Living just off Woodward Avenue in Detroit, I think loud exhausts should go the way of the dodo. Or at least get a curfew. But let’s put my biases in park. Even EV performance enthusiasts laugh at Dodge’s “Fratzonic Exhaust”—a bumper-mounted subwoofer that blasts pretend engine noises. The automaker guarantees 126 decibels. That’s louder than a chainsaw. It’s louder than a V8 Hellcat. And it’s louder than the NYC limit where automatic noise cameras write tickets over 85 dB. And apparently it’s loud enough to get you pulled over in Minnesota too.
Mike was driving his Dodge Charger EV through Stillwater with friends when “the lead car peeled away loud as h—.” He sat at the light. Quiet. Battery-saving Auto mode on. “I looked to my left, and there was a state trooper across the street from me,” he told The Drive. “He passed me and whipped a U-turn… followed me into a gas station and lit me up.”
The cop stepped out with confidence. “He immediately told me my car’s exhaust was way too loud and was disturbing the peace.” Mike tried to explain: “It’s an EV and doesn’t have an exhaust or an engine.” Didn’t matter. “He stated he’s not gonna argue with me.”…