Noise Restrictions at UK Track Days

[Mr Plow]

Hi

I am doing my first track day this weekend. The noise limit at the track/airfield is 100db.

I recently had my car tested at a local track and it measured 98.5db.

Do I -

a) presume that my car will measure the same at a different venue using different equipment or

b) purchase some silencers for the exhaust just in case.

I don't want to spend some money unnecessarily, but also don't want to turn up and then be turned away due to being too noisy. Is 1.5db too small a difference to presume that I will be OK at all tracks?

[thebirdman]

I wouldnt worry, the numbers suggest a very small band indeed, but in terms of noise there is quite a big difference between 98db & 105db. If youve had it checked you should be fine. Enjoy yourself!!.

[t11ner]

Readings on my car have varied by more then 1.5db so I wouldn't be too sure.......

[jleroux]

we always work to margins of at least 3dB on our caterhams - ie aim for 95dB static to guarantee passing 98dB - even then it's been borderline on occasions.

Jonny
BaT

[Cavey]

Presume that's the S3C then? My old non-cat S3 never had a problemn with 100 db limit, though was only just under most of the time. It does vary a bit, but reckon you will be OK. Make sure the car is properly warmed up beofre the test as that will affect the silencing. Most organisers will give you a second try anyway, and recommend that you give it a good blast first to heat everything up.

Enjoy!

[alackofspeed]

I presume this is the MSE event this Saturday. When I attended a track day there in November I was surprised how low a noise level my car recorded on their equipment - I measured mine with work gear at 95 (ish) dB(A), yet when it was tested by MSE the car recorded a value in the late 80's. I retested my car recently (new exhaust), and recored 98.5 dB(A) with work gear, so as a precaution I've thrown another silencer on.

If the worst should happen, Merlin Motorsport is just up the road, so you could shoot up there and buy one of their tag on silencers.

Edited by alackofspeed on Friday 17th April 13:30

Edited by alackofspeed on Friday 17th April 13:31

[Chris71]

Be warned: They don't always correlate!

My DIY test with a friendly passing PHer's noise meter came out at 98dB, yet the test at a recent track day came back at 105.

That's added another thing to my track car criteria: has to be quiet.

ETA: Just noticed you're in a TVR S3 too. Be careful!

Edited by Chris71 on Friday 17th April 16:33

[poshgit]

hi chris - i would be a touch careful what you say on a public forum. they can get read by, drivers, track day organisers, officials, track owners and marshalls etc and telling people what you did to pass a noise test on an open forum does not always help everyone in the long run! I know you didn't mean anything wrong by what you said but........if you want to see what i mean just read some of the posts on pages 2 and 3 of this recent thread
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
and you will see what an emotive topic it is!

[gtdc]

Chris71 said:

Be warned: They don't always correlate!

My DIY test with a friendly passing PHer's noise meter came out at 98dB, yet the test at Brands Hatch came back at 105! What's more MSV had randomly decided to drop the noise limit to 102 without telling anyone.

That's added another thing to my track car criteria: has to be quiet.

ETA: Just noticed you're in a TVR S3 too. Be very careful!

I think only one of the TVRs at yesterdays event passed without baffles (I failed but simply lied to the marshals and restested at much lower RPM - worked then but I wouldn't rely on it in future).

Edited by Chris71 on Friday 17th April 14:36

For there to be a difference of 4dB someone has a dodgy meter. (assuming they were measured using the same criteria)

Melindi

[Chris71]

poshgit said:

hi chris - i would be a touch careful what you say on a public forum. they can get read by, drivers, track day organisers, officials, track owners and marshalls etc and telling people what you did to pass a noise test on an open forum does not always help everyone in the long run! I know you didn't mean anything wrong by what you said but........if you want to see what i mean just read some of the posts on pages 2 and 3 of this recent thread
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
and you will see what an emotive topic it is!

Fair point, edited accordingly.

However, some might argue the fault lay more with the un-named track owners who mysteriously dropped their noise limit by 3dB and not anything I might have done to scrape through.

The point remains though - I thought my car would sail through and I nearly had to turn back when I reached the track. I don't want to scaremonger, I just know how I'd have felt if I was heading back home despondently at the point when everyone else hit the track.

[gtdc]

poshgit said:

However, some might argue the fault lay more with the un-named track owners who mysteriously dropped their noise limit by 3dB and not anything I might have done to scrape through.

At the risk of sounding like my Grandmother... in the 15 years i've been running trackdays i've never had a circuit reduce the limit that was on my contract. Don't know what day you had the problem on but are you sure the organiser didn't just fk it up?

Melindi