wtf re: exhaust and legality
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 11:17 am
I have now been pulled over twice for having an "illegal muffler." Last night, heading home from tacos, I was doing 50 in a 45 when a crown vic (I thought it was a Taurus) glued itself to my rear bumper. When I pulled over into the right lane to let them by, he followed me into the lane and turned his lights on. He asked me if I knew why he had pulled me over, and I was frankly kind of confused, so I said, "I dunno, 50 in a 45?" He asked me for my license and registration, which I gave him. He then told me that he had pulled me over because I had an "illegal exhaust. You can see how big it is, that's not legal."
I replied that I had actually ordered the car from Subaru this way, and indicated the "big wing," "hood scoop," and said, "it all comes as a big package from Subaru." In fact, I had ordered the car, from the factory, with the SPT catback, which actually says SPT on the exit. It even has the catback on my window sticker (we didn't buy it off the lot; we ordered everything and waited eight weeks).
At this point, another FFX cop pulled up and started examining the back of the car. I was more concerned with the first cop, and Sandy said that the second cop spent quite a bit of time going over the rear underside of the car with a flashlight. My guess is it was equally as dirty as the rest of the car, it said something that didn't look like HKS or GReddy, or whatever he was looking for.
What bothered me is the speed limit had decreased from 45 to 35 in the half-mile or so I had used to pull over, and I was waiting for him to say that I was doing 50 (admitted) in a 35 (not quite). It really struck me that this was his intent from the beginning. When he came back, he handed me my registration and license, and said, "slow down." I said thanks, turned the car back on, and left.
I've now been pulled over five times in the two years we've had the car. I've never gotten a ticket (well, the last ticket I got was in California in 1998), and three times I've been accosted for modifying the car. Every time they instructed me to slow down, but only once was I actually doing anything egregious (I've been "pulled over" at DCA when I was hardly moving, and for 5 or so over the rest of the time, except once when I was doing 75 in a 45 or so, and the cop was I guess so pissed – he was homicide, not traffic or anything – he told me to get the fuck out of the city, in those words).
First, wtf is the story with the exhaust? I can't imagine it's illegal. It's hardly louder than the stock exhaust, and every single person at Tacos last night had a louder, less-stock exhaust than I did. I park next to a guy with a 4" exhaust at work (an STI), and another guy with a 4" exhaust at home (a WRX). The car has the cat, and is entirely stock, including the catback.
Second, and I hate to ask, why in the hell do all of these guys just tell me to slow down, go home, etc? The only thing I can think of is they pull my license, see that I have no traffic convictions, that my registration is current, etc., and that I have a carry permit (and thus am not a felon or anything, uh, indecent). I would think that nominally these people are out to give me a ticket, and finding somebody with a spotless record is a good way to put that person in their place. Or something.
On the other hand, he probably also saw that last night was the 19th and my birthday is the 20th. But I have a hard time believing a cop – a fairfax cop at that – would give me a break on my birthday. Especially without letting me know what a nice guy he was.
The location, for those interested, is at Little River Turnpike right as I came upon the beltway. It's 45 before, and after the beltway, it slows down to 35. I had been thinking, I should just get on the freeway, set the cruise control, and let the car drive itself home. Next time, I will stay the goddamn hell off of that road.
Grr.
I replied that I had actually ordered the car from Subaru this way, and indicated the "big wing," "hood scoop," and said, "it all comes as a big package from Subaru." In fact, I had ordered the car, from the factory, with the SPT catback, which actually says SPT on the exit. It even has the catback on my window sticker (we didn't buy it off the lot; we ordered everything and waited eight weeks).
At this point, another FFX cop pulled up and started examining the back of the car. I was more concerned with the first cop, and Sandy said that the second cop spent quite a bit of time going over the rear underside of the car with a flashlight. My guess is it was equally as dirty as the rest of the car, it said something that didn't look like HKS or GReddy, or whatever he was looking for.
What bothered me is the speed limit had decreased from 45 to 35 in the half-mile or so I had used to pull over, and I was waiting for him to say that I was doing 50 (admitted) in a 35 (not quite). It really struck me that this was his intent from the beginning. When he came back, he handed me my registration and license, and said, "slow down." I said thanks, turned the car back on, and left.
I've now been pulled over five times in the two years we've had the car. I've never gotten a ticket (well, the last ticket I got was in California in 1998), and three times I've been accosted for modifying the car. Every time they instructed me to slow down, but only once was I actually doing anything egregious (I've been "pulled over" at DCA when I was hardly moving, and for 5 or so over the rest of the time, except once when I was doing 75 in a 45 or so, and the cop was I guess so pissed – he was homicide, not traffic or anything – he told me to get the fuck out of the city, in those words).
First, wtf is the story with the exhaust? I can't imagine it's illegal. It's hardly louder than the stock exhaust, and every single person at Tacos last night had a louder, less-stock exhaust than I did. I park next to a guy with a 4" exhaust at work (an STI), and another guy with a 4" exhaust at home (a WRX). The car has the cat, and is entirely stock, including the catback.
Second, and I hate to ask, why in the hell do all of these guys just tell me to slow down, go home, etc? The only thing I can think of is they pull my license, see that I have no traffic convictions, that my registration is current, etc., and that I have a carry permit (and thus am not a felon or anything, uh, indecent). I would think that nominally these people are out to give me a ticket, and finding somebody with a spotless record is a good way to put that person in their place. Or something.
On the other hand, he probably also saw that last night was the 19th and my birthday is the 20th. But I have a hard time believing a cop – a fairfax cop at that – would give me a break on my birthday. Especially without letting me know what a nice guy he was.
The location, for those interested, is at Little River Turnpike right as I came upon the beltway. It's 45 before, and after the beltway, it slows down to 35. I had been thinking, I should just get on the freeway, set the cruise control, and let the car drive itself home. Next time, I will stay the goddamn hell off of that road.
Grr.