SpecRacer.com

If 1670# is ok for a Gen 2 and the weight difference between a Gen 2 engine and a Gen 3 engine conversion is 110 # why is 1560 # not a good weight for the Gen 3 cars? From what I am reading elsewhere in this site the Hoosiers are heavier than the Goodyears. Therefore those of us that have worked hard on our cars and ourselves to get close to the 1560 will be even more disadvantaged. And don't forget those of us that had a legal Gen 2 tail will now have to add weight to be a legal Gen 3 tail.

goolsbey wrote:The problem setting any limit is the wide range of driver weight. For example, My daughter weighs about as much as Hal.

Well, if I retire, you could probably add an extra 50 lbs tot the minimum weight and make everybody happy.

H.(ease on up, now...I ain't dead, yet)B.

Good point. We should lower the SRF weight to 1,650!

I for one vote no on lowering the weight, not that I have a vote or that it means anything. What I find quite amusing is many are so vocal about lowering the weight but I hear little or nothing about adding additional weight to the rear of the car in the form of a useless muffler! Where did the muffler requirement come from? Where I race the subject has not come up in terms of being over noise limits so why is it being required? If our leaders really thought weight was an issue they would make the muffler optional to lower the weight just like last year. With that, I think this is all a plot by Hal to keep us fat guys at a disadvantage, FAT LIVES MATTER.

steve kramer wrote:Steve, if you weigh 260 you should be able to get close or to minimum. My car weighs right at 1300 dry, no plates. And it has old UCAs, butler, and bondo.

Steve, sorry man, no way. I had Motion Dynamics do my conversion, and take away any possible extra weight they could find. I have a fiberglass seat, a new front end, and middle of the road mid and rear sections, 2nd gen wheels, old UCAs, 2 cameras , 3 layer fire suit, hans, helmet, and the muffler, and last year came in after races at 65 lbs over, and that was with the latest GYs (that were lighter). My personal weight was 260.

Bill Parenteau wrote:Where did the muffler requirement come from? Where I race the subject has not come up in terms of being over noise limits so why is it being required?

While I am sad that a muffler is now required, we have had issues with meeting sound in CenDiv and the Northern Majors Conference. At the 2014 divisional races at Blackhawk and Road America, I registered 106 at full throttle and needed to short shift at 6 (at Blackhawk) and 3 (at Road America) to avoid further violations and exclusion from the results. At the 2015 Gingerman Major the majority of the SRF3 field violated sound during the qualifying session and there was extensive discussion of the issue at the mandatory drivers meeting that followed the session. In those discussions, I also heard an official say that most of the SRF3 field had violated sound at the 2015 Blackhawk Major though nothing was said to drivers at that event that I am aware of.

Atmospheric conditions as well as microphone placement contributed to the violations. Cold, cloudy conditions tend to amplify sound, which certainly contributed to my 2014 violations. After talking to one of the sound crews at a 2015 event, I also learned that the crews sometimes adjust the placement of the microphone to minimize readings for louder classes such as GT1. Unfortunately, the placement that accomplishes that may put the mike in a spot where the SRF3 is at 6700 in 3rd gear and we are generating our highest decibel reading.

I was an early "victim" of the muffler requirement as I was over the sound limit consistently at Thunderhill Raceway, easily hitting 104+, the first weekend I ran the Gen3 at a track-day event. One cause is the location of the sound shack just happens to be right at the 3rd to 4th up-shift going down the front straight. Short-shifting worked, but put the car in the "dead zone" enough to lose nearly 1 second+ a lap. Tried a baffle to turn the sound away, which worked right until it fell off

Laguna is the reason we have the "quiet" version (which works quite well, thanks you) where we have to meet 90db. The county sets the rules and enforces the limit so there's no ability for the club to "adjust" the mic to accommodate certain vehicles

Portland has a muffler requirements (state law), though no db limit, so we've generally used our "Laguna" mufflers while the NW racers had a "special" muffler to meet the letter of the law (not much baffling, though.)

IMHO, it's better to be consistent across the class in areas that could impact performance, like mufflers. Given the inconsistency in current sound requirements at different venues, having one agreed-upon configuration (with the exception of Laguna) is fair. I think the car actually sounds better with the muffler and it's certainly easier on the ears in (and out) of the car. Running a quieter car is more "neighborly" as well, an important factor in preserving access to race tracks that are being encroached by "civilization".

We are running at Laguna today, our first time with the "big" muffler. It is 90 db today, the car sounded real loud in the shop, we were speculating it would fail, but at speed it seems to be fine...

I was at TWS a few weeks ago. I registered 95dB peak (and averaged 93dB on all readings).... in my GEN2.

Maybe they will spec mufflers for us also?

The "Laguna" muffler is available for Gen2 if need for restricted sound limits (should be good down to 85-87 st 50'). There's a general trend toward keeping sound levels under 103db even those traditionally unrestricted in the past, which the Gen 2 meets comfortably without a muffler. Unfortunately, there's not a consistent approach to how this is measured (point of measure(s) on the track, distance from the edge, terrain and adjacent acoustic influencers like walls, etc.) In time, tracks are likely to have lower limits as adjoining neighborhoods encroach on tracks. The Gen3 is loud, and at a much higher frequency, so it's challenged at some locations in staying below 103db. Even the new muffler will not meet the requirements of Laguna Seca, which is why we have the "quiet" version as well.

In time, I expect to see more adoption of variable sound levels and windows, similar to Laguna, where certain days or times are allowed more db than others (we have 3 windows on a typical SCCA race weekend of 92 early/late in the day, followed by 101db mid morning and afternoon, and 103db at mid-day.) Most other events have to be run at 90-92 db, which requires a Gen2 muffler similar to the Gen3 "quiet" muffler.) If you want to do "track days", the lower limits are pretty much a given. It's actually pretty productive to run the car with that low a sound level as you pick up sounds that you normally wouldn't hear (like the tire squeal near the limit).