Matt's (rotoober) car.

http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y94...ent=LSMatt.flv




Meatballed for sound. I'm running a Racing Beat CB, a down pipe and stock cat. I got a 95dB (max is 92) and Matt got a 97dB with the same exhaust except he's got a hiflow cat.


http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y94...oversound3.flv









.

 

You suck! I love that track I was there 2 years ago for the Red Bull Moto Gp, and couldn't beleive how crazy tall the cork screw was. Looks like you wern't alone rotary wise.

 

Nice, def. on my list of tracks i want to drive on.

 

sound stn is on drivers right going up the hill after Turn 5 (a full throtle section), we rivet a 90º on the exhaust tip pointing it to drivers left, good for knocking off a few DB .........

BTW was that a single tip RB catback, or the twin outlet thats more like stock? i thought they were both relatively quiet......

 

Hi ya Chuck,

We both have the duel tip, and it's very quiet. I got the hit the first time I had open track and was at redline at or just past the booth. I did a sound check, short shifted up the hill and got a 86dB.

 

thanks, good info, i have the same DP/CB, now i know to be carefull if i get the fd down there on a sound limited day........did they give you a higher limit (95?) after 10am or were you stuck at the 92db all day? seems cruel to have to short shift there, third must have had great pull up the hill.......
PS: nice line, all way around....especially like the wide right entry to go sweeping left down the hill....i almost could feel the car set.......

 

laguna seca ftw man

 

So does any exhaust config work for Laguna?

I'm running a DP, resonated rx7store midpipe and an RB catback.

 

Nope it was 92 all day and the real pisser is that I had clear track and was just beginning to understand the line when I got the meatball. Thanks for the comment on my line, I still have a LOT to learn.

Paul

 

Your mileage my very........ My car is dam quiet compaired to the vettes, they shake my car when they blow by. I think it has more to do with the higher pitch of a rotary at 8000 RPM.

Paul

 

I got meatballed for 98 and 101 dB when I was there 2 weeks ago. And to add insult to injury, my friends M3 got the meatball because I was approaching turn five as he was going up the hill. I have to lift and short shift into 4th; that's costing me at least a second per lap. I'll be welding a 90 degree bend onto my silencer for the next time.

 

Depending on how often I actually get up to Laguna, I was contemplating a custom exhaust with a Magnaflow for that exact issue. You can't use a turn down with the good ole RB exhaust (at least not that I'm aware of).

 

Wow, thought I was bad for getting the high score or the day @ 97db. Single tip exhaust would be pretty easy to clamp a 90 on the end, but Paul and I have RB twin tips. And yea it sucked short-shifting into 4th going up the hill, few could pull on me in 3rd, many in 4th.
Overall a great trip and perfect day, now I need to get my in-car posted.

Matt

 

Was the sound restriction a track requirement or an event requirement?

 

Track requirement. Monterey County owns the track and surrounding campgrounds. Here is the NASA write up:



Sound

Remember that there is a STRICT 92 dBA sound limit. If you are over the sound limit you will be given one chance to fix it. After that, you will have to sit out without a refund. We have no control over the sound level or the monitoring. It’s all done by the county, and there is zero tolerance!



Note: While all questions are welcome, please do not call us for sound advice (no pun intended). We have no way of calculating or predicting if your system will pass. There are many variables that affect the sound readings from your car. Just about all street cars pass, and race cars can usually pass with the right racing exhaust system. If in doubt, you might try installing a removable SuperTrapp exhaust tip to slip over your tail pipe. Use it if needed, and add or remove plates as needed.

Sound booth is at the start of a long up-hill, right at the point where you would normally be pulling the hardest.

 

The sound limit is dictated by how much an organization is willing to pay. The day prior to us, CHAMP car paid an extra $100,000 to have an unlimited sound day. Smaller clubs, like the one I run with simply can't afford to pony up the extra $ for such "luxuries."

 

Was the sound restriction a track requirement or an event requirement?

to expand slightly: it depends on which club/group and what day they could get..... there are only so many unlimited sound days per year, those are the indy cars, the GP bikes, the Historics and maybe a few other big spectator events..
then there are SCCA type race days which have varying sound windows all day from 92 or 95 at 8am, 100at 9, to 103 at 10am then back down again in the afternoon, these numbers/times are guesstimates as i dont have a schedule from last year......we get cought in strange situations with this, you can get popped and loose your qualifying time then be OK during the race because its scheduled later.......

 

heh, I was wondering how the ALMS guys run at Laguna Seca with those sound restrictions. It's interesting how the county controls those regulations and can basically be paid off.

I was looking at the sound measurements of the ALMS cars at the tech station in Sebring and those frickin' Audi R10's would almost meet the normal 92 dB requirement. Their values ranged from high 80's to low 90's. Amazing cars!

 

That makes more sense as I've seen WAY too many track videos from Laguna to think that the sound restriction was all the time.

 

My understanding is that the reason ALMS runs on Saturday at laguna is b/k of the counties sound rules - The restriction is much tighter on Sunday - something like 90db untill a 10 am and after 4 pm and 92 the rest of the day iirc, also I think even on the "unlimited" sound days there is a 102db max limit.

 

Is there that much of a public population that close to the track?

 

No, Skip Barber racing school and a couple other businesses are right there at the track, and they'll complain if it gets too loud on trackdays.

During races like the ALMS, there's no limit for sound.

 

The track was built in the 50s on an Army base in the middle of nowhere. Then in the 70s a golf course was build just over a 1/2 mile away. Then came the multi million dollar homes. The closest are less that 3/4 of a mile from the track and more are being built every day.

 

Well, that's good know. Next year, I want to start planning a trip to a distant track, try to do one per year. Laguna was one of the ones on my list, but I don't want to make a trip only to be turned away.

If you were having issues with a Racing Beat CB, a down pipe and stock cat; I doubt my loud-**** car would come close. If I do try to come out there, I'll have to pick a group that can run with a little less noise restriction.

 

To my knowledge there is not an Open track event that does not have the 92 db limit. Pro events and the SCCA national event with varying db are the only ones that I am aware of. When I had my Pro7 car I ran a RB TII presilencer for a muffler. It exited in front of my RR wheel. At laguna I had a pipe that exited in front of my LR wheel. I never had a problem with the db meter, but it sure was loud against the wall at start/finish. They check for sound on drivers right on the exit of turn 5