802Subaru's Response to VT HB 45

Dear Vermont Representatives,

It has been brought to my attention that H.B. 45 is aimed to ban after-market exhaust on vehicles registered in the state of Vermont, that increase the vehicle's exhaust noise.
While I am one to agree that loud exhaust is annoying and often find it disruptive while I'm trying to relax in my home, I would still like to urge you to oppose this bill. In my opinion there are loud-er vehicles, and painfully loud vehicles out there, and I believe an outright ban on "louder exhausts" is not the way to go.

There are many reasons that after-market exhaust should be allowed on Vermont registered vehicles:
*	After-market exhaust systems more often than not, will increase a vehicles performance and or fuel economy.
*	Some after-market exhaust systems may not have the exact same decibel output as their OEM counterparts but offer the same if not improved fuel economy, while still maintaining a sane sound pressure level.
*	Often OEM exhaust systems fail and cause leaks, and exact OEM replacements can be extremely expensive options for the vehicle owner to repair.
*	Many small business garages in Vermont that perform custom exhaust installations will be forced to limit the type of jobs they perform for their customers, negatively affecting their business.

Regarding Enforcement of this bill:
*	Exhaust systems can be easily swapped after a passed inspection.
*	Enforcement after an inspection is going to be entirely subjective, unless you outfit every law enforcement officer with a sound pressure meter that is calibrated to ensure proper measurements.

I do want to reiterate that I agree with doing something about the painfully loud exhaust on some vehicles in this state, but if we ban "louder" exhausts that OEM equipment you're going to alienate a lot of vehicle owners and force them to replace their exhaust systems out of pocket. There needs to be a sane limit on exhaust sound, not just "amplifies" - For example, the exhaust on my Subaru Forester is well within a limit that no one, in any neighborhood has complained to me about it, and that's primarily because I'm not sitting there in 1st gear, with my foot to the floor on the accelerator; MANY of the vehicles that have obnoxious exhaust systems, the drivers themselves are racing their engines needlessly.

I'd like to thank you for your time in reading my email, and I encourage you to reply with any questions regarding my stance on this bill.
-Chris

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Chris Parker
Co-founder
(802) 778-9263
www.802Subaru.com
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