What's that.?speak up,Still can't hear you

[nofinchance]

Anyone else hear the news today from an eminent UK Doctor about danger from driving convertable cars? Apparentley at speeds over 50mph the road and wind noise can damage your hearing[:0].Is there nothing the nanny state won't interfere with[?] The good news is The Doc says if you keep the windows up then it's not so bad[:o)]

[img][IMG]http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss45/nofinchance/DSCF0617.jpg[/img][/img]

[Cobber]

<font size="2"><font face="Comic Sans MS">Hasn't anyone in the media realised that listening to publicity seeking doctors is a mental health hazard leading to paranoia and nervous bloody breakdowns? [:D] </font id="Comic Sans MS"></font id="size2">

80'Triumph TR7, , 73'Land Rover (Ford 351. V8),
'89 Ford Fairlane
85'Alfa 90, 69'Ford F250.
76' Ford F100

[Underdog]

Ride with the windows up and the top down??? When I see that I think....oh never mind. That wouldn't be politically correct. [:D]

Sounds like the Doc that Ophra has on her show.

Jim Underwood
72 MGB BRG
80 TR8 Persian Aqua
If women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

[silverseven]

eh?

Ron.

[FI Spyder]

He must have been talking to my wife. "Those trucks are to noisey". He didn't mention anything about the deleterious effects of smelling stinky exhaust fumes or the stinky smell of fresh cut hay did he (she's a city girl)?[:)]



TR7 Spider - 1978 Spifire - 1976 Spitfire - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra

[PeterTR7V8]

People say all sorts of things. There is usually no obligation for anyone to listen to them.

Having your ears bashed by a buffetting wind may be technically detrimental to your hearing but if it had a real impact there would be an awful lot of deaf sailors out there. In any case a ride in a convertible is good for your mental health unlike even the faintest but persistant bleating.


Never say die. At least not while you're still breathing.

[trv8]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8292089.stm

I cant hear any wind noise or road noise when my roof is down as the exhaust is waaaay to loud!! [}:)][:D],

[busheytrader]

"Researchers said convertible drivers should consider wearing some form of ear protection, as motorcyclists do."

There's plenty of seasoned bikers out there with hearing problems. I have a Honda VFR800 and always wear earplugs when riding it. I commuted for 4 years on my bike, half of the journey on the motorway. The air rushing past your ears builds gradually as you accelerate and gets very loud at motorway speeds. It can be very deceptive.

I recently drove from the centre of my universe, Bushey, to Cardiff and back on the M4 and M25 with the roof down the whole way. The wind noise was nothing like that experienced on the bike with earplugs but then again I don't have a noise meter. I reckon the more your ears are out of the airstream the better and the 7's windscreen keeps me out of most of it even at 6'2". Winding up the windows does reduce this further but I prefer them down unless it's cold. (My heater is bypassed but will be replaced next month...)

I reckon the guys driving early convertables with AEROscreens like TR2's etc are the most at risk. It's just like riding a motorbike with your head directly in the air stream.

Adam





TR7 V8 DHC Jaguar Solent Blue. 9.35cr Range Rover V8, Holley 390cfm, JWR Dual Port, 214 Cam, Lumention, Tubular Manifolds, S/S Single Pipe Exh, 3.08 Rear, 200lb Spax & PolyBushes all round, Anti- Dive, Top Roller Bearings, Capri Vented Discs & Calipers, Braided Hoses, 4 Speed Rear Cylinders, Uprated Master Cylinder & Servo, AT 5 Spokes and Cruise Lights. No Door Stickers. Mine since July 1986, V8 from 1991

[Hasbeen]

Adam, it's not your head in the wind, with the sidescreen cars, it's
your kidneys. The cut down doors, as on my 62 Morgan +4 let a gale
blow in around your side. I used to stuff a 1/2 folded news paper
into my pants, & up my side, under my shirt, on my right side, when
going on a long run, in cold wether.

Jim, you'll have to say it about me then. I usually have the
passengers window up, in the 8. It stops the wind hooking around the
windscreen, into my right eye. I have done so since I stopped
wearing driving/sun glasses.

My ears should be very good, having spent years sailing around the
Pacific, with no sound but the sigh of the breeze, & the tinkle of
the water past the bow. Well that is except when that so called
peaceful ocean would rear up 30 foot in the air, & come crashing
down on top of you.

No noise anyone has heard in a car comes near that noise, perhaps
it's the fear that amplifies it. The only way not to be frightened
in those conditions is to be part of a racing crew of half a dozen
or so, all trying to hide their fear from the others. If it goes on
for long enough, you can actually start to believe your own line of
bullsh1t, at least until a really big one hits.

Hasbeen

[Spectatohead]

Gee, and all this time my dad told me that my loud Rock n Roll music was going to make me deaf. Coincidentally or not the loud music and the first convertible happened for me about the same time. The 8 doesn't have a stereo, yet, so I am forced to listen to eight cylinders through loud pipes, and they are louder than the wind most of the time. I must be somewhat dense too because I always have a big grin on my face whenever I am out damaging my ears.[;)]

Jim Clark
'80 TR8
'97 Maxima 5spd

[jeffremj]

There is a problem with ear damage from wind noise, especially over time. IIRC, there is a known phenomena called "Trucker's ear" whereby the ear nearest the open window (of the truck driver in question) has hearing loss. Hearing can be damaged in many ways, and mine have taken some toll - instant loud sounds, an explosion being the worst case, loud music from rock concerts (ringing in ears means some damage has occurred) and high speed driving with the roof down etc. I now always wear earplugs when I know the journey will include a 70mph stint.

If you have damaged ears, it will probably be at around the 6khz area as the sensors (hairs) for this frequency are usually the first 'hit' by sounds. If these 'hairs' are damaged (permanently flattened?) the nerves are still active and send 'incorrect' information which we hear as hissing. It maybe similar to the automatic gain control you can get on recording systems - in the absence of noise you record hiss.

Check out tinnitus:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinnitus

Mike (typing with a continual background hiss)

[tr7inc]

Till i got my TR on the road, ive driven my Rover with roof and window down and i can hear perfectly well, god sooner or later you wont be able to wipe your own backside with asking permission is it safe to do so! Good grief whats next




Steve
1979 BL Press Car Pre Production Prototype Inca Yellow DHC

[windy one]

Maybe if I knew for a fact that I was going to live forever, I'd start to worry. [xx(] But since that aint so....Ride On!!!!!!!!!

Johnny

[jeffremj]

Here is the website:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8292089.stm

This is what was said and it all seems fairly straight forward advice; advice that I freely give out as a person with tinnitus caused, in part (damage is cumulative and non-repairable), by convertible driving:

"Regular exposure to noise levels of 88-90 decibels when driving a convertible for several hours a day can lead to permanent hearing loss over time.

"By winding up the windows or wearing basic ear protection, such as earplugs, drivers of convertibles can still enjoy driving whilst protecting their hearing."

[REPLIC8]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"> I used to stuff a 1/2 folded news paper
into my pants, & up my side, under my shirt, on my right side, when
going on a long run, in cold wether.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Hasbeen,
I thought you lived in Queensland, your idea of cold is what we call a heatwave!! [:D]

Andy
1981 UK SPEC TR8