Ferrari at Monte Carlo

The racing season is well underway. We are now looking to see which SPRINT Car drivers will clinch their positions in the Chase, wondering if Renault will hold on to the Manufacturer's title in F1 and if Corvette can catch BMW in ALMS GT.  We know many of you are embroiled in your own "chases" whether on the track or at your place of business. Whatever your endeavors, Burns Stainless wishes you Godspeed.

In this issue of the newsletter, we will be going deeper into muffler technology and its application to motorsports.  We hope that you are finding this information helpful.  I would also like to let you know that if you have any questions on this material, please feel free to call or email to vince@burnsstainless.com.

Better Keep It Under 92!

In the last newsletter, I discussed sound and sound level measurements as related to motorsports. Since then, I have learned of additional tracks that have instituted sound rules including the drag strip at Fontana Speedway. If you ask me, I cannot imagine why anyone would complain of noise there (Figure 1)! The sound level at Fontana is reported to be 82 dB, 10 dB lower than at Laguna Seca! And we've seen some wild muffler setups to meet sound at Laguna (Figure 2). So how does one reduce the sound from a 1,800-hp turbo drag car to 82 dB? Good question!

It turns out that the measurement at Fontana is being made at the property line located approximately 500' from the track, whereas the 92dB limit at Laguna is measured at 60' (Figure 3). As we learned last time, the sound level in dB drops by 6 dB each time the distance is doubled. Therefore, 82 dB at 500' is equivalent to approximately 103 dB at 60'. So it is actually quite a bit more liberal than Laguna Seca. Finally some good news.

So, what technologies are available to reduce the sound from a racecar?READ MORE