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

i know for a fact that all these stupid imported ricer cars with huge *** muffler tips and all that gay stuff would piss a cop off more if they had open headers, compared to us with the older cooler american made cars.

but i need to wait till my paycheck which is next thursday so i can afford an exhaust system on my 58 fairlane. right now its open headers and its loud. not that loud *** 'WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP' ricer loud, no.... the low deep rumble loud, the GOOD loud.

i mean, sure, its illegal to run the open headers. but im sure there's cops out there who get a kick out of our older rides. has anyone ever really gotten away with open headers by a cop before? just courious, dumb question... maybe, but never hurts to ask

 

I have a xreox of the state laws regarding "street rods" , I plan on keeping my the car.

 

been runnin open headers on my T for the last couple years, never had a problem.

 

Depends on the mood of the cop who pulls you over,were you being a jerk and did you have your foot in it? What's the town's bylaw on this,quota system for tickets? Lots of variables here.....drive sensibly and they'll probably leave 'ya be.

 

Drove my friends open zoomie equipped Desoto hemi powered '34 sedan from Cleveland to Jamestown Indiana without even being noticed by the fuzz. From Rochester to Jamestown and back (1500 miles) we didn't even get a second look from the cops....and there were plenty out there. He drives this car around here all the time without much issues either.

I'd argue to the cop/judge that when you start seeing 300lb bikers from the Local 81 lined up paying for noise tickets due to open pipes on their HOGS then you'll also step up pay the fine as well. Until then demand equal leniency and equivalent 'interpretation' of the law as they give bikers.

-Bigchief.

 

I ran with my headers open most of last summer. When you see a cop just back it down. The guys with Harleys run open exhaust so I don't see much differance.

 

Have straight pipes on my 60 Buick. Only been pulled over once for "noise ordinance violation." 11:30 at night, cop and I at stoplight, I step on it like I normally did to get goin, lights me up, got a "fixit" ticket.

Long story short. Called police station. The noise ordinance is for car stereo's only, not exhaust. Also, I was on main thoroughfare of town so I was exempt from the ordinance anyway. Lady officer on the phone asked me who gave me the ticket. Told her, she laughed, said "Don't worry about it." The cop that pulled me over had bad case of "bad*** with a badge" syndrome. He since has been fired for harr***ment charges.

 

It also depends on the city, out here in California Huntington Beach will pull you over. Never seen it done for a rod, but bikes get pulled alot for loud pipes.

 

Don't be *** about it and annoy the **** out of your neighbors at 12 midnight, etc. Be friendly, honest and cool if you do get pulled over and you probably won't have much problems regardless.

 

haha i liked the comparison to harley's... good point. i dont really have a lead foot, its just that it sounds so much better with open headers i think... its gonna diminish that sound when i get an exhaust put on... i could ask if i could have it where i can unbolt maybe, not sure. but yea, sounds like most of you have gotten away with it, pretty cool cuz i had a co-worker who drives an 88 mustang with open headers get 3 tickets for open headers haha

 

Open headers should stay at the track. My fair city has enough noise problems from stereos to drag pipes on harleys to jets overhead.

 

it all depends on the car. a 72 nova with a brown door and red fender will get open header tickets all day long.

a 30's hot rod with shinny paint with open headers will get the thumbs up from the cops.

 

Maybe it's just me but I think open exhausts belong on the race track . There's enough noise pollution out there today without us adding to it . My Poncho powered Studebaker truck ain't super quiet ( I set off car alarms frequently) but it has legal series 70 Flowmasters . I'm annoyed when all those Harley posers run around with no mufflers . I think truly it is wiser for all of us to be considerate of others lest we suffer the slings and arrows of unfortunate legislation or enforcement . If you drive by the mayor or police chief in your town and piss him off ....you know whar comes next . Just because we can doesn't mean we should.

 

I didn't have a welder then, so I took the 38 truck down to a local shop to throw some quick pipes on it, the frickin guy at the shop called a cop to come by and "check me out". I had a gravity gas tank in the cab. with a hose running through a busted windshield, and no lights. (I was only 6 blocks from my place). The cop was an old detective dude and was thrilled to see my 38. He hung out till the job was done and I drove off with him waving at me. Maybe it's the luck of the draw.


All the above + is fixed now but I'm still running the 3 ft straight dual pipes on a flathead with fenton headers. I did shove a couple 3 inch harley baffles in the pipes but it didn't do alot. No problems.

 

They still got the AWACS there at Tinker? ****, by regulation, they're supposed to have one of those in the air at all times. Or at least it used to be that way.

 

Was in court once and a guy used the excuse that other people have open pipes and they don't get tickets. The Judge said, "They can't catch everyone, but the caught you! Guilty!!!".

In California, there are 2 different violations. One is defective muffler which is a fix-it ticket. The other is modified exhaust which is a fix-it and a fine. Also, if you're caught again for the same violation, it's failure to comply. That's a fine and 1 point on your record.

 

A lot also depends on what they are connected to. The 34 sedan Big Chief was talking about is to a stock 331 Desoto HEMI..Don't get me wrong, it's still loud, but it would be a whole new LOUD if they were connected to a motor that had some steam to it..
A fairly stock motor with open pipe's can be managed by the right foot for the most part. Letting off or taking it easy on the "go" pedal makes a huge difference in what it sounds like.
Around here, they will ticket you for loud exhaust..and i'm not talking about open exhaust, i mean just loud..Not always, but i know it happens..
For the short time you will run it open, just drive it and be sensible.

 

I have a friend thats a cop and he gives out Exhaust tickets like it's his job... The funny thing is that he drives a 9 sec. Toyota Supra that has 4" open Exhaust. He is my long time friend, but he is a douchbag.. Even if he just writes em' to kids in Honda's. haha.

 

I used to "bog" my mustang which had cut outs, I would upshift and lug the car when I saw the local law. Never got stopped (for exhaust) and I grew up in a quiet little catholic neighborhood in Seattle where they frowned on that behavior.

s.

 

I ran 2" straight thru pipes on my Harley bobber (daily ride) for years. I got pulled over by a Cop once, all he wanted was to get a closer look at the cycle.

 

Ask The Shocker here on the HAMB , He went to jail !

 

Some locations get you by requiring all gasoline engines must have a "spark arrestor"on the exhaust (think off road bikes). Had any wild fires in California lately?

 

I got pulld over just 2 nights ago with my open lake pipes only haveing "small" baffles in them. Of course it was 12:30 in the morning and the cop was going the other way and turned around. As soon as he seen what kind of vehicle it was he backed right down and said "have a good night". Moral of the story drive sensibly and it shouldn't be an issue.

 

fuk it, open 'em up...

 

Most cars (and bikes) sound better with some kind of muffler...

 

Me and my friends run straight pipes here in the I.E.; nobody's been pulled over; knock on wood.

 

Always one up, flying around.

 

Around here I think it's a law that all Harley's must have open pipes.Some sound crisp, some sound like a Toro with no muffler.
The public makes no distinction between a nice rod with open pipes or a junker with a rotted exhaust or a loud Ricer.Then we all wonder why more laws are p***ed against modified vehicles.
A well done exhaust using modern hi flow mufflers will not limit performance and will tone down the sound enough so people don't get upset.

 

There is justice in this world. ***hole cope like that give good cops a bad name. He is now probably a bus driver with a gun working security at the local bingo hall.