I got my new SR3XX car out for inaugural weekend at Cota today. As noted above, I have Stilo ST5 helmet and had put the front chin bar and rear spoiler on it hoping to reduce/prevent buffeting and lift. DONE, no problems.
@cirrusdriver, if you already have a gurney flap you are right you need to look into better aero bits or a more aero friendly helmet. I don’t know if G-force sells aero devices but Bell sells a spoiler that fits a lot of helmets that can be helpful.
Regarding your muffler, the standard mufflers normally aren’t too loud so I wonder if the packing has burned away? It might be worth opening it up to see if it needs repacking. You could also switch to one of the Radical quiet mufflers.
If you are near Chicago go see them. I got one set of custom fit ear plugs and another set with built in speakers for the radio. Not cheap but they work great.
Update from yesterday. It’s always fun to meet another car enthusiast and certainly another Radical owner. I reached out to Martin (@trakmnky) and he drove up to meet at Road America and check out the SR3. He is anxiously waiting for his new 1500 to get installed so didn’t get to drive any sessions. He rode along and gave me some great pointers. I’m a newbie so it was greatly appreciated. I was able to try his Bell GTX3 on and it felt great. He was even generous enough to let me use it for a session and wow it made a huge difference. No more lift or buffeting and ironically much quieter too. Turns out I actually have the quiet exhaust. I am going to order the Bell today and also ordered so earplugs with audio to try out. Thanks again for everyone’s advice.
I have a wind deflector installed which diverts the air around the driver. I drove the first day without it and I recall a lot of wind disturbance moving my helmet around. You radical dealer should have these.
I bought the Bell GP3 Carbon. I have generally found between motorcycles and racing helmets, that you generally get what you pay for. I tried a cheap racing helmet a few years back and the comfort, fit and finish of the inside of the helmet was pretty bad and instantly donated it to someone...
I have one weekends worth of experience in a Radical, but was told the lighter the better. so far I must agree.
I have always found bell helmets quality to be really good.
Just to add my experience to this thread, I am using a Bell GP3 also with the top spoiler installed. There is absolutely no issue with lift and this is without the wind deflector installed. I will second Charlie’s feedback that using a mirrored lens for only one season and it looks like it’s been sandblasted. The micro chips are visible and annoying when wearing it although you quickly forget about it once you start driving. I will either switch to a standard tinted lens or try tear offs next season. Another feedback is that the GP3 is fairly round. At least rounder than my head appears to be, so there is a pressure point on my forehead. If you have an oval shape, take that into consideration.
@cirrusdriver, what exhaust do you have, and what helmet do you have?
The most effective way to reduce helmet lift is to add a gurney flap to the front of the cockpit. They only stick up about an inch but they make a BIG difference, by diverting the airflow over your head. Spring Mountain sells them and they aren’t very expensive. You can also make one out of Lexan from Home Depot.
My dealer just informed me that the driver wind deflector can now be installed at the factory for new cars, mine included. He also said that it obviates the need for helmet aero.
@sr10formetoo, I would definitely recommend having a Gurney flap installed. If the factory will do it all the better. I don’t know if it will eliminate the need for other aero devices but it defhelps.
FYI -my new car came with the flap from factory, its not a separate option which owner needs to select. However, when I test drove a 2016 last October with the flap, but without any helmet aero, it was terrible effect on my helmet with both buffeting and lift.
1. has anybody experimented with a solution for protecting your ears while hearing a radio or voice intercom?
I just had a set of custom molded earbuds made. I haven't had a day on track since receiving them, but they seem pretty effective blocking out my kids at home 😉
They were relatively pricey because they're "in ear monitors" targeted at musicians, and there's not a lot of competition for this in my market (S Korea). In the US you can get a not-quite-as-nice DIY kit for $50 (see Fuze brand and a few others) or find a custom molded solution but maybe go downmarket since it's just voice coaching you're listening to. Ah, I kinda geeked out on custom molded stuff. There are also earbuds targeted at construction workers that you can find on Amazon for $20 or so. They make bluetooth versions of all of these options too.
I have both the loud and quiet exhaust and both cause ringing in my ears. I think it's possibly because I'm relatively tall and my head is closer to the intake? Regardless... hearing loss is not at all desirable for me so I decided to overdo it a little.
