All Pro Drivers

[Dave Hooten]

It is a known change that we,have ignored for 10 or more years. There will be a MANDATORY Silentcer Exhaust SYSTEM for the 125 thru -1100 Classes at avonpark. The fact is that we are scheduled at Avonpark, in april. There is a full month or more of racing, beging in march. This gives you ,HARD HEADS, time to prepare. Think about it now, rather than the day you get the circuler. Hope to see you there......WITH

[Bill Huson]

Just a thought . . .

Back in the late `70s, early 80s, noise was a problem for R/Cmodel airplane and R/C model boat hobbyests. At that time I owned a large hobby shop that specialized in R/C toys. We stocked a number of silenced tuned exhaust sytems, m,ost of them from Europe where the R/C modelers were way ahead of the design curve. Race course tested proved that silenced tuned exhaust sytems were at the minimum equal and often better than the usual honker pipes. I figure that in Europe where noise was regulated moreso than the US the engineers made sure that the product would be acceptable and went to the design max to make the silenced pipes work.

Silenced tuned pipes will work for us as well. Oh, but they don't work on baffle piston engines! I say bullpoopy. Hire or enlist the aid of a real engineer and I'm thinking he/she would create a silenced design that would allow a baffle piston mill to honk serious without the HONK.

I get the same noise is good in my motorcycle classes - "Loud pipes save lives!" Nooo, loud pipes make you go "Huh? What say?" (hand cupped to deafened ear)

Time for us to recognize that noise hurts more than our ears. It hurts the availability of race sites.

[Dave Hooten]

Bafles

Point made . Thank You for your intesting story.

[racnbns]

The Sound of Music or Irritable Noise

To me there is no sweeter sound than a six cyl. defl. or better yet my six looper at full throttle. I am sure that guy with the million dollar house on the bluff on the other side of the lake feels differently about it. As Joe J. stated in the other thread sound/noise can be used to kill a race weather thats the real reason or not.

Dave M.[Hi Dave] suggested not running the open megaphone[mod.] classes where people don't appreciate that sound. The deflector engine has been raced with expansion chambers. Ray Nydahl had a set that he made and used in the early 70's, but the fact is a lot of race locations love the sound of open[megaphone] exhaust. De Pue for one. They would run us out of town if we didn't have the sound of the six's and four banger's with megaphones. There is a place for everything!

Back to the problem you are having in FL. with unique sounds. We[USTS] have two races scheduled in FL. this year. We have no classes scheduled that run megaphones and some of our racers are using the silencers as supplied by the motor manufacterer. We seem to be better off than some groups as far as sound goes, but there is always room for improvement.

I recieved a schedule for the Pro meetings in FT. Lauderdale and sound/noise is one of the topics of discussion. My wife and I are both pro comissioners. My feelings on the sound/noise issue is that as long as the expansion chamber silencers are available, they should be used. I have selfish reasons for feeling this way. I don't want my grandchildren to have the problem hearing like I do. If we can help the kids its worth the effort.

In the meantime wear your hearing protection, ear plugs and they even have some electronic muffs[20 bucks at Harbor Freight] that hear and even amplify the sound untill it reaches 85 db and then it cuts out the sound. Neat!

Enough said[by me anyway]. There are as many people on one side of this debate as their are on the other. I guess thats why some of us drive Chevys and some drive Fords, different likes and dislikes.

Bruce Summers
V-71

[Dave Hooten]

Hi bruce, Thanks for your imput. Dont get me wrong, I love the sound of a Loop engine,And Im not for or against Silentsers,MY point is its coming to this in many areas.Im just trying to let my fellow racers know,that we are getting ready to start the new season, and silentsers are included. See you soon.