[bouda]

So my friend was pulled over in his truck the other day for exhaust. The cop looked under his truck saw a pair of glasspacks and said "a glasspack is not a muffler". Boom $200 fine, plus the cost of getting it "fixed".

A couple years ago I was pulled over in my Neon. I had about a 24" glasspack for a muffler. Cop told me the same thing thing "a glasspack is not a muffler". Then the bitch proceeded to tell me my 3" diameter by 3" long exaust tip was too large and it was also illegal. I said too big in diameter?! She said yes, you have two days to fix it.

What is your opinion?

 

[jkennedy293]

Since a glasspack's job is to make the exhaust LOUDER, and a muffler's job is to make the exhaust QUIETER, I would agree with both officer's assessments.

 

[bouda]

No, if you have exhaust with no glasspack it will be louder than if it has a glasspack. It just does'nt reduce noise as much as a stock muffler. Few performance mufflers do. A glass pack does'nt magicly make your engine louder.

 

[2648562]

Glasspacks are generally loud and they don't have the nicest sound, but they're most definitely mufflers. It seems cops can do whatever they want these days. What year is his truck?

 

[bouda]

I agree they may break some sort of decible law but, this is not what the cop's are agruing.

His truck is a '90-'93 chevy with a 350. He also says he saw the cop thee entire time and he was absolutly not loud with exhaust.

IMO, cops should have some sort of decible meter if they are going to this right.

 

[Smaart Aas Saabr]

Montreal police will pull you over if you have one unless it came like that from factory.

The law doesn't say this. It only says you can't say remove baffles in original muffler. But the police have made big $$$ from that.

Outside Mtl. the other police won't bother you

 

[logansowner]

Who decides what is too loud? That's as bad as C&D's "gotta have it" rating the decides what cars win a test. If they want to write revenue tickets for this, then they should be required to put an actual number in the books, and have a decibel meter with them to test what they proclaim to be too loud.

 

[mikmak]

If you don't agree with it, take it to court. Simple as that.

 

[logansowner]

If you don't agree with it, take it to court. Simple as that.

Which is of course a wonderful experience, take time off work, spend the money to drive down. Even if you win, you lose. That's what they are betting on.

It costs more to be innocent than to be guilty. Why is it ok for them to make up infractions and then force you to either pay them, or otherwise lose money defending yourself? Guilty until proven innocent...fantastic. Oh and guess what, when you do prove your innocent, the false accusation party does not have to pay court cost like they do in a civil suit. If someone sues me and loses, they pay my cost. But a cop accuses me of breaking a law and I prove them wrong, I'm still out the money.

 

[BigAls87Z28]

You are going to have to also consider the fact that each state has its own rules for what is or isnt. Check with your laws as far as what is legal.

 

[vcs2600]

The cop was just being smart. He meant "a glasspack is not a legal muffler"

And glasspacks have been specifically outlawed in many states, so you're probably screwed here.

 

[bouda]

Well I installed straight through muffler on my truck. As far as I can tell it's a glass pack shaped like a regular muffler. You can see right through it.

 

[eurohazard]

Q. Is a glasspack a muffler?
A. Yes

Q. Is it legal?
A. Depends on location, but likely no.

Q. Does a glasspack make the exhaust "louder"?
A. No. Compared to a straight exhaust, the glasspack physically "muffles" or lessens the sound. It's just not as effective as a "real" muffler at quieting the sound.

 

[MonteCarloSS86]

It's a muffler, it just takes away a lot less sound than say a Flowmaster Delta 50. It's supposed to absorb the higher frequency sound with material packed between the through-pipe and the outside cylinder.

So yeah, it's a muffler by definition and advertising. Just a tacky, retarded muffler.

 

[IROCNROL1]

It depends on what "muffle" means to each individual cop. Easy way around it? Buy a Harley and run straight pipes. Apparently, bike decibels aren't as loud as truck ones. Go figure.

 

[bouda]

It depends on what "muffle" means to each individual cop. Easy way around it? Buy a Harley and run straight pipes. Apparently, bike decibels aren't as loud as truck ones. Go figure.

Maybe I could put harley badges all over the truck?

 

[GMfan1111]

technically it is a muffler but as far as legaility it depends on the laws in your area that address excess noise and other noise related issues

 

[chickenkicker]

I agree they may break some sort of decible law but, this is not what the cop's are agruing.

His truck is a '90-'93 chevy with a 350. He also says he saw the cop thee entire time and he was absolutly not loud with exhaust.

IMO, cops should have some sort of decible meter if they are going to this right.

Stock SRT-4s have been pulled over here and cited for being "too loud", an old coworker of mine was fined for this. They can basically deem any vehicle, at will, in violation of noise ordinance if they feel it is too loud, there is no good standard. As far as if a glass pack is a legal muffler, it depends on the local laws. My car just has a resonator (hollow piece of 4" diameter pipe) and in California that is a completely legal muffler but it could still violate noise ordinance laws even if the whole system is CARB approved/50 state legal just because a cop thinks it's too loud. My car will after all put out 100db at full throttle, tho I can drive it easy and make it sound nearly stock.

 

[Neanderthal]

Is a glasspack a muffler?

Always save the box! Does it say "glaspak muffler" or something like that?
Keep the box in the trunk, prove the copper wrong, show him the box. :yup:

He will be happy to get the education, and grateful to you for helping him improve his professional life and knowledge base.

 

[91 s-10baja]

hahaha, I actually have two glasspacks on my CTS to quiet it since I have a V exhaust on it. Not enough back pressure, and it sounded tinny, so it helped.