America’s best-selling cars and trucks are built on lies: The rise of fake engine noise

Washington Post ^ | January 21, 2015 | Drew Harwell

[Calvin Locke]

A book I read on Henry Ford has an instance of a young engineer pushing for larger valve area, theorizing that less resistance in moving gases in and out of cylinders would translate to more power.

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.]

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

Of course you have to tweak a V6. They sound like $hit.

[familyop]

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

[Fresh Wind]

If one fart can exhaust is good, wouldn't ten be better?

[CivilWarBrewing]

Yeeeeeaaaaahhhhhh BaaayyyyBeeeeeeee!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwZQj7yG6lI

[IronJack]

Our whole world is mirage and fabrication.

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.

[Responsibility2nd]

the new F-150, a six-cylinder model of America’s........

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.

[mountn man]

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

[Charles Martel]

I've heard the "with or without" comparison on the Mustang (you have to pull the audio system fuse to stop the active noise management). IMO, the effect is pretty subtle.

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.

[Constitution Day]

Fake engine noise?

The pussification of America continues apace.

[Larry Lucido]

Is nothing genuine anymore? Our whole world is mirage and fabrication.

I hear you, but then it's not like there was ever a golden age where everything was as it appeared.

[al_c]

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.

[envisio]

I had a 340 Dart Swinger with a six-pack. Loved that car... talk about a sleeper.

[terycarl]

I think that it’s great marketing...a VW bug that roars like a Corvette!!!

[Blood of Tyrants]

But using the car’s stereo system to simulate the sound is new.

[showme_the_Glory]

F-150 and you’ll hear a meaty, throaty rumble

Mine runs great. I love it.

[mountn man]

Cherry Bombs are a brand or type of glass pack muffler.

"Dumps" are exhaust cutouts or bypasses that dump the exhaust before the mufflers or exhaust pipes.

[Charles Martel]

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 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...

[IYAS9YAS]

I went to high school with a guy who could make his truck backfire anytime he wanted.

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.

[USNBandit]

I think it would be cool to have a sports car that sounds like a Rolls Royce Merlin engine