How loud is F1?

[Bullfinch 0]

I'm off to F1 for the first time in August when I head over to Spa. I'm sitting in one of the stands next to Eau Rouge (the zig zag full throttle up the hill if you think you're brave enough section) and speaking to a mate last night who went last year he said I should invest in a proper pair of ear mufflers. Does this sound a bit OTT? I was going to suffice with some ear buds courtesy of BA Club World.

[Dude VR6 0]

I work for a F1 team, and we all have specially moulded ear plugs to protect our ears. Once the damage has been done your hearing will never heal, so I would say invest on a proper set of muffs, peltor do some good muffs.

[Majik 0]

It is quite loud but thats all part of the fun, take it like a man!

[Majik 0]

I work for a F1 team

which one????

[Dude VR6 0]

That will be telling, let's just say I work not to far from Silverstone

[Danny B 0]

Force India ?

[Majik 0]

Well i know Mercedes and Red Bull are based in Milton Keynes could be one of them

[culshaw 1]

Jordan? :D

[The_Dude 0]

I know who...

 

Bullfinch, I'm not sure you'd need a pair of muffs, just a good pair of ear plugs (not the crummy conical foam ones). Its loud but not oppressive.

[Bullfinch 0]

I work for a F1 team, and we all have specially moulded ear plugs to protect our ears. Once the damage has been done your hearing will never heal, so I would say invest on a proper set of muffs, peltor do some good muffs.

I was dreading the Google search for these and find a price in the £££'s. Pleasantly surprised to see they're around £10 :clap:

 

I can then re-use them when I go clubbing :epicfail:

[Ben-B 0]

Having spent time on a flight line... including stood 20 metres away from 4 pairs of Tornado F3 jets taking off, I'd suggest silicon/foam in-ear plugs, with ear defenders over the top.

 

Even with the two, it was far too loud, although not QUITE at the pain threshold... but with only one of them it would have been painful and probably caused permanent hearing damage.

 

 

As has been said, hearing damage doesn't heal, it's not worth taking the risk so I'd invest in both. You can get decent quality ear defenders quite cheap 2nd hand or new from Army surplus stores (the ear defenders they use on the rifle ranges etc)

[Critical_Mass 10]

It is indeed Force India if my memory serves me well... for once. :-D

 

Spa has to be one of the best drivers tracks on the calender, but not so good as a spectator :lol: its a long long lap. Still should be good and plenty of belgium beer flowing 8)

 

Still back to the original question. The cars will be loud when you're next to them, but how loud are they when youre in the stand and the cars are driving by?

[Dude VR6 0]

For those of you who said Force India, your right, go buy yourself a mars bar :lol:

[Ben-B 0]

Free tickets? :norty:

[Airfix 2.0 16v 0]

I work there to, and all so been stood behind jet engines Vulcans,Jags, Buccs, Hunters F4,s Lightnings and in the pits with engines at full chat at the track, Spa Inc.

A good set off Defenders with the small roll type should do the trick, have a good trip, Spa is good for the beer as far as i can remember?.

[Airfix 2.0 16v 0]

Forgot Mercedes are in Brackley not M/K and Tickets Ya i wish ???

[greasegriff 0]

I went to the Monaco grand prix last year and sat on the first corner, just before they tear up the hill. Yes, it's loud, but not horrendously so. I had a pair of in-ear buds that I wear when biking and didn't even wear these all the time. As has been said, it is part of the experience but quite right, you don't want to ruin your hearing. Two hours of intermittent noise shouldn't do that though.

 

For a tenner mind, getting a decent set of proper ear defenders won't break the bank.

 

Have fun!

[Wendy 0]

I think it is loud, but not excessively so, either that or I have got used to it !!!!

 

These days I would go for some ear proctection, although I never used to bother !!!

 

The smell of the tyres and engine oil is just heaven. make do with that and save your ears.

 

Spa is a brilliant circuit and very different in the flesh to what you see on TV.

Its quite hilly with some good sweeping bends.

I was lucky enough to go round it on the Thursday before Race weekend - in a white van !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :lol:

Driven by the Bennetton team chauffeur - fantastic stuff.

 

Can I have a Mars Bar too - Miles ??

Hopefully Sutil and Luizzi will fair a little better at Hockenheim this weekend...........

[Jim 2]

Having suffered permanent hearing damage some years ago, I'd say take some kind of hearing protection. It's not much fun living with a permanent ringing in your ears.. and anyone who mocks you for wanting to protect your hearing is a moron.

[big ben 10]

i went to silverstone to watch some other racing and there was a bit where someone was racing around in a F1 car. That was bloody loud, couldnt imagine 20 odd cars going round together, must be intense

[Serial 0]

Definitely get some kind of ear protection -- tinnitus is nasty, having had it myself since I was 19. (too much techno!) You won't notice the small foam earbuds after a while and they don't stop you hearing the noise - they just reduce it to a safe level.

 

T

[leeeeshad 0]

Get some ear plugs, i went to silverstone for the 3 days, it wasn't bad when one or two went past during practice or qualifying, but you'll want them during the race, they had buckets of them at the gates (i used some others i had that fitted better) I'm not sure if they'd have the freebies at spar though.

[corozin 0]

Formula One is kinda loud, but if you really want to screw your hearing up you need Top Fuel dragsters.

 

But if you're going for a few days do take earplugs, because modern F1 cars don't really make a particularly great noise. They're noisy alright, but a GT1 Corvette has a much better sound.

 

Get this type as they are the best design : http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Moldex-Rockets-Co ... 2c55f61d13 I bought a set at Le Mans years ago, and they enabled me to sleep quietly in Houx Annexe with not only the race going on around us, but also with the drunken Danes and Dutch setting off fireworks above the campsite at 4:30am - I could hardly hear a thing.

[Bullfinch 0]

Thanks for all the sound :lol: advice. I've duly ordered a few pairs of ear plugs.

[stretch. 0]

iirc it gets up to around a max 120 - 130 db in the stands on a full throttle segment if there's a few cars at once.

 

You have to remember sound is the reverberation of air that's disrupted by even other sound waves, echoes, other cars, blades of grass rustling in the wind... etc.

 

Pick up a decent f1 style cap though: as with ott ear defenders, if you're wearing a cap, you will get chafed ears!