so,
according to RI state law,
-any- exhaust system
that is -in any way-
louder than stock
cannot pass state inspection.
which is kind of absurd.
i know some after-market exhaust companies
provide a baffle for the end of the pipe
which reduces the noise,
supposedly so you can be street legal
but then optimize your flow for track days
(of course we all know the only times these go on
are when the car's getting inpsected).
the guy who did my inspection -wants- to pass my car
and didn't think mine was at all 'too loud'
but he's kind of up against it,
given the way the law's written.
does anyone happen to know
if Borla makes these kinds of baffles?
(i didn't see anything on their site,
i have an email in to them, but no reply yet.)
are their "universal" baffles one can get based on pipe size?
the guy at the shop recommended calling the state for a waiver.
he said he was willing to vouche for the professsional level of the install
and that the system was clean, safe and reasonable in his opinion,
but i'm not optimistic.
i have 29 days to get this sorted.
thanks.
Last edited on Mon Jul 24th, 2006 05:15 pm by jhimm
____________________ it is smarter to be lucky
than
it is lucky to be smart.
Dan has the Bosal with silencer/baffle. He leaves it on all the time because NH cops - especially state troopers LOVE to pull a car over with a loud exhaust and then proceed to rip it all apart.
I have to think that Borla has something - have you checked their website?
I also would recommend contacting Ray At MyFordPerformance.com
definitely didn't see anything on the Borla site about baffles.
i have an email in with them, but so far no response.
i'm stopping by AutoZone on the way home
to see if they have something universal that'll fit a 3" pipe.
i'm really annoyed with RI for not having a cut-off decibel level.
i mean, an OEM Mustang GT exhaust is far louder than my car.
an OEM Harley Davidson is _FAR_ louder than my car.
and so far,
all the people i've called at the state
have been aloof and combative about it.
"its not our problem you did this,
and regardless of how stupid the law is its your problem,
and no, we won't go after Midas for installing illegal systems".
apparently they don't go after shops that install illegal tint, either,
which just strikes me as bizarre.
and the STUPID thing is,
the way the rule is written,
when the guy called and asked if the system was stock or not
if i'd told him it was the stock SVT system,
he'd have simply passed it.
but i didn't know which answer was the right answer.
____________________ it is smarter to be lucky
than
it is lucky to be smart.
if whomever does your inspection
wants to be a hardass about it,
it doesn't matter how much louder it is.
if it is at all noticably louder than stock,
they can fail you for it.
i was just measuring the pipe last night
as i was scouring the net for a removable exhaust silencer
and interior diameter
is closer to 3 inches than 2 and a half,
but it isn't quite 3, either,
because of the gap between the true pipe
and the chrome housing.
but yeah,
its the Borla cat-back for the SVT.
____________________ it is smarter to be lucky
than
it is lucky to be smart.
My Toyota has glass packs... Ok A grass pack on it and one shop wouldn't inspect it because in NH glass packs are for "off raod use only". Took it to another shop and they neaver mentioned anything about it. I also called areound and other shops also said the glass pack was illegal. THe same shop that didn't say anything about the glass pack also inspected my Focus with bosal and will be doing the same this year. whe nI find someone who will inspect my cars I stay with them and can always try the "you inspected it with this on it last year".
They are getting harder and harder on shops so the shops are getting more strict. And they do not go after shops installing so called "illegal" parts but those shops alo do not inspect cars. The state will go after any shop that inspects a car with illegal parts on it though.
But a lot of people will take off the illegal parts to get inspected and the next day re-install the illegal parts. The car was legal for one day and not the next and the stated will go after the shop the last inspection was done at just because there is no one else to get money from.
If you don't plan on going back to the shop that denied you inspection tell him this "If i put the stock parts back on it you will inspect it correct" he will say "yes" than say "ok, than I will go home and put the aftermarket stuff back on."... See what he sais than add "thats what everyone else does".... One of 2 things will happen. You'll never be able to go there again or he will think about it and just inspect it because if you really do that and get pulled over the cops are going to come to hm for inspecting it.
this guy's already agreed
that if i can find an exhaust silencer
he'll pass the car
knowing full well i'll take it off
as soon as i leave his parking lot.
the problem is,
i don't have the stock exhaust laying around
to re-install it,
even temporarily.
(one of the problems of living in small rented apartments)
so far he either isn't quite sure what i'm looking for
or he doesn't have anything like that.
i'm going to send him that link i just posted
and see if that gets us closer.
____________________ it is smarter to be lucky
than
it is lucky to be smart.
ok,
for reasons he seems unwilling to get into details about,
Ray insists an exhaust silencer won't work
and i need to replace the entire muffler instead with a quieter one.
which seems to me would completely defeat the point
of having installed the whole system in the first place.
i guess it can't hurt to try a silencer,
and if it in fact won't work
then get a new muffler.
____________________ it is smarter to be lucky
than
it is lucky to be smart.
If I remember dorrectly someone on MyFordFocus (I think??) put a high flow resinator on there Borla to quiet it down and said it didn't adversly affect the power gains of the cat-back. If interested give true bendz a call. Or even call true bendz on a silencer of some type.
That kind of sucks....I have the Borla 2.5 center exhaust on my SVTF and don't have a problem...then again in Maine, they go by the decibals of they think it's too loud...there are several local shops that do a sound test and give you a certificate...haven't needed one yet though...good luck...I'd check around and go to another inspection garage...seems cheaper then getting a new exhaut...
What other mods do you have? CAI, anything that might add to the supposed loudness of your exhaust?
____________________ 02 SVT Focus, CD Silver, No. 2032.
i had the CAI,
i had to take it off
because it kept rusting out my TPS
and gunking up the throttle body.
the cat-back wasn't really any louder with that on,
although there was the added noise
of the CAI sucking in huge quantities of air,
but that's not regulated.
the problem i have,
is that compared to a stock Focus,
the Borla on an SVT sounds -really- loud.
if i had a stock SVT to put next to it
they'd realize that its not really all that much louder,
but i don't have that option.
i don't really mind picking up a silncer,
provided it fits,
it works,
and it doesn't cost a small fortune.
but i'm having a hell of a time
getting any of these e-tailers or manufacturers to write me back
with details about their products.
i'm getting very frustrated
and at this point will need to simply order something,
hope it fits,
hope it works,
and if not,
that'll at least leave -some- time to pursue another option.
____________________ it is smarter to be lucky
than
it is lucky to be smart.
Just found this...it may the cheapest fix and then you can go back to your Borla...
Item Description - Stock SVT Cat Back Exhaust
Asking/Offering Price - $125.00 plus shipping
Email Address -mustangjeremy@hotmail.com
Your Location - MD
__________________
[url=http://forums.focaljet.com/redirect-to/?redirect=http%3A%2F%2Fhttp://www.focussalvage.com]http://www.focussalvage.com[/url]
The Focus Salvage Source.....NEW and USED OEM Parts for ALL Model Focus including SVT....Also Specailizing in Engine and Trans Swaps, Porting, Performance Installs......
____________________ 02 SVT Focus, CD Silver, No. 2032.
i don't think i have an option of a temporary fix.
the Borla system is welded on.
which is part of why the guy who inspected it -wants- to pass it
but we can't get the state to budge on the regulations.
as far as he's concerned,
its a better, safer system than most cars have,
with the way its hooked up in there.
$_deity i really wish i could sell this car.
____________________ it is smarter to be lucky
than
it is lucky to be smart.
