Supercar Noise Limits

[Who Me]

Anybody got any feedback on what cars make how much noise for a trackday test. I see some TVRs have to bolt on another silencer, think some ferraris can get through but not all.
Just any ideas on what has been tried and anybody not pass a test and with what car.

[Sigmamark7]

My 997 GT3 blew 106 dB at Goodwood, with its road exhaust on and not in Sport Mode. I went home!!!

[Radders]

brands, oulton, cadwell, snetterton and silverstone all ok for most cars unless you have a 360 challenge stradale. Donington - really bad unless its a noisy day and they don't come up that often, i got chucked off for induction noise on a M3. bedford - you need an electric powered car

[JamesK]

Sigmamark7 said:

My 997 GT3 blew 106 dB at Goodwood, with its road exhaust on and not in Sport Mode. I went home!!!

In the static test? That can't be right surely. I was there on Monday with 2 997 GT3's and they were much quieter than me and I registered 103dB? Driveby with induction noise I can see maybe more chance but even then I was able to nail it round with no problems.

[Sigmamark7]

JamesK said:

Sigmamark7 said:

My 997 GT3 blew 106 dB at Goodwood, with its road exhaust on and not in Sport Mode. I went home!!!

In the static test? That can't be right surely. I was there on Monday with 2 997 GT3's and they were much quieter than me and I registered 103dB? Driveby with induction noise I can see maybe more chance but even then I was able to nail it round with no problems.

Sadly it is true. Whether it is right is another issue, but I was staying at the hotel for the weekend and had been flying in the morning, so when I discovered that there was space on the afternoon session, it was too good an opportunity to miss. Unfortunately I did miss it, but with the same set up, I had passed at Castle Combe, which is notoriously fussy over noise. It seems that noise isn't just noise, because there are clearly massive variations in results depending on the day, the weather and the venue, with the only constant being the car!

[S6OOH]

I have a TVR Tamora and have found the Db levels different at all circuits, however, Goodwood tend to test near buildings which increases the noise level in my opinion so yes I too have booked and paid for a 102db day at Goodwood, having got down to 94db with silencers at Brands yet been sent home.............

At Snetterton I got 94db without silencers

Last time at Brands 102.4db without silencers....94db with!

[juansolo]

Radders said:

brands, oulton, cadwell, snetterton and silverstone all ok for most cars unless you have a 360 challenge stradale. Donington - really bad unless its a noisy day and they don't come up that often, i got chucked off for induction noise on a M3. bedford - you need an electric powered car

You can knock Silverstone off that list. Their new meter on the wing pits straight has me doubting my own sanity. Our car reads 103db on it's internal silencer and 96db with an additional external one. That's at 1/2m on Oulton's sound gear (no issues there). We were first flagged for 109db drive by in the morning and they wanted to send us home there and then. After a 5 minute sustained bking (I'm not exaggerating) from the noise man, we managed to convince them to let us fit the add-on silencer that we've never needed before at Silverstone. We then manage nigh on 40 laps and get into the afternoon no probs with the add-on before being black flagged again, then getting gleefully sent home by the noise man. He genuinely seemed to be enjoying his power trip, topping it off by being obnoxious and downright rude.

So our car was perfectly fine for nearly 40 laps, then tripped it again at a barely believable 108.5db and that's your lot... I'm genuinely not sure how that works.

Loads of cars sent home that day. Many Porsches. Personally if you think you're even in the slightest bit noisy, I'd steer clear of Silverstone now. You just can't afford to waste nigh on a grand for a day out that depends on whether or not the noise meter man had a shag or not last night.

Sigmamark7 said:

Sadly it is true. Whether it is right is another issue, but I was staying at the hotel for the weekend and had been flying in the morning, so when I discovered that there was space on the afternoon session, it was too good an opportunity to miss. Unfortunately I did miss it, but with the same set up, I had passed at Castle Combe, which is notoriously fussy over noise. It seems that noise isn't just noise, because there are clearly massive variations in results depending on the day, the weather and the venue, with the only constant being the car!

I think this definitely has a bearing, it had pissed it down royally when we were flagged the 2nd time. Nothing on the car had changed at all.

I do think the variation in the way they test and the results they get is enormously frustrating when we're trying to comply to them. Some sort of standard wouldn't go amiss... Maybe even the MSA could come up with something that everyone can agree on. Because at the moment we're about as good sticking our fingers in the air when it comes to making our cars compliant to all UK circuits.

As it is, I've had enough. I'd rather spend a little bit more and drive around Spa than take another chance with Silverstone. fk 'em.

Edited by juansolo on Saturday 3rd May 20:24

[Trev450]

There certainly appears to be a lack of consistentcy between venues and this can prove to be very costly for competitors/trackday goers.

A couple of years ago I went to Pembrey and recorded a static 101 db, the following weekend at Combe the car recorded a static 108 db. I hadn't even taken it off the trailer between weekends let alone changed anything! The end result was to purchase an add-on silencer from Merlin Motorsport so as to allow me to compete, or else I was left with the other option of going home and losing my entry fee.

I'm no expert but don't instruments need to be checked and calibrated against a 'master' one every now and then?

[juansolo]

You would think so. But in these cases I very much doubt they are.

[Trev450]

juansolo said:

You would think so. But in these cases I very much doubt they are.

You're probably right but in the same way as Weights and Measures regularly check filling station pumps to ensure the punter is not getting short-changed, so too should circuit owners/tdo's be accountable for their equipment when taking our entry fees.

[juansolo]

What do they care, we pay up front and it's non-refundable...

It'd be different I bet if it they had to refund track time not used. I bet they'd be glad for you to find any way possible to adhere to the limits rather than actively trying to get you away from their circuit as fast as they possibly can. Maybe that's the incentive they need to get a bit of an attitude readjustment?

[ukkid35]

What is a SuperCar?

If my lowly 87 S4 928 (Guiness Book record holder for the fastest NA production car) does the trick, then at 87 Db it's possibly the quietest car on track. However my 98 Cerb is a royal PITA because apart from giving me a headache on the way there, there is every possibility I'll be barred from track. So very disappointing.

[Wh00sher]

Radders said:

bedford - you need an electric powered car

You don`t though do you

I ran mine on ITB`s, 3 silencer system and zero issues for static or driveby. Not even the `noise warning` board. There were plenty of cars there and nobody was blackflagged or sent home.

I`m not disputing they are stricter than most places, I was certainly closer to the limit at Thruxton than Bedford !


I appreciate with rear engined cars it`s harder to fit sufficient silencing.

[Who Me]

Update on the Potential noise issue. I arrived at Snetterton evening session to try a noise test, without doing anything the guy said "no chance", I asked to be tested anyway and he got 124db !!. Then he has a call from someone on the radio and they say I may get passed on the drive by. After some discussions and excellent service by Javelin they allow me out as I only wanted 5-10 laps and said if you dont see a flag keep going. When coming back in they say the max they recorded was 87db.
Strange but true, and got to say the staff in race control were spot on and very accomodating, having said that my first point of contact with Mr noise meter was not good, but the magic man or woman on the radio must of liked the look of me

[Sigmamark7]

Noise seems to be akin to witchcraft. I have been having lots of trouble with static testing on my Radical, but no issues at all with drive by!