For those of you that attend NHRA or any other drag race event I would be interested in what type of hearing protection is used ie: muffs or ear plugs or both and also the type and name of ear muffs used would be appreciated as this is something I need to purchase very soon.
Thankyou in advance.
Mate, I would e tempted to use both soft ears (the ones that go IN your ear canal) and ear muffs, if you are always trackside. Constant exposure to the sorts of sounds the topfuellers make would degrade your hearing. If you are only there every now and again, i think ear muffs would suffice.
As to what brand, just go to an industrial safety store. They will all meet australian standards, however, if you choose to go down the electronic path, there is no australian standard for them. They do however have an international standard that they adhere to.
I've never been to NHRA, but I have had good luck with the foam plugs made by Moldex. I picked up a box of 200 pairs for about $25 at a local welding supply store. They've worked great for farm equipment, construction sites and shooting ranges.
I work in the Aircraft Industry and regularly use BILSOM ear muffs I think the model is Leightening. That and ear plugs are meant to be good for about 120 Db, if you get a good set of ear plugs. I'm not sure if they still rate them in zones but if they do anything that is suitable for a "BLACK ZONE" should suffice for drag racing.
http://www.howardleight.com/selector will help you select the right ear plug/muffs for use from their range and give you an idea of what sort of thing you are looking for.
Looking fwd to seeing some shots from Willowbank. When I am back home in Aust I can hear them from my place on a quiet night.
For top fuel cars (and even Top Alcohol cars) I wear in-ear plugs (36dp reduction) and a set of shooting earmuffs. I wouldn't just go with in-ear plugs, especially if you are going to be trackside for more than just a few cars. Do your ears a favor and get a set of muffs and wear plugs.
They are generally available at many stores, or online at many sites. Muffs are available in a wide variety of noise reduction ratings - they are not all the same. I would suggest you get the best you can find - they are inexpensive.
Then use an in-ear type that fits you well. There are many types, and I have found some work well for my ear cavity, some do not. They are inexpensive, so buy some different types and try them. I prefer ones with cords attached personally (ot as easy to misplace).
I will add face mask/goggle if you have one. Always fun to see when the crowd gather around the pit area and the crew fire-up the engine, that alcohol makes everyone tears up in a second.
mobilebucky wrote:
I will add face mask/goggle if you have one. Always fun to see when the crowd gather around the pit area and the crew fire-up the engine, that alcohol makes everyone tears up in a second.
So are you one of those people who wears the masks?
Mostly it's the Nitro that makes me tear-up... I tend to position myself out of the way of the fumes if possible and have never worn a mask (maybe that's where those brain cells went). If you position yourself properly you can get in, get your shots, and get out before the fumes get too unbearable.
I use custom ear plugs that I got after seeing an hearing specialist to get the right earplugs which were specificaly designed for my ears. You can even get color coded ones so you do not make a mistake. Just check with the local hearing specialist in your area. They usally run about $50.00 per set and if properally cared for they should last for a
long while. When I was threre I also had my hearing checked and they told me I had exceptional hearing.
For the cheapest, very comfortable and extremely effective option you're not going to be able to look past buying a box of foam disposable ear plugs coupled with a decent set of ear muffs from your local hardware/safety wear store. Both porducts are comfortable to wear for long periods and the double protection should be sufficient in even the loudest and prolonged exposure areas. I would also hazard a guess that this option is going to be cheaper than customer moulded ear plugs etc.
FWIW, I have a set of custom moulded ear plugs that I use for gig / event photography and other loud environments. I had them made through my local Audiologist and they have filters that can be swapped for higher db cut very easily. The appointment, moulding, production and first set of filters (-25db was the option I went with) was about AUD$250 from memory. Not sure what the additional filters would cost, but I know they offer a full blockout version. The ones I have are musicians ear plugs and allow you to hear very clearly what's going but cut overall sound levels a lot. It's quite interesting wearing them to loud gigs and listening to how much bad music is covered by loudness...eye opening!
Good luck...very much jealous of your opportunity to shoot such an awesome event.
BTW Todd, that last shot is amazing. Isn't it funny that Nitro makes people cry?! Isn't Nitro Nitrous Oxide a liquid form of what is more commonly known as laughing gas? I might be way off with my chemistry there though...
I don't go to car races, but woodworking tools are pretty loud. I bought a good pair of earmuffs, made by Mine Safety Industries. They are similar (if not the same as), earmuffs worn by ground crews around aircraft.
Inga wrote:
Isn't it funny that Nitro makes people cry?! Isn't Nitro Nitrous Oxide a liquid form of what is more commonly known as laughing gas? I might be way off with my chemistry there though...
The Nitro I refer to is Nitromethane (CH3NO2)... different from Nitrous Oxide (N2O). Just a little off on the chemistry, but they do use Nitrus Oxide to give performance cars a boost.
I wear the same headset as the crews wear with 2-way contact with my other photogs which have a 25db rating sold by Racing Communications. Top fuel and nitro cars are still somewhat loud but not enough to cause damage. They shake everything around and I don't know if you can completely stop the shock wave.
Lowes and Home Depot sale Worktunes Hearing Protector which have a built in FM radio that you can tune to the PA system which will keep you aware of what is going on. That headset is rated at 22db and cost under $50. You can add ear plugs to a headset if you need more for the fuel cars.
All depends on how often you want to wear them. I part-time work as a marshal at road race events. I had a set of custom molds done at an audiologist to use with some Sure E3 head phones to use with a scanner. For another $40 they made a set of copies without the hole to put the E3s in. I used to use the roll-up and expand foam ones and they my ears hurt after a couple hours. I can wear the custom plugs all day without much if any discomfort. I often wear muff style radio head set over the plugs. I forgot what the final bill was but it was ~100 for the Dr visit and then $55 for the e3 versions and $40 for the plains.
If you only occasionally use them, I don't think the expense would be worth the custom route, but if it is a common thing I think they are well worth the price, you can't replace your eyes or ears
I'll be the lone dummy, I shoot from the top row of the stands, so I don't wear any. I love the noise and I actually wore ear muffs once, hated it. I missed the noise and it took away from the experience for me. Now if I was ever on the wall, you bet I would have the muffs on then.
When I am back home in Aust I can hear them from my place on a quiet night. 
