Legal sidepipes......

[Aussie Mike]

Flowmasters won't even come close to the noise limits we have to achieve here in Australia. The noise limit for a new production car is 90dB (which is the limit we have to meet) and I can fart louder than that.

Never mind the fact we also have to run catalytic converters.

[Donunder]

Originally Posted by Aussie Mike

The noise limit for a new production car is 90dB (which is the limit we have to meet) and I can fart louder than that.

Just cut back on all that Mexican chilli and re-fried beans Mike. You'll be right.

[Rob. Smith]

I spoke with flowmasters and they 'brushed' me off saying that the pipes were custom made for Jay Leno...they also quoted that 93 decibels would be impossible to achieve. The yanks do noise tests at about 100 feet away....not 1.5 metres.

[jpetran]

Yes these were custom made for Jay Leno and I purchased the extra units. No deception here. They thought there would be a market for them, thru them, for our cars. But its all driven by sales and they just were not there. As to the db levels, I get 90-93 db from my cobra (427 side oiler, dual quads), and YES this is 3-6 feet away. If your government does noise testing at 100 feet and are getting over 93 db of noise, yes you have a big problem and I understand why they are coming down on this issue.

[stephen low]

jpetran

Think my car was noise engineered with the dB meter sitting level with the exhaust about 1 - 1.5 metres away at a 45 degree angle chasing less than 90 dB at 3/4 max engine revs I think.

From memory I hit 88 dB with all this in place.

So yes our design laws are pretty tough to meet at times.

[Aussie Mike]

Originally Posted by jpetran

. As to the db levels, I get 90-93 db from my cobra (427 side oiler, dual quads), and YES this is 3-6 feet away.

Was this at idle or at 3/4 max revs as the Aussie test states?

The factory exhaust on my Pursuit only just meets this number when I tested it.

[Treeve]

Well here's my take on side exit exhausts:

There's nothing mentioned for MA category vehicles in the ADRs. In NSW, there's nothing mentioned for MA category vehicles in the NSW specific legislation either. Across Australia, this MC category vehicle is sold with sidepipes:

Road Vehicle Descriptor (RVD1)

Mercedes-Benz Australia - Facts & Figures - G 55 AMG

and to quote from the advertising:

"...an AMG exhaust system with chrome-finish twin tailpipes on each side of the vehicle..."

you can even see them in the photo montage on the website. They are for sale, and sold as is listed in NSW - there is one here in Orange in this specification.

It is a category MC vehicle, which means different requirements under the ADR, but a 5.5 V8 and sidepipes, in a 4WD is as far as I'm concerned, equivalent in behaviour to a passenger car.

Treeve