Help me get legal...

[ShadowFromHell]

My daily driver is a 98 neon with a Hahn turbo kit, no cat and a vibrant dual tip muffler. Still has the stock 2.25" pipe. It is just slightly louder then stock. I bought the car with this exhaust, and have been driving it for a year like this. In the past month I have been pulled over twice for exhaust violations. I live in WA state and the law here is that it is illegal to modify the exhaust on a car in any way that is less the 25 years old. No decibel rating or anything like that. I personally think it is a ridiculous law because it has proved to be next to impossible to get a stock muffler for my car that is only 15 years old. If it was 25 years only who knows what you would have to do. I explained that to the officer yesterday and his solution was to take it to a muffler shop and have a "stock type" muffler put on it. But even that isnt technically legal, and when I pointed that out to him he said that I was correct but it would stop me from getting pulled over.

That said... I dont want stock exhaust. Its a turbo car and I want that free flowing goodness! Even now I am still running a chambered muffler. But, it has dual chrome tips so it doesn't look stock and thats why I got pulled over the first time. In fact the cop said "I know it isn't stock because no neon ever came with dual exhaust" which any neon enthusiast knows isn't true. But since we have officers with no training on the subject writing tickets I have to go back to a single tip muffler.

So what I am thinking to keep it legal, free flowing and sounding good is to do this. Install two 18" glasspacks in the tunnel. That should quiet it down quite a bit, enough to make it quiet with the current muffler. But... I still have twin tips at that point. I have a 2.5" flowmaster in my parts pile I was thinking of installing in the rear. My dad had a flowmaster on his turbo rampage with nothing else and it wasn't very loud and sounded nice. I know flowmasters are not the best muffler for a turbo car. But I do think they sound nice on turbo 4's and still should flow better than a off the shelf chambered muffler. I was just reading in GRM that a turndown usually removes 5 decibels, so I was planning on putting a turndown on also.

So the exhaust would go Turbo>18" glasspack>18" glasspack>Flowmaster>turndown at back bumper. Anyone ran a setup like that? I plan on painting everything that is visible in the back either flat black, flat grey or maybe even a mix to make it looks stock. Im also open to other suggestions.

Thanks

[Aries_Turbo]

that would work.

the trick is to make it LOOK stock.

very rarely is a pos car with a small exhaust leak pulled over. its always someone with chrome tips, fake duals, slammed to the ground while wearing a flat brimmed hat etc.

you know what you could do... install the complete SRT-4 STOCK exhaust.

its a stock exhaust... for a neon. then get pics and print them and put them in the car for a stock SRT-4 and a magazine article of how the stock SRT-4 exhaust is.

Brian

[ShadowFromHell]

Wont work, at least here sadly. A lot of my friends here locally have problems with the police and the STOCK exhaust on their SRT's. A few have had to go to court to prove it was stock. When my wife got pulled over in it the cop told her that he KNEW the exhaust wasn't stock because "No neon EVER came with dual exhaust". You know, since low paid county sheriff's are experts in neon exhaust systems. The law is a joke. My neon is 95% stock appearing too, the only visible mods are the mostly hidden FMIC, the VW wheels, and the muffler. It probably doesnt help that the car is bright red .

I was talking to a friend about this today and he said I would get more sound deadening by spacing the glasspacks apart. Put one at the bottom of the DP, and one at the end of the tunnel. Has anyone heard this before? Ive always been told to get the muffler as close to the rear of the car as possible. Since I would be using the glasspacks as resonators does that change? Im really contemplating cutting apart a SOHC muffler and making a homemade version of the dynomax race bullet. At least then it would have a mopar part number.

[tryingbe]

Install a stock neon exhaust back in the car... chemically rust it out just after the downpipe.

[Aries_Turbo]

Wont work, at least here sadly. A lot of my friends here locally have problems with the police and the STOCK exhaust on their SRT's. A few have had to go to court to prove it was stock. When my wife got pulled over in it the cop told her that he KNEW the exhaust wasn't stock because "No neon EVER came with dual exhaust". You know, since low paid county sheriff's are experts in neon exhaust systems. The law is a joke. My neon is 95% stock appearing too, the only visible mods are the mostly hidden FMIC, the VW wheels, and the muffler. It probably doesnt help that the car is bright red .

I was talking to a friend about this today and he said I would get more sound deadening by spacing the glasspacks apart. Put one at the bottom of the DP, and one at the end of the tunnel. Has anyone heard this before? Ive always been told to get the muffler as close to the rear of the car as possible. Since I would be using the glasspacks as resonators does that change? Im really contemplating cutting apart a SOHC muffler and making a homemade version of the dynomax race bullet. At least then it would have a mopar part number.

yeah you are going to have to do some legwork. you need to get a letter from someone that works at chrysler and documentation and part numbers that they are stock exhaust systems. get your ducks in a row.

then have all that documentation with you and look for the cops.

cutting the top out of a sohc neon muffler and making a glasspack out of it internally works though too.

[GLHNSLHT2]

WTF, Need to move or something. I've never been pulled over in the Tona for running 3" straight pipe side exit. I did get pulled over for flooring my straight piped rear exit new yorker up to 50MPH but he didn't write me a ticket for anything. Does the car sound ricey?

[ShadowFromHell]

They have REALLY been cracking down here in the valley. No idea why. I DD'ed my shadow for years that had straight 3" with no mufflers and DD'ed a daytona with 3" side exit and no muffler for 6 months. Ive had straight piped neons that were stupid loud. Never had a problem. A few months ago a buddy of mine was pulled over for aftermarket exhaust in his EVO... and it has stock exhaust. My neon doesn't sound ricey or loud. It is no louder then a stock diesel pickup. The chrome tipped muffler is not my style but sounds so good I couldn't get myself to remove it. It is stock appearing other then then the 15" VW wheels and muffler. Its not flashy at all other than being red.

The more I read on how to "fix" this I think everything is a bandaid and I am still going to be worried about cops. As much as I hate to do it I think I am going to install a stock DOHC muffler, and a cutout.

- - - Updated - - -

Here is a pic of the "flashy" muffler on my car...



Thats not a SRT tail section either, its a chambered muffler with twin tips. I bet if I put it on my stock DOHC NA neon it wouldnt be hardly any louder then a stock DOHC twin tip muffler.

[86Shelby]

Wow, that law sucks. I can see a two pronged approach.
1. Lose the tips, single outlet, make it quieter.
2. Talk some sense into your local legistlators to change the law. Heck, to the best of my knowledge even Kommiefornia isn't that strict.

The obligatory clip for a thread about getting tickets and what to do about them. http://youtu.be/ovwxBrIBj1w

[ShadowFromHell]

It is what it is. Obviously a law made by uneducated legislators. It has crossed my mind to try to get something on the ballot, with today's social media getting things like that done have became much easier. That said, from the what I can tell there are NO exhaust laws on cars that are over 25 years only. My NY is going to get 3" with no mufflers and a 5" megaphone to make it even louder. That way I can laugh at cops when the pull me over!

Ive also decided to just go to a cutout and a stock muffler. It sucks, but its the best route I think. I did a bunch of reading using google and I think no matter how many resonators/glasspacks I stuff in it, its gonna be louder then stock. I am also having a hard time spending a bunch of money on parts for my stock 2.25" exhaust. But going 3" will just make it worse. Using a cutout will make it quieter with the cutout closed, and be a upgrade over what I have now. Win win!

[GLHNSLHT2]

sad, saw so many cars today with modded exhaust. Hope they don't start pulling that crap up this way. I think if you could get a petition going you could probably get a lot of signatures.

[Rrider]

Wow, that does suck. But at least you can have a Hahn turbo kit. In CA that requires a sketchy $250 smog every 2 years.. or removing it every two years. And heaven forbid you get busted by CHP for having it on there.

I agree make it look stock.. have a big turn down behind the bumper cover where you can't even see it, then have a tiny tip sticking out the back.

[Vader85]

They have REALLY been cracking down here in the valley. No idea why. I DD'ed my shadow for years that had straight 3" with no mufflers and DD'ed a daytona with 3" side exit and no muffler for 6 months. Ive had straight piped neons that were stupid loud. Never had a problem. A few months ago a buddy of mine was pulled over for aftermarket exhaust in his EVO... and it has stock exhaust. My neon doesn't sound ricey or loud. It is no louder then a stock diesel pickup. The chrome tipped muffler is not my style but sounds so good I couldn't get myself to remove it. It is stock appearing other then then the 15" VW wheels and muffler. Its not flashy at all other than being red.

The more I read on how to "fix" this I think everything is a bandaid and I am still going to be worried about cops. As much as I hate to do it I think I am going to install a stock DOHC muffler, and a cutout.

- - - Updated - - -

Here is a pic of the "flashy" muffler on my car...



Thats not a SRT tail section either, its a chambered muffler with twin tips. I bet if I put it on my stock DOHC NA neon it wouldnt be hardly any louder then a stock DOHC twin tip muffler.

I would give you a ticket as well!!!!! Joke to the side.....I would run a 3" exhaust with the biggest muffler you can fit and twin turndowns outlet just slightly below the rear valance no shiny crap and I'll guarantee you won't ever be bothered...Stay off from the shiny crap! Cops are like Big Mouth Bass they see something shiny they attack it! Stay subtle maybe Vibrant black mufflers and a big resonator....

[Vader85]

Wow, that does suck. But at least you can have a Hahn turbo kit. In CA that requires a sketchy $250 smog every 2 years.. or removing it every two years. And heaven forbid you get busted by CHP for having it on there.

I agree make it look stock.. have a big turn down behind the bumper cover where you can't even see it, then have a tiny tip sticking out the back.

Cali sucks! Our smog here in Texas is $39.75 and on my D21 (1986.5) it's only $14.50 annually!

[Dr. Johny Dodge]

looks like the tips are somewhat bigger than the pipe diameter - probably the bait the cops are takeing

I'd try running without them & see if your cop problem goes away

without all the chrome they prob won't even look at your neon

[Ondonti]

Wow, so why are we having this PNW meet in a speed trap fake ticket city?

You invited a bunch of modified cars to a place where they are not welcome with no warning............

[Reaper1]

Really....illegal to modify a stock exhaust, huh? Wow...better tell all the guys in the parking lot here that (well, a lot of them)! Just about any Evo or STi you come across has an aftermarket exhaust. What about all the sprot bikes and Harleys (I rode, so I do agree that loud pipes save lives regardless of how annoying other find it). There are countless diesel trucks going down the road with STACKS that clearly aren't stock. I'd say they are discriminating and if you can prove it, you have a class action law suite! I'm not one to say "SUE THEM!!", but in this case it might warrant it.

For helping your issue, I've seen the ULTIMATE way to F with people that only rely on looks. Take a stock muffler and gut it. Run your exhaust into the gutted muffler and have a turn-down integrated into the bottom of the muffler. Weld it all together and paint it black. Have the stock tips coming off. Looks stock...flows just like you want. If you don't have a catalytic converter, get a high-flow unit and install it. You aren't going to loose any appreciable power, but it will mellow the exhaust out a LOT!

Oh...and if it has a CARB sticker that proves the modification if 50-state legal I don't think they have a leg to stand on. Now, clearly a custom exhaust isn't going to be CARB certified, but I thought I'd bring it up. Oh well, I guess we'll see if they mess with me and my truck when I finally get around to putting exhaust on it (though I'm going to make it as quiet as I can because I want it to be comfortable to drive long distances).

[iTurbo]

Well, you could move to Wyoming and no one would ever give you crap about your exhaust system. No emissions checks, no visual inspection. Closer to ND too.

I could run an open downpipe and I doubt I would get pulled over here.. although I don't because I have neighbors I don't want to piss off.

[crusty shadow]

ditch the dual pipes, ditch the shiny exhaust tip and use a plain looking mild steel exhaust tip- don't change anything else.
the SRT4 argument wont work because the SRT4 was a 2nd gen neon- different body style.


dual pipes on a 4cyl car? if I were a cop id give you a ticket for having poor taste..

[Reaper1]

Did the chassis code change for the Neon when they went to the 2nd gen. I know the 1st gen was "PL" IIRC. If the chassis code is the same, there should be no issue having SRT-4 exhaust on the car as it is a factory part for that chassis code and it is a part that is newer than the car, so it is a legal upgrade to the car, if I understand how that would work.

[moparman76_69]

Sounds like revenue generation to me. They'll write tickets and if 80% pay the fine and move on then it's free money for the department. Contact the SEMA action network http://www.semasan.com/ about what is a law that I'm sure is being bent by law enforcement in an effort to generate more revenue.

Finding the law was easy enough http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=46.37.390


(3) No person shall modify the exhaust system of a motor vehicle in a manner which will amplify or increase the noise emitted by the engine of such vehicle above that emitted by the muffler originally installed on the vehicle, and it shall be unlawful for any person to operate a motor vehicle not equipped as required by this subsection, or which has been amplified as prohibited by this subsection. A court may dismiss an infraction notice for a violation of this subsection if there is reasonable grounds to believe that the vehicle was not operated in violation of this subsection.

So legally they cannot issue a ticket unless the exhaust is louder than a stock exhaust. Looks have nothing to do with it.