Posted on 01/21/2015 1:07:39 PM PST by Second Amendment First
Stomp on the gas in a new Ford Mustang or F-150 and you’ll hear a meaty, throaty rumble — the same style roar that Americans have associated with auto power and performance for decades.
It’s a sham. The engine growl in some of America’s best-selling cars and trucks is actually a finely tuned bit of lip-syncing, boosted through special pipes or digitally faked altogether. And it’s driving car enthusiasts insane.
Fake engine noise has become one of the auto industry’s dirty little secrets, with automakers from BMW to Volkswagen turning to a sound-boosting bag of tricks. Without them, today’s more fuel-efficient engines would sound far quieter and, automakers worry, seemingly less powerful, potentially pushing buyers away.
Softer-sounding engines are actually a positive symbol of just how far engines and gas economy have progressed. But automakers say they resort to artifice because they understand a key car-buyer paradox: Drivers want all the force and fuel savings of a newer, better engine — but the classic sound of an old gas-guzzler.
“Enhanced” engine songs have become the signature of eerily quiet electrics like the Toyota Prius. But the fakery is now increasingly finding its way into even beefy trucks and muscle cars, long revered for their iconic growl.
For the 2015 Mustang EcoBoost, Ford sound engineers and developers worked on an “Active Noise Control” system that amplifies the engine’s purr through the car speakers. Afterwards, the automaker surveyed members of Mustang fan clubs on which processed “sound concepts” they most enjoyed.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Henr...er, Mr. Ford (they never called him Henry) was adamant against it, and set up some false situation that got the engineer to admit that bigger valves didn't make a difference based purely on the exhaust noise [ and not any measurements.]
Of course you have to tweak a V6. They sound like $hit.
They may have obtained the idea from the following. The classic short story turned out to be a description of our contemporary middle class and leadership.
The Marching Morons
By C. M. Kornbluth
http://www.gutenberg.ca/ebooks/kornbluthcm-marchingmorons/kornbluthcm-marchingmorons-00-e.html
That's because in our world today, style is more important than substance. As Exhibit A, I give you the Resident of the United States.
There's ya problem.
What problem is there, exactly? When a V6 ecoboost will out tow, out haul, out perform in every way a V8 from just a few years ago AND get better gas mileage too, then I don't see a problem.
1969 Boss 302 Mustang
engine: 302 cu in, 5.0 liter, 8 cylinder
Horsepower: 290 bhp
Torque: 290 ftlbs
0-60 mph: 6.9 seconds
1/4 mile: 14.57 seconds
2015 Ecoboost Mustang
Engine: 140 cu in, 2.3 liter, 4 cylinder
Horsepower: 310 bhp
Torque 320 ftlbs
0-60 mph: 5.2 seconds
1/4 mile: 13.9 seconds
BTW, this isn't new. I'm pretty sure BMW has been using this "technology" in one or more of its M-series cars for a few years now.
Fake engine noise?
The pussification of America continues apace.
I hear you, but then it's not like there was ever a golden age where everything was as it appeared.
Had to get a rental a few weeks ago. Ended up with a Nissan Altima. That thing sounded sweeeeeeet! I knew it had to be an engineered sound since most of what I heard was actually inside the cabin, not outside.
I had a 340 Dart Swinger with a six-pack. Loved that car... talk about a sleeper.
I think that it’s great marketing...a VW bug that roars like a Corvette!!!
But using the car’s stereo system to simulate the sound is new.
Mine runs great. I love it.
"Dumps" are exhaust cutouts or bypasses that dump the exhaust before the mufflers or exhaust pipes.
I had a rental Jeep Grand Cherokee recently (3.6 liter V6). I remember thinking that it lacked the V8 rumble, but had a nice snarl to it - not at all "agricultural" sounding like V6s can be. Hmm...
I knew a guy who would rev the car, turn off the ignition, pump the gas a few times and turn the ignition back on and it would backfire out the pipes. It was really funny, but he could have blown his head gaskets doing so.
I think it would be cool to have a sports car that sounds like a Rolls Royce Merlin engine
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