Track Mode Illegal in CA?

[Murry101]

I saw a clip on YouTube in which a driver received a ticket and what seemed like egregious penalties from a police officer for using "track" mode on the street. Then I found a related article. Has me wondering if anyone in CA has received a ticket while driving their ITS, and if so, what the final outcome was.

The article mentions a sound level threshold of 95 db (doesn't mention at what distance). I live in NH, so this isn't an issue for me (I think), but I'm curious how loud the ITS's exhaust is in Sport+ mode. There's no question in my mind that Harley riders have louder exhausts than the ITS or Elantra N in track mode....

https://www.hotcars.com/california-law-using-track-mode-on-street/

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[NoelPR]

That EN driver deserved everything.
He was dumb enough to say that he was using track mode.
Just limit yourself by saying that the car is stock.

The EN exhaust is way louder than ours.

I did a quick search in our manual and doesn't say anything about avoiding Sport+ in the streets.

 

[nawfoo]

Just a bunch of bullshit from a clueless cop

 

[Car00071]

Our type s exhaust is so much more quiet than the Elantra n. I don’t think anyone will get in trouble for our exhaust. My friend has an Elantra n and that thing is obnoxiously loud in N mode.

 

[SlippyFist]

i mean everything fun is illegal in california lol

 

[nix6speed]

This post should help.

https://www.civicxi.com/forum/threads/downpipe-options.52641/post-874173

 

[Murry101]

That EN driver deserved everything.
He was dumb enough to say that he was using track mode.
Just limit yourself by saying that the car is stock.

The EN exhaust is way louder than ours.

I did a quick search in our manual and doesn't say anything about avoiding Sport+ in the streets.

Seems a bit harsh to say the Elantra owner deserved to have his car's registration withdrawn, which means he can't drive it legally, simply because he said yes when the cop asked him if it was in track mode. It's doubtful his response mattered one way or the other, as that cop had a bad attitude and was clearly determined to make this an issue. What's troubling is the fact that, according to the articles, the default mode is quieter than 95 decibels and they still failed it. Perhaps that's why the Type S defaults to Comfort or Sport and not Sport+ or Individual (where exhaust can be in Sport+), even if the Sport+ exhaust is under 95 decibels.

 

[NoelPR]

Seems a bit harsh to say the Elantra owner deserved to have his car's registration withdrawn, which means he can't drive it legally, simply because he said yes when the cop asked him if it was in track mode. It's doubtful his response mattered one way or the other, as that cop had a bad attitude and was clearly determined to make this an issue. What's troubling is the fact that, according to the articles, the default mode is quieter than 95 decibels and they still failed it. Perhaps that's why the Type S defaults to Comfort or Sport and not Sport+ or Individual (where exhaust can be in Sport+), even if the Sport+ exhaust is under 95 decibels.

Being a CA resident is more than enough to be a reason for all his troubles.

 

[Murry101]

I found the original Reddit posts by the owner. I guess this is old news as the last update was December of 22' and Hyundai bought the car back from him.

Reddit Post by Elantra N owner

 

[NoelPR]

I found the original Reddit posts by the owner. I guess this is old news as the last update was December of 22' and Hyundai bought the car back from him.

Reddit Post by Elantra N owner

For sure isn’t a sport car owner anymore.

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