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Volume 13, Issue #2. Published on Decmber 8, 2004
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Photo Toua Herr
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Always make sure any automobile modifications meet local ordinances.
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Car Mods
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Toua Herr
Asian Pacific Review
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Have you experienced a time when a police officer pulled you over for a ticket?
Heart pounding so loudly that it feels like it is about to blow out of your head. The mind goes blank and can't remember anything because of the nervousness. When the officer asks a question, only mumbles come out because thinking straight seems too hard a concept.
If this is you then you are not alone. With every graduating high school class, 80 percent of those graduates will be driving their own car or their parent's car. Two out of ten will be in car accidents during their first year of driving while others will either be cited for racing or high speed driving.
Modifying your ride too look and perform its best is always on your mind, but it is it "legal?"
"Legal" is driving the vehicle stock-as if it has just came out from the dealer's lot. The government has to regulate how much can be changed on a vehicle for a variety of reasons. These include emission standards, road upkeep and safety of the public.
"Not legal" is driving around town with a vehicle that half the time is scrapping the concrete, music so loud that it could be heard for blocks, an exhaust muffler so loud it sounds like a train is coming, and having an aftermarket performance part that can't pass a smog test.
If this is you, pay attention and maybe you can learn a few tricks and avoid the hassle of a ticket the next time an officer pulls you over.
So now that you got pulled over for a loud muffler, the officer tells you that your ride could be heard for blocks. You ask for a decibel, db, test on your exhaust. The officer pulls out his db device and measures the sound of the exhaust. It reads under 95 db that means that your exhaust is legal.
You win.
California law (cvc 27151) says that no exhaust can be over 95 db, anything over is considered illegal. For comparison, a jackhammer's rating is 100 db. In case you value your ears, anything over 90 db over time will cause permanent hearing damage.
So now, the officer moves to the next step, trying to bust your car for being too low to the ground. You can ask for a height test, which involves measuring from the ground to the vehicle's headlight. If it falls between 14-22 inches, it is legal.
Finally, window tint. In California, it is legal to have the three back windows tinted but only if it is possible to see some kind of interior figure and have a passenger side mirror.
You pass all the tests the officer had. You can now drive on knowing that you will be less likely to get tickets with out sacrificing your mods.
Drive safe and buckle up.
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