Ear protection? (1 Viewer)

[FC138fan]

Thats funny that some people's ears hurt for the alcohol cars. I can tolerate the alcohol cars (blown alcohol), but I always plug them for injected nitro and the fuel cars. I guess recently though, I've been plugging them for the alcohol cars too... older and wiser I guess.

Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever tried to not to plug for a nitro car. I've always just assumed that they were louder. Just imagine, if they are loud enough for you to feel the vibrations 100 yards away and clear your sinuses if you have a cold, I would think that it would destroy your eardrum.

I can see maybe not plugging your ears if your in the stands, I just don't get the guy who stands 5 feet from a Kalitta car warmup, no shirt, no earplugs, arms folded, directly in the nitro mist (only protection is a pair of sunglasses) while they whomp the throttle. Ive stood in his position, it literally blows you back... I can't imagine how bad it would hurt your ears. Some macho thing I guess.....

 

[Chili]

I was more or less born at the track so I never used ear plugs growing up. I use headphones now when I sit anywhere near the starting line. If I'm further down track I use them from time to time. I only use them for the nitro cars. The alky cars don't bother me at all.

 

[go]

I remember one time at Green Valley when we use to pour our own water for the burnouts when we were running blown alcohol dragster. I was pouring the opposite side from the view of the guy that motioned our driver to hit the throttle. I jut got the last squirt out of the jug when the RPM's went up and the tires began rotating............... let me tell you, I lost my balance and could barely walk right. My hearing was gone for the day but eventually came back.

Tales from the old days....... The same weekend the track was so sticky that I walked right out of my tennis shoes, practically needed a pry bar to get the shoe to detach from the track, lol. A slight embarrassing moment to say the least, but I had my toes buried in and I just couldn't keep'em on any longer, lol. Those were the pre reverser days.

 

[Ugly one]

Could you guys type louder, I can't hear what I'm reading

 

[d'kid]

I do now, wish I had 40 years ago... wish I could take a deep breath also...

d'kid

 

[none]

No ear plugs for me, but I`m another one that only has a problem with the blown alky cars.

 

[pete]

I agree, the Alky cars bother me more. I've been going since the early 70's and have never worn ear protection. Huh? What??

 

[Jon Asher]

Regarding ear protection, if you don’t use it now, you’ll pay the price later.

I’ve been wearing a headset for everything at the track since 1974, and can assure you that by the end of the day I’m far more relaxed and less tense then I was in the early days.

Regarding Bruce Mullins’s comment about “I gotta hear the motor,” I strongly disagree because there’s no logic to his statement. Years ago I had this same conversation with Dale “The Snail” Emery. Told him that with the headset you could actually “hear” the motor better because there wasn’t the banging and pure cacophony of the engine. Emery borrowed my headset and then fired the Funny Car. He was amazed at how much better he could “hear” things like the blower spinning and the like.

Loud noises such as we experience on a regular basis are absolutely damaging if you don’t protect yourself. My daughter’s in the music business, and has been wearing ear plugs to concerts and clubs for 20 years. She’s told me repeatedly that some of the people she used to make the club scene with are now living with major losses of hearing as a result of their need to “be cool” without ear plugs. Is it “cool” to be deaf?

Pay attention to what Ted Kuburich wrote. That’s some serious stuff, kiddies! Pay attention.

Karl Stalcup’s comment is worth paying attention to as well.

Jon Asher
Senior Editor
CopetitionPlus.com

 

[Harry Mannback]

After many years in Radio and at the track my hearing is pretty much shot, if you don't use hearing protection now as MR Asher says you will pay the price later.

Just because you think it doesn't bother you, don't think it doesn't effect you.

With the Jr cars it's that popping, like a long string of M80's going off. Sometimes I wear plugs and a headset. If I'm going to be on the line all day.

Remember: Not wearing ear protection does not make you more of a man, just harder to talk to.

Dan

 

[robslob]

Pratt and Whitney along with General Electric stole my hearing many years ago. Now, I have to save what is left. I have a hearing protection ritual; As soon the first car starts the burnout...plugs in, after the second car is done and backing up...plugs out and talk to friends, the first pre stage light gets lit...plugs in, run done...plugs out. I do this for both fuel classes, both alcohol classes and now for pro mod

 

[clwill]

John Medlen used to "tune the motor by ear". And he now wears monster hearing aids.

As someone who suffers from tinnitus, and has rampant hereditary hearing loss in our family, I can tell you that hearing is something you can easily take for granted.

You wouldn't weld without a helmet, grind or drill without eye protection (would you?), but you'd risk your hearing? Silly.

On a lighter note, we saw this at Pacific Raceways the other day. He seemed to really be used to it:

 

[nwspeedshots]

You can get specially-made dog ear-muffs; Welcome to Mutt Muffs! . I think they’re aimed specifically at the private aviation industry. Always amazed at folks bringing their dogs into such a loud environment. I remember neighborhood dogs disappearing for days around Forth-of-July…

 

[Taunsie]

I have always loved the vibrations that fuel cars provide, I have been active in drag racing since the 60s at a ownership or sponsor level, Over the years I too have a pretty severe hearing loss. Now with the new tech available ( and after $10,000 I can hear faily well again, but sure not a nice as normal hearing. We took 8 dragster to the Goodwood Festible a couple of years ago and found that saftey regulations require the promoter of motorsports events provide "ear defenders" to all spectators, Each time we cackled the cars they passed out 10,000 pairs of the defenders to the crowd. Just as a matter of interest they also had a uniformed fire cammand in ready each time we started the cars, when they heard the word Nitro that feared that the whole place may explode.

 

[Al smith]

Regarding ear protection, if you don’t use it now, you’ll pay the price later.

I’ve been wearing a headset for everything at the track since 1974, and can assure you that by the end of the day I’m far more relaxed and less tense then I was in the early days.

Regarding Bruce Mullins’s comment about “I gotta hear the motor,” I strongly disagree because there’s no logic to his statement. Years ago I had this same conversation with Dale “The Snail” Emery. Told him that with the headset you could actually “hear” the motor better because there wasn’t the banging and pure cacophony of the engine. Emery borrowed my headset and then fired the Funny Car. He was amazed at how much better he could “hear” things like the blower spinning and the like.

Loud noises such as we experience on a regular basis are absolutely damaging if you don’t protect yourself. My daughter’s in the music business, and has been wearing ear plugs to concerts and clubs for 20 years. She’s told me repeatedly that some of the people she used to make the club scene with are now living with major losses of hearing as a result of their need to “be cool” without ear plugs. Is it “cool” to be deaf?

Pay attention to what Ted Kuburich wrote. That’s some serious stuff, kiddies! Pay attention.

Karl Stalcup’s comment is worth paying attention to as well.

Jon Asher
Senior Editor
CopetitionPlus.com

I agree, While I don't wear them at the starting line because I keep back, I must wear them in the pits as I'm right on the car checking for oil pressure and leaks on fire up. With headset ear protection I have no problem hearing the motor. Ear plugs I haven't tried. I do have some hearing loss in my left ear probably the result of power tools and rock music blasting through old style headsets . A pet peeve of mine is alky racers who whack, whack, the throttle in the pits, Our experience is that there is no need for that. We rarely run our car for more that 60-90 seconds. bring it up to stage rpm only once then immediately shut it off. And we haven't as much as cracked a lash cap or hurt a bearing all season,

 

[Dougster]

Well, THIS Mater wears plugs/muffs for almost all high-HP cars (TF, FC, Alky and blown PM). For me the protection is vital for any blown car whether it's alky or nitro. I think there's something about the high frequency whine of the blower that pushes it into the "must" category. Nitrous PM and PS I do the "fingers in ears until they clear 60 feet" trick. Anything below that I'm usually okay without. I totally agree with the people saying you wouldn't grind without a faceshield - PPE is PPE no matter what the task.

 

[flash]

Conversation between 3 old drag racing fans.

Fan #1, "Sure is windy today."

Fan #2 "No, I think it's Thursday."

Fan #3 "Me too, let's have a beer"

 

[Buns]

Conversation between 3 old drag racing fans.

Fan #1, "Sure is windy today."

Fan #2 "No, I think it's Thursday."

Fan #3 "Me too, let's have a beer"

Haha! Now that is funny.

 

[None]

I lost 80% hearing in my left ear 23 years ago from a plastic trash bag (shop bomb) filled with oxy-acetylene. (Horseplay sucks when something goes wrong!!)

Seven surgeries later, and I'm still afflicted with extremely intrusive tinnitus that no amount of medication can quiet. Protect your hearing. I was never afraid of going deaf or of hearing LOSS. Your hearing just whithers away and it's no big deal. Yeah, if you're lucky maybe.

I didn't know 23 years ago that a loud noise could damage my middle ear and that false signals -NOISE- would then be sent from my damaged cochlea to the auditory cortex of my brain... until I die. My sound is similar to a whistling tea kettle, or for younger folks, like testing the battery in a smoke detector. It never ends. It just flat NEVER ends...

It's normal on the tinnitus forums to lose a fellow member every year or two. They can't cope or function with the noise anymore and give up. Be smart, and please don't join us.

 

[HEMI6point1]

My dad has been going to the Nationals since the early '70's and countless special night shows in between.

Yet, he NEVER wears earplugs at all no matter what car is running. He has no hearing loss and at home if I make the TV volume louder he asks me to turn it down. Weird.

Unless of course the TV is showing racing. Then he has no problem with the volume.

 

[paoldtimer]

I wear them religiously for all classes. I value my hearing and find I "hear" things better when wearing ear muffs.

I was caught off-guard once and TF were getting ready to run - they came flying by and I swear my ears were "bleeding." My head hurts for days.