I was wondering if you guys over the pond have static or drive-by sound checks prior to going out on track or on track? I was at a track day two weeks ago & a beautiful 458 literally had two laps on track before being sent home for being too noisy. Circuits here are being made to limit noise levels by local laws. Even the new Lotus Exige S3 fails driveby & static noise tests at most of the UK circuits & it will only get worse in the future.
Obviously I can't speak for most tracks but I can confirm some U.S. tracks do have noise restrictions. The National Corvette Museum track in Bowling Green Ky does and the Atlanta Motorsports Park does as well. They are usually around the 100db level, I think AMP is 98 and NCM is around 100. They don't tell car owners where the microphones are placed to check, but they will send you home if you can't stay below the max. noise level.
wow, AMP is in the middle of nowhere, and the drone of the interstate in BG is as bad as anything I woudl think you'd get on the track..
Can only speak of Laguna here - They have a static sound station just as you head up the hill - Obviously under full power. The "solution" there is (basically) a couple of coke cans directing the sound toward the infield/away from the sound meter. Or, lift a little when passing the silly thing! Suffice to say the whole thing pisses me off; Buy a house next to race track, what do you expect? *Nobody* lives near the thing, but still they complain! Thruxton is definitively in BFNW, & it's been there forever. Yet still some complain. Cheers, Ian
Lime Rock Park in CT has battled noise restrictions almost since their very beginning (coming up on 60 years ago) and by an agreement with local government have a very limited number of unmuffled days and strict limits the rest of the time. LRP also has the ban on Sunday racing which they are attempting to have modified by giving up a certain number of unmuffled Tuesdays in return for a very limited number of Sundays. There is a committee of local residents, some of whom are only part-time residents, firmly opposed to the changes and looking to make things even harder for the track by putting them under the town zoning laws for noise and even the type of events that can be conducted on the property. Unfortunately for the committee the track pre-dates the town zoning laws and is, therefore, exempt.
Road Atlanta has noise restrictions from 11:00 till 1:00 (I believe) on Sundays only. Apparently the place is surrounded by churches. But I don't understand that. Whatever happened to "make a joyful noise unto the Lord"?
Dont you wonder what goes through people's heads sometimes? "oh honey look at this beautiful neighborhood, lets buy here. Whats that godawful noise?" A race track "lets buy the house anyway and then fight for years to have the track closed" Good idea
Was just at Laguna Seca last weekend. After the checker flag on one lap I just went all out to see what happened... Image Unavailable, Please Login As long as I upshifted to 7th after turn 5 I was fine.
Similar things happen around airports, whether civilian or military! The Sunday quiet hour seems to be more of a southern Bible Belt thing, there's also no running at Carolina Motorsports Park from 11-12 on Sundays, and it's really in the middle of nowhere. Most SCCA autocross events also have a 100db limit, but considering how close to that 100db you might be working on course I think it's more to protect everyone's hearing than worry about the neighborhood complaints!
The legal term is called "comming to the nuisanece" and belive it or not if you get enough complainers and enough surrpounding development things can get shutdown. Towns are run by officials and these officials are most interested in revenue stream. When even an existing "nuisance" stands in the way of development and town officialdom revenue stream beware. On the other hand many race tracks are the primary source of GBP in the surrounding area. What saves Lime Rock is it brings in a lot of sales and revenue for local merchants and residents. These days any new track is built far away from population enters and a wise developer buys up all the surrounding land.
Laguna Seca...... noise limits. Arizona Motorsports Park (AMP)...... 96db limit Wild Horse Pass.... No noise limits.......yet.
Why do people want the noise of their cars above 95dB? I mean really, do you want tinnitus by the time you are retired?
I believe that British tracks get around this by having the race cars fitted with mufflers. At least at Brands and Snetterton they do.
The noise level isn’t the goal, it is the byproduct. If there were options to provide the same level of gas flow and performance, and still provide a pleasing tone at a lower decibel level, I’m sure many would be all on board for it.
I got black flagged at Thunderhill in northern CA. I was measured at 105dB, the limit was 103dB. 458 with F1 Exhaust. They didn't check until the end of the day, so I didn't miss much.
Its hard top say. I think one can acheive the required gas flow. But the aftermarket seems obsesed with volume, perhaps because its and easier cheaper route to flow and people like noise. The only exhaust i have seen that focused on flow and tonality without going excessive on noise were the termingoni oval Cf motorcycle exhausts, but they also cost more. Continuing with the motorcycle theme as an analogy. the most produced aftermarket exhausts are for harleys. With rare exceptions they are all about noise, and in pretty much every instance they actualy reduce performance compared to a properly designed tuned system. How many ferrari aftermarket systems would be soid if they didnt dramaticaly increase noise? Your choice today is either muted stock, or too loud. Racers they care about performance so the noise consequences are secondary to what works, weight and price. A properly tuned system with tonality volume and weight all taken into account can be done, its just going to cost more, and most people, want least expensive and loudest, hence the baffles on most new ferraris that go from muted to way too loud..
What's "way too loud"? I understand and I have been told by factory exhaust experts, the loudest noise comes from unfiltered fuel detonations in the combustion chambers and aside from improving scavenging, the least restrictive exhaust (loudest) systems (from headers to tailpipes) achieve the highest HP performance from a given engine. So unless you add a turbo, which kills the noise, I don't know how you can avoid "excessive noise" if engine performance is paramount. FWIW, the local former-F1 track here does not seem to have any noise limits. They ran FXX Ks and 599 XXs, 599 XX EVOs, 458Cs here apparently without any special arrangements. It was amazing to watch and hear them tear around the circuit. Would they run as well while muffled... maybe not.
Seems like an old thread but yeah many tracks have noise restrictions. AMP here in GA has restrictions with microphones around the track but hidden. There’s houses around and they need to please the community which I think is good. The two hour Sunday quiet time at Road Atlanta is for church. Lol Though I promise if it were a circle track nobody would complain. Makes for a good brunch break for racers though I guess? Laguna is super strict. Among others. Noise is weird though. The ear blistering sound of a rotary doesn’t register as high on a db reader as a NASCAR V8. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The Atlanta Motorsports Park noise limit is 98 dB, not 96 as stated above. We added baffling to a standard SR3 RSX dual exhaust to allow me to run at 96 dB without trouble. The live microphone is near turn 6. My buddy also had to adapt a new muffler for his Formula Atlantic to run at AMP. The Laguna Seca noise limit was 92 dB when we raced there last June. All the SR3’s had to use the huge muffler shown below. The power and weight hit was noticeable. I was out to dinner with a non-racing couple a few months ago, and they were complaining about the sound produced by the cars at Road Atlanta when staying with family in a newer subdivision nearby. I commented, “You do know that the track has been there since the 1950’s, and nobody forced your family to buy a newly built house near a race track?” Their blank stares were reflective of the general lack of sympathy for our racing passions among the general population. It’s particularly a sad situation in Dawsonville, GA, because AMP is a huge economic benefit to the small rural town, and Bill Elliott’s jet causes much more noise during takeoffs and landings on the property next to the track. Somehow, that’s regulated differently. I wrote a letter to the City Council last year to help Jeremy get a more reasonable noise limit. Fingers crossed that the situation eventually changes. Image Unavailable, Please Login Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Wow that’s wild on the Radical. Did they end up being too loud? When I was up there working something Jeremey had one out for demos and it just had the stock exhaust, or at least not that setup. I’ve applauded what AMP has tried to do for Dawsonville. They do bring in money and even more potentially but it seems like the city and residents aren’t very receptive. I think it boils down to “fancy city folk moving in to our town.” If AMP was a dirt track they’d run until midnight with no noise regs and nobody would care. Funny you mention the subdivisions near Road Atlanta. A friend just bought a house in one of the new subdivisions off 211 further back behind Mulberry Creek. You can hear the track clear as day. He’s a car guy so doesn’t care and knew you’d be able to hear it considering how close it backs up to the track. It pisses me off when people complain in a neighborhood built recently near a race track that has been around way longer and you mention. Luckily Hall really likes the money RA brings so it hasn’t been a very easy fight for anyone complaining yet. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Simon, The crazy exhaust in the pic above was developed by Radical North America specifically to meet the super stringent Laguna 92 dB limit on the June race weekend. For AMP, the standard SR3 RSX dual exhaust registered 102-103 dB, so Racing Analytics fitted steel wool baffles and two caps with drilled holes onto a spare standard SR3 exhaust (the slip-on component aft of the muffler can). That reduced the ouput to 96 dB. So, I now have 3 exhausts that I fit to my car depending on where I run. Pretty silly. I think your analysis of the Dawsonville political sentiment is spot-on. Hopefully, that will change with time. AMP has only been open for about 6 years. I’ve stayed in the B&B across from the track and barely heard the cars. I think the sound limit could be raised without adversely affecting the quality of life for the Dawsonville residents. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Ah Ok! I've seen some crazy exhaust setups at Laguna, I'm sure you've seen the Porsche guys and their wild contraptions. Maybe I'll see you around up there (probably have) I'm up there coaching a bit. -Simon
