9 replies to this topic

[indigoid]

g'day. wasn't sure where to post this. tech section seems at least halfway appropriate. you have my apologies if you disagree

what kind of earplugs are best to protect ears against f1 noise? I have some fairly hardcore earmuffs that I wear when wielding my (air-powered) die grinder, but they have the downside of stopping me from hearing pretty much everything, not just high pitched wailing noises hence they probably aren't appropriate.

my little sister (14) is going to italy on a school trip in a few weeks, and part of it involves stopping by Maranello to tour the Ferrari facilities. I don't want to risk her getting ear damage if they happen to be out testing at Fiorano, and I don't trust her school to plan for such an eventuality (if it is in fact a risk... I don't know how far Fiorano is from the rest of their facilities, but I have a recollection from somewhere that it wasn't that far)

any recommendations greatly appreciated!

[Ross Stonefeld]

Fingers are pretty good. Unless you're standing at the apex of one of the corners for a 150lap test at Fiorano, its not going to be too troublesome.

[Greg Locock]

Well, I've always found the silicon rubber inserts or the foam plugs work fine. I wear them when flying to reduce the drone from the engines, and can still hear the stewie.

I do try and look after my ears, deafness is no fun in social situations, the damage can be permanent, and for many years I earnt my wages by listening to engines.

[McGuire]

Les enfants are especially susceptible to hearing damage and it can be permanent. Don't mess with tininitis; everyone who has it says it's horrible (and I seem to meet lots of people in this biz who have gotten it). Cotton doesn't work as the reduction is only like 5 db, while fingers seem damn inconvenient and unreliable...but the buck-a-pair disposable ear protectors are validated to work. Toss her a few pairs of those (any race track concession or industrial supply) and she should be fine.

[McGuire]

Originally posted by McGuire
Les enfants are especially susceptible to hearing damage and it can be permanent.

Apparently the older you get the harder and stiffer your ear hardware becomes...if you are over 45 and spend more than $800 on a stereo you are ripping yourself off, or so they say.

That may be true if only because once you are over 45 there is no longer any music worth listening to anyway.

[GBarclay]

Foam plugs at the minimum, I prefer the EAR brand.

At Indy where the stands seem to amplify the noise, I go with the foam plugs and a set of shooting ear muffs. The foam plugs don't reduce the volume a lot (maybe 5 - 10 dba) but they seem to take the edge off the noise. My shooting ear muffs are good for 30dba.

HTH

[AS110]

I have some Alpine ear plugs I wear on my motorcycles,they have filters in them - so I get no wind noise but can hear the engine,traffic noises and people talking to me,I can even hear my phone ring when on the bike! Lately I've been wearing them in my noisey diesel van because I've done some long kms in it,it's very noisey and damaging my hearing - with the Apline plugs in I can listen to the radio,normaly impossible,it's almost like wearing earphones.

[indigoid]

Superb, thanks guys!

I'll get a few sets. Hopefully the spare ones will inspire me sufficiently to make it to the Melbourne GP next year :-)

[zac510]

I used to have a set of 'musicians' earplugs. They were built from moulds of my ears and had filter installed to drop the peak decibels. They worked quite well until I lost one of them rendering the other rather useless .
I would have to say these are ideal for people that regularly subject themselves to high levels of noise. The pair were quite expensive, around $AU150, may be cheaper now. But for just a one off event, the foam ones inserted properly should be OK especially considering she won't be right next to the track.

[GBarclay]

Originally posted by zac510
I But for just a one off event, the foam ones inserted properly should be OK especially considering she won't be right next to the track.

I've used the foam plugs for years but the zac makes a good point.

so FWIW

to use the foam plugs, roll the plug between thumb and forefinger so it becomes long and narrow. If inserting in the right ear, use your left hand, and reach around the back of your head and grip the upper edge of your right ear and pull up and out (think Mr Spocks ears).

This elongates the ear canal and allows easier insertion of the plug. The plug then returns to it's normal size and seals off the ear canal.

A little easier than just stuffing them in.

HTH