Question...Is a muffler delete legal?

[Iwantone2]

Originally Posted by zebra

back in 05, i had an officer (county patrol outside McAlester, OK) do a U-turn on the highway (he passed me going the other direction) just to pull me over & tell me my truck was too loud.

here's the kicker... i was in my 91 explorer with a 4.0 V6, running a single chamber muffler dumped at the axle, and he said i was too loud (as a couple chevys running dualed-out 350s screamed past us)

Oh here's a good one...Back in '99 my bro bought his new Rustang. Running stock 3.6L V6 and a cop pulled him over because the exhaust "was too loud for a V6".

[PnCRedJwl2SS]

Originally Posted by m1tankr

There's a bunch of mis-information in these responses, so I'll give you the law enforcement answer. The muffler delete is usually illegal (it does not matter for emissions purposes). I say usually as each state has slightly different laws, and most cities have their own noise ordinances. You're Texas, so here's the Texas statute (right now with the cold up here I miss living there):
§ 547.604. MUFFLER REQUIRED. (a) A motor vehicle shall be equipped with a muffler in good working condition that continually operates to prevent excessive or unusual noise. (b) A person may not use a muffler cutout, bypass, or similar device on a motor vehicle.
This is similar to the MN statue (which is slightly more restrictive) & what it means in normal english is that it's illegal to remove the muffler (& no, the resonator is not a muffler) & it's illegal to modify the muffler to make it louder or have it rusted out so it's louder. You also can't replace it with one that is excessively loud or unusually noisy (sort of a catch all for any aftermarket mufflers). I think in 7 yrs I've tagged 1 person for it, he had a SLP LM with the no muffler option & worked hard to talk himself into a ticket. We just went to court on it & he lost (he tried to say the resonator was a muffler).
It's pretty rare you'd have to worry about this, but there are times. If you drive around late at night going to street races or bars, you're asking for problems. With Camaro's it's pretty obvious when the mufflers are gone & easy to hear. As a cop, you get used to what normal traffic sounds like, so when something is louder, you know.

Thanks for this detailed and very helpful response. I appreciate your perspective as a LEO.

Many thanks!

[1badtie]

will a muffler delete harm your gas milage?

[FFPM73]

Any exhaust mod from cats back is legal. Noise pollution is pretty much unheard of anymore, everything today focuses on emissions standard set by the state of California. Now, I'm sure if there is a cop who wants to be a dick, he'll try and site you for noise pollution but then they have to prove it with decibal meters. How many police depts do you know of carry decibal meters? I know of none......

[deesooner]

Look loud is loud and since the laws are written for noise why spend upwards of $1400 or more to get a system that is loud with mufflers? The point is that if I am going to get a ticket then I can get one for minimal cost. lol I took mine to the muffler shop to see how much he would charge to install the magnaflow cat back system without mufflers. That system is over $600 dollars not including install. He said why not just cut those big gas tank looking mufflers off for $150.00. I have passed many police cars and no problems yet. In fact it still is not as loud as the flowmaster that I had install on my 2001 Z28 and I never was pulled over in that for sound either. Plus Crustangs come from the factory louder then ours so why would it be an issue?

[deesooner]

Oh and by the way I love the way it sounds by just removing the mufflers!

[Pumpkin1LT]

Pete, it's illegal here in Texas. I asked a friend of mine who is a state trooper, and coincidentally owns a Challenger. Even the Loudmouth I was illegal. If you want tough sound, go with the LoudMouth II.

[Topdown]

One of the issues I have not seen mentioned is "spark arrestor"... When I was heavy into wheeling, we were all "forced" to run mufflers as they stopped any spark from leaving the exhaust and starting forest fires. I dont know how that might play into the street scene, but I thought I would mention it as a possibility.

my 72 Blazer with a bored out 350 and 2.5" exhaust, x-pipe and flowmaster 40-series that dumped down at the ground underneath the truck was so loud and "blatty" that I couldnt drive through a parking lot without setting off car alarms and I never had a problem with the sound ordinance.

I also dont know about where you live, but around here Harley Davidson motorcycles run pipes that are SO loud that they put my Blazer in its place! I was following one the other day and it was so insanely loud that I could FEEL it pound my chest from 100 yards away (and no, thats not an exaggeration).

back to the OP though... if your worried about not doing anything illegal to your car - leave it BONE STOCK, thats pretty much your only sure-fire way. Similar to how abstinence is the only sure-fire way to prevent pregnancy and STD's.

[winston2ss]

Is deleting the mufflers on a L99 very loud?
I don't want a whole lot louder than stock,
Just a little louder with a better deeper sound.

[axis]

Originally Posted by winston2ss

Is deleting the mufflers on a L99 very loud?
I don't want a whole lot louder than stock,
Just a little louder with a better deeper sound.

Cut the Hpipe resonator section off and replace it with a true Xpipe. You get the best of all worlds. Less weight, less restriction, better scavenging, and a deeper tone when you're "in it". At idle and cruise, you can hardly tell you've changed anything.

[winston2ss]

Originally Posted by axis

Cut the Hpipe resonator section off and replace it with a true Xpipe. You get the best of all worlds. Less weight, less restriction, better scavenging, and a deeper tone when you're "in it". At idle and cruise, you can hardly tell you've changed anything.

Are you saying do the x pipe and leave the factory mufflers or removing mufflers?

[Topdown]

IMO - I would do the X-pipe (cut out the H-pipe) first, see if that gets you what you want. It should be a good upgrade all by its self in addition to making it slightly louder... make those stock trash-cans work for a living! plus it will keep your mufflers and help keep you legal.

[winston2ss]

I'm thinking about just doing the delete. I can have it done for about the same price as the xpipe before install.