Decibel's, Whats legal and how to check?

[Teflon]

The topic title says it all. Whats legal in Nj as in decibels and how can you tell how many you are making. I have a stock turboback exhaust all the way to the cat. Except I have nothing after the cat and its loud! I was told this is legal as long as inspection can get to it and its below a certain decibel.

 

[turbodsm_125]

most of the time you have to t least have a tailpipe to pass emisions testing. as for testing the sound level you can eith er buy a meter, expensive, or find some one who has one. check with stero stores. they some times have them for stero comptitions.

 

[ob420aboosted]

damn in rhode island technically any modification to the exhaust is illegal but the cops dont really go by that

 

[Defiant]

Interesting question. In California, a system can't be louder than stock (most states use this), whatever the hell that's supposed to be. There is also a specific decibel level (I'm too lazy to look up the numbers now) and an ANSI (or ASTM?) testing procedure for measuring it- which you must pay a fee to ANSI to find out the procedure.
In most courts, "modified" is enough for you to lose.

 

[tqmx1]

Then How the HECK dont all the HARDLEY FART wagons not get pulled over at every corner. The state could make billions if not more.

 

[BK85]

I believe It's 89 DBs. It was in Cali. My Jet boat failed every time I went to the lakes.

BK85

 

[Boost92awd]

Then How the HECK dont all the HARDLEY FART wagons not get pulled over at every corner. The state could make billions if not more.

Yeah it is BS that the Harley Riders dont get pulled over for there exhaust. If I remember correctly on some Harleys straight from the factory there exhaust is louder than the legal limit. Yet you never see cops pulling over Harley riders for loud exhausts. What a bunch of BS if you ask me.

 

[uberchargedDSM]

I know radioshack sells decibel meters or did at one point and time. Most aftermarket exhaust companies meet cali. exhaust db. requirements so they should be good in states.

 

[99gst_racer]

Decibel reading or not, if an officer feels it's too loud, he'll cite you regardless. Many state laws leave it to the officer's discretion. Your best defense is to be courteous and respectful and hope to get off on a warning or a fix-it ticket. But the sad truth is that a seventeen year old kid driving an Eclipse is going to be more prone to getting an exhaust ticket than his father on a Harley or muffler-less turbo diesel. On the bright side; at least you're not getting any younger. ;-)

PS - Harley's are loud from the factory (stock), therefore, they're legal. I'm more surprised that the gub-ment doesn't mandate specific rules to vehicle manufacturers regarding noise pollution (or maybe they do and I don't know about it).