SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/680178
WITH AN ENGINE RIGHT BEHIND THE DRIVER, BUGGIES REQUIRE A QUIET RACING MUFFLER THAT WON'T HINDER PERFORMANCE, SO THAT THE DRIVER AND NAVIGATOR CAN HEAR EACH OTHER SPEAK. and don't do, especially in desert racing applications. "Mufflers turn the most harsh environments into one that is more manageable," he said. "While we love the sound and the chest pounding exhilaration of 700-plus horsepower, as spectators, this constant berating of the ear drums can numb your focus. For racers in the cab, it can impede your ability to respond to the other noises that let you know your rig is functioning correctly. These high decibel environments limit communications with co-drivers, spotters or just about any team conversation vital to putting themselves on the podium." Through extensive in house dyno and flow bench testing Magnaflow creates various muffler designs and uses a variety of materials to develop a muffler that can endure the punishment of true off-road and desert racing. According to Waitas, this is done by selecting the proper gauge of stainless steel for strength without it becoming a weight issue. "You can make anything strong with more material and bracing," said Waitas. "Pounds and ounces, however, can take away from chassis balance and engine power. The way we form our caps through stamping, to creating the proper lap welds, each of these somewhat simple manufacturing processes will effect strength." Waitas stressed that making mufflers that are too rigid and don't have any flexibility, can lead to failure as much as using the wrong materials. "We find that failures on these race applications are rare, with most coming from direct impact , roll overs and other physical burdens of racing," said Waitas. According to David Borla of Borla Exhaust, not all mufflers have to slow you down just to quiet the vehicle. "That may be true for some designs,"says Borla. "That's not always the case as we've learned from our own testing." Borla is of course speaking from its decades of experience in the exhaust aftermarket business. "We're not magicians, yet we have put the time and 071 SCORE JOURNAL