So, How Many Neighbors Have to Complain Before....?
 

So how many neighbors do you think had to complain before the Calif Highway Patrol came to a rural community in a remote area of Ventura Co. to put this damned thing at the bottom of my favorite straightaway?

I've only had the project finished and running for two weeks and I already found a note in my mailbox “Dear Neighbor, you’re spooking the horses with that green thing”. Huh? “Green thing”???

My speeds through the area have been modest, so I guess I need to do one of two things...

1. Put a proper muffler on her.
2. Move to where there are no horses, like an awesome historic brick building in an industrial area of Downtown LA like Magnus ;)

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First off, beautiful car! I had a similar experience with my neighborhood but I have been winning them over by taking them for a joy ride in my car.....no complaint's but smiles and waves from then on.

I would do nothing different. As long as you are within the speed limit, you are doing nothing wrong. As for the horse folks, sorry about their luck.

Awesome ride - BTW!

I guess I'd think about the "proper muffler", but if the car is no louder than the motorbikes and ricers around there, the horses can learn to deal.

I've only had the project finished and running for two weeks and I already found a note in my mailbox “Dear Neighbor, you’re spooking the horses with that green thing”. Huh? “Green thing”???

DUH! don´t they know thats why there is a spooked horse on the porsche badge. Its meant to be.

I think that green thing belongs in my stable. I will love it and feed it and be very nice to it.

there's always option 3....

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At least reasonably close to the speed limit ;)

The area is very hilly. To get to my house I need to get on the pipe a little. I guess I could cruise around in 4th gear, but I'm not going to stress the motor to get up the hills. To keep peace, I may need a traditional muffler, but that will kill a high-strung 3.4.

X2 on the loud bike [mostly H-D] comment, those guys are total A-holes when it comes to obnoxious noise. I'm a sympathetic gearhead and they drive me nuts. Cops must be scared of them since they never seem to get any grief about it

[QUOTE=Cory M;7102907]there's always option 3....

LOL! Now that's over-the-top.

hahaha

Note to self. Don't mess with Cory or your precious equestrians will have to deal with the goodfellas.

Nicely played! :D

Just back off a little. That will make them think you and the green thing got the message. That is all it will take. It's just a miniature control game. Everybody wins. You don''t change the muffler and they have controlled you.

Also, you probably PO'd them with only a couple of "driving like an idiot" episodes. You know that is what they said. :-)

Otherwise: Option 3.

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You should have put some megaphones on it first, and then put the current muffler on it as a loving gesture to all your neighbors. My Mother has about 6 horses and wouldn't give a rats ass if my car was too loud. You have the most iconic shaped car in history so how can they call it "Green Thing". F.Y.I Horses are afraid of ANYTHING that moves or makes a sound. Your neighbors should de-sensitize their horses thorough proper training techniques.

OH NO! Here come the Green Thing!!!!

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Like this?


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Yeah, I'm a biker too (albeit definitely NOT Harleys), and I find those things incredibly annoying. No idea why the cops never cite them for that - when I was a kid in high school I was always getting excessive noise tickets for far less noise than the bikes make.

My wife is a "Horse person" They're all nutty as squirrel turds

I am both a car buff and an equestrian so I get both sides of the story.
Horses will spook at just about anything, from a plastic bag pushed by the wind to a car backfiring.
I guess your neighbors are not car lovers and they will despise anything that is not horse related.
You are not a horse person so you don't think twice about driving around with a louder than average exhaust.
The art of co-habitating will require compromise on both sides; you muffle your car a bit more, and they shut up.
Living in a more rural environment does not give you a license to speed in a loud car, nor does it give horse owners more rights to dictate people what to dive and how. Of course I am taking this to an extreme, and I have not heard your car (although I am sure I'd love that exhaust note;)).
It boils down to common sense really.

I like this idea! I need may need to complain to that loud Shelby Cobra guy down the street until he gives me a ride in it! :)

Well said. I especially agree with the co-habiting part. Don't become an accidental a-hole.

you could call the horse whisperer

well - what you you have expected me to say :p

Option 3.1
 

I'm with zippy on this one too.
My rule of thumb is I always drive like a grandpa in my own neighborhood. Actually I drive like one in any neighborhood where there are kids, pets, side streets, people backing out of driveways, etc., but especially in my own hood. You never know when a neighbor will (or will not) do you a huge favor; like call an ambulance or fire truck for you when you need it most.
Out in the open and on the freeway is where you can put your foot in it.
IMHO, of course...
-C

Zippy, on the contrary. If I did not think twice about horses or my equestrian neighbors I would not have posted the subject of a quieter muffler. The thread got a little sarcastic, and I was being a highly provocative in an effort to make humor around this subject.

Unfortunately, there are old school neighbors who've been around since this place was all equestrian and avocado orchards. They DESPISE the new folks moving in, tearing out the stables, and building McMansions. The most militant of those lives straight across the road from me. She's hated me since the moving van moved showed up followed by a car trailer (a wife with dreadlocks didn't help either).

There are others with loud cars. I have one neighbor who's a fellow Pelican with a 964 factory RUF Turbo and a Lamborghini, yet his wife has several horses (plus goats, miniatures, etc). When that RUF comes down the hill the backfiring sounds like a Gatling gun with his foot OFF the gas. Another up the street who owns the business Banks Superchargers, who collects Porsche and hosts the Santa Barbara PCA Chili Cook off. We can find a compromise.

I think a quieter muffler is the solution.

Quoted so that I can find it next time I need a favour from you. Something tells me Donna doesn't want to be compared to squirrel turds...:p

hahaha

I am not sure I know how nutty squirrel turds are but I am guess pretty nutty

I mountain bike on trails shared with equestrian. They don't like us either.

If the note was from "anonymous" I'd just disregard it. But, be aware if the Chippies spent the bucks to put their radar toy on a street in a remote area/rural community, the complaints aren't just about you. Others are using that road for high speed runs on motorcycles, and maybe sports cars. My brother's house is in Decker Canyon; you should see the machinery that goes past his place on sunny Sundays!

Don't be the guy that approaches at 85 mph, only to discover that the toy is backed up by a motorcycle officer!

Me too. I ride an equestrian trail over to a wilderness park. When I come upon horses I get off the bike and sit down until they pass. There's been talk of banning the bikes from the trails. I'm hoping a few considerate bikers will make the difference.

The muffler on my car I feel is surprisingly quiet. At least when I am standing outside the car I am amazed at how much quieter it is than sitting inside the tin-can interior...

I basically go easy until I get to the canyons so that also helps with the noise.

Not sure how much power you would loose going to the gutted sport muffler conversion.

If you are serious about a quieter muffler, you should get a rally style, 3 outlet muffler from Sycip. They are offered by our host; allow you to cork the center outlets when you want to be quiet; and when you want to let loose, you can uncork the center pipes for a sport muffler. One would look awesome, and appropriate, on your awesome car too.

Hi Peter,

The note was anonymous, but I believe I know who it was.

I'm only a few miles from Decker Cyn. Decker has gotten a little out of hand with the rice rockets and is pretty heavily CHP patrolled on weekends now. I still run it over to the coast on weekdays, and rarely see another car, but avoid it on weekends. On a Sunday you will loose count of the Ferrari's and Lambos running Decker back to Malibu and Calabasas.

What street was that posted on? I'm near Westlake Blvd/Decker. Just curious.

RSS, PM sent.

Well that's all fine and dandy, but what about the horses?? Can't fit them in your 911....

Complainers will always complain. Trying to compromise with them might sound good but most likely will not end until it as quiet as a Prius.

Make it SUPERLOUD for the next six months and then go back to current exhaust explaining to your do-good neighbors that you too felt it was too loud. Then you can all share a Granola bar and talk about how dangerous guns are.....

IMHO..neighbors doesn't pay my bills so what I drive no matter how loud ( within reason ) it is they just have to deal with it. I would love to get along with my neighbors but never to the point that I have to sacrifice to appease them.
To each his own..;)

You can't win a neighbor war, really. When it has become a war, you've already lost.
Why don't you pull right up to their house late Saturday morning- in the car- and introduce yourself. I'll bet they feel mighty sheepish about their little note when they are politely addressed by a gentleman (you), and won't be dropping any more dimes to the Five-O on your account.
What does it cost?

I must be lucky. A buddy of mine just bought a Harley with an obnoxious loud exhaust. He dropped it off at my place for me to get it running. After a quick carb clean, we all took turns blasting it around my neighborhood. No complaints at all. In fact, I think they actually enjoy the sound of My Ducati. I am totally lucky to be a in car and bike oriented neighborhood.

I would think in California, it would be similar, if not better.

And BTW - LOL at the "wife with dreadlocks" comment. Unfortunately, your neighbors sound like total duds.