The Mustang Forum for Track & Racing Enthusiasts

Taking your Mustang to an open track/HPDE event for the first time? Do you race competitively? This forum is for you! Log in to remove most ads.

  • Welcome to the Ford Mustang forum built for owners of the Mustang GT350, BOSS 302, GT500, and all other S550, S197, SN95, Fox Body and older Mustangs set up for open track days, road racing, and/or autocross. Join our forum, interact with others, share your build, and help us strengthen this community!

Decibels

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Has anyone figured out the decibel level of the Boss, factory with and without factory discs?

I know you CA guys have sound restrictions at the tracks, none here in FL but the GA and even Barber tracks have them. The new AMP with have a 98bd level, not much considering a hand drill is the same. It all comes down to distance and I do not know how they measure at these tracks. Roebling Road is 103bd which is still less then a lawn mover.
 
While most of the tracks in CA have sound limits only LS has a low one at 92 db's. I don't expect to have an issue there with my 7/8 discs and GT500 mufflers but I'll take my smaller discs just in case. If you know the measurement distance I can take some measurements with my db meter.
 
Figure out where the meter is, and stick a flap over that side pipe that pushes sound down. I know people that have gone over the limit at Thunderhill but their cars were WAY louder than the Boss with stock pipes and no baffle.
 

PeteInCT

#LS-378 - So many Porsche's, so little time....
Moderator
2,848
14
Connecticut
2012YellowBoss said:
Has anyone figured out the decibel level of the Boss, factory with and without factory discs?

I know you CA guys have sound restrictions at the tracks, none here in FL but the GA and even Barber tracks have them. The new AMP with have a 98bd level, not much considering a hand drill is the same. It all comes down to distance and I do not know how they measure at these tracks. Roebling Road is 103bd which is still less then a lawn mover.

As you state it's 100% based on where they are taking the reading from and the conditions of the day (including humidity). There is an 86 DB limit at LimeRock Park. So far only the very loud cars get black flagged (no cat 911's seem to get tagged a lot), so the other variable is how hard they are enforcing the rule. The last things these tracks want is a reputation that many cars cannot use their track because of DB restrictions.
 
I think RR is at 50 feet. I doubt the Boss in stock form would be over 93bd but I do not know for sure. I get many drivers tell me the Boss sounds great on track but people in the paddock say it is very quiet compared to other cars.
 
It isn't loud like a racecar.

LS is strict because the neighbors are a PITA. I have a lot of family in that area. Basically people keep moving closer and then complaining like they didn't know there was a track there. Also why they have a cap on the number of big racers per year (LMS, MotoGP, etc)
 
1,255
2
GA
At Roebling Road in Savannah you can check out what the neighbors are cooking for dinner while you drive down the front straight. ;) I think the Road Atlanta limit is 92 dB and the new Atlanta Motorsports Park is about 86 or 88; the neighbors fought to keep AMP out so they will probably be in for a life-long struggle.
 
PJWANNABE said:
At Roebling Road in Savannah you can check out what the neighbors are cooking for dinner while you drive down the front straight. ;) I think the Road Atlanta limit is 92 dB and the new Atlanta Motorsports Park is about 86 or 88; the neighbors fought to keep AMP out so they will probably be in for a life-long struggle.

According to CHIN AMP will be 98, at least that is what they are telling people now.
 

PeteInCT

#LS-378 - So many Porsche's, so little time....
Moderator
2,848
14
Connecticut
5 DOT 0 said:
Pete, does your Boss pass the 86 db with your 3/4 discs in? 86 db seems really low.

I have not gotten black flagged at LimeRock and I do not have restrictor plates in. I have a DB meter (and actually some pro recording experience) and believe me 86 Db is not that loud. The fact that I never got black flagged really means nothing, it's all about how the test was run:

  • Distance and angle from car to DB meter
  • Layout of all reflective materials in the area
  • Humidity and barometric pressure to some extent
  • How critical the reader of the meter is

I think the rule of thumb is that you don't want to be one of the loudest cars at the event. To be honest, I believe that some tracks go through the motions in many cases to show town/city authorities thay are complying with running the tests. I've run in some run groups with 911's with no cats and practically no mufflers and no one got flagged. I've also seen cars that were 'pretty' loud get flagged. It's kind of like getting the full strip search at the Airport - you just gotta be lucky ! ;D
 

OLOABoss

AKA OLOABoss
Road Atlanta only has sound limits during quite hour and it is enforced by corner workers ears. AMP is 98db and I am sure it will be enforced. I will find out the end of April with Chin. I doubt the Boss will have sound issues with stock mufflers and bypass open @ 98db easy to add smaller discs if necessary.

Peter
 
LS Boss said:
I run at Laguna Seca with 3/4 discs and am full throttle at measurement point....pass 92db fine...I am going to try 1" next time I go there.

Did they give you a number when you ran or just tell you that the car passed? I would like to know the sound level of a stock Boss that way I would have a better idea for future mods.
 
1,255
2
GA
OLOABoss said:
Road Atlanta only has sound limits during quite hour and it is enforced by corner workers ears. AMP is 98db and I am sure it will be enforced. I will find out the end of April with Chin. I doubt the Boss will have sound issues with stock mufflers and bypass open @ 98db easy to add smaller discs if necessary.

Peter

Thanks for correcting me- I was doing it from memory. I hope you get to run AMP at the end of April- they just postponed all of the HOD dates until May 18th and later.
 
2012YellowBoss said:
I think RR is at 50 feet. I doubt the Boss in stock form would be over 93bd but I do not know for sure. I get many drivers tell me the Boss sounds great on track but people in the paddock say it is very quiet compared to other cars.

Your not going to have a problem with the stock exhaust at 50 feet. The design of the side pipes (tip pointed down) the sound doesn't really travel horizontally. I did a test awhile back with 3/4" disks, where I stood next to the road while my wife drove by putting her foot into it. The car was no more than 12 feet from me and at about 60 mph the tires made more noise than the exhaust. I was kinda surprised considering the volume level inside the car with the same disks. Even with 7/8" disks (or fully open) most of the sound hits the ground and bounces vertically into the air above the car.

If you were running the Kooks full exhaust with the side pipes open, then you might have a problem. ;)
 

TMO Supporting Vendors

Top