Too Noisy For Nurburgring?
 

Planning my first trip out to the Nurburgring and understand that there is a 95db noise restriction.

I've got an Afterburner Vortex, non-resonating centre section, and de-cat centre section, but original down and up-pipes in place.

Do you think I am going to have problems?

Also... what are the noise restrictions on the UK tracks and how stringently do they ensure compliance?

Ben, I was at the ring last weekend, and I can safely say I had no problems with my cars noise. I'm running a 3" straight thru exhuast (a bpm twister) with full decat, and it's very load at full chat. Just take your time going through the pay barrier, and you'll be fine.
I know some of the major tracks in this country are very strict though, mostly owned by Mr. Palmer I believe :)
Enjoy the nurby, it's great fun :)

chris.

was there with a mate in july who has afterburner vortex on his p1 and had no problems.

just go through the control gate with revs as low as possible and dont boot it striaght away you will be fine

A common sense approach is taken at the 'Ring (I doubt youll find that in the UK.....). A high number of standard looking/sounding cars are tested, the track appears to seeking to demonstrate compliance rather than looking to prevent 95+ dB cars from running. I have noticed that people who take the piss, revving vehicles with loud pipes, tend to get tested regularly. People who make as little noise as possible in the assembly areas dont seem to get singled out. The official limit is 95 dB as youve stated, but I believe that an unofficial limit of about 100 dB is actually enforced. 100 decibels is loud.....


Simon

Quoting a dB limit alone is meaningless. UK motorsport quote XdB at 0.5m and 45 degs from the tailpipe at 4500rpm or Y dB at 8m from the side of the car at 2/3 max revs or Z dB drive by. With the actual limits varying for rallying, racing road events etc etc.

100dB drive by may indeed be loud but 100dB at 0.5m at 2/3 max revs is really difficult to achieve with any seriously tuned car. Inverse square law I guess, 16 x further away means 1 / 256 of the noise perhaps?

Which test is easier to pass depends on the type of car. 0.5m from the exhaust removes all engine and induction noise from the test for conventional front engined rear wheel drive cars but for rear engined cars like metro 6R4's they really struggle with all the engine noise right there next to the meter. 8m to the side of the car catches engine noise and induction roar, particularly hard for twin weber engined cars like Caterhams with the air filter sticking through the bonnet.

Castle Combe limits are 105dB at 0.5m and 4500rpm for "noisy days" (limited number per year, includes sprints, race days and race testing presumably) and I think 100dB at 0.5m and 4500rpm for quiet days (most of their track days).

Goodwood does a drive by test (as part of their permission to run this is permanently linked to the local council offices so no chance of any discretion!). I think it's 80 something dB.

o one around last year... paid in the office.. got the ticket.. job done.. you'll be ok :)

Thank you for the advice and I can see that I really shouldn't have any problems.

Can't wait to get out there now. Been studying the circuit and watching the incar videos over and over as preparation. Going to be fantastic experiencing it first hand.

Cheers

I was there in June and only saw bikes getting noise tested and only a few getting turned away.
We had a couple of de-cated and noisey Scoobs in our group and no officals battered an eylid at us !!

Enjoy the ring mate :thumb: :thumb:

Mark :D :D

We got back today, ive got hks hyper muffler complete decat never had a prob and been 5 times ! cheers Rob

My turbocharged Clio wouldn't go through the noise test last time we were over at the 'Ring. I'd done one lap the previous evening after a long drive there; thought I might as well have a quick blast round at quarter to six in the evening (the F1 circuit was open as well and the place was deserted because of the rain). Anyway, next morning we all bowled up and my Clio and one other were picked out for a noise test - the two cars with side exit systems. Mine was a pretty short system coming out just behind the passenger door, 3" bore from the turbo back, a pair of staight through silencers as a useless gesture towards noise limitation LOL...

Anyway, they tested at around a metre away pointing straight down the pipe (which was angled slightly backwards anyway). Asked the rev limit which I lied and said was lower than it was and they tested it at half the rev limit. Came out as 101.6 dB IIRC which was way over. The tester told me that the limit was 95dB but they have an unofficial 'margin' of 100dB where they have discretion to let a car through, but seeing as mine was over that they couldn't let me on. That is straight from the horse's mouth. Presumably they would have let me drive if it had been under 100, as it was a functional sidey - i.e. not one of these things that's noisy for the sake of noise itself. I actually didn't like the racket it made myself, but what can I say, I like to go fast!

Luckily a friend of mine who's a 'Ring local turned up and got me in the back door at Ring Racing nearby to get a steel plate tacked into the tailpipe. It got the noise down to something like 96dB and they tested me again at the 'Ring and I got the green light. Yay!

Moral of the story - get tested and find some way to keep your exhaust just over 95dB max - at a metre away and half maximum revs. Getting all the way there to find out you're not allowed to run is a serious bummer.