Under Car Exhaust-legal?

[billf]

Seems one reads rules over again when building a new car. These two rules would seem to NOT allow the use of an under body, or turned down exhaust...I believe.

IT rules paragraph 1 g. "Exhaust shall exit behind the driver, and shall be directed away from the car body."

Glossary defines "Body - All parts of the car licked by the airstream and situated above the belly-pan/floor with the exception of the roll bar or cage." (Bold and underlined are mine.)

Since the "turn downed pipe" (any under-car-exhaust) is below that point defined as the "body", I question its legality.

Plese show me how I can use the pipe below the car...I really need it. I have raced three cars with the pipe ending in a turn-down under the car, and only now saw the words clearly.:(

Any thoughts?

Bill

[erlrich]

I'm not sure I see the issue here Bill; if the exhaust points down it is pointing away from the body. The air space between the bottom of the body and the ground is away from the body. I've run my exhaust like that for a year or two now, and have known many others who do the same thing - I've never heard of that being an issue. Just make sure it exits behind the driver and you should be fine.

[joeg]

Frankly most cars exhaust I know downturn under the body, Bill.

[jhooten]

If you are that worried about it, at the next race protest yourself and get a ruling from the stewards. Then appeal the ruling and you will have your answer cast in stone.

Air flows under the car. Therefore the underside of the car is licked by the airstream and is part of the body. An exhaust tip that points toward the ground points away from the body and is legal.

[Andy Bettencourt]

His point is that, as defined by the GCR, the underside of the car is NOT the body.

[JeffYoung]

But a turn down is just as much "pointed away" from the body if you define body as the sides and top of the car, as if you didn't leave out the body pan.

I think the rule is ok as is, and allows a turn down.

[tom91ita]

But a turn down is just as much "pointed away" from the body if you define body as the sides and top of the car, as if you didn't leave out the body pan.

I think the rule is ok as is, and allows a turn down.

agreed. and "away" does not mean straight down. basically any thing that is pointed horizontal or just below is "away"

[Andy Bettencourt]

Oh, I agree, just pointing out that the underside of the car is not the 'body', just because it is 'licked by the air'.

MAYBE the rule can be claened up but a turndown is certainly pointed away from anything that could be considered the body.

[billf]

Well, since I started the thread, I probably should speak up, too.

My reading of the rule is that the "body", as per the Glossary, is above the plane of the floor. As such, an exhaust dump under the body, does not conform. I'm reading it to say...it must be directed UPward, above the plane of the floor, to meet the wording. Yeh, I know...the pipe configuration would be very strange!!!

I'm perfectly happy to have mine dump under, as I said I have done in the previous three cars. But I don't think the wording is exactly what the rulesmakers had in mind.

Good racing.

Bill:024:

[Z3_GoCar]

Well, since I started the thread, I probably should speak up, too.

My reading of the rule is that the "body", as per the Glossary, is above the plane of the floor. As such, an exhaust dump under the body, does not conform. I'm reading it to say...it must be directed UPward, above the plane of the floor, to meet the wording. Yeh, I know...the pipe configuration would be very strange!!!

I'm perfectly happy to have mine dump under, as I said I have done in the previous three cars. But I don't think the wording is exactly what the rulesmakers had in mind.

Good racing.

Bill:024:

It says:


9.3.22. EXHAUST SYSTEM

Shall be directed away from the body and shall terminate at or behind
a point which is equidistant from the front and rear hubs.

And since the body is what's licked by the air stream, above the floor pan. Why can't a hell bent exhaust be away from the body as much as a heven bent one?

[Greg Amy]

My reading of the rule is that the "body", as per the Glossary, is above the plane of the floor. As such, an exhaust dump under the body, does not conform.
The rule states "...shall be directed away from the car body." Best I can tell this is a binary condition: either something is pointed toward the car body or is pointed away from the car body. Notice there's no specification for direction otherwise; e.g., "up", "down", "horizontal", "vertical", "forward", "backward", etc. Just "away".

Last time I checked, pointing down toward the ground is pointing away from the car body, which in generally tends to exist above the exhaust. Given that down is away from above, I'm guessing you're good...well, I suppose unless somehow the car body is between the exhaust and the ground, which would be kinda awkward...

Personally, I liked the old Dodge L'il Red Express Truck exhausts, I think they'd look pretty awesome on an E36 BMW... - GA

http://www.allpar.com/history/interviews/photos/wetherholt/show/lil-red-express-truck.jpg

[JeffYoung]

There is one of those -- a Lil Red Express -- rotting under a cover at the storage place where I keep my trailer. When I was 10, I thought they were cool. By my 20s, I thought they were a garish joke. I now think they are cool. NOt sure what that says about me.

[Andy Bettencourt]

There is one of those -- a Lil Red Express -- rotting under a cover at the storage place where I keep my trailer. When I was 10, I thought they were cool. By my 20s, I thought they were a garish joke. I now think they are cool. NOt sure what that says about me.

Depends on how old the person you ask is.

[Z3_GoCar]

Nah,

not on an e-36, it only works on a truck, like Joe-Bob's towning:

http://www.improvedtouring.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=20&pictureid=419