Loud Car Exhaust System Triggers 14 Gunfire Calls in Pasco

In modern terms, it is sometimes called the "burble" tune. It's actually the result of a poor fuel mixture.

   Pasco PD gets over a dozen calls about gunfire Sunday night

Unlike classic performance cars that just growled due to their 327, 350, 442, or larger cubic inch V-8 motors, today's performance cars using rotary engines can produce some unusual effects and sounds. And they are often annoying and alarming.

Sunday night, Pasco PD set out in search of what turned out to be a 'tuner' car with a loud popping exhaust. Dispatch had received 14 calls from area citizens in the Road 68 corridor about repeated popping gunfire.

Pasco PD said they suspected a vehicle, and they were right. These smaller import cars utilize specialized exhaust systems, and if the fuel mixtures are not correct, unburned fuel explodes or pops, sound like gunfire.

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Some car owners actually prefer this sound, according to a report from CBC Media in Canada, it's called the "burble tune," and it's intentional.

Pasco PD said they located the driver and car, and they were pulled over and cited for violating vehicle exhaust ordinances. Ordinances allow you to replace your vehicle's exhaust with a quieter, but not louder, system.