• Registered: 2018-02-19
  • Posts: 39

Topic: How strict are they about DB level at Road Atlanta or in general?

As everyone knows Rotary engines are whisper quiet,  but ours happens to be a  little louder than normal. We have a good muffler on and no exhaust leaks.

How strict are they? When I was at CMP I didn't even see the meter, nor was asked to run at WOT. Then again we were 30 hours late to tech...

If we passed everything at tech but the DB limit would they make us go find a fabricator?

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  • From: Cleveland, OH
  • Registered: 2011-09-03
  • Posts: 2,227

Re: How strict are they about DB level at Road Atlanta or in general?

If you're loud enough that someone pulls out the dB meter, you need to fix the exhaust.

If you think your loud, but not sure, either you aren't, or you already have enough hearing damage to not know you're too loud.

Mistake By The Lake Racing (MBTL)
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  • chaase
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  • From: East Meadow, NY
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Re: How strict are they about DB level at Road Atlanta or in general?

We have some loud ass cars in the Northeast. Do the tracks even check anymore. Our very first race, we didn't even make it to tech for being too loud. Now it seems like it just doesn't matter how much noise the car makes.

1992 Saturn SL2 (retired) - Elmo's Revenge -  Class B winner, Heroic Fix winner x2
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  • Registered: 2019-09-24
  • Posts: 2

Re: How strict are they about DB level at Road Atlanta or in general?

I wouldn't sweat it.

  • VKZ24
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  • From: Wilson, NC
  • Registered: 2009-05-20
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Re: How strict are they about DB level at Road Atlanta or in general?

At this years's 24, according to HQ, they whipped out the dB meter on Friday's practice to warn driver's if there car was too loud.  This was due to the close proximity of homes for the after hours portion of the race.  Several teams were warned and had to scramble to get their noise under the limit.  We didn't didn't test, thus no warning, but didn't want to risk it, so we added an extra measure and it worked fine.  Once darkness fell, we just KNEW several cars would be parked for being too loud, but it didn't happen. 

Our car currently has a resonator, and a glasspak muffler. We are probably at the edge of the limit if I had to guess.   It's still loud, but no where near the loudest. 

If you have a rotary, IMO it's too loud even when it's not running!

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  • From: Chicago-ish
  • Registered: 2010-04-19
  • Posts: 3,502

Re: How strict are they about DB level at Road Atlanta or in general?

Pagel is going to be in Race Control this weekend.

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  • From: Cleveland, OH
  • Registered: 2011-09-03
  • Posts: 2,227

Re: How strict are they about DB level at Road Atlanta or in general?

Either the dB limit is louder than we think it is, or all the organizers already have permanent hearing damage so they don't know the volume has creeped up.

I was terrified my no converter dual 2.5 inch V-8 exhaust was going to be too loud so much so that it got flowmaster style mufflers and I did the side outlet "trick" to keep the sound down, but you can't even HEAR it on the track so it must not be anywhere near the limit. But in your own garage it sounds crazy loud.

Mistake By The Lake Racing (MBTL)
88 Thunderbird "THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO!", Ex Astris, Rubigo / Semper Fracti
A&D: 2014 Sebrings at Sebring (NSF), 2014 NJMP2 Jurassic Park (SpeedyCop), 2012 Summit Point J30 (PiNuts)
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8 Reply by DelinquentRacer (edited by DelinquentRacer 2019-12-12 12:14 AM)

  • From: SF Bay Area
  • Registered: 2012-01-06
  • Posts: 721

Re: How strict are they about DB level at Road Atlanta or in general?

Your rotary would have to be extremely loud or popping to really set the meter off.
Rotaries tend to have higher pitched exhaust note which carries less sound energy to the meter.

My 3.4L V8 SHO set the meters off due to the bass notes.

John Pagel's Balto (3-cyl, 2-stroke snowmobile engine) hurt my ears driving through the pits,
but he said it had no problems with the meters on-track because it was so high-pitched.

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  • Registered: 2015-05-13
  • Posts: 122

Re: How strict are they about DB level at Road Atlanta or in general?

A few years ago I was worried that the car might be too loud so I downloaded a sound meter app to my phone. Put my car outside, rev'd it to redline and took readings. To my surprise it wasn't anywhere close to the limit. You might try the same.

  • Troy
  • Troy
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  • From: Houston, TX
  • Registered: 2009-04-30
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Re: How strict are they about DB level at Road Atlanta or in general?

VKZ24 wrote:

If you have a rotary, IMO it's too loud even when it's not running!

Agreed

Troy

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  • From: Orion Twp, MI
  • Registered: 2011-04-18
  • Posts: 776

Re: How strict are they about DB level at Road Atlanta or in general?

I really wouldn't worry about it. It's not like they're going to black flag a car that's running in P1 and demand they add ADDITIONAL mufflers on the spot...

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  • From: Iowa
  • Registered: 2010-04-20
  • Posts: 2,660

Re: How strict are they about DB level at Road Atlanta or in general?

They would never do that... especially at a track where there isn’t a neighborhood for more than a mile.  I mean... who would really do that?

LemonAid - Changing kids lives one lap at a time.
  • From: Kalamazoo MI
  • Registered: 2013-06-10
  • Posts: 117

Re: How strict are they about DB level at Road Atlanta or in general?

Yes that was especially irksome, especially after a full day of friday practice / passed tech without any mention.

I find it amusing that the “readings” are not measured with a calibrated gauge.   The iphone apps are notoriously terrible.

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