Fines for noise

[firefox1712]

I hear, or have read somwhere, that Suffolk Police are intituting a county-wide purge on noisy cars following a trial in the Bury St Edmunds area. It seems that this measure is primarily geared at boy-racer types who modify their cars with 'bean-can' exhausts, but I suspect that Wedge and other TVR owners may fall foul of this, especially as the mark they have detemined not to be exceeded is 83 decibels I think. No dount TVR owners can plead the 'low volume manufacturer' argument, but will the rozzers run with this? Similarly 'It was like this when it was new', since they only seem to be after modified cars.

It seems that officers have had special 'training' in the use of the noise meters, but I still wonder at what distance from the car they take the reading.

Many TVRs are 90 - 100db and more aren't they?

Is this happening in other areas?

I'll try and find the article to confirm the points.

JJ

[Flintstone]

Well I'm just heading up to the Sebring open day so will detour into Suffolk and let you know if I get pulled

[miniman]

What is the maximum legal exhaust noise level?

[Timja]

Can't see that they can do anything about a standard exhaust on a TVR that is just noisy from new. If it has been de-catted, straight through pipes etc they may do something?

Probably to stop boy racers and anti social behaviour. If driving normally then can't see a problem, if driving reving the engine it may be different e.g. the Lambo here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9UlOqoTO3A

[thainy77]

If your car is still fitted with a standard exhaust from the manufacturer i'm 99% sure that there is nothing they can do about it.

If you drove passed and started revving your engine then that is a different matter and they may class you as being a "noise nuisance" or something similarly stupid.

[oblio]

I got stopped by plod a few years ago in my noisy Griff. The chap was OK but said that if the traffic boys pulled me they could put a prohibition notice on the car due to noise. At the time I had straight through pipes (basically chopped out the silencer and welded in some pipe) with a 5.5litre Rob Robertson build engine so it did sound like a nascar

I changed the pipes for an ACT cherry bomb set up which reduced the Db down to a measly 120Db

I looked into the law at the time and in essence I found out that:

- Noise not tested on the MOT
- Factory issue or bespoke set up sold off the shelf are OK (regardless of noise)
- Tampering with the exhaust to make it louder is naughty/not allowed

I think after that it came down to a question of public nuisance/anti social behaviour/local interpretation or laws etc etc so more of a grey area

HTH

[Bodmin]

miniman said:

What is the maximum legal exhaust noise level?

I don't believe there is one, even in the construction & use regs.

A few years back the Ministry of Transport were proposing to introduce a limit for the MOT test but nothing came of it. However an MOT tester can fail a car, if in his opinon, an exhaust is excessively noisy but they certainly don't have a decibel limit to measure against.

I can only assume the Police will follow the same guidelines as the Councils Enviromental Health dept use i.e. so many decibels above backround noise, I thinks its something like 50 decibels above backround noise to be classed as a nuisance.

Just make sure you get stopped next to some roadworks where they are using a jack hammer

Bodders

[so called]

Timja said:

Can't see that they can do anything about a standard exhaust on a TVR that is just noisy from new. If it has been de-catted, straight through pipes etc they may do something?

Probably to stop boy racers and anti social behaviour. If driving normally then can't see a problem, if driving reving the engine it may be different e.g. the Lambo here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9UlOqoTO3A

My Tuscan is decatted and sleeved so is rather load.
It went down a treat earlier this month in Spain.
Spain had just beat Germany and the streets were full of happy fans. With the volume of traffic it took a while to get to the roundabout that would get us out of town but the roundabout was covered in kids waving flags etc.
Once they spotted the Tuscan, with my wife waving a Spain flag, I was surrounded by these kids holding their flags out and shouting "Toro".
Obviously I duly obliged with copious amounts of reving as we edged round.
As we made our way off there was a nice Police Officer running down the road waving his arms to intercept me.

Dont speak Spanish so dont know what he said but seemed satisfied with my "Si, Si, Si" so off I drove with a big smile and a big cheer from the crowd.