What's so wrong with quiet? That's the piece I don't get; sure, an unmuffled anything is likely to make more power than one WITH a muffler, and IMNSHO, anyone riding public lands/not in a competitive event on a sled, dirtbike, quad, whatever - WITHOUT a muffler at all - is a jackass.
So, we all have mufflers of SOME sort. Good. While it does suck to find that your hotrod muffler is all of a sudden illegal with the stroke of a pen, if it is good for the sport, embrace it.
I'm new to snowmobiling. I've ridden dirt bikes on and off for a long time. I also race cars; I've gotten to like a good muffler. I have to. I used to run mufflers that got me under the limit - but just. Then, more and more tracks/sites started getting closed - "noise" is the #1 complaint. So, I put a Real Muffler on the car. Now, it is quiet - 78-82db at 50'/WOT. It is still fast.
Noise is a problem for all motorsports. Sucks, yes - I like the sound of a good motor at WOT as much as any gearhead.
I like the sound of A MOTOR better than none, though.
Are the sound levels too restrictive? Maybe, maybe not. I don't know. They seem pretty low to me.
I do believe that the aftermarket will be forced to prioritize "quiet" more than they have in the past (and in dirtbike land, this has been going on for a while). The more they value "quiet," as "quiet" will equal "sales," the better off we'll be - we'll get decent products from a performance standpoint, but we'll also be "complying" with the "law."
The suckass part about it is simple, though - if "they" complain about "noise," we are being too loud. At least this way, we have a federally mandated set of rules, and we (motorsports enthusiasts, all affected) can say "hey, we're trying, this is what we've done, this is what we're doing."
Dunno. I've had loud (sometimes REALLY loud) cars for years. 20+. I like them. They're fun. Don't anymore, though - there used to be a LOT of _very_ good places to race near Denver. Now, well, not so much - Mead is gone. Stapleton is gone. Second Creek is gone. The circletrack next to Second Creek is gone. PPIR went away, now it is back - but there are houses on the hill RIGHT behind the track. Doomed?
We shall see, but when those homeowners start complaining, I'm happy that we've (local SCCA chapter) got a pretty detailed sound policy in place - we can put forth a good foot, hey, we're trying to be quiet, we want to coexist.
Not "f-u, you're the moron who bought a house next to a racetrack."
Sure, we're all THINKING it, but that does not do any good - homeowners always win. I remember standing at Second Creek (roadcourse NE of Denver) watching them bulldoze lots up on the hill NW of 2nd Creek, and simply knowing the track was done. It took a couple of years, but it was done. Not "I wonder if the track will stay open," but "this place is done." I was right. I don't always like being right.
Our sound testing is wildly subjective. With the new muffler on the car, the best I've seen is ~75db, worst ~88. Go figure. Normally 78-82. Yes, it is SUPER subjective, and yes, it does suck to conceptualize getting a ticket with a stock can, but hey, cross that bridge when you get to it. IMHO, we need to be more supportive of it (and put in the effort to guide such laws, as I'm sure many here do), rather than just bashing it.
Blah blah blah. I'm certainly not saying I _like_ it, but I think it is one of the best things "we" can do to preserve riding areas (snow, dirt, water, racecars) - quieter is better than Xbox.
Iain
You four stroke turbo guys have some surprises in store. The decibel meter doesn't discern between pleasant and obnoxious noise
