SS: Well, having a modified exhaust doesn't necessarily make the car illegal. You're using two different terms here: the words "modified" and "illegal vehicle." It's legal to modify your vehicle, depending on the modification. You can put in aftermarket mufflers and aftermarket seats and even change your steering wheel. Those are considered modifications done to your vehicle. Illegal would be a vehicle that had its smog device removed. The general terms law enforcement use are "legally modified" or "illegally modified."
2NR: So if a person has a 50-state-legal certification on their exhaust, are they exempt from receiving a citation if pulled over?
SS: No.
2NR: If they show you a certification from the manufacturer, do they still have to prove the exhaust is admissible?
SS: Well, the exhaust goes from the exhaust ports to the tip of your tailpipe. Everything from the exhaust gases going through your header manifold, through your catalytic converter, through the muffler itself are all different types of components you are discussing and generalizing about when you say 50-state legal. I think you will tend to confuse your readers.
2NR: Can you clarify this for us? I am referring to the full exhaust system from the catalytic back.
SS: There are two different laws when it comes to exhausts. You are dealing with Section 27150 of the vehicle code and also Section 27156. With the catalytic converter forward, it gets you into a completely different realm of the legal system. With exhausts from the catalytic back, you are only dealing with noise. There are all sorts of tricks such as hollowing out the catalytic or bolting on one that hasn't been CARB certified-same goes with headers that have no certification. There are tons of alterations. Everything from dump-tube cutouts to... I can go on for hours explaining this. I teach a four-hour class about all this. As far as I know, there's no 50-state-legal certification for a muffler in California.
2NR: When a manufacturer claims a product is 50-state legal, is it because the exhaust is below 95 decibels?
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