Not kidding. And not for Sevens

[Bob Culver]

On the now very rare occasion that any technical book appears in the local libraries I check it out ."Automotive Milestones" by Norton covers car development to date. Informative but not perfect (e.g .the explanations of balance very unnecessarily obscure.)

"Makers of high performance cars are now using artificial means to add "pleasant" sounds to their cars to give the impression of power. Cars that have had their natural sounds muffled to near silence (and evs) are now using computer technology to pump artificial engine "growl" into the cabin through the radios speakers etc"

I wonder if they have a harshness control to simulate spark advance. it would take some sound to stir the adrenalin like an RP downwind (Wellington style) at 60mph.

[Steve kay]

Bob, if you have come flat out down Dinmore Hill and are still doing 60along the flat bit of dual carriageway to Wellington, can you let us know so we can sell tickets. Unless you do not mean Wellington in Herefordshire.

[Bob Culver]

Wellington NZ noted for velocity of southerly winds. For a period they used to place ropes across some downtown ped crossings to hang on to when the wind blew. My RP on a very cold day on SAE 50 could not hold top gear into some winds. But warmed up on the flat at moderate temps in the other direction was very different.The only time I have  been pulled over on the open road for speeding in anything. Unfortunatley it was the days before a ticket was always issued and I was too slow witted to insist on one.

[jpsmit]

Here there are many here in the colonies (especially in Covid it seems) who have cutouts in their exhausts to make otherwise normal muffler sounds much much louder! A quick and informal survey suggests that BMW owners are particularly susceptible.

OTOH they may come by it honestly


   

(and yes I note that it is different that using the radio speakers to make it louder   )

[A G Wood]

Ford, as an example, has an obsession with NVH, and as a result made the previous model ICE Mustang too quiet for a 'sports' car, according to their customer feedback. So the latest iteration of the ICE Mustang had a diaphragm sealed tube set in the firewall to deliberately conduct a controlled amount of engine noise back into the cabin.
The Mustang Mach-E (the electric one) has a quite sophisticated user-selectable synthetic engine noise generation system that the Detroit engineers seem to be proud of, a good example of what Bob's book is talking about.

[Erich]

Here in the Seattle area, there is a tendency for pick up truck owners, as well as rice burners and the ubiquitous BMWs, to put loud exhausts on their cars/trucks. The amazing thing is that for all the noise, I can go nearly as quick in my 1998 Toyota compact pu. They are all noise and no go.

Erich in Mukilteo