Hushpower Tackles Vintage racing sound issues
Pure and simple, sound control should be a concern for all parties involved in motorsports today. In order for the sport to continue to grow and survive in the 21st century, sound levels must be addressed at every track. Eventually, most tracks will have decibel level requirements and presently facilities that enforce decibel levels pose a big problem for loud race cars because they are not allowed to run. Worse, car owners might be asked to load up after they've traveled to the track only to find that the car won't meet the levels required by the organizers. There's another factor to consider as well. If you've spent many miles behind the wheel of a very loud race car, even with earplugs in place, it can wear on you and do permanent hearing damage. There's also the spectator experience, who are apt to stay around longer and come to the track another day when their ears don't wind up ringing in pain. They can go to a bad rock concert for that. Short of shoving a potato in the exhaust pipe, the only solution to reducing sound output in race cars is to use mufflers. Of course, racers have always been resistant to using a muffler, because most mufflers rob horsepower. And no matter what the brainless Harley riders say about "loud pipes saving lives," loud pipes can close down a racetrack faster than anything as neighbors rise up and complain to their local politicians or city councils. Although many modern race cars are designed from the ground up with mufflers to reduce noise levels, vintage race cars pose an entirely different problem, primarily in packaging, if mufflers will fit the application without major modifications to preserve originality. Flowmaster, a highly respected aftermarket manufacturer of high performance exhaust systems, recognizes the hurdles that have to be crossed in vintage racing and is introducing its Hushpower line of mufflers to the sport. Bob Lee's McLaren M6B is now fitted with the Hushpower mufflers, and during our track day we did sound tests with both the original straight pipes and the Hushpowers in place. By seat of the pants, I could not feel a difference in power, but the difference in noise was remarkable-109dB with straight pipes and 98dB with the Hushpowers installed. Hushpower mufflers use unique and patented engineering to deliver amazing power and tone control. They feature an internal design that directs and controls the exhaust flow while removing high resonance frequencies from the exhaust without constriction. Dependant on use, they offer remarkably efficient sound control and airflow, fuel economy improvement potential and deliver full performance in racing applications. Call (800) 544-4761 to speak with a tech today!