Article on Off Road Vehicle Noise

[Unimog]

Interesting article in yesterday's Tribune on off road vehicle noise in Moab. Seems relevant because the issue has been discussed pretty extensively here. The main guy in the article bought a home near sand flats road and now complains that the noise at his home is unbearable. While I feel for the guy's problems, it seems seems disingenuous for a guy to claim to have grown up in Moab and had no idea what he was getting into buying a home in that area.

Why noise from off-road vehicles is making life miserable in Moab

Noise of off-road vehicles is disrupting life in Moab, prompting some residents to get away from one of Utah's most famous getaways.

www.sltrib.com

 

[Pike2350]

I do think the noise level on Millcreek has shot up quite a bit over the past 5 years or so with the explosion in SxS's. The article even mentions that he doesn't hear the occasional one much but that bigger groups it just becomes too much.

I feel for the residents down there. Many bought before Off-Roading was so big. Most Jeeps aren't that loud driving by...but UTV's do have a high pitched noise. Get a group of 4+ and it seems to amplify exponentially.

I hadn't even thought about the night runs before honestly. Those are pretty popular and having those vehicles buzzing by after 11pm isnt much different then having to deal with the jackwagons that like to launch loud fireworks at all hours of the night...and much worse I am guessing.

It's a pretty shitty issue IMHO. I can see a new road to Sand Flats in the future. I'm not sure how or where...but that seems the like best compromise overall....that and possible night hour bans on driving through the neighborhoods somehow.

 

[85CUCVKRAWLER]

A tale as old as time. Selfish homeowners buy house next to drag strip/shooting range/motocross track that has been there for 50 years and immediately begin to harass the local county/city boards to shut the attraction down. They also always go to the local newspapers amp up the pressure. Lools like they are right on schedule.

As I was writing this it made me reflect on every single instance I personally know was shut down due to new neighbors complaining back east:

-Crozet rock crawling park (one angry neighbor complained of dust to the DEP and got it shut down)
-Frederick MD drag strip (they built subdivisions around an ancient drag strip, shut down shortly after legal action to do so)
-Martinsburg motocross track (again, neighbors complained of dust to DEP)

 

[Kevin B.]

Loud exhausts are little dick energy, and annoying AF. Chalk me up with the Moab residents on this one.

 

[Stephen]

Simple solution: revoke the street legal status of UTV's.

 

[Coco]

Sigh.... Heeeerrre we go on more SXS hate...

Though I get that SXS's in general are louder than most simply by the way the clutching is designed, I hear louder semis, harleys, cars, etc. than I do SXS's when I am in Moab. But everyone has heard that argument, its nothing new. I do agree some exhaust system on certain models can be obnoxious though. My machine for example does have an aftermarket exhaust on it, but if you put it next to another machine with an aftermarket exhaust, it is louder. Different engines make different sounds. I am in the process of 'doing my part' though to please everyone, and working on getting a different exhaust system.

If you think this is about noise in Moab, why haven't they enforced it? There are laws in effect already about noise, and can be ticketed/cited for such. Why aren't they going after the car shows and bike shows? Only the offroad related events have been having problems and issues, with COVID being a convenient and timely blanket. This is NOT about noise, this is just the beginning of pushing out the OHV use in Moab. If you think this is really about noise, you're silly for thinking so. We should all be working together as OHV users to combat this, and not singling out a specific user group that is the easy target (for now). Yes, there is bad apples in the SXS world, probably more so in the rental companies that do not explain trail etiquette, treading lightly, etc to their cliental, and that needs to be fixed and addressed as well. Every user group has bad apples...

I find it kind of fishy that the mayor gave an all expenses paid rafting trip to the senator that sponsored this bill, plus the other couple senators that also said yes to this bill. I also find it interesting that Moab's own senator said no to this bill. Seems odd no? A little wining and dining for a senator that isn't even in Moab's district and the mayor is getting what she wants.

Don't worry, I know no one on this board likes me simply because I own a SXS, so I am looped into that group. However, get to know a good chunk of the SXS community and you will know they are no different than all y'all on your high horses. Trying to enjoy the beauty and public land RESPONSIBLY like everyone else.

 

[Herzog]

Loud exhausts are little dick energy, and annoying AF. Chalk me up with the Moab residents on this one.

In the off season we have the jacked trucks spinning out at the 4 way stop up here because they think they are cool. In the summer we get all the Harley's and sports cars. It wasn't like this when we first moved here but I still don't complain TOO much because at least it's not fart can hondas and dodge neons

 

[Kevin B.]

Don't worry, I know no one on this board likes me simply because I own a SXS, so I am looped into that group. However, get to know a good chunk of the SXS community and you will know they are no different than all y'all on your high horses. Trying to enjoy the beauty and public land RESPONSIBLY like everyone else.

Man, get off your cross and stop defining yourself by what vehicles you own. Side by sides in general are fine, they're just another 4WD. Their owners on the other hand are much more likely to run straight pipes and stupid boat speakers and blazingly illegal "offroad" lights on the highway and in general drive in the wrong places, the wrong way, at the wrong time, than any other off road user group right now.

That doesn't mean you do, and claiming that they must be ok because you're ok doesn't help the conversation. They are a problem and the sooner you, as a side by side owner, start advocating for better behavior on their part then the sooner the problem gets fixed. Defending them and taking criticism of them as criticism of you is counterproductive. You're right that we should be working together, but you want us working for the wrong thing and I'm not going to do that. If UTV owners want to be included with the rest of the offroad community, they need to act like it. If they don't want to be responsible and police their own, as a group, then they can be outcasts and red-headed stepchildren, as a group.

 

[Kevin B.]

In the off season we have the jacked trucks spinning out at the 4 way stop up here because they think they are cool. In the summer we get all the Harley's and sports cars. It wasn't like this when we first moved here but I still don't complain TOO much because at least it's not fart can hondas and dodge neons

I get all three sets - brodozers, motorbikes, ricers. And now the neighborhood is full of straight piped side by sides racing around.

 

[N-Smooth]

I feel for the Moab residents. There's this cool little campground in AFC called Little Mill that we really love but the last few years the sxs noise has been INSANE. The camping spot we like is probably 150-200 feet from the road with a bunch of trees and the river between it and the road but the noise is still deafening. Like loud enough that you can't have a conversation around the campfire without pausing for them to drive by. And like mentioned above it's not just daytime but all hours of the night.

Obviously I'm pro-OHV but something has to change. Plain and simple. I actually did my part to lobby for the street legal "fullsize" ATV laws but it's becoming clear that it should be looked at again and revised where necessary...

 

[Stephen]

I get all three sets - brodozers, motorbikes, ricers. And now the neighborhood is full of straight piped side by sides racing around.

My townhouse community turns into a hive of angry SXS hornets in the spring. Buzzing up and down the roads, getting them "prepped" for the season I suppose. Being right next to Airport #2 we have the National Guard flying UH-60's and AH-64's directly over our complex all the time, and the SXS's are louder than they are. One guy last year actually decided to drive up and down the big common green space, tearing up the soft grass with his tires and blasting his music. Fortunately he moved over the winter.

I know that there are exceptions, but the fact is that people who own SXS's look at them as "toys" and people who own fullsize 4X4's look at them as "cars", this leads to a drastic difference in attitudes. You play with toys, you drive a car. If its something you play with, then the rules are always arbitrary. Also, by and large, you play alone with your toys. You're not looking to join clubs and go to meets; you just want to pull the toy out of the box, play with it for a bit, then put it away.

I still think that the absolute BEST way to tamp down on the SXS chaos is to revoke street legal status. Not only will this eliminate a lot of the noise issue, I think it will make a lot of people think twice about dropping $40k on a toy that they have to trailer everywhere and not pretend that its functional by driving it to the grocery store every once and a while.

But I'm just a hater.

 

[Kevin B.]

I still think that the absolute BEST way to tamp down on the SXS chaos is to revoke street legal status.

I sympathize with the desire to move between trailheads without reloading on a trailer, it solves several problems for UTV users and others too. I think allowing these things to be straight up "street legal" in the entire state caused several more issues, for sure.

I'd like to see that law get sacked, and be replaced with one that allows cities/towns/counties that want to be UTV friendly to designate very specific routes for UTVs to move between trailheads, and maybe even designate times they can use them if they move through residential areas. I feel like this would solve the issues that the law was purported to address without causing the problems the law has caused.

 

[Herzog]

I'd like to see the street legality remain... but cities should implement noise pollution controls and enforce them.

 

[Pike2350]

I do think noise pollution controls are very hard to enforce. I also think that it wouldn't really help much of the issue.

I honestly don't see a good solution with OHV type travel and the noise. The SxS's have just grown in popularity to a point that makes it difficult to regulate now. Plus, as is pointed out, it's a segment of the OHV world as a whole, and it opens the door to go after other OHV vehicles and travel. Street Legality is one of the only ways to prevent it, however, maybe they can modify the legality somehow. Time restrictions (if that's even possible?)

I really don't see a good compromise right now. To me, the volume of SxS exhaust, and the way in which they have grown is just making more and more people dislike the OHV community as a whole. how do you correct that without creating a slippery slope for other OHV restrictions?

 

[Gravy]

I have no dog in this fight but Stephen Just to make this clear, you bought your home near an airport and complain of noise?

Did you try shaking your fist at the airplanes while scowling?

 

[Stephen]

I have no dog in this fight but Stephen Just to make this clear, you bought your home near an airport and complain of noise?

Did you try shaking your fist at the airplanes while scowling?

Being an aircraft nerd, I love watching the planes and helicopters. I have zero complaints about the airport noise, never said I did. Clearly you didn't read my post:

"Being right next to Airport #2 we have the National Guard flying UH-60's and AH-64's directly over our complex all the time, and the SXS's are louder than they are."

Those Blackhawks and Apaches rattle windows, that was expected. SXS's being louder? Thats just stupid.

 

[anderson750]

I participate in just about every hated user group.....motorcycle, jeep and sxs. I will say that the aftermarket exhaust that most people are putting on these machines make an engine that already has a higher db output even worse to the point that it even bothers me. Its got to be bad when I can hear it even though I am wearing Rugged Radio headsets and listening to music. Most can be ok when cruising, but just like the guys that put loud exhaust on a diesel truck......the sxs people tend to like to hear themselves.

 

[Hickey]

Its got to be bad when I can hear it even though I am wearing Rugged Radio headsets and listening to music.

That's what I hated most about my SXS. I spent a big chunk on the Rugged headsets and communications and it was still too loud. The only time it didn't bother me was when I was really pushing it hard at speed. That was a stock exhaust, too.

 

[Cody]

I was in Moab for a day last year, and sitting out on Main eating dinner was a very different experience than it used to be, 100% because of sxs.

I agree with Kevin B, side x side users are (in my experience) more often than not, "that guy". I don't hate the drivers, but I think a far lower percentage of the driver's are educated and knowledgeable (or even care) about the impact of their vehicles. I think the 4x4 community is a bit different because they generally have to work their way up to having a vehicle that is that modified to do those trails. Any 21 year old fresh out of trade school making 18 bucks an hour can go buy one and drive on just about any trail in Moab and now hither and thither about town. My in-laws are very much sxs folk, and when I've day tripped out to hang out with them at their circle-the-wagons trailer camps, it's just obnoxiously loud sxs's with light bars, heated seats, loud stereos, and the entire taco platter rallying around kicking up dust through camp as if to see who can be the most annoying. It feels like the same group that bought in to turn-key crawlers 15 years ago that more or less drove me out of rock crawling. Obviously not everyone of them is that way, but until they as a user group begin educating the population of them, they are going to be continuously lumped together.

 

[SoopaHick]

Maybe it's been talked about already, but can't there be some kind of decibel restriction put into the requirements for street legal status for OHV vehicles? So when it's inspected if it revs at too high of a decibel level the vehicle can't qualify? Obviously the whole enforcing after the fact comes into play, But it could help push manufacturers towards limiting the exhausts of their machines.

Unless that's already a thing. I in no way claim to be edumecated on this subject and could be wrong, I just feel like that's not part of the process currently.