Noise Levels

[graham blackwell]

Excuse the SHOUTING, but my hearing is still RECOVERING from the 3 hour FIA-GT race at DONINGTON park on Sunday.

Y O Y O Y do they have to have such loud exhausts?

My Fiesta registers 94db at 4500 rpm at most of the noise tests I've had over the last two years. I don't like noise! It doesn't do our cause any good whatsoever. The environmentalists have yet more reason to complain when cars are excessively noisey, and in this day and age theres no real reason for the levels the GT's were pumping out.

So whats their excuse?

[Bob Riebe]

RACE CARS ARE MEANT TO BE LOUD!!!

I don't like noise!

Then don't go to the races! Just don't try to take away from thousands of others, one of the greatest enjoyments in life.

Take away the noise and you take away half the attraction.
The louder the better.
If they are too loud for you, wear earplugs.

Those who complain, non-race attenders, are the same ones who move next to a farm and complain about the smell.
These types of ticks are spreading like cancer in the US.
They attack, race tracks, shooting ranges, farms, but the item that proves most loudly they are vial creatures with their heads up their arses is,
; having moved into a rural area, they pee and moan about a lack of sewer and water, until city sewer services
are extended into their area, which makes the land too expensive for the farmers to continue to farm on.
Such tactics have dropped the number of dairy farms in this area from 5,000 to 900.
OH yes, these are the same people who have Greenpeace stickers on their bumpers.
Best way to deal with the environmentalists is to either ignore them, tar and feather them, or challenge them in the political arena.
The last tactic has started to cause laws to be drafted that protects those they attack from them permanently.

Forgive the rant but you hit a very, very sore spot.
Bob

[MGDavid]

BR, thank you for expressing my sentiments so succinctly. More power to your elbow !

[ChironWSC]

We had a meeting with the FIA sports cars at Donington Last year, the noise was amazing made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I stood by the start line for the rolling start and wow love it, its what its all about music pure music nothing can beat it. Kill the noise kill the sport!!!!!

[Chris Griffin]

I agree. Sod the nancy PC lot. Lets go back to straight through pipes. Spa still let you run them. If its too loud get ear defenders. Oh and stop building bloody houses next to race circuits.

[big andy]

im with u boys the louder the better

[Tim Falce]

There was nothing better than the sound of a couple of 700bhp Cobras at Brands on Sunday.

[Paceracing]

Hi Graham,

With respect, I don't think you can really compare a Fiesta with a GT car. The GT car engine is of course highly tuned. More power = bigger bang. Try and restrict the noise and you start to restrict power.
As a further note, I also run a Fiesta. The engine is very highly tuned and I run a proper FIA race exhaust. At the last noise check, I registered over 109 dBa, (I suspect the noise meter was reading high on the day though). I could make it quieter and have indeed investigated this, the result being a loss in power of over 8 bhp, which i'm sure you can appreciate in a Fiesta is a lot!

How did you get your noise down to 94 dBa? What spec is your engine?

Jason.

[Woolley]

They sounded great. Radio earpice in meant I could hear the excellent commentary and follow the race. You can always add ear defenders over the top if you must.

[avsfan733]

when i went to the indy Gp I had earplugs under those little slide over the ear phones to hear commentary then i had earmuffs on top worked reasonably well although i was still rather deaf come monday morning

[graham blackwell]

Originally posted by Paceracing
Hi Graham,

How did you get your noise down to 94 dBa? What spec is your engine?

Jason.

I have a 2.0 Zetec, with Piper BP270 cams, Jenvey 45mm throttle bodies and fuel injection. The exhaust is a 4-2-1 system, running a Golf GTI 16V back box, and a upswept tail pipe. I deliberately told the exhaust man I wanted it as quiet as possible. Having it that quiet takes away all the stress of worrying about failing noise tests. I doubt I'm losing any power. She produced 178BHP at the rollers in 2002, and that was before the cams. Mind you she's a thirsty old girl, but I keep it green by using Super Unleaded.

My point about noise just shows how ignorant everyone is on this topic. If we want to keep motorsport off the agenda at Green meetings, then we have to quieten things down. I forgot my ear plugs on Sunday, and found it very painful standing near the Melbourne loop, as the cars came on the throttle. The Ferraris were the worst, yet the bronze coloured TVR and a few other cars showed how it should be done, with a nice note to their exhaust but not excessively noisey. I don't mind a nice engine/zorst note, but when my hearing is permanently damaged, then thats a problem.

Loud zorsts should be banned. At club level in the UK we have a limit (101db?) at some tracks, and this should be expanded for all race tracks. I want racing to survive in this country. I dont want to take my grandchildren to windswept tracks with derelict buildings, and tell them that once upon a time cars used to race round here, but the environmentalists stopped it all because of the noise etc.

[qaz]

if you had listened to the exhaust sound for the formula woman race at oulton you would change your mind.no noise,no excitement no fun!!racing should be noisy!!!!!

[graham blackwell]

Originally posted by qaz
if you had listened to the exhaust sound for the formula woman race at oulton you would change your mind.no noise,no excitement no fun!!racing should be noisy!!!!!

Cycling doesn't make _any_ noise, but I've been to plenty of track and road races where the crowd more than makes up for the lack of _noise_!

Try again. You've not convinced me yet.

[zefarelly]

I dont understand why some cars have to be so noisy, my cars quiet and I get repeatedly told I'm 'on the limit' noise-wise . . . .when a Bentley and an Audi at Lemans whistle past at 180 it sounds great . . .when a Yank tank thunders past it hurts your ears and sounds bloody dreadful . . .WHY ???

[DaveStyles]

I just don't understand this noise issue..
Its like buying a house next door to Heathrow and then complaning the planes are noisy. I just don't get it.
Donington has been there years... its a race track... it has noisy cars on it... I just don't get the problem...racing cars ARE a bit noisy... its what they do.

This world is getting a bit too PC for me.. I don't think we should quieten the cars... we should stop trying to bow to this PC movement.

where will it all end ? If racetracks do become derelict windblown sites... then thats sad... but it won't be because of the noise... it'll be because of small minded petty people.

I wouldn't stop anyone else doing anything like this. I have my life... they have theirs.. why can't people respect eachother ?

Here's a list that COULD happen if WE let it.

Ban Motorsport.
Ban fishing
Ban foxhunting
Ban shooting
Ban private planes.
Ban Karting.
(Cambridge Kart Club were shut by the local village, after being there since the sixties)
Ban pets
Ban meat


its a thin end of wedge and we should stop letting them in.

btw... I believe Football is the new world order. Football will one day be the ONLY sport. I hope its not in my lifetime.... but the days of motorsport are numbered in my opinion.

Motorsport: 1900 - 2080 ?

[graham blackwell]

Wow, such emotion!
I've touched a nerve.

Health and Safety rules will probably be inforced well before the Green's get to us. What about officials and marshals at events? Shouldn't they be protected from noise then? We mustn't take them for granted. Marshals have rights too you know. 8)

[Tim Falce]

Originally posted by DaveStyles
btw... I believe Football is the new world order. Football will one day be the ONLY sport. I hope its not in my lifetime.... but the days of motorsport are numbered in my opinion.

Motorsport: 1900 - 2080 ?

..and there's nothing quite so noisy as a football match, and more antisocial behaviour when the thugs turn out afterwards. I think they should be banned.

[Dave Brand]

I love loud, noisy racing cars & bikes!

However, I live in the real world; I have to accept that others don't share my enjoyment. If enforcing stringent limits on noise levels is the price we pay for the survival of the sport it will have to be accepted as the lesser of two evils.

[RTH]

Originally posted by graham blackwell
Wow, such emotion!
I've touched a nerve.

Health and Safety rules will probably be inforced well before the Green's get to us. What about officials and marshals at events? Shouldn't they be protected from noise then? We mustn't take them for granted. Marshals have rights too you know. 8)

Graham, you have made some very valid points, and those that say if you don't like it - don't go, well that's the point many people , especially female companions noise beyond the threshold of physical pain is the last straw - and they will not go, - so attendences are falling circuits make losses - and then circuits will become housing estates - Brands for instance is still in grave danger.

[Chris Griffin]

The MSA noise limits in place at the moment are fine. I see no need to reduce noise to below 105dB in the test they do for saloons.

[Paceracing]

It's a personal opinion, but I have to agree with a point someone made here. It is the thin end of the wedge IMO. If it isn't noise, it's pollution or something. Some people are just mean spirited and want to stop everyone from enjoying themselves. Wasn't there some nasty cow on the Chichester council who nearly wrecked things for Goodwood some years back? These people are so short sighted that they fail to recognise the financial benefits to the the region that a motor racing venue brings.


Jason.

[avsfan733]

Im guessing you guys complaining about the noise are the same type of people like those who moved next to our local circuit and then complained to the county government about the noise thank god they were told "they were there first"

[Bob Riebe]

The Chicken Little, we have to do something, the sky is falling, is what Demcrats feed on in the States.

For them compromise is, the take a little less than the ask for. They actually give up nothing as they are making demands, nothing, but the other side gives up something they already have.
The Democrats just keep on coming back and take more and the chicken little lemmings just keep on giving.
Bob

[DaveStyles]

Originally posted by falcemob
..and there's nothing quite so noisy as a football match, and more antisocial behaviour when the thugs turn out afterwards. I think they should be banned.

I agree, I HATE football !

I've got better thing to do with my life than watch 22 men run around kicking a ball at eachother !

[andy97]

I am a petrolhead; I love cars and racing. I race myself, live 1 mile from Donington Park and can think of nothing better than listening to a F1 engine, a V12 Ferrari or an American V8 at full chat. I also enjoy watching F15s on full afterburner and have slept on the deck beneath the flight deck of an aircraft carrier with Sea Harriers landing vertically about 6 feet above my head - noise is fine, it represents engineering at its best, however, I am also a realist.

There is no doubt that the environmental lobby is getting stronger and they will want to attack "easy targets" such as motor sport initially. The racing industry therefore needs to be proactive in ensuring its future as a sport that we can all continue to enjoy. And that means taking steps to reduce the impact of noise on those that are not interested in sharing our hobby.

I have some sympathy with the view that those people who have bought a house near Donington Park (& the airport) in the last 25 years have no right to complain but nevertheless being arrogant, insular and selfish about our sport is a sure fire way to get us marginalised and under severe pressure from the environmental lobby & Parliament.

We need to either reduce the noise that cars make, limit the number of noisy days or use effective sound barriers at race tracks or else our sport will become a pariah.