Are straight pipes illegal, and what kind of sound do they produce?

[Sean M3]

I am thinking of getting straight pipes, and I was wondering, are they illegal? I live in Virginia, and I was wondering if anyone knew if they were illegal here? Also, do they make like a deep bassy sound, or a high pitched sound? Could you tell me what type of sound they make at low RPM's, mid RPM's, and high RPM's.....one more thing, are they louder than any exhaust on the market??? Thanks everyone, any information would be appreciated. Thanks

[DSK M3/4]

yes they are loud. VERY loud. probably too loud, at least for a long commute. i'm not positive about VA, but i'm guessing they are illegal. whether the police will enforce it or not is another question. you probably won't be too popular with your neighbors.

it is a fairly low rumble at idle, obviously getting higher pitched and very loud at redline.

if you want something loud but still (probably) legal, i've heard the B&B is pretty loud.

[xustfosorcim]

im pretty sure they will enforce it, but it also depends on where you are in virginia. not sure about fairfax, you can see everything from loud ferraris to old dodge spirits missing the exhaust all together. so id say, you probably would be caught. is there any way to do like a quick changeover?

[Kaisake]

A cutout will give you straight pipe performance or stock sound when you need it. Here is an explanation of how a cutout works: http://eric.virginia.com/install_uni...xplanation.htm.

Here's a remote cutout cap so that you won't have to climb underneath your car to manually cap the cutouts: http://www.mccordcg.com/mpp/mpp.htm

Hope this helps!

Peace,

Ben

p.s. Your car will sound like a NASCAR -No Joke!