 12:25 PM
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Re: Confused About VA Exhaust Laws
Sounding like a weed whacker not so cool.
Btw 98% of traffic stops are from people attracting cops, such as driving like an idiot, music too loud, car to low, illegal tint, tons of stickers, banners, hanging stuffed animals of rear bumpers. And then said people who get pulled have restricted/suspended licenses, improper registrations, dead tags/improper tags, weed smell and open containers in the vehicle, HAVE PRIOR CONVICTIONS and wonder why they get fucked with even more.
02-11-2014, 12:47 PM
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That's cause an exhaust sounds bad ass on a cobra mustang, camaro.
Sounding like a weed whacker not so cool.
Btw 98% of traffic stops are from people attracting cops, such as driving like an idiot, music too loud, car to low, illegal tint, tons of stickers, banners, hanging stuffed animals of rear bumpers. And then said people who get pulled have restricted/suspended licenses, improper registrations, dead tags/improper tags, weed smell and open containers in the vehicle, HAVE PRIOR CONVICTIONS and wonder why they get fucked with even more.
Sounding like a weed whacker not so cool.
Btw 98% of traffic stops are from people attracting cops, such as driving like an idiot, music too loud, car to low, illegal tint, tons of stickers, banners, hanging stuffed animals of rear bumpers. And then said people who get pulled have restricted/suspended licenses, improper registrations, dead tags/improper tags, weed smell and open containers in the vehicle, HAVE PRIOR CONVICTIONS and wonder why they get fucked with even more.
It really depicts on how much of a dick bag you're driving like. I've seen civics with open downpipes not get pulled but the douche driving the mustang revving the shit out of it gets pulled.
02-11-2014, 02:19 PM
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Re: Confused About VA Exhaust Laws
Also, I drove a civic one time for about a month and it didnt even have a muffler on it, never once got pulled over, ticketed, or questioned. I think there is more to it almost all the time and its usually driving habits.
Last edited by ej1995; 02-11-2014 at 02:21 PM.