28/02/2009 08:03:01 SJR Hi, This is my first post so hello to everyone. I want to do a track day at Bedford (it will be my first ever track day) but I am slightly worried that my car might not pass the noise level tests. I have been told that it is 101 db static and 87.5 db drive-by. And that they are very strictly enforced. My car is a ZT 260 with X-power exhausts. What do you guys think? Thanks in advance, SJR

28/02/2009 09:39:24 Dave Hi SJR and welcome to MGoT. You've picked up on a real problem I'm afraid. The noise testing at Bedford has become very strict of recent times; so much so, that Lotus on Track (LoT) stopped going to Bedford for a while. We've never hired Bedford ourselves as it needs so many cars. Instead we've always piggybacked on a LoT event. Unfortunately, LoT's Bedford day a few weeks ago was cancelled because of the snow, so no-one at MGoT has been there for some time. There are a few ZT260 owners who come to MGoT days, so hopefully one of them will see this and give you some idea of what noise level to expect from your car with XPower exhausts. Good luck, Dave

28/02/2009 21:50:00 Martin C Hi SJR, Welcome to MGOT and we hope you can be encouraged to have a day with us at stage in the future. The geniune X-Power exhaust shouldn't give any problems, although not a mighty 260, I have one on my ZS and have always been well in on noise tests. Probably the most stringent testers I've encountered are Goodwood and I've always comfortably passed there. The real problem however is the noise meter that is being used on the day. You may well have figures that show a certain level, but if the circuits reads different there is nothing you can do about it. If you are at all worried you may not pass, then a get your noise test done as early as possible on the day. That way if you do fall foul you are giving yourself maximum time to do something about it. Hope you enjoy your Bedford day and let us know how you get on :D Martin.

28/02/2009 23:33:08 Gary&BVZ In Feb 2008 I took part in the LoT day at Bedford with others from MGoT .. I see that last year I posted that one of our ZRs failed the static noise test .. Fortunately my ZR160 has never had a problem at any circuit ... I posted that the failed car had its exhaust pipe stuffed with something I said was wire wool ... What ever it was it worked and he joined us on track ... Hope to see you on track soon ..How about Snetty in April ????? Cheers from gary & BVZ ...

03/03/2009 20:12:53 SJR Thanks for the replies so far. Hopefully I will get to come along to an MGOT track day sometime soon. I want to go to Bedford mainly because of the big run offs (I thought it looks quite safe for my first track day) and it is one of the closer circuits. It is proving more difficult than I thought though, what with crash helmet requirements and noise levels. I also have a track day booked at Mallory Park which I will be attending in my Ford Mustang, which is much louder than the 260, so it looks like I will need to make that quieter too. :( If the 260 fails the noise test does anyone know what options I have regarding buying/making something to lower the noise and at what sort of cost? Thanks for your help, SJR

04/03/2009 05:41:14 Tim If you'd like to find out how noisy your car is before getting to the circuit you could hire a noise meter from [URL="http://bookatrack.com/-pp_Track-Day-Products?17"]Book-a-track.com[/URL] I hired one from them a couple of years ago for a tenner. When testing hold the meter at a distance of 45 degrees and 1 metre away. Athough I can't vouch for the accuracy of the meter it will give you a reasonable figure to work with. If you do find you need to invest in some noise remediation (and depending on the type of exhaust exits your 260 has) Merlin Motorsport to a range of [URL="http://www.merlinmotorsport.co.uk/p1576/MERLIN-MUFFLER-4%22-DIA-x-8%22-LONG/product_info.html"]'Cherry Bomb'[/URL] silencers which seem to be popular amongst the V8 drivers. Regards Tim