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

[Jesus Malverde]

Stomp on the gas in a new Ford Mustang or F-150 and you’ll hear a meaty, throaty rumble — the same style of 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.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/americas-best-selling-cars-and-trucks-are-built-on-lies-the-rise-of-fake-engine-noise/2015/01/21/6db09a10-a0ba-11e4-b146-577832eafcb4_story.html

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

1. I'm the opposite. I want a totally silent engine.

It's one of the appeals of the electric vehicle as far as I'm concerned. I don't want any added 'noise' coming inside the vehicle, or, indeed, annoying my neighbours if I'm out driving later at night. Annoys the heck out of me when some idiot drives down the street with a vehicle specifically tuned to make even more noise.

[Codeine]

3. Same here.

Engines can't be silent enough IMO.

[Jesus Malverde]

5. Agreed...nt

[Initech]

12. Engine and motor noise drives me crazy.

[cigsandcoffee]

17. Silent engines kill pedestrians and bicyclists. n/t

[Hassin Bin Sober]

2. I don't know why this would surprise anyone. Gear heads have been loudening their cars...

.... and bikes and boats for ever.

Who hasn't heard the d-bag on a Harley rolling down their street on a summer evening. Or had to listen to some d-bag blasting their pipes on the lake.

[Jesus Malverde]

4. This is a little different.

I think in many cases most of the sound is piped into the car through the stereo.

[MineralMan]

6. Playing cards in the spokes.

[Jesus Malverde]

8. Great analogy.

I also think it's a way to try and keep the idea of the gasoline powered car associated with power. The new Tesla kicks some butt in the horsepower department and doesn't make any noise, eventually people will wonder why cars would need to to make any noise at all.

[jmowreader]

19. The title of that video is highly misleading

The guy in the green Challenger jumped the start - his red "foul" light came on.

[Jesus Malverde]

20. I liked this youtube comment

The driver in the Hellcat I'm pretty sure is an 85 year old woman who got lost on her way to her dialysis appointment. Tesla fans be like "WOOT WOOT WE WON THE RACE!!!" 

[catnhatnh]

7. I'm ambivalent on this....

From a performance point of view, the better I can hear what the engine is doing the better I can respond to it. If the reproduction is true to how the engine is operating I could probably live with it. But in a world where every car has a hundred options you would think the manufacturer would give the option to turn it off. Their failure to do so seems deceptive...

[Historic NY]

9. Chevy actually had to add noise to the Volt...

I almost got flatten by one that I didn't hear. The exhaust system is tuned usually with a Magna Flow exhaust product. I don't care if my cars are loud outside but inside its a distraction.

[sadoldgirl]

10. We probably need a little noise

from the engines, because there have been complaints
by blind people at intersections.

That is just what I heard.

[marle35]

15. It's a safety concern

Certainly for the blind. But it benefits everyone to have another signal that a vehicle is coming by.

Cars should be required to make some noise.

[GeorgeGist]

11. Marketeers are fucking lame.

[oneshooter]

13. My F-150 Eco-Boost makes a slight low order noise when I floor it.

It is just the turbos opening up.

[madokie]

14. I'm not sure about the best selling part

we have 2014 focus and its a top seller and it doesn't have any of that fake engine noise. If you hammer it from a start you definitely will hear the tires bark and the engine make noise but its coming through the firewall like on our '98 5.4 liter f150. Now it will smoke the tires if you want and the engine will scream as it sets you back in the seat. If you're going about 40 mph in either and hammer them they will put you back in the seat as they accelerate like a scalded cat. I know that for a fact The little focus will raise up and get it and have you at 70 plus right now, same with the f150. Both pretty impressive

[Hassin Bin Sober]

16. Are you likin' the Focus? Iirc, you were worried about the trans noise at first.

I think I remember talking with you about it.

We really liked the Focus but he boyfriend finally relented and got a small AWD SUV. After all these years he saw the light of not having to worry about negotiating our unplowed alley/parking. I no longer have to snow blow the whole alley to avoid getting out of bed at 5am to push.

He got an Escape. Which is a lot like the Focus. It has a little turbo 4cyl that hauls ass.

[madokie]

18. Yes

I called and talked to my state representative about this and told him what was going on with ford telling us we would have to live with it. he asked me if I was calling him as a lawyer or as his representative and I asked why and he said as a lawyer theres not much I can do but as your representative there just might be. I said I'm calling you as my representative then so he asked me if he could make a few phone calls on my behalf and I said yes so he made a few phone calls and about an hour later the dealer called and said hey come see me and we'll get his sorted out. they took the original one, 2013, back and put us in a 2014 and its been awesome Both were new cars. We have 16,000 miles on this one now and love it. Best mileage we've got so far is 37.87 mpg, that was with four adults too and driving in the hilly curvy ass roads in Arkansas and Missouri. Thats miles divided by gallons. The computer was showing we had gotten 36.25 mpg but the pencil to paper was even better.
I'm kind of an old hot rodder and it fits my driving style real well. Excellent on curvy roads.
The dealer we bought from is the same dealer we bought our 98 f150 from new in '98.

[flvegan]

24. Focus ST, right?

[flvegan]

21. OMG, THE LIES AND THE LIARS WHO LIE!!

Seriously, this is it? This is the "bulit on lies" bullshit right now?

That 420 horsepower Mustang that you might not get the exhaust grumble from because of the numerous advances we've made makes them LIARS WHO LIE! Interesting word in that post, "want" which is something folks do. If we're finding fault with the audibles please rip all your stereo shit out of the car, and your GPS. And your phone, Bluetooth and other shit that makes you unable to drive responsibly.

No really, go get a Camry. DON'T BUY INTO BEING A SUCKER BUYING BUILT ON LIES!!!!

Idiots.

[LeftyMom]

23. Hush, maybe this will talk a few idiots out of buying one.

Keep the price down until you make your move, dude.

[LeftyMom]

22. Hint: If you're not setting off car alarms when you drive by, that rumble is sound effects.

The screaming when you gas the real thing up is authentic too.

But engines that hum and whirr will not get you laid. #priorities

[REP]

25. Wow, who didn't see that coming over 60 years ago ... ?

From The Marching Morons, 1951:

.... The automobiles have a top speed of one hundred kilometers per hour — a kilometer is, if I recall my
paleolinguistics, three-fifths of a mile — and the speedometers are all rigged
accordingly so the drivers will think they're going two hundred and fifty. The
cities are ridiculous, expensive, unsanitary, wasteful conglomerations of people
who'd be better off and more productive if they were spread over the
countryside.

[lumberjack_jeff]

26. So?

I could have told you this when I bought my first set of headers for my '70 chevelle.

[ChosenUnWisely]

27. The ability to add 'noise' is a option on most high end sports cars now

Last edited Sun Jan 25, 2015, 06:33 AM - Edit history (1)

and silly if you ask me.

Just about all European Cars are Turbo's now because in Europe the car manufactures have to meet CO2 goals not mileage goals like in the USA. By reducing CO2 the added benefit is increased gas mileage. Most folks don't want a loud booming car but many of the people who buy high end sports cars, Porsche for example, dig the engine and exhaust noise, and do not care for the sound that comes from a turbo engine.

Expect to see a noise making switch in pretty much all new cars soon because everything flows downhill whether it be auto technology or shit.

For example VW has the DSG Transmission in most of it cars today, that transmission was created for Porsche Racing in the early 80's, shortly after its intro to racing, it made it to their production cars, then it slowly made its way to some Audi's, then finally making it pretty much the standard VW transmission. Porsche now has a new transmission, Audi is now using the old Porsche transmission that replace DSG in Porsche, Triptronic. Porsche now uses PDK transmissions, so in about 10 years or so the VW Golf will come standard with a PDK Transmission and a button that makes louder exhaust noise.

Same deal with all the auto manufactures, if one wants to know what will be standard in more affordable cars in the future, look to racing and luxury cars.