monoxidechild17

i had 80 series flowmaster on my 88 gta,anyone know if this muffler is street legal? and if it is legal, do you know where i can get info to prove it? thanks

cabech984

All depends on your city/town's sound ordanance. Should be some sort of decibel limit. I dont think anyone would give you crap about it. As long as you have your emissions stuff hooked up, it should pass emissions tests.

monoxidechild17

i live in massachusetts, my gta passed all state inspections. i was pulled over by a State trooper and he said any mods done to the exhaust is illegal, so im fighting the ticket, but i think i can just win by saying it passed inspection like that??? but it would be better if i had somethin else

89RsPower!

An 80 series flowmaster isn't really even that loud.. there is nothing illegal about it..
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Wow thats total bs man. I feel your pain.
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You should go check out your local exhaust shops and ask them, they should know the local laws.

monoxidechild17

i went to the shop where i got it installed, they said it was 50 state street legal, but i need somethin to prove it

QuickStyle

anything done to your exhaust to deliberately make it louder can be considered illegal (in most towns). but most cops dont really care as long as its not so loud that it distracts people around you. but there should be a decibel limit in your town, look it up online, you should find it.

edit: anything after the cat converter doesnt have or need a 50 state legal sticker, so the shop is lying. isn't the ticket a "fix it ticket"? just find a cop that is not as a hard *** as that guy and have him sign it and say that you got it fixed

monoxidechild17

i wish i knew one

stagefright4

yeah the 80's not to loud so you should be fine its not much louder than stock

steve's Z28

Hi, have you tried your local library? They should have the Massachussetts State Vehicle or Civil Penal Code telling you something about maximum permitted decibel levels in your area. If you can't find it there you can access your state's website and look up legislative bills that passed and see what the permitted levels are in the state of Massachussetts. I hope this helps. Good luck.

P.S. If you still can't find anything I'll try to help you.

85Firebird350

iTrader: (3)

I live in worcester and my friend got pulled over in his 5.0 stang and got a ticket for being too loud and when he went to court he just said the exhaust was all stock and they believed himand dismissed the ticket. We got pulled over by a statie and he went to Worcester court and got it dismissed.

Jay

iTrader: (2)

Massachusetts General Laws - Motor Vehicles and Aircraft - Chapter 90, Section 16
Offensive or illegal operation of motor vehicles.

Section 16. No person shall operate a motor vehicle, nor shall any owner of such vehicle permit it to be operated, in or over any way, public or private, whether laid out under authority of law or otherwise, which motor vehicles are prohibited from using, provided notice of such prohibition is conspicuously posted at the entrance to such way. No person shall operate a motor vehicle, nor shall any owner of such vehicle permit it to be operated upon any way, except fire department and fire patrol apparatus, unless such motor vehicle is equipped with a muffler to prevent excessive or unnecessary noise, which muffler is in good working order and in constant operation, and complies with such minimum standards for construction and performance as the registrar may prescribe. No person shall use a muffler cut-out or by-pass. No person shall operate a motor vehicle on any way which motor vehicle is equipped (1) with a muffler from which the baffle plates, screens or other original internal parts have been removed and not replaced; or (2) with an exhaust system which has been modified in a manner which will amplify or increase the noise emitted by the exhaust. No person operating a motor vehicle shall sound a bell, horn or other device, nor in any manner operate such motor vehicle so as to make a harsh, objectionable or unreasonable noise, nor permit to escape from such vehicle smoke or pollutants in such amounts or at such levels as may violate motor vehicle air pollution control regulations adopted under the provisions of chapter one hundred and eleven. No siren shall be mounted upon any motor vehicle except fire apparatus, ambulances, vehicles used in official line of duty by any member of the police or fire fighting forces of the commonwealth or any agency or political subdivision thereof, and vehicles owned by call fire fighters or by persons with police powers and operated in official line of duty, unless authorized by the registrar. No person shall use on or in connection with any motor vehicle a spot light, so called, the rays from which shine more than two feet above the road at a distance of thirty feet from the vehicle, except that such a spot light may be used for the purpose of reading signs, and as an auxiliary light in cases of necessity when the other lights required by law fail to operate.

No person, except a duly authorized person driving an emergency fire vehicle, shall operate a motor vehicle equipped with metal studded tires upon a public way between May the first and November the first; provided, however, the registrar may authorize the use of such tires before November the first, if weather conditions require the use thereof. Whoever violates the provisions of this paragraph shall be punished by a fine of not more than fifty dollars.

Last modified: April 6, 2006


that's the closest thing I could find to anything about noise.. nothing specific. They do have a specific section for motorcycle noise limits, but I didn't see one for cars.
http://law.onecle.com/massachusetts/90/index.html

If it were me, I would take the receipt from the shop, and say it's a stock factory replacement style system, which technically it is. I know they keep trying to pass a new bill in Mass making the sale or installation of basically anything beyond the factory exhaust illeagal, except on "antique" cars.

400Z28Racer

iTrader: (4)

on your ticket, it should have a Violation Code number. take that number and google it, and go from there

sleeper84

iTrader: (1)

fought the same thing in virginia over a glass pack. I work at a parts store, so i grabbed up a bunch of info on the manufacturer on that particular glass pack and no where on any of it did it say it was illegal for installation on a polution controled motor vehicle. its required to say that on the packaging if it is considered to harm anything. the judge couldn't find anything anywhere in his law books that says it's illegal. just scratched his bald head and gave me a funny look. but the sob changed the subject and asked me if i had had it changed. i said no, because i couldn't afford the ticket and getting it changed. said he'd drop it if i changed it. went to my exhaust man and took the judge a recipt.....thrown out! should have seen the look on that state troopers face when i started spouting facts.....also depends on weither or not he wrote you for emissions purposes or noise. i was being quiet, so he got me on emissions....