First Ethanol Now Mufflers

[NismoZ]

Reading rumor that says The League will try some new technical wizardry to tone down those wonderful sounding Hondas as they look to move to more urban areas, like Newton Iowa. A turbo makes a great muffler for an engine, say one of about 2.65 litres? ;)

[pchall]

It's often easier for club racers to rent a track if they have mufflers and can meet the db level requirement, leaving the tracks free to run profitable events on their dates outside the noise restrictions. ;)

Another thought... one of the non-motorsports guys at the local snapper wrapper was assigned to the IRL race near here last season. After I called him to ask about a Sam Hornish response to a question about lapping at 260mph [which he admitted was taken from another scribe's Q&A in the post race interviews], he asked if I could tell him what he was "missing" when he was assigned a race report at the 1.5 mile oval down the interstate. I said something about not enjoy sitting in an aluminum, concrete, and asphalt griddle for several hours in the hot sun at db/obnoxious noise level way beyond that of running my 50s vintage 5.1 ci McCullogh clearing downed trees on my place near Ada, OH in the middle of July. His answer was, basically, that after five laps he had retreated to the airconditioned press booth... and then tried to write his story about and event he found uninteresting.

Draw your own infereneces.

[ChrisB]

Now before everyone starts slamming the IRL for considering mufflers, lets remember that CART was seriously considering a 3.5L NA engine in 2002, and talking about a V10 in 2003. Both times myself and others were suggesting on these forums that CART should use a muffler on an NA engine to bring the decibal level down to about what the turbo engines are making (The great thing about the 2.65L turbos is that they are just loud enough, but not too loud).

In addition to reducing volume, you can tune a muffler to sound as good as you want it... this is old stuff to engineers at sports car companies like Alfa or Ferrari.

We can't be hypocrites... if it was good enough to suggest mufflers for CART's NA engines... the same applies to the IRL! A good idea is a good idea, no matter what series.

[Don Quixote]

We can't be hypocrites... if it was good enough to suggest mufflers for CART's NA engines... the same applies to the IRL! A good idea is a good idea, no matter what series.

Sorry Chris, not too many around here were in any way supportive of going to the NA engine. I mostly remember debates about whether they should stay with the 2.65 or go to a much smaller turbo 4. I think if CART adopted the NA like rahal wanted, most around here would have been pissed, and we would have still refered to them as farting bees. :)

[pchall]

Now before everyone starts slamming the IRL for considering mufflers, lets remember that CART was seriously considering a 3.5L NA engine in 2002, and talking about a V10 in 2003.

I remember Sillipony campaigning for F1 style V10s... and having heard the 4.0l Judd V10 at the track several times posted vociferously about how unacceptable a full field of V10s would be at a street race and even at some road courses. At M-O I was right on top of a Judd when the crew started it and blipped the throttle and the sheer volume of noise from one engine made me cringe.

As for the NA V8 -- I've heard enough Cosworths in my decades of fandom to know that a pukka Cossie would have sounded better than the IRL spec'd jobs.

BTW, I wonder if the mufflers will be issued by the IRL each weekend? If not, I think their performance will be about as equal as USAC's pop off valves. Dozens of HPD engineers are probably dyno testing various disk stacks to find a special one that will match the timbre and db level but give Danica some extra HP.

[NismoZ]

Wait a minute, Chris, weren't you the one who pounded the 1000hp idea a "couple":D of times. That's when we started talking about turbo 4s and F-1 of the early 80s. As I recall few approved of any NA ideas, though in a moment of weakness I think I said I'd go for it in the interests of peace and (*gulp*) unity. I have NO recollection of fans actually wanting to muffle anything though some said we'd have to see it with all the street courses coming on board. ChampCar has the chassis, the engine AND sweet sounding turbo mufflers! Run 'em anywhere.

[oddlycalm]

While their at it they should come up with some nerf bars, fuzzy dice and curb feelers to complete the general look and feel of the cars... :tony:

oc

[NismoZ]

Nerf bars? You mean attenuators?;)

[ChrisB]

NizmoZ-guilty as charged! :) Actually it eventually came out that the engines circa 1999/2000 (just before they lowered the boost) were making very close to 1000hp. The '94 Mercedes Panzers were making 1000hp. And yet, in a 1550lb car, with 1k hp they would *still* have a lower hp/wt ratio than an F1 car... so I guess it's no big deal after all.

I wouldn't mind seeing a belt-driven rootes supercharger instead of an exhaust turbo (I used to be a big drag racing fan) then it might be appropriate to use a muffler since a rootes blower doesn't attenuate the exhaust like a turbo.

Anyway.. the IMS should probably take a few 2.65L turbo cars outta the museum, run them and measure the exhaust sound with a db meter... and *that's* about the target sound level they should go for with a NA engine muffler.

[nissan gtp]

While their at it they should come up with some nerf bars, fuzzy dice and curb feelers to complete the general look and feel of the cars... :tony:

oc

you forgot whitewall tires :D

[NismoZ]

Whitewalls on Old Yeller looked just fine!:) Pic anyone?

[pchall]

Whitewalls on Old Yeller looked just fine!:) Pic anyone?

Guess which car is Ol' Yaller.... ;)

http://www.tamsoldracecarsite.net/OlYaller1ShelbyMorgenson.jpg

[devilmaster]

Guess which car is Ol' Yaller.... ;)


shoulda found a black and white photo pete, and messed with their minds... :laugh:

[NismoZ]

Say, there's Ol' Shel, too!:thumbup: When's that, '58? Could be the same 4.5 Maser that Lloyd Ruby ran for the Texas "Micro Lube" Racing Team in '59? (hope nobody ran into any trees out there.)

[NismoZ]

Come to think of it, didn't Granatelli run whitewalls on a Novi or something at Indy, too? (maybe not) Pic anyone?:rofl: