How lenient would cops be to us hot rodders with open headers?

I don't know about todays cops but back in the 60's they frowned on it where I lived,,and I got a few tickets for trying,,excessive noise. HRP

 

So what is it about the noise?

A look at me deal?

Why not be considerate to your neighbors and others by running some quiet mufflers?

You'd do the hobby some good and not just be the guy down the street with the godawful loud car.

A built engine with quiet exhaust sounds a lot better than a stocker with open exhaust.
Those just sound like an old broke-down car.

Back in the day, the search for the perfect sound which meant finding the perfect muffler for your combo was an ongoing thing.
If you had a good sounding car, one of the first questions asked about it was what kind and size of mufflers were you running.

It ain't the noise, it's the music....

 

Open headers are way too loud for populated areas, most folks would you prefer you not do that. And just because some ricers or Harley peepz do it does not make it right, I hate loud Harleys because they always would wake up my toddlers at our old house without fail.

 

I'm a little disappointed...
I didn't see a single, "If it's too loud, you're too old " post.

Wait....I guess I just did

 

The law is the law. The right thing to do is be considerate and run muffs. That said, people run open all the time. Just remember, if you do it, you made the choice. If you get pulled over, it ain't because the cops are ****s, it's because you chose to break the law. Take your lumps and get on with it.

I don't mean by this that cops aren't ****s, it's just.... well you know.

 

Maybe.

My 32 is too loud with a pair of two chamber FlowMasters under it.
The megaphones didn't help either, but it sounds not too bad and is easy to attenuate with an educated throttle foot.

What I would like is a pair of three chamber FlowMasters, but they're too long.
I have a pair on my 2002 SuperCrew with 5.4 liter with true dual system and it sounds great.
Very much like a pair of long gl***packs from back in the day.

My very favorite is a pair of Hemi-Muffs, but they won't fit either.

If I do it right on the 31 on 32 rails car I can run some longer mufflers or make a pair of my own.
60" gl***packs anyone?

 

I've gone 15 years with straight pipes on my 312 powered 53 and been stopped once. Never ticketed.. ( currently knocking on wood )

 

I love my cars sounds with the caps uncorked! The stock Merc flathead almost sounds like it has a cam. The LT-1 in the roadster really sounds sweet. That is music to my ears. I only have a radio in one hotrod. (it came with it) I took the radio out of the 56 so that I can listen to the cam in it. I may have a problem with the 56. It will have a thumper cam that will attract attention even at idle.

It all comes down to how you drive it. IMO

All the local hot dogs ***** about the police at the Ocean City Show every spring. The 2 years I was there I rode all weekend with open caps and not a problem. I love to wind it up and then Sunday shift and wind it and up again.

Chirp a tire and you'll be on the side of the road with an officer listing everything he can see that is less than original equipment.

I got stopped at a light and an officer pulled up next to me with his p*** window down right above my open lakers. I was sure he'd nail me but he never even looked over. A Camaro let out a little chirp leaving the light and he pounced on him.

I think they have become desensitized with all the Harley's going through the gears.

If you drive it like a hot dog, expect trouble.

Drive sensibly and you "probably" won't have a lot of trouble.

They certainly are a lot more lenient than they were 40 years ago.

 

On the 58 are you talking open headers or manifolds? Cuz if its manifolds, its not cool, its in fact the gayest **** out there. Sounds like a ****ing boat.

If its headers, honestly in a 58 anything thats not pulling down 11s or better and basically just track driven, its still pretty gay too. Just annoying people.

There is a guy up the street with a rattle can primered Honda. Beat to ****, lowered and loud as all hell. Also slow as **** too and ****ing annoying.

Anywho, he was outside in the rain ALL day yesterday with a charger on it and with some other similar looking fat kid turning it over all ******** day. Couldnt get it to start and couldnt figure out why it wouldnt. My point is, that guy is NOT cool and I don't desire to replicate anything about his car.

Just my .02

 

I have straight pipes on my 12:1 nailhead. Drive by the police all the time and there's never a problem.

-Lee
Atomic Radio
www.atomicpinup.com

 

What goes aroound ,,, comes around.

In your hood do you have families with babies?

do you have folks that have to get up at 4 to 6 am for work?

Do you have folks with Dogs that will bark and wake up these folks from your Noise?

IF you do,,,shut off YOUR engine and coast the rest of the way till you get home.

I had straight pipes on my harley and I would coast for several blocks with the engine off, then pull in my driveway with the engine OFF. My neighbors never complained.

Buddy,,,If you ever wake up an infant with your car,,,I HOPE you get what YOU deserve.

How would you like a Moosque in your hood blairing out the CALL to prayer every day like they do in the Middle east?

 

Man, I understand the question and even some of the comments, but on a whole, there seems to be a lot of pansies on here whinning about loud cars.
IT'S A HOT ROD FORUM GUYS!
Check your billet and tweed at the door.
r

 

So if you're so quick to push "getting what you deserve", why did you ever run straight pipes in the first place? You didn't coast the bike all the time, right?

-Lee
Atomic Radio
www.atomicpinup.com

 

So I guess you got your throttle sorted out.

I dunno what to tell you about the local constable, when I was your age liveing in the NW I used to get lots of tickets for excessive noise, or even excessive excessiveness. But that was a different world than the one you live in.

Here they have a tendency to overlook it on rods, but where your at I'd say its a **** shoot.

Roll the dice if you dare.

 

"Good" loud to you can be bad loud to the cops or anyone that thinks it's too loud.

 

I don't know where you live, but if you have neighbors they may, and SHOULD have the cops on your *** in a minute! I like the sound as much as the next guy, but it has it's place, and it's not in my bedroom when I'm trying to sleep. Peace and quiet is getting to be a rare commodity.
Piss enough people off, and we'll all pay the price.

 

There is one hell of a difference between a "sweet" sounding set of pipes and a "loud" car or bike.
Loud for the sake of loud isn't all that great.
I live two miles out of town on one of the major North/South highways and you can hear Bikes and some cars leave the stop light and still hear them until they get a couple of miles past the house.

Most of us have made a trip from the home shop to the muffler shop with open hedders but driving around rod trots with open hedders to say "Hey look at Me" is not cool in my estimation.

I do agree fully with those who said that the appearance of your vehicle directly relates to your chances of getting a ticket. They will probably pull over a rig that has mismatched paint and primer spots before nailing one that looks like it is done up right. Around here here you could let a Harley or a Honda with a fart pipe get a half a block ahead of you and no one would notice you.

 

My sedan has a two-in two-out Spintech muffler, sounds pretty good but a little loud when you get your foot in it........the roadster has two 30" gl***-paks with a full system all the way out the back.....I think it sounds "sweet", just the nicest rumble. We have never had a problem with the law.

Besides, that nearly stock 8BA really sounds like **** uncorked.

 

Working in the Header and Harley pipe business this is a daily subject for me.
PERSONALLY - I think nothing sounds worse than a weak *** motor with no compression running through open headers - except maybe Zoomies on the street, which really sound stupid. I also am sick of hearing every stock Harley running around with Big *** Straight pipes or worse yet small diameter fishtail straight pipes and the *****s that feel the need to "Rap" them all the time. And don't even get me started on the trash can imports! And no my cars are not "Quiet", just not stupid loud.
PROFESSIONALLY AND TECHNICALLY - Every day I am told about another city that is cracking down on loud exhaust. from Huntington Beach, to Denver, to NYC - it's happening everywhere. The main culprits; Harley's, Rice cars with 4" gutter cans, and rodders with open short straight tubes they call headers. This is the reality of what is happening.
On top of that, in almost every instance, a street vehicle will perform better with a properly tuned exhaust system / muffler. Couple of examples: Chevy LUV truck, 11.5 to 1 331" small block Chevy ran 11.19 with 2 1/2" pipes and Walker Super Turbo mufflers. Went to open headers, ran 12.25. A little tuning and got it almost back to where it was with the mufflers, almost, but not quite! 88" Twin Cam Harley, 2 1/4" open "Drag Pipes" made 70HP at the rear wheel on the Superflow Dyno. Changed to a Defender 2 into 1 pipe with an adjustable muffler, made 76HP! Also tried baffles in the straight pipes and made 74HP.
On Drag cars open headers work because they tune the exhaust for the very small rpm band that these cars run at. NASCAR sleds run a very long exhaust and while not muffled, again it is tuned for a fairly small rpm range. Most Road Racing cars do run at least some form of muffler to help with broadening the power through out the range. And one last thing - Zoomies only work on Blown cars. On Naturally aspirated cars, the scavenging form adjacent cylinders improves power. There is a reason Pro Stock and lower cl***es don't run Zoomies!

Just remember that John Q Public that doesn't want to hear your open headers has a lot more power to make law enforcement crack down then you do to fight it. Don't give them power to start legislating other things about our cars because you think it sounds cool! It's happening NOW in many states and cities and believe me - yours is next!

OK, I'm done now, off the soap box

 

I've run open headers (lakes style) on 322 Nailhead powered roadster for 9 years now without any problems.

I try to be considerate in my neighborhood (no matter what time it is) and if I come home late at night I try to get up enough speed that I can shut it off and coast home as soon as I turn into the neighborhood. All my neighbors are cool about the car and I haven't heard one complaint yet.

 

If it doesn't have high compression and not much duration in the cam profile, it will sound like a broken car. Looks like you're building on a tight budget. Don't throw your money into the government coffers. Keep it for your project, there. Cheap used muffs from a junk yard will keep the fuzz from collecting your autograph. Stock engines with open pipes sound like ****.

 

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! I got nothin' to add, that's just so right on, I quoted it just so it would be up here TWICE!

 

Is this a real question, or just ricer bashing?

I think that deep down you wish you could trade that fairlane in for a later 90's Civic with lots of tribal stuff painted on the side and a big wing. You know, kinda like how guys who always bash gays are probably gay themselves?

So calm down, and embrace your inner ricer. We promise we'll still like you.

 

Ya know there are times that I would side with some of you on the sound issue, but I think that in this case the question was do ya think that the cops will look past me if I cruise for a bit with my headers open.

Thruth of the matter is that once there was a time that we were all considered to be hoodlums, its a shame that our roots these days tend to be swinging toward the main stream street rod crowd. Maybe we should all just roll the window down and turn off the AC as we head to Starbucks, just to remember what hot rods are all about.

Here's the deal, hot rods shake, rattle and roll. They are noisy, and unrefined, the wind buffets you even when the windows are rolled up. The main stream NSRA types don't like 'em for more than one reason, aside from the fact that they are offensive, they represent everything that they have sold out in order to be socially acceptable.

Those of us who are not ashamed to admit it will tell you we are nothing but a bunch of loud unruly hoodlums, much the rods we build and love.

Tell ya what kid, do ya wanna run with the headers open, then I say go for it. It's your bankroll. If you get a ticket don't come around whining about it, **** it up, if you're gonna do it do it right. Be the hoodlum that you want everyone to think you are.

 

Very well put and should be end of story.........

 

Luvsccr seems like a pretty cool young feller. Let's not give advice that causes him to get on the local Bako PD's **** list. It's plenty hard to build your first car on a tight budget, it's even harder when the neighbors and the local constabulary are on your ***.

Luvsccr, there is lots of different thoughts here. Choose in YOUR best interest.

 

The senerio was when coming home after 9 pm.

when I would ride i would leave my house befor dark ride a few hours, then come home. My neighbors knew is was making an EFFORT to respect them by my shutting off my engine and coasting in. People will cut you some slack if you make an effort to Respect them.

the noise levels (db) made durring regular working hours is less offensive then the noise made from 9 pm to 8 am M-F. On weekends, don't make loud noises bbefor 9 or 10 am.

I have 2 Oval track racers and live in an URBAN area and race every weekend, I rarely start my race cars at home, but when i do to check the timeing or lash the valves, I do it in the early evening and only for a short time,,, IN THE garage with the doors just cracked for air. Most of my neighbors on my block have never even heard my race cars.

And I agree, loud pipes on a stock engine sound like a boat with thru the transom exh. ,,,

they sound like an old garbage truck with a rusted out muffler.

 

amen, hotroddon

 

You can find used mufflers everywhere, there are always dingalings like me that change mufflers every 6 months.

 

Here's your answer to your own question. I don't think the local law puts up with it. Open headers are VERY loud.

Now, dump-outs or cut-outs or what ever you may call them (removable caps, exit behind the front tire) are not as loud. Some exhaust sound travels past the cut out exit pipe and continues into the regular full exhaust. You may get away with those being open (I have since early June) if you are considerate. If I am driving through my neighborhood past 10 pm I dog the big block down into the highest gear I can put the 4 speed into make it as quiet as I can.

I may be a jack*** but I like when I pull up to a stop light next to a 'yota Prius (<- gay) with my camming big block popping through the cut-outs. I sort of feel that my car and that Prius (<- gay) balance everything out from extreme to extreme and its a great country I live in that each of us can drive what we want....within reason!

Marty McF.