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 ...
“because it seems obvious that it means something different to you “
The ‘firing sequence’ was an ‘also’ to the previous.
The 45 degree twin, both pistons on same shaft and firing sequence all add to the unique sound. There is a little more to the firing sequence when you consider it is a four-stroke which results in a 1-2, 0-0, 1-2 sequence as the engine rotates through 405 degrees without a power pulse.
Yeah, straight-piped cruisers are great, aren’t they?
Some people, including some here, think it part of their freedom to make just as much noise as they like with their vehicles. Personally, I tend to think that expecting people to keep their vehicles’ noise level to a reasonable level is not too much to ask.
“It’s funny a young guy was asking me about a “carburetor” and I realized you have to go back to mid 80s to find them being used on new models, so 30 years ago.”
There are still a few street-legal motorcycles on the market that use them. I don’t think any 4-wheeled vehicle has used carbs since the early 90s, at the latest - probably the late 80s. We had an ‘84 Nissan that still had a carb, but our ‘87 didn’t.
“A guy with a loud exhaust who lives down the street woke up to find his pipes filled with “Great Stuff”.”
I can’t condone that sort of vandalism of someone else’s property - but I do approve!
Especially on Sunday morning ;)
I have always suspected that GM wasn’t honest about the HP of the supercharged 3.8 V6. It was rated at 240 HP and 280 torque when usually those numbers are almost always nearly equal. For the Buick Regal, if rated at 280 HP that would have made it more powerful than the standard Sedan de Ville with the Northstar V8 at 275 HP which would never do from a marketing standpoint!
BTW, I first had this engine in a 2-door 1997 Pontiac GTP, which was really hot, but while I could get my MIL INTO the back seat (wife refused to surrender the front to her own mom due to a recent hip surgery) I had a really hard time getting MIL OUT of the back seat! Also, when the car was first introduced it was only available in the 2-door in the GTP.
So when the 1998 Regal GS came out with the supercharger as a 4-door PLUS TRACTION CONTROL (lacking on my GTP!) I traded in the 1997 GTP and didn’t actually take too much of a bath on lost depreciation. The Regal GS also has gas-filled shocks which REALLY softens up the ride for a geezer boomer like me (age 65 now but 47 and needing to dodge through AM and PM traffic to get my kid to school and back when I bought the thing in Plano TX before I moved to FL!)
Being able to merge onto TX 75 on some of those old poorly engineered ramps with the supercharger has saved my life on more than one occasion!
Another great thing about the supercharger is being able to drive up high altitude mountains without the vehicle gasping for air! I frequently took the Buick up Brasstown Bald in GA and also up Mt. Sandia in New Mexico in several inches of fresh snow where the traction control was great.
I also drove into and backed out of a parking lot covered in three inches of soft mud! I do love that GM traction control!
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