Laguna Seca Sound Limti

[fireball]

Since an ACR set the lap record at Laguna I presume that a stock ACR ('08) will meet the sound requirements for that track. It's a LONNNGGGG way for me to travel just to be turned away.

So I'd just like to confirm that a stock ACR will meet the sound limits at Laguna.

Can anyone confirm this?

TIA,

Greg

 

[redtanrt10]

Greg, the guys here tell me that you have to lift at the track side sensors and the roving sensor will eventually get you with a stock exhaust (resulting in a black flag) Sensors and side exhaust don't mix well. good luck, Mike

 

[fireball]

Thanks for the info. I'll spend my money in another state........

It really ****** me off.

Greg

 

[redtanrt10]

Before you give up, see what others say. Or come to SoCal, Willow Springs Jan 21-22, Buttonwillow Jan 28-29, CA Speedway Feb 25-26, Willow March 3-4, Buttonwillow April 14-15. All great tracks, no noise limits in SoCal, good number of vipers will be at each event. Mike

 

[GTS-R 001]

What is the decibel level allowed at Laguna Seca?

 

[rw99]

Those of us that drive Seca regularly will tell you that it's not always consistent with regard to getting meatballed for sound. Especially with regard to the roving person who is supposedly taking readings anywhere on the track. dB limit is usually 92, although I have also seen 90.

When I've driven (HPDE with SpeedVentures, NCRC, and Coastal Driving School/PCA) I have concentrated solely on the stationary sensor trackside on the uphill straight from T5 to T6 (on driver's right). In my stock '09 ACR, I sometimes time my 3-4 shift to coincide with the sensor. Kinda slow shift it. Or you can stay in 4th through T5 and downshift once past the sensor. And you don't need to completely lift; just stay out of WOT. In traffic, I make my passes on that straight full bore in 3rd and don't worry about it: with more than one car in the space they can't assign a dB value to anyone. I've posted a video here ("Seca with telemetry" or something like that) that shows the various ways I drive that section. Honestly, half the time there's traffic around and sound becomes a moot point.

I think that it's wise to reduce your loudness between T5 and T6 during the first sessions. My impression is that the sound check vigilance is most strict early in the day, when they want to identify the "problem" cars right away. Drivers are given a chance to correct their setup, but this applies mostly to guys that have rear exhausts to which they can add a bent tip(s) or traps. A side exhaust car is problematic whenever there's a dB meter around. Anyway, during the last sessions of the day (when I'm really trying to put together consistent, better lap times) I have sometimes driven T5 - T6 at WOT... and I have not been flagged yet, knock on wood.

If you require 100% balls-to-the-wall for the entire course length, every lap, all day, then the sound restrictions will probably prevent you from enjoying Seca. If you're trying to reach for that 1:33, you may have a problem.

On the other hand, if you come out to enjoy a fantastic road course that's loaded with content for your ACR... and you're not a lap timer *****... you should definitely make the trip. In fact, since it's a long haul for you, why not sample all the NorCal courses and add Sears Point (Infineon) and Thunderhill to your itinerary?

If you do decide to come out, PM me and I can help you get in touch with local support for your track days.


Rich

PS You're always allowed "sound check" laps, too: you can go ahead and drive two laps as a test and come back in to see where you're at... so you will not be summarily kicked out after one 93 dB reading.

 

[ViperGeorge]

Is there any easy way to reduce the sound level from the side exhaust? I've seen those cone things but they somehow need to be secured in the pipe, not something I would want to do. Why doesn't someone make some kind of deflector that points the exhaust down and that easily attaches? Some site vendor should be able to come up with something.

 

[fireball]

92 decibel.

I'm travelling with a company called Arrive and Drive. They do a great job. They come right to my house, load the car into an enclosed beavertail semi truck and bring it right to the track. I fly in, rent a car, drive to the track and go. Afterwards I put my helmet on the seat and drive to airport in the rental car. They deliver the car right back to my garage. Great guys.

Unfortunately they're not planning any of the tracks you mentioned - but they do have several other events planned. I'll just sign onto one of those.

Stuff like this Laguna crap really ****** me off.

California is spending millions on tourism ads up here - TV, radio, newspapers. Then some guy like me decides to spend thousands of dollars in the state and some *****'s chase him away. Brilliant.

Greg

 

[SoCal Rebell]

Before you give up, see what others say. Or come to SoCal, Willow Springs Jan 21-22, Buttonwillow Jan 28-29, CA Speedway Feb 25-26, Willow March 3-4, Buttonwillow April 14-15. All great tracks, no noise limits in SoCal, good number of vipers will be at each event. Mike

Where are you coming from, what redtanrt10 all these tracks are great and you don't have to worry about noise. If you're coming from the north I'd add Thunderhill to the list. My favorites of the 3 in order are Cali Speedway (Roval only), Willow Springs and Butonwillow..

 

[GTS-R 001]

Not sure what your car is measuring now but one of the local racers to me found that my Aero exhaust kept his power up and he measured 4 decibels less than his corsa

 

[fireball]

I've already released my spot on the truck - I'm out.

Thank you for your offers of assitance but it's not a driving trip for me. I'm joining a scheduled event with a group.

I travel a lot (for fun) - about 2+ months a year, so fitting in an event like a Laguna lapping event, while still keeping my business going, is a challenge. A respected and trustworthy person takes my car, along with others, loads his truck full and makes an event out of it. I've done Infineon twice, Thunderhill once. I love it. For me it's affordable and easy. What it isn't, is flexible. He puts a schedule together and you're in or your out. I'm also not able to take weeks off work driving to an assortment of tracks.

I'll just join up on another event at another facility.

In 1988 (or was it 1989...) I raced a motorcycle at Laguna, my first time there. I won the event. I've been back several times to watch races but I never competed there again. I really wanted to bring my car there but why risk it? There's a world full of places that are happy to see me and my economic stimulis package. I'll go there.

My local track closed at the end of December. During the summer I was there either lapping or teaching schools two or three times a week - sometimes more. I'll sure miss it. So I figured I'd start travelling to tracks, starting with Laguna. Nope. California advertises for tourism but this dude's likely heading to Miller in Utah. I hear High Plains near Denver is a fun track too. The guy that does the trucking for me says his favourite track is Oregon Raceway Park - and he's pretty much been to every track. Maybe I'll go there.

Anyway, California is out for me.

I do appreciate the offer of assistance - I guess I'm just in a bad mood over this. It's just irritating.

Greg

 

[JonB]

Greg

I was there for the ACR-X debut and ACR Record Run, and we had no issues with the limit, which was 93 at that time. But Atmo on any given day can account for 2-3 db and can make a car fail in the AM that would pass in the PM, or a day later /sooner.

I love Thunderhill.....I have only done ORP once.....long and twisty and LOTS of elevations. Great Fun, but BOONDOCKS....

JonB ~~~~:<~

 

[Viper X]

Greg,

FYI, a bunch of us So Cal track guys are planning a trip to Laguna Seca June 29, 30 & July 1 with Speed Ventures.

Aaron, the principle at SV, thinks that the "rover" should be either gone or revised and not an issue in 2012.

If you are ever interested in running any So Cal Tracks, check our website for more info at: www.socalviper.com

We have a very active track group that does 8 to 10 track events a year.

Dan

 

[fireball]

Greg,

FYI, a bunch of us So Cal track guys are planning a trip to Laguna Seca June 29, 30 & July 1 with Speed Ventures.

Aaron, the principle at SV, thinks that the "rover" should be either gone or revised and not an issue in 2012.

If you are ever interested in running any So Cal Tracks, check our website for more info at: www.socalviper.com

We have a very active track group that does 8 to 10 track events a year.

Dan

This is the event I was booked into! Is your group all Vipers and will they make muster at the dB meter? He might not have sold the spot in the truck yet!

I'm now faintly hopefull....

You do understand that the entire trip will cost about $5k (trucking, airfare, hotels, rental car, food, track fees.....) so getting the boot after just an hour or two would totally ****. Even more importantly is time away from work. I take so much time off already that I just need to make sure that I get the best 'value' out of the additional days that I do take. Taking 4 or 5 days off then just hanging around somewhere would **** too.

I see that RW99 makes it past the meter, and if you guys do too maybe I'll be OK....

How many Vipers in your 'group'? Do they all make it past sound?

Greg

 

[fireball]

OK, I've RE-cancelled my Laguna trip. Obviously there's a fair bit of uncertainty. I'd still like to make it there one day so I hope someone posts after the next Laguna event.

Thank you for the help offered - much appreciated.

I hope ( if Vipers are actually going) that the June trip is a great time for those that go. Have fun!!!!

Greg

 

[rw99]

Greg

I was there for the ACR-X debut and ACR Record Run, and we had no issues with the limit, which was 93 at that time. But Atmo on any given day can account for 2-3 db and can make a car fail in the AM that would pass in the PM, or a day later /sooner.

JonB ~~~~:<~

Jon has it exactly right: there can be variance during the day due to the conditions. Conventional wisdom is that the more moisture there is in the air, the louder your car will be... contributing in part to that "don't get flagged in the first sessions" strategy of mine.

Rich

 

[Viper X]

Thanks Rich.

Many of our track group guys have never driven LS, myself included, and consider it a "bucket list" item. I normally take it easy in the morning and driving an unfamiliar track, I don't anticipate any sound issues in the AM for me. We may also try to run side by side through the sound monitoring area in the early morning, letting one Viper who's trying to run a faster lap pass another Viper at that location so that they cannot pin the sound on just one of us. The following lap we could switch places.


Greg,

Not sure how may of us will be driving but my guess would be somewhere between 5 and 10 Vipers, maybe more. We're trying to make it a weekend event for our So Cal Club.

If there's any chance you might change your mind again or plan to drive LS in the future, you should call Aaron (the principal) at Speed Ventures before making plans and discuss the latest "sound monitoring" procedures as he'll be the best source of info for you. Aaron is a good guy who runs fun driving events. Tell him I referred you as we drive with Aaron quite a bit.

FYI, we have several local vendors currently working on a sound reducer that we can easily bolt on (and off) and and will be doing some testing this coming Saturday during a dyno day at DC Performance.

I would also think that if you could find a set of Gen III crossover pipes (which will bolt right up to a Gen IV), you could easily pass sound at LS no matter what time of day.

Dan

 

[JonB]

Viper-X and Fireball...... you guys MAY have met at Miller....Dan was tranny-challenged but Greg was passing everything in sight!

Those 2-3 DB insertion cones are a relatively easy install, and could even be at the tip elbow alone....they work better if inserted further forward.

The Super-Trapps-like outlet baffles may require drilling the sills....but an on-the-pipe bolted/clamped baffle system should work as well.

JonB~~~:<~

 

[Viper X]

Viper-X and Fireball...... you guys MAY have met at Miller....Dan was tranny-challenged but Greg was passing everything in sight!

Those 2-3 DB insertion cones are a relatively easy install, and could even be at the tip elbow alone....they work better if inserted further forward.

The Super-Trapps-like outlet baffles may require drilling the sills....but an on-the-pipe bolted/clamped baffle system should work as well.



JonB~~~:<~

Yeah,

Lost the trans in my ACR the weekend before at Buttonwillow, did not have a spare yet and couldn't get it rebuilt in time. Had to trailer the Paxton car which isn't set up for the track, though it is a monster in a straight line and did pretty well in the short Auto X course.

I have tried the Vortex cones in several locations within the exhaust system and they do cut a couple of DBs though they work best when installed directly behind the muffler. We are also playing with an adaptable Super Trapp and a sound deflector.

I have a spare set of crossovers I'll install behind the OE system in my ACR if all else fails though I'm pretty sure we'll be OK in June.

Dan

 

[rw99]

Oh, and just so everyone's on the same page regarding the sound limits at Seca: these are not a limitation that's mandated by MRLS; they come down from the county. So everybody working the track is just as annoyed with them as we are.

Be aware that the intent of the practice laps and/or "warning" flag is to allow you to physically change something on the car to make it more quiet. Lifting when you pass the sound sensor in order to avoid busting the sound limit is not a valid solution as far as the measurement person is concerned. That said, I stick by my driving recommendations above...

Rich

 

[rw99]

...oh, and I've seen a Gen IV quick bolt-on exhaust deflector plate at a local shop; I'll get in touch with him to see if they've tested it at Seca yet.

 

[Magnus_]

What muffler/exhaust systems are you guys running?

 

[rw99]

Stock Gen IV ACR.

 

[fireball]

Thanks guys.

I'll keep watching this thread to see how it goes.

Greg

 

[Viper X]

Thanks rw99,

Please check out the "quick bolt on deflector plate and let us know.

Hopefully, we'll see you up there.

Dan

 

[Camfab]

So what happens during a race, does the county suddenly give the track a variance because racers are spending big money? Seriously I went to races there last year and those Mazda rotarys probably did damage my hearing. Ear piercing, and annoying, I can't stand those things.

 

[rw99]

So what happens during a race, does the county suddenly give the track a variance because racers are spending big money? Seriously I went to races there last year and those Mazda rotarys probably did damage my hearing. Ear piercing, and annoying, I can't stand those things.

Correct, there's a certain number of days per year where the limit is changed or off. They may have a whole menu of dB levels/days, I dunno.

 

[BAD BOYZZ GARAGE]

Gentlemen,

This system has worked for a client at Laguna Seca during last years season. It definetly was questioned by track officials, but just like when you get pulled over by the Highway Patrol while speeding, how you respond and explain it (exhaust turnout) could be the difference between legal or not. Excuse the photo quality, it was taken with my Iphone on a midnight rocket ride breaking in the clutch..

Just a thought for the idea's pool...


(Mods: ACR-X Headers w/cats, Corsa track, ACR-X clutch kit, Moton CS, Rotors, Hoosier R6's, Roll Bar)



BAD BOYZZ GARAGE, INC.


=DISTRIBUTORS OF POWER=

 

[ViperGeorge]

Gentlemen,

This system has worked for a client at Laguna Seca during last years season. It definetly was questioned by track officials, but just like when you get pulled over by the Highway Patrol while speeding, how you respond and explain it (exhaust turnout) could be the difference between legal or not. Excuse the photo quality, it was taken with my Iphone on a midnight rocket ride breaking in the clutch..

Just a thought for the idea's pool...

(Mods: ACR-X Headers w/cats, Corsa track, ACR-X clutch kit, Moton CS, Rotors, Hoosier R6's, Roll Bar)



BAD BOYZZ GARAGE, INC.


=DISTRIBUTORS OF POWER=

Do you know how the turnout was attached? Is it easily removed or is it a permanent addition?

 

[Camfab]

How is it that a STOCK exhaust which meets all EPA and CA standards is illegal at a "Racetrack". It's okay to drive on the street but illegal at the track? Is it me or does this "sound" ridiculous. Seriously from a legal perspective, is it okay for a county to declare a EPA/CA legal car illegal to use in it's unmodified state? The track has certainly been there longer than 99% of all residential housing within earshot.