View Full Version : Put a cork in it!
IRL finally mandates mufflers.
A more fan-friendly IndyCar Series car is projected to be on racetracks in 2009 thanks to an exhaust system that reduces the noise level by about 9 decibels.
The system, which costs about the same as the '08 exhaust and already has been ordered by some teams, has been tested on road courses and ovals "so we could get an idea of the projected improvements," according to Les Mactaggart, senior technical director for the IndyCar Series.
"Honda has been the prime mover in trying to get a more acceptable level of exhaust noise from the current car, and embarked on a fairly extensive R&D program in 2008," Mactaggart said. "It sounded favorable and a big improvement over what we currently have, and hopefully it will give us the opportunity to make the cars more fan-friendly at the areas where the spectators are in fairly close proximity to the track (such as St. Petersburg, Edmonton and Toronto)."
We always said they were loud and sounded like crap and now even the IRL guys admit it.
They're trying to suck you back in.
extramundane
11-25-08, 01:11 PM
They're trying to suck
And succeeding.
Sean Malone
11-25-08, 01:34 PM
If an IndyCar races at St Pete and no one is around to hear it, did it actually race?
If an IndyCar races at St Pete and no one is around to hear it, did it actually race?
We won't know until the Joyce Julius report comes out. ;)
Even if it is squeezed out silently, a phart still smells bad....
Don Quixote
11-25-08, 01:57 PM
Show of hands for anyone that has ever heard them in person. :tony:
Sean Malone
11-25-08, 02:26 PM
Show of hands for anyone that has ever heard them in person. :tony:
St Pete last year. It was strange because it wasn't a 'bad' race but it wasn't CART. The cars looked very slow, sounded horrible (although sounded much, much better than their IndyLights. If any car needs a muffler it's IndyLights).
The whole race experience was pretty blah. The paddock was blah, there was as much excitement in the air as a Molly Hatchet reunion tour.
the IRL = The milk toast of auto racing.
the IRL = The milk toast of auto racing.
I always thought of them as Chipped Beef on Toast, aka SOS.
Accipiter
11-25-08, 02:51 PM
A proper exhaust system for an Indy Car includes a turbocharger.
Andrew Longman
11-25-08, 03:22 PM
Show of hands for anyone that has ever heard them in person. :tony:
I heard them the first year they ran at Nazareth, but I think that was a different spec. I was underwhelmed all around, I don't remember them being rudely loud, certainly not worse than a modified or Cup car. Just not sweet like a turbo or as a Champ car should be.
extramundane
11-25-08, 03:59 PM
Show of hands for anyone that has ever heard them in person. :tony:
If I'm outside or have the windows open, I can hear them at RIR. It ain't pretty, even from 6 miles away.
Methanolandbrats
11-25-08, 04:46 PM
They sound primitive and obnoxious.
Insomniac
11-25-08, 05:24 PM
Right now I'm thinking it would take a new car/engine to get me to give them a chance. I really just don't care about any of the teams or drivers at the moment. I imagine my interest in USOWR was gone in 2004 or 2005. ChampCar closing shop probably just made it obvious.
Don't know how true the sound is on YouTube but the 3.4 NA Honda/Toyota (600hp) sounds pretty darn good in the new '09 F-Nippon Swifts...'specially in that short clip of high speed drafting on the straightaway. Check it out. Pics of the header & exhausts also clearly showing what COULD be the same muffler setup for ICS? (also no ugly airbox!)
Show of hands for anyone that has ever heard them in person. :tony:
Kentucky Speedway. Its a job, you know...
shaggy_socal
11-25-08, 09:18 PM
The IRL only has about 100 decilbels left to silence. :)
Let me know when they've accomplished that.
Dirk Diggler
11-26-08, 03:51 AM
Show of hands for anyone that has ever heard them in person. :tony:
Not even at gunpoint.
Seeing them at M-O at the ALMS/IRL weekend only seemed to amplify the unpleasant sound. Anything from the ALMS sounds better than the IRL.
As above, the cars look slow and have an unappealing sound. Not overtly loud, just unpleasant. I don't see purchasing an "Exhaust Notes" CD for the IRL :saywhat:.
FWIW -It can be loud, throaty, and appealing (the GT1 corvettes).
Methanolandbrats
11-26-08, 10:26 AM
[QUOTE=Elmo T;246589]As above, the cars look slow and have an unappealing sound. Not overtly loud, just unpleasant. I don't see purchasing an "Exhaust Notes" CD for the IRL :saywhat:.[QUOTE]
That CD would be more effective than water boarding.
Sean Malone
11-26-08, 10:59 AM
[QUOTE=Elmo T;246589]As above, the cars look slow and have an unappealing sound. Not overtly loud, just unpleasant. I don't see purchasing an "Exhaust Notes" CD for the IRL :saywhat:.[QUOTE]
That CD would be more effective than water boarding.
That's funny and brings to mind numerous possibilities for interrogation techniques. Such as endless taped interviews with Helio, looping pictures of Danika's Maxum spread, tapes of Cheever and Goodyear explaining the high tech nature of "indy cars". Ugh, gives me the willies just thinking about it.:D
Methanolandbrats
11-26-08, 11:06 AM
[QUOTE=Methanolandbrats;246590][QUOTE=Elmo T;246589]As above, the cars look slow and have an unappealing sound. Not overtly loud, just unpleasant. I don't see purchasing an "Exhaust Notes" CD for the IRL :saywhat:.
That's funny and brings to mind numerous possibilities for interrogation techniques. Such as endless taped interviews with Helio, looping pictures of Danika's Maxum spread, tapes of Cheever and Goodyear explaining the high tech nature of "indy cars". Ugh, gives me the willies just thinking about it.:D
Tapes of Goodyear and Cheeber would be the worst, you win a Golden Medal from the Bernie Gomer :gomer:
I think I have first hand experience of every IRL engine formula (I am a gomer) except the 4.0 liter Vision v.1.1 stock blocks. The turbos were of course the turbos but all variations of 3 and 3.5 liter have been obnoxiously loud and ugly in their own special way.
The best illustration of the difference is Milwaukee where you can sit in the stands without earplugs and still chat with your buddies if its a field of 2.65 turbos. Not possible with atmospheric IRL power plants. Earplugs are absolutely necessary and forget trying to have even the most rudimentary conversation unless there is a caution (which Danica always seemed willing to provide once or twice).
The only engine I ever experienced that was more painful (seriously painful not offensive) than a field of 3.5 Hondas was the 4 car train of V8 M3s in the ALMS race at Sonoma in 01. The volume and pitch was brutal. But at least they didn't sound like a tractor with a resonator.
RHR_Fan
11-26-08, 01:45 PM
Show of hands for anyone that has ever heard them in person. :tony:
Milwaukee last year for a day. :gomer: Fugly. Indy Lights were 100x worse, but that's another story. :yuck:
~Nicole
Indy Lights were 100x worse, but that's another story. :yuck:
~Nicole
Not enough cute butts in the seats? ;)
Wheel-Nut
12-02-08, 12:49 PM
If an IndyCar races at St Pete and no one is around to hear it, did it actually race?
Yes, the telltale sign would be fragments of Vision carbon fiber strewn about the place.
Show of hands for anyone that has ever heard them in person.
I got to hear the ver1.0 4L engines in 1998 at the bathtub known as Dover Downs! (wooohooo... do I get a beer for that? :) )
miatanut
12-06-08, 06:27 PM
The only engine I ever experienced that was more painful (seriously painful not offensive) than a field of 3.5 Hondas was the 4 car train of V8 M3s in the ALMS race at Sonoma in 01. The volume and pitch was brutal. But at least they didn't sound like a tractor with a resonator.
I thought the old Toyota Atlantics were the roughest on the ears, because they were shrill. I enjoyed watching them, but had to use earplugs, which I don't normally do.
I might be all alone on this, but the old Buick Indy Lights were my favorite.
astinus4
12-07-08, 03:59 AM
Show of hands for anyone that has ever heard them in person. :tony:
Surfers Paradise this year. Bloody awful. My ears were ringing for days afterwards. Saw champcars there in 2004 and 2005, which was a far more pleasant experience.
Show of hands for anyone that has ever heard them in person. :tony:
No.
Always had something better to do.
Honestly might have done the Mile a year or two, but the freebies where for 18 yrs. and older and didn't have anything with them other than a seat. Me and the g.'s found other stuff to do.
Passed on overcrew for Joliet a couple of times.
devilmaster
12-07-08, 04:35 PM
Show of hands for anyone that has ever heard them in person. :tony:
:irked: but i have an excuse. Cam made me. :)
stroker
12-07-08, 05:57 PM
A friend took me to the Kansas race two years ago. I thought they were painfully loud, as bad as the first F1 race at Indianapolis.
RHR_Fan
12-08-08, 10:26 AM
:irked: but i have an excuse. Cam made me. :)
Cam is a gomer?! :gomer: ;)
Most of the reason why I went was to see people I otherwise would not have seen. It would have been weird knowing that Wilson, Power and Hunter-Reay (I couldn't give a s*** for AJF4 et al) were an hour away. But now this silly season sounds like Champ Car silly season circa 2003-2007 and some of those guys might not be back so I may not have a reason to go next year.
~Nicole
Yes. I do Saturdays at The Mile each year and I forgot the plugs in yr.1. Big mistake. Ringing in the ears ever since. I'm screwed. Panning for shots from inside 4 put my left ear in partic in acute danger. (NOT noticed at the Chicago Paperclip when CART was turning 16k and doing the crossover thing with the turbo.) Idiot photog! The snarl from the rapid revving just prior to clean break as they pitted however was very impressive. I enjoyed the midgets and sprinters and the full paddock more though. Cheap entertainment I'll take any day...if it isn't too far away!:)
devilmaster
12-08-08, 01:05 PM
Cam is a gomer?! :gomer: ;)
~Nicole
Well, he was... His friends intervened, tackled him and wrapped him up, crated him up and threw him on the first Quantas flight available and sent him back home to watch V8 supercars live and the like to wean him off the koolaid....
Either that or they just didn't like him and sent him away anyways.....
j/k Cam ;)
oddlycalm
12-08-08, 06:03 PM
4 car train of V8 M3s in the ALMS race at Sonoma in 01. The volume and pitch was brutal.
You're right about that. The M3 GTR's would take bark off a tree at 25yrs. Even with earplugs it was painful if you were up close. It had a ripping/tearing aspect to it that was really unpleasant.
The E46 M3 I owned wasn't alot better. Even with a $2200 Italian Supersprint exhaust I put on it at full throttle above 6000Rpm it sounded like it was ripping apart the air. The car would go like stink but it would have been more pleasurable if it sounded good while doing it.
The psycho-acoustic aspects of cars and racing are a big part of the enjoyment and those looking to sell cars or racing ignore it at their peril. I wouldn't expect TG or his boot lickers to understand.
oc
Michaelhatesfans
12-09-08, 12:47 PM
You're right about that. The M3 GTR's would take bark off a tree at 25yrs. Even with earplugs it was painful if you were up close. It had a ripping/tearing aspect to it that was really unpleasant.
When I sit down to have my hearing aid fitted, I'll think of these guys...
http://jl.aichholzer.free.fr/Mazda/Voitures/rx7gtu.jpg
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