Posted on 11/05/2002 7:34:37 AM PST by H8DEMS
(CNSNews.com) - A national organization devoted to fighting noise pollution has taken its battle to the streets, to combat loud exhaust systems installed in cars after they are sold.
Noise Free America spokesman Mark Huber says the manufacturers of hot rod mufflers are selling a product that is "lawlessly terrorizing" neighborhoods across America.
The Richmond, Va.-based group insists that noise pollution is a serious health hazard. It mentions hearing damage, sleep deprivation, aggression, chronic fatigue and high blood pressure as specific maladies stemming from our noisy world.
Noise Free America recently awarded Flowmaster, Inc., a manufacturer of high- performance, after-market mufflers and exhaust systems, with its Noisy Dozen award, an "honor" given to the nation's worst noise polluters.
According to Huber, Flowmaster was singled out for aggressively marketing products that bother people and are even illegal in some states. He said Flowmaster and other companies that distribute the noisy mufflers systems specifically boast about the "deep aggressive tone" or "deep throaty rumble" that their products produce.
A diverse cross-section of teens and twenty-somethings are installing the equipment that sells for thousands of dollars.
An article in Flowmaster's customer magazine, Power Press, acknowledges that there's a strong demand for loud exhaust systems: "Market surveys continually show...that many buyers purchase a Flowmaster system because of its unique and distinctive sound."
But Huber said he sees nothing desirable in Flowmaster's product line.
"For some reason, both fans of after-market exhausts and 'boom cars' seem to be obsessed with the lower frequency noises, which can disturb more people at a greater distance in all directions from their vehicle," he said. "Sounds of a lower pitch or frequency travel further and penetrate solids, such as windows and exterior walls of homes more easily than sounds of a higher pitch."
Illegal equipment
According to Huber, it is completely legal for manufacturers such as Flowmaster to market and sell their exhaust systems. However, he said, as soon as the car owner installs the equipment and hits the road, that car owner could be breaking the law.
Huber said approximately 40 states prohibit the modification of exhaust systems contrary to factory specifications. Virginia is one such state, he said.
Virginia's State Code (Sec. 46.2-1049) specifically states, "No person shall drive and no owner of a motor vehicle shall permit or allow the operation of any vehicle on a highway unless it is equipped with an exhaust system of a type installed as standard factory equipment, or comparable to that designed for use on the particular vehicle as standard factory equipment, in good working order and in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise."
But he said local and state police are lax in their enforcement of the state code in cases where vehicles equipped with noisy after-market exhaust systems are clearly in violation of the law.
Contrary to Huber's observation, Virginia State Police spokesman Sergeant Morris said the law enforcement officers statewide are cracking down on illegally installed exhaust systems; it's just that some counties don't enforce the law as strictly as others, he said.
"Different people have different things that they go after, fortunately or unfortunately," Morris said. "They have some police officers in Chesterfield County who are sticklers for those mufflers."
He said Chesterfield County's local police force writes a lot of tickets for vehicles with noisy mufflers because the devices are not standard factory equipment, nor are they compatible with standard factory equipment, as state code mandates.
However, Morris said judges in Virginia's county court system often rule against officers who issued tickets for noise violations. "Some will convict, some won't," he said.
Assault on freedom
Huber believes that people who purchase noisy mufflers see them as "some sort of extension of their personality that they want to share with the whole world."
"That's where the line is crossed," he said. "That's where they take away my freedom and they rob quiet off of my property and out of my personal space."
Aside from being a threat to public safety and an assault on the quality of life, Huber believes the tailpipe rumblings also affect the property values of homes within earshot of the hot rods.
He pointed to studies showing that homes located near airports lose almost two percent of their property value per decibel level emitted by jumbo jets. Similarly, he said, owners of vehicles that produce "aggressive, muscle car sound" may decrease the value of homes.
Noise Free America takes a grassroots approach to noise pollution. It lobbies politicians, even supplying model legislation, to address what it perceives as a health problem.
Flowmaster defends its products
"We have been in the business for over 20 years - and not by advocating that people break the law," said a Flowmaster spokesman who refused to identify himself to CNSNews.com . "That's why we make off-road products and products for street and emission vehicles as well."
According to the Flowmaster spokesman, the company designs exhaust systems for "race cars" based on the good-faith assumption that they will be installed on track-based race cars - not open-road passenger vehicles.
However, he said, "People, when they buy their cars and trucks, are free to do whatever they want, to a point. They go beyond that, oftentimes, and get in trouble."
BTW, welcome to FR
Most products are manufacturered in other states or country so the sale of he products draws money out of these communities. The local economic activity generated by this is merely circulating local dollars--no gain.
What?!? I guess you haven't bothered looking where most of the HQs and manufacturing of these businesses are then. Most every quality product is manufactured in CA, home of the hot rod. Some are here in NC, but all within the US. Secondly your argument makes absolutely no sense. By that argument, I should demand HP, Compaq, Whirlpool, Dell, JVC, and any other manufacturer move a plant to my city so 'local' money 'stays in the community'
Because of the industries myopic and fool hardy business plan, these businesses are largely dependent on state laws being ignored--and people knowingly or not breaking state law
Just ignored my first reply then did you? If you'd bother looking, Flowmaster falls into the db levels required by the respective states. They're not going to make a product that can't be sold legally or they're going to be out of business rather quickly. I'll give you a good example. I guess you've never bothered trying to buy window tint that is illegal within a respective state. If you try to buy tint from an authorized dealer(and FWIW you can't buy aftermarket performance parts from anyone but an authorized dealer) they are by law unable to sell you the tint in the first place. If they do they can be fined. I don't know many companies that are going to sell a product they know they will be fined for.
Also a thriving after-market auto or car stereo economy requiers an acceptance of a much lower quality of life in these communities.
LOL!! So if you buy after market equipment you're living a lower quality of life? Have you bothered looking at the db noise levels on stock stereo equipment? Unless you're 40% deaf, you're going to hear hiss in the speakers. Are you suggesting we now have to hear hissing in our speakers to make your a$$ happy?
. Having more Flowmasters, Magnaflows, or Borla's or Greddy's will not do a community any good only lower the quality of life for most people.
Well that's your opinion. You've yet to prove one fact, present one state law that's being broken, or make any valid statement based on anything but 'Well I don't like it!!' That's a liberal argument. Did you get lost and just happen on FR? Continue stomping your foot, and the millions of vehicles out there that are legally driving the road with after market exhausts and engine modifications will keep on driving
Any unnecessary noise that intrudes into the property of another or causes distress to those around it is too loud.
Unnecessary noise is noise that is created just for the pleasure of creating it rather than as a letigitamate part of daily living. And among civilized manly men even necessary noise is created with great care not to harm those effected by it.
One cannot help but pity those who have bought into the revisionist history that most cars before 1974 were not naturally loud. What now, Cochise? Plan to get all those cars off the road too? We all going to be driving the electric hum cars? Plug ins on the roadside every 2 miles? Green first is that it? LOL!! Your argument is as weak as the other ones. And what does patriotism have to do with modification of a car? It doesn't prove or disprove my patriotism. Now yours with this 'I don't like it, so I'm going to limit your freedom' could be called into question, but I did it, now listen very carefully here, because I LIKE FAST CARS. You want to take production cars like Vipers and Vettes off the road too? They're made off the manufacturing line to do 180+.
To be sure, the making of unreasonable noise from unmuffled or improperly muffled automobiles, trucks or motorcycles is a decidedly unmasculine and selfish, if not cowardly act. How many of these noisemakers would endure the wrath of their neighbors if they were not in constant flight in a moving vehicle?
You related to the other guy who's planning to do injury to his neighbors? Improperly muffled? Meets state law, it's legal. You want to change the law, go right ahead, but I'll promise you, a large majority of the citizens within a state are going to disagree with you on how they may or may not spend their money in adjusting their cars
HR, I just had to ping you to see some of their arguments.
Between the girls car alarm on her Kia or Lada or whatever the hell that thing is and the white punk ass who thinks he is a member of the Wu Tang clan and his blaring rap music than the ricer with a loud muffler
I do agree with him on one point. Flowmaster definately deserves an award, for superior products! I have Flowmasters on my 5.0 Mustang and my F-250 FWD Ford. The truck REALLY sounds great! Nothing like Flowmasters w/ headers attached to 460 cubes of V-8!
I have gone back and re-read this entire thread. The truly amazing thing is that these guys trying to gain attention by making loud noises truly don't have a clue how adolescent sounding they are.
I did not think it possible, but my opinion of these noisy thugs is lower than when I first stumbled across this thread.
I really hate to be tacky about this but the truth is that NONE of the noise thugs in my neighborhood have a steady girlfriend much less a wife. And I suspect the same is probly true of you and most of the other low brow adolescent noise makers on this thread.
The teeny weeny peeny theory sounds like a likely explanation to me. Any of the ladies on this thread ever date a wrench head?
Why thank you!! Ignore the facts presented about air flow and performance and resort to name calling. How adult of you
Muldowney.com
Women in motorsports
Women in racing
Quote from page--- Drag racing is often cited as a form of motor sport more open to female drivers as it is relatively cheap to compete compared to other classes of motorsports and women may benefit from being lighter in weight and smaller in statue.
These women enjoy the same thing men do and prove they can do the same thing men do. I don't want a trophy wife. I want someone that can get under the hood of a car and not be lost. And that's just one reason I love my wife
You are truly a class act. And very stupid too! You are thinking your neighbors are impressed with your display of what your pre-pubescent thoughts mistake for virility?
Think again. You are making a fool of yourself while making enemies of all decent people around you. I am now sitting up with a sick handicapped child who has been awakened from a troubled sleep twice tonight by assholes like you roaring by.
We have thoughts about you but they are not about what a Stud you must be to make such manly noise. We are thinking that you are a shit for brains sissy fool who assualts helpless people from a distance with big machinery. Wake up and smell the coffee.
Make that at least 52!! My wife and I have just joined. And we have volunteered to pay for local newspaper ads to encourage more of your victoms to band together and fight back. This thread has actually given me some hope.
Well said.
Well good for you!! 52 out of 360 million. In 30 or 40 years your numbers could swell to at least 200. I see you bothered to ignore my posts as to women in racing. I also see from your other posts your argument hasn't gotten any stronger and you continue to resort to name calling
FWIW, I've asked around at my apartment complex and no one seems to have a problem with the car. Had a few folks however who told me it sounded good.
And Flowmasters do not meet the legal requirements for use on public roads in North Carolina. When they say "legal in 50 states", they mean legal to install - they don't necessarily mean legal to operate.
Here's the North Carolina law - Ch.20 Section 128 - the Motor Vehicle Code:
§ 20-128. Exhaust system and emissions control devices.
(a)No person shall drive a motor vehicle on a highway unless such motor vehicle is equipped with a muffler, or other exhaust system of the type installed at the time of manufacture, in good working order and in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise, annoying smoke and smoke screens.
(b) It shall be unlawful to use a "muffler cut-out" on any motor vehicle upon a highway. No dB specification to weasel out with here. You could be easily convicted of an offense if charged.
I expect most state's laws are the same. Lax enforcement is the major reason these thugs get by with tormenting innocent people.
This is an important thread and should be kept going. It has given my wife and I hope that we can re-claim the use of our home. I know of no Conservative who would defend the lack of civility these people display.
The property rights violations they are committing are one of the clearest examples of our societal decay of which I am aware. Who agrees and who disagrees? This is a real chance to discuss and address a nuts and bolts issue of the decay/rebirth of Conservative principles in America.
Let's keep this thread bumped and see what comes to pass!
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