Said my exhaust was too loud. I was like really? Do you have calibrated ears set to the Federal standard of 95db 50 ft away and to the side of my vehicle while you're in a cop car right behind me? He proceeded to blab on about having a modified exhaust is illegal and I politely reminded him that in Kitsap County (Wa. St.) it's legal to run without cats, so how is that possible? This kid was so wet behind the ears and I had him churning for a response to that because he knows what I said is true that he forgot to ask for my insurance, haha. He takes a couple minutes to run a check on me, hands me my stuff back and tells me that this will only be a warning (not even a paper warning), I chuckle and drive off.
Washington State has the most diluted exhaust law I've ever seen, here it is.
(1) Every motor vehicle shall at all times be equipped with a muffler in good working order and in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise, and no person shall use a muffler cut-out, bypass, or similar device upon a motor vehicle on a highway.
(2)(a) No motor vehicle first sold and registered as a new motor vehicle on or after January 1, 1971, shall discharge into the atmosphere at elevations of less than three thousand feet any air contaminant for a period of more than ten seconds which is:
(i) As dark as or darker than the shade designated as No. 1 on the Ringelmann chart, as published by the United States bureau of mines; or
(ii) Of such opacity as to obscure an observer's view to a degree equal to or greater than does smoke described in subsection (a)(i) above.
(b) No motor vehicle first sold and registered prior to January 1, 1971, shall discharge into the atmosphere at elevations of less than three thousand feet any air contaminant for a period of more than ten seconds which is:
(i) As dark as or darker than the shade designated as No. 2 on the Ringelmann chart, as published by the United States bureau of mines; or
(ii) Of such opacity as to obscure an observer's view to a degree equal to or greater than does smoke described in subsection (b)(i) above.
(c) For the purposes of this subsection the following definitions shall apply:
(i) "Opacity" means the degree to which an emission reduces the transmission of light and obscures the view of an object in the background;
(ii) "Ringelmann chart" means the Ringelmann smoke chart with instructions for use as published by the United States bureau of mines in May 1967 and as thereafter amended, information circular 7718.
(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.
This subsection (3) does not apply to vehicles twenty-five or more years old or to passenger vehicles being operated off the highways in an organized racing or competitive event conducted by a recognized sanctioning body.
No person shall MODIFY the exhaust system, good thing I just REPLACED it in its entirety! They even removed the 95db, 50ft away, and to the side of the vehicle requirement (FEDERAL LAW!!), this is now just a cash cow for people who don't do research. No official agency records DB levels for vehicles so good luck proving I'm louder. Good thing Federal law supersedes state law.
