2014-06-25

Attempt to redirect exhaust noise

As I previously wrote my noise levels are now down to 94-96 dbA on the intake side and 101 dbA on the exhaust side.

In an attempt to reduce the latter I did a quick test to fit a 90° steel tube and point the exhaust towards the ground and see if it made any difference.

The result was a bit unexpected. The exhaust noise went down an half dbA, but the intake noise raised to 98 dbA.

I've been complaining about this before, but noise metering appears to be quite random.







2014-06-22

Intake airbox

As I wrote in the previous post the track noise regulations in Sweden has become much harder lately. The current limit is 95 dBA drive-by measured from a 10 m distance.

I've fitted a Raceco silencer and now a Pipercross PX600 airbox. Now the car is much more quiet - huge difference! I can't even hear the revs because of the wind. A quick drive-by test with a cheap china noise meter gave 96-97 dBA but after glueing on some insulation material on the airbox the readings dropped to between 94 and 96 dbA on the most important intake side of the car.

On the exhaust side the noise level is 101 dbA and still too high. I'll try to mount a bend or something to point the exhaust to a different direction and see if that helps.

The airbox have an integrated filter that I suspect rob a bit of power. Next step will be an external filter with larger filtering area, and maybe some cold air ducts on the nose cone side or sides.

The good thing with this airbox is that it can be mounted within minutes if the occasion requires. Direct fit, but I had to remove the steel bonnet/nose cone support tube.



2014-06-14

Raceco silencer

The track noise regulations in Sweden has become much harder lately. The current limit is 95 dBA drive by measured from a 10 m distance. This limit is set by the SBF (Swedish motorsport federation) for all swedish circuits.

I know my car sounds a lot more than that, around 105 dBA. So far I've never been blacked flagged but I know it is a question of time. Also I wouldn't mind if the car was quieter as I'm not a big fan of loud noises.

The first step is to quieten the exhaust and that is now done with a Raceco 2.5" titan silencer built by Mike Riley. The high price made it a painful decision but it is very nice built and also a lot more quiet than the previous silencer. It take the edge of the bad part of the noise and what is left is a nice round sound. In fact the exhaust noise is now masked entirely by the (very nice!) induction noise.

It was a straight fit and no brackets needed to be fabricated.

It is also a bit lighter than my previous silencer - about 1.5 kg.

The car is much more quiet now but I think it still have a bit to go before I reach 95 dBA. So trying to reduce induction noise is next step.