No muffler or exhaust modifications allowed, OPP reminds snowmobilers
Many trails run near properties, and modified equipment can irritate neighbours, police say
Provincial police are reminding snowmobilers that louder doesn't mean faster or cooler.
Constable Phil Young with the East Algoma detachment of the OPP says modified mufflers or exhaust systems on sleds are against the law.
Modified exhaust systems, called "pipes," or "cans" can amp up the decibels on a snowmobile, but can also irritate homeowners living near trails.
"We're running into problems," Young said. "The OFSC [Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs] trails tend to run or go through a lot of private property so the OFSC has agreements with property owners, such as farms or close to farms or different types of private property, and the property owners do not want to hear this increased noise, especially during the late hours of the evenings."
He said the sound of modified snowmobiles can resonate even across lakes, so municipalities often see an uptick in the number of complaints that need addressing.
Young said under the motorized vehicle act, riders can be charged with having an improper muffler.
"I talk to a lot of snowmobilers when I'm out on the trail and I always reiterate the fact that just because the snowmobile is louder doesn't mean it's faster," Young said. "But for whatever reason this younger generation thinks that the louder they are, the cooler or the faster that snowmobile or that car is going to go."
Section 18 (1) of the Motorized Snow Vehicles Act says:
No person shall drive a motorized snow vehicle unless it is equipped with a muffler in good working order and in constant operation and no person shall drive a motorized snow vehicle which has a muffler cut-out, straight exhaust, gutted muffler, hollywood muffler, by-pass or similar device upon the motorized snow vehicle. R.S.O. 1990, c. M.44, s. 18 (1).