Can I use an ex-Race BEC Fury on track days?

[MikeE]

As the title says, just checking that most trackday companies would let you use a non-road registered BEC Fisher Fury on trackdays?

[mad4amanda]

yes all you will need to sort is noise not just static but drive by

[MikeE]

mad4amanda said:

yes all you will need to sort is noise not just static but drive by

thanks for the confirmation. Do you have any experience of the options to make a race BEC quiet enough for say a BaT trackday?

[mad4amanda]

It's not the TDO but the track that is the issue check where you are going and what the noise limit is both static AND driveby.
To give you an idea Brands is 105 static and 92 driveby and Bike engine stuff often passes the former and fails the latter it should be tested at 7500 rpm and if its above 95ish at that test there is every chance depending how quick you are basically that it will fail the driveby.
Solutions?
Larger and or more silencer boxes (how big is the current one? and has it ever been repacked?) plug in baffles may help but may not be enough so wrap them with fibre glass wadding too. The issue is nowadays you only get one chance to make it quiet if it fails driveby if its still over that car doesn't go out again that day.

[tankplanker]

Depending on the setup induction noise can be a problem on a BEC as well once you have sorted the exhaust. A larger foam based filter might help.

[s10mph]

Lots of cars are not road legal at trackdays, many turn up on trailers you may have noticed, In fact a lot of race cars use a public trackdays as a test day on the cheap.
Been with plenty of BEC 7type cars and BEC Furys on track days over the years. You could just choose the 'Noisy' days which some tracks have with 105db max. or quieten the exhaust with a specialist exhaust company such as 'Simpson' 'Techcraft' 'Wunoff' or 'Hayward&Scott', Google them, there are plenty around depending where you live.
Induction noise can be more simply quietened by enclosing the air filter in a box, whatever will fit basically. I expect yours are open foam filters and they are really unnecessary as they only release the very minimum extra power, you're not going to notice any loss of grunt on the track.
To ascertain your noise levels as the car is now, just turn up at a Trackday track when an event is on and they will measure it for you if you ask nicely. Brands Hatch have a 'noise man' on duty at all the trackdays and he's there at least to lunchtime. Most others will do the same if you ask at Race Control.

---

and get that Fury on track mate they are great little cars.

Edited by s10mph on Friday 18th November 23:25

[MikeE]

Looks like both exhaust and induction should be fine for trackdays, I'm told the RGB series (that this Fury has raced in) have to meet similar noise regs to trackdays, they also fit a catalyst to the tailpipe which quietens it down further.

Car is now bought and awaiting delivery, can't wait to get back on track for the first time since I sold my Caterham in 2011

[mad4amanda]

MikeE said:

Looks like both exhaust and induction should be fine for trackdays, I'm told the RGB series (that this Fury has raced in) have to meet similar noise regs to trackdays, they also fit a catalyst to the tailpipe which quietens it down further.

Car is now bought and awaiting delivery, can't wait to get back on track for the first time since I sold my Caterham in 2011

Hmmm I'm afraid for many tracks that is no longer the case .
Brands for example may have the same static noise limit (105 for indy noisy days) 102 or 101 (gp)98 evenings on indy) but for track days they are subject to a 92 Db max drive by, now measured at several points around the lap. Race cars regularly struggle to meet this and 2 readings and you get a black flag and told to do a physical change to the car Ie not just short shifting and if you go out and get another over reading that is it for that car for the day.
Many perfectly legal race cars fail this regularly and you will almost certainly need a plan B with a BEC.
On racedays there is no drive by monitor unless requested by a scruitineer. In testing there is a comparative drive by where if a car is considered excessively loud compared to similar class cars it may be pulled in and asked to do something to make it quieter.

[smiles1]

MikeE said:

Looks like both exhaust and induction should be fine for trackdays, I'm told the RGB series (that this Fury has raced in) have to meet similar noise regs to trackdays, they also fit a catalyst to the tailpipe which quietens it down further.

Car is now bought and awaiting delivery, can't wait to get back on track for the first time since I sold my Caterham in 2011

Mike, the regs for RGB race days are 105db (tested in the holding area) so you may want to get it tested. I used an ex RGB fury on a couple of trackdays and we struggled to 'just' get it under the required 99db with a number of modifications to the race regs exhaust, Induction was never an issue.

Which engine are you running in it?

Edited by smiles1 on Tuesday 22 November 19:23

[MikeE]

smiles1 said:

MikeE said:

Looks like both exhaust and induction should be fine for trackdays, I'm told the RGB series (that this Fury has raced in) have to meet similar noise regs to trackdays, they also fit a catalyst to the tailpipe which quietens it down further.

Car is now bought and awaiting delivery, can't wait to get back on track for the first time since I sold my Caterham in 2011

Mike, the regs for RGB race days are 105db (tested in the holding area) so you may want to get it tested. I used an ex RGB fury on a couple of trackdays and we struggled to 'just' get it under the required 99db with a number of modifications to the race regs exhaust, Induction was never an issue.

Which engine are you running in it?

Edited by smiles1 on Tuesday 22 November 19:23

Ah ok fair enough. Its an R1 but with modified induction so the bonnet is fully enclosing the engine. I haven't seen the silencer as it's inside the bodywork but there's an additional cat in the end pipe.

The owner did say he'd done several trackdays with it and was fine, I didn't ask if these were noisy days though. I did also hear it running and it seemed very quieto to me. Guess we'll just have to wait and see how it is when I do my first trackday

[MikeE]

[MikeE]

So finally got round to my first trackday, it was a noise 105db day at Brands and initially I failed the static at 105.5db. We tried a second reading and that was 104.5bd so the Car is borderline as is, although I used max revs while on the circuit and didn't trigger the 92dn drive by so got a full day in.

So think the first step is to take the silencer apart and see if it needs repacking, if all looks good in there then I'll need a bigger silencer as I want to reduce the noise to open the option of more venues.

[pikeyboy]

I have a caterham fire blade with the rrw engine. You need the longest silencer you can manage and it needs to be at least 7.25" diameter. Mine easily passes 98db static and I've never been black flagged for noise

[smiles1]

Mike, hope you don't mind me saying, but if you ever decide to sell the car please let me know

Thanks

[Furyblade_Lee]

You are going to struggle to use a BEC on trackdays under 100db, I have had them for 15 years. 105db is safe.
Its easy to pass the static test with the throttle closed doing 7,000rpm, but entirely a different matter at 11,000 plus, throttle wide open and flames on the shifts. But I would not have it any other way !!!

Edited by Furyblade_Lee on Tuesday 7th March 07:16

[Furyblade_Lee]

I have done Zolder in it 6 times ( 3 weekends ) and got blacked banned after 2 hours once....
I found there I could twist my exchaust tip downwards so it exited down into the tarmac instead of firingbflames directly at the noise meters. Seemed to make a good difference.

[MikeE]

Furyblade_Lee said:

I have done Zolder in it 6 times ( 3 weekends ) and got blacked banned after 2 hours once....
I found there I could twist my exchaust tip downwards so it exited down into the tarmac instead of firingbflames directly at the noise meters. Seemed to make a good difference.

Thanks for the advice Lee. Is there such a think as a rear exit exhaust, which is what they add to a high powered Caterham to get it through noise tests?

Funnily enough I was fine on the drive by

[Furyblade_Lee]

Can be done but routing is a nightmare!!!

[MikeE]

No wonder I failed the 105db noise test at Brands, when I've taken the small (5" diameter by 19" long) silence apart it has an internal Cat in it so the perforated part of the tube is only 12" long!

Going to try a 6" diameter by 24" silence with a full length perforated tube and ditch the Cat

[MikeE]

So I've got a 6" diameter by 26" long stainless steel silencer being made for me for £150 so lets see if going from a 5" diameter silencer with a 12" perforated tube to a 6" diameter silencer with a 26" perforated tube gets me from 105db down to 99db ??