Last night after work I was driving the Thunderbird around just to get it out for a drive. It was a nice night (65*) and I was just cruising around. I was in one of the local suburbs waiting at a light on a 50mph road. At the light facing the opposite direction was a police cruiser for the local munility. When the light turned green I accelerated away from the light briskly but did not squeal or chirp the tires. I accelerated to 51mph and stayed at that speed. About half a mile behind me the police officer whips around and flips his lights on. Being that I hadn't done anything illegal I pulled over to the side of the road. Well the officer pulled up behind me and stopped. This came as a surprise as I had broken no laws that I was aware of. I rolled down my window and waited for the officer to show up. I left my hands on the wheel with the engine idling in park just waiting. The officer came up to the window;
Officer: Hello Sir.
Me: Hello Officer.
Officer: Do you have any idea why I pulled you over tonight?
Me: No sir.
Officer: Your exhaust is very loud. Can I see your license and insurance card.
Me: Yes officer. (I hand him both my license and insurance card) I was unaware my exhaust was too loud. No one has ever complained to me about it before. (Really no one has. I've had the same exhaust setup for 7 years and driven by countless police officers with nary a complaint).
Officer: (Hands me back my insurance card) Any modification to the exhaust system is illegal if it increases the noise output of the vehicle under Illinois law. Most police officers won't complain but I'm a stickler for the law.
Me: Sorry officer. I've never hand any complaints about it before.
Officer: I'll be right back. (He goes to his cruiser)
Now I waited for about ten minutes as he tired to find some sort of violation or blemish on my record. He can't. I've never had so much as a parking ticket. The officer walks back over to the car.
Officer: (hands me back my license) I'm not going to write you a ticket (probably because I didn't do anything wrong and I have a clean record) but try to quiet that car down.
Me: Yes sir. I'll purchase a different set of lers (sure ;)).
Officer: Have a nice night, buckle up and drive safe.
Me: You too sir.
So that's now one munility I won't drive through any more. It's the end of the month so I bet the officer was looking for a ticket to write. Apparently he picked the wrong car as I didn't do anything wrong, my record was clean, and I was polite to him. Maybe he should pick on the fart can Hondas or BMWs that drive around the area and almost sideswipe people. Just saying. They're, ya know, actually speeding ;).
I feel your pain. I get pulled over all the time for BS things about my cars. The cops around here are sticklers for every detail. When I have a headlight burn out, I get pulled over that day. Every time. Since I moved to this town about 4 years ago, I have been pulled over 10+ times. No tickets, just bored cops.
I got pulled over for "speeding" just the other day. That was the first legitimate moving violation I have been accused of in years. It's always some BS about the car itself (headlights, window tint, loud lers, etc). Anyway, the cop tried to say I was going 67 in a 55, and that I didn't have my seat belt on. I have never left the driveway without my seat belt in all my years of driving. I honestly don't know how fast I was going. I have a long rural drive to work in the morning. I am always the only car on the road, and I just go however fast I feel like going, hehe. I didn't see the cop, the corn was too high as I was rounding a corner. Now, I doubt I was hanging a tight corner in a stock '80 thunderbird at 67mph... But whatever. He gave me a warning.
But yeah, I get pulled over all the time. Probably once every couple months. I must look suspicious. If I drive past a cop, he WILL come after me. That's just how it is.
You just never know who the hell you're going to run into.
Talking about noise.... The motorcycles with no lers are the absolute worst. me off evertime they go by me, SO LOUD!!!!
I guarantee your car is no where as loud as them.
Lou , Job security check that's all he was doing...to bad u didn't have box of donuts in your front seat. Lol
I know the officer was doing his job but maybe he could try, oh I don't know, pulling over people who are breaking the law? He wasted 15 minutes of both his and my time.
I have quite a few friends who are officers. These are the kind of guys they roll their eyes at. Bored suburban cops who need a power trip. I mean I don't even fit the profile of someone who is up to no good. Clean old car driven by a near 30 year old with a masters degree. Yep I'm out to raise hell and take names :rollin:
Lolz. I can't even hear my car over those bikes.
I always try to cop out with acquaintances/friends that comment on just how loud my black car is with the header cutouts open. I say "well....it's like a Harley!!!"
The response is "uh yeah how about TEN harleys" :rollin: which is not an unreasonable statement!
I love almost anything stupid-loud, even fart can 4-bangers. It used to piss me off, now I just lose control with laughter. It honestly makes me WANT one sometimes just to drive around sounding like the BRASS SECTION in an orchestra LMAO!!!!!!
This one time...I saw a guy on his big V-Twin whatever, hunkered down, taking off up a hill/bridge right next to an old-car cruise-in I was at. Man this thing sounded good, and he was bangin' gears quick, but it was going NOWHERE. Now that made me laugh hard too. I mean it was just so slow. And the guy clearly thought he was flying. Then, and only then, did I know what people meant when they made fun of those bikes. I never understood it, I figured they had to move out pretty good anyway.
I am kind of amazed how loud and slow some Harleys are. I don't mind loud but I'd like to be able to hear my own "loud" engine ;)
Cop just figured he could get ya on something, then when he couldn't or saw a clean record, he let ya.go.
back in the day drug runners liked our cars because they had a bit of power and were super easy to steal. i get asked if i have or do drugs virtually every time i get pulled over, and i always give them the same.response, "not that i know of?" And give them a wink.
lots of fun to watch them tear apart your car and look through everything for an hour. then they remeber you and try to avoid you in the future...
older cars = rolling probable cause. Odds are they will find some mods that are ticket worthy, or perceptions about these cars are they look old enough to be ticket traps, but modern enough that if not a car guy, its just a beater driven by a pot toking retard. If you were in a "real" classic Mustang or Mopar, i doubt you would be pulled over in the same instance, because it looks like a classic car. Its wrong, but thats just how it is for those of us that choose to own the red headed step child of Mustangs.
Some douche lick goes by my house
every stinking morning on a crotch rocket with extremely loud exhaust and wakes my entire family up (including a 3 year old and 2 mo. old baby). The guy has to be going 70+ in a 50 mph zone. It really grinds my gears. Plus my next door neighbor has a Harley with straight pipes on it. He can't just slowly pull out of his driveway when he leaves either...he has to wick the throttle and wake up my kids. He's a nice guy and good neighbor, but I think I'm going to buy him lers for Christmas, lol.
I think the two most annoying automotive groups are 1.) diesel pickups. It seems they all have annoying loud exhaust and love to "roll coal". I love seeing those guys get pulled over 2.) loud motorcycles. Especially when they sit at a light and keep revving it up. We get it, you're a tough biker and your prove your masculinity by the loudness of your bike.
The problem is my car is not a beater. It looks almost as good as when it was new. I've never had a problem before. I think the officer thought I was speeding when I accelerated quickly from the light. When I wasn't he had to make up something so he didn't look silly. I can understand, kinda.
Ten years ago I was pulled over and given a ticket, my one ticket, for passing a semi truck. I was going a blazing 41mph in a 35 zone :hick:.
Since it's been warmer out my neighbor has been taking his loud, straight piped, Harley to work. He loves to really hammer on it out of the driveway and make the exhaust echo off the houses in the neighborhood. At 12:30 in the morning. He works the overnight shift. Fun times.
See this is the problem, this is why I never rev sitting still. That's the thought..that I have to show off. What if I just like revving my motor? :hick:
At big city-wide car events where there's people cruising around, it's fun when you can get a bunch of people revving at each other. MADNESS!!!!!!!!
And the sickest part about me is I'm the ONE GUY that if someone with a loud V8 constantly woke me up in the middle of the night...yeah it would suck but at work I'd be tired, telling people I couldn't sleep but I got to hear someone else besides ME out raising hell for once! Sometimes I wish I lived on a main road, I'd get more exposure to the other hopped-up cars in town. I'm sure I'd frighten them...I'd be jumping out of bed, running outside heckling them to do a burnout. MORE BURNOUTS!!!!
I'm in a nice neighborhood but there is one kid with an 02-ish Nissan Altima with clearly NO exhaust. Makes me giggle every time it goes by. :rollin: I keep thinking "Come on, how much longer is this guy gonna put up with his beater, how much more pain is he gonna take?"
Those altimas are suprising quick. i had a high school buddy with a basically stock 2000 something 3.5 and he ran a 13.2 at our 4500ft elevation.
I wanna go to that track cause my Mustang will flirt with 10s. Some tracks are known to be off on their time s. That's about a full second faster than an Altima should be....and that's with a good launch and driving the snot out of it.
Yeah I used to be more fun. Now I just want to get my sleep!!
My Thunderbird would be in the 12s! Lets road trip it ;).
Kids. They make you enjoy sleep more than you ever did before. At least that's what my friends who have kids say.
A stock stick shift stang that runs 14.5's at las vegan runs about a 15.3 here. most stang guys say were about a second slower.
Sometimes I wake up after 5 hours of sleep feeling better than times I slept in for 9+ hours.
Most of the time...I need 8. 7-7.5 very least. But I usually can't do my job right unless I'm rested up.
Stacks, go on an altima forum. Most guys are running 15s with them. A few 14s. 13s are modified. Google it.
I get to talk to the law probably once every 3 years, but I got to meet the nicest officer last week. Seriously, I wish all of them did their job this well.
I was speeding. Probably 95 in a 75 - I wasn't paying any attention. He was set up with a speed trap behind a bridge, and as soon as I saw him light them up, I pulled over - no reason pretending I didn't see him.
Him: "Running late?"
Me: "Yep, headed to the airport - point to my suitcase."
Him: "I'll make this as quick as possible, but I need your license."
Me: "Okay"
He then stands by the car and writes the ticket, asks a few things into his chest CB/microphone thingy...
Him: "If you sign this and agree to comply with the ticket, I'll give you your license back so you have your photo ID at the airport."
Me: "Cool."
Him: "Try to keep it under 90 for the rest of the trip. I hope you make your flight."
Start to finish, probably 3 minutes. None of this "why did I pull you over?" nonsense. Just a very efficient and nice guy. He knew I was in a hurry, I knew I was guilty, so we didn't try to banter with each other. I looked at the ticket, 88mph, which means that I can take driving school and get the points off my record!
Awesome experience. I wish they were all that easy. I should probably look up his precinct and let them know that the guy does his job well.
I am a Christian, but my right foot is the last thing on my body that will be sanctified.
For what it's worth, our cars meet the definition of "custom cars" according to Illinois 625 ILCS 5/1-113 and are exempt from testing and anti-exhaust tampering laws, if you want to fight it.
That used to happen to me quite often in a variety of vehicles. No ticket, no warning, no repair order. Just excuses to justify the harassment. No just cause, let alone crime. Then a closer look still reveals nothing. If I keep typing, it'll get all political about the laws and their enforcement. A job that is a moral dilemma. I have known since a kid I would never do.
I have no need to fight anything. No ticket was issued just a verbal "warning".