Ticket for Loud Exhaust $250

[jasestu]

The key thing for me is 'loud' vs 'releasing the melody of the engine'. Loud/droning exhausts annoy me to, but it's all about balance. Thing is tho, loud to one person might not be to another. For some people any car sound is very intrusive. Like you say, guess that's why they regulate relative to the sound from factory.

[barryogen]

"Published comments are a representative selection of the feedback we are sent, not all feedback is published."
- http://www.noiseoff.co.nz/news/comments.htm

Representitive? There's not a single comment mentioning the other side of the arguement.

maybe no-one has sent them anything from the noisey car exhaust supporters group?

[barryogen]

The key thing for me is 'loud' vs 'releasing the melody of the engine'. Loud/droning exhausts annoy me to, but it's all about balance. Thing is tho, loud to one person might not be to another. For some people any car sound is very intrusive. Like you say, guess that's why they regulate relative to the sound from factory.

There is a problem with the "reletive to the sound from factory" too though. My car(Corolla RunX) can't be bought new here, almost everytime my car gets compared to anything, it gets compared to the standard Corolla, which comes with an engine producing approximatly 40kW(at 93kW) less than mine, and lacking the "Lift" that mine has with VVTL-i, which changes the exhaust note quite considerably after 6000rpm.

Personally I would prefer to see a blanket limit of say 90dB, and maybe a late night(11pm-6am?) limit of say 85dB.

90dB is loud, loud enough that no road legal car should have to be that loud, at 8300RPM, mine was measured at 87dB(using the proposed testing method), and that was once the cat and siliencer were removed(for track use)

[Punter]

"Published comments are a representative selection of the feedback we are sent, not all feedback is published."
- http://www.noiseoff.co.nz/news/comments.htm

Representitive? There's not a single comment mentioning the other side of the arguement.

maybe no-one has sent them anything from the noisey car exhaust supporters group?

I've adjusted your highlighting

[barryogen]

"Published comments are a representative selection of the feedback we are sent, not all feedback is published."
- http://www.noiseoff.co.nz/news/comments.htm

Representitive? There's not a single comment mentioning the other side of the arguement.

maybe no-one has sent them anything from the noisey car exhaust supporters group?

I've adjusted your highlighting

either way, we wont know, either none has been sent, or there is a hell of a lot more people against loud exhausts than for it(wouldn't be too far of a stretch from the truth), hence a larger representation

Maybe 95% of the comments they get are against loud exhausts, to be representative, they would have to publish 19 "against" comments to every "for" comment.

[tomo1985]

The thing is its not loud when driving unless your pulling 8000rpm. This come was just a prick on a power trip.

Stupid Labour giving them more power as if it hasn't already gone to there heads enough.

[pc]

If you wouldn't put your ear 1 metre from your exhaust, then it's too loud... It's pretty simple really, if other people can hear your car then it's too loud. Exhausts can be quiet and generally come from the factory quiet.
I have 2 cars that are too loud and drive them considerately in suburban areas.
Lets not get into "buses are loud" or "harleys are loud" so why can't I. The simple fact is that the more noisey traffic there is... the noisier and more annoying it is for the majority of people.

[wde_bdy]

90dB is loud, loud enough that no road legal car should have to be that loud, at 8300RPM, mine was measured at 87dB(using the proposed testing method), and that was once the cat and siliencer were removed(for track use)

What distance was that at? In the testing I have seen they recommended 95dB at 0.5m and 45 degrees as the limit at 3500 to 4000rpm.

Callum

[barryogen]

90dB is loud, loud enough that no road legal car should have to be that loud, at 8300RPM, mine was measured at 87dB(using the proposed testing method), and that was once the cat and siliencer were removed(for track use)

What distance was that at? In the testing I have seen they recommended 95dB at 0.5m and 45 degrees as the limit at 3500 to 4000rpm.

thats it, the 0.5m 45degrees from the left side of my car(my muffle tip points toward the outside of the car at ~20 degrees from straight, and slightly upwards).

[Timmo]

No, the TRD muffler is not considered factory standard equipment for this purpose.

Hmm...so what about HSVs? FPVs.....or any 'factory' modified cars?? Technically, they are louder than the manufacturer intended so should fail a WOF.....

I cant see how that is different...one has an HSV exhaust, one has a TRD exhaust. Both louder than a standard car I would have thought....

[Punter]

Can you buy a new corolla from toyota with a TRD exhaust? NO
Can you buy a new falcon from FPV with and FPV exhaust? YES

[barryogen]

Can you buy a new corolla from toyota with a TRD exhaust? NO
Can you buy a new falcon from FPV with and FPV exhaust? YES

It depends on who you class as "Toyota", personally if I walked into my local dealer, bought a new echo, but specified all the TRD goodness that you can get for them, I would say that they are availible from Toyota like that... however, they are not availible from toyota like that without specifically asking for it.

[Timmo]

pretty sure you can....at least in Japan you can- The Toyota dealers have brochures for their aftermarket companies (Toms, TRD) so you can specify those items when you buy the car.

Technically, if you import that car to NZ its 'as the factory intended'.....

Im not sure if you could prove it was done in Japan though (i guess in the same way you couldnt prove that you didnt just put an FPV/HSV exhaust on your car)

[Timmo]

and that is just one example of how ill thought out the exhaust law is....

For example- does it matter if modified car is louder than factory if another car, totally standard is louder in real terms (Decibels)? ....the impact on the people the law is trying to protect (ie people sensitive to exhaust noise) is the highest for the totally standard car and not the modified one (yet the modified car is illegal)

When the law was first proposed it was obvious that this subjective way of determining if an exhaust was 'loud' would lead to problems....there is a common DB level that people would agree is too loud for a car but the law doesnt set that limit. IMO a law should be as clear-cut so there is no confusion

ie "Your exhaust is too loud as it exceeds xxxx decibels" as opposed to " Your exhaust is too loud because i think so"

I think that many car enthusiasts would actually prefer a set DB limit- at least you know what is legal and what isnt....

[Punter]

ie "Your exhaust is too loud as it exceeds xxxx decibels" as opposed to " Your exhaust is too loud because i think so"

I think that many car enthusiasts would actually prefer a set DB limit- at least you know what is legal and what isnt....

Thats the point that every single person has made in every single exhaust thread, I really don't see why this thread is still alive.

Die thread Die.

[VR-4Squid]

I agree there should be a set decibel limit. But the problem comes with trying to measure it consistently.

Surrounding objects will bounce the noise back, and other traffic will also affect a road side reading.
If you pull onto the grass beside a rural road running between fields, the dB reading will be alot less than if you stopped on the road.
Get stopped in the city,surrounded by hardsurfaces (road, buildings, etc) and traffic and it'll be higher still.

So unless there's standardised testing conditions, or some sort of way to weight the reading based on the surroundings, having a dB level is pretty pointless.

[BlakJak]

BTW to use the Harley Example is shady, coz most 'overly loud' harleys have had their mufflers removed.

(They get refitted at wof type, typically)

Aka their owners are pricks...

[TRD Man]

Technically, if you import that car to NZ its 'as the factory intended'.....

That's not true at all.
Yes, in Japan, you can have your new Toyota fitted with TRD goodies before taking delivery. And in doing so you will likely continue to enjoy the benefits of the Toyota warranty.
But that's quite a different thing from suggesting that the car is "as the factory intended (read "designed & complied") it".

TRD is an 'after market' product just like any other. It might be the best 'after market' product you can buy for your Toyota, but 'after market' it is none the less.

[Dell'Orto]

How about vehicles like Tom's T111 etc? (not like they're actually available here) Wouldnt really be any different to an FPV/HSV.

[t0ms]

BTW to use the Harley Example is shady, coz most 'overly loud' harleys have had their mufflers removed.

(They get refitted at wof type, typically)

Aka their owners are pricks...

they do not get refitted at the WOF.

if you deal with these bikes you would know that it is not the owners at all that have any say in the matter. the bikes are designed to make that level of noise. they are only quite during the run in period on the engine as they have a special baffled exhaust system to provide sufficient back pressure for the motor to run in properly.
with the run in pipes on they are dramatically under horsepowered...

try looking at it this way.

if your car came with an extra cat converter and you were told by ill informed others that you cant remove it as it will make your car "loud" but it resulted in your car barely scraping the legal limit (100kph) would you leave it on?