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Fake engine noise enhances driving experience?

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klugesmith

Fri Jan 23 2015, 06:09PM

Registered Member #2099 Joined: Wed Apr 29 2009, 12:22AM
Location: Los Altos, California
Posts: 1714

Just saw this article about how car-makers want to maintain the familiar sound of power, when the new engines don't rumble enough.

hen918

Sat Jan 24 2015, 05:56PM

Registered Member #11591 Joined: Wed Mar 20 2013, 08:20PM
Location: UK
Posts: 556

ARGH....
I don't think anyone will be happy about that waste of precious resources. Then again, people with childlike minds (like boy racers) might appreciate it!

Ash Small

Sat Jan 24 2015, 07:21PM

Registered Member #3414 Joined: Sun Nov 14 2010, 05:05PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4245

You may as well just get a videogame.

Justin

Sat Jan 24 2015, 08:34PM

Registered Member #46164 Joined: Wed May 07 2014, 08:16AM
Location: California, USA
Posts: 89

This reminds me of when my dad put playing cards on my bicycle so they hit the spokes and made "engine" noises.

Dr. Slack

Sat Jan 24 2015, 09:17PM

Registered Member #72 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 08:29AM
Location: UK St. Albans
Posts: 1659

You could even get a battery powered noise maker thing about the size of a torch to fit on your bike handlebars, ThundeROAR! I think it was called

<edit> doh, twat! of course it wasn't, it was called MotoROAR! </edit>

Chris Cristini

Wed Jan 28 2015, 02:42PM

Registered Member #1749 Joined: Fri Oct 10 2008, 02:04AM
Location: Claremont New Hampshire
Posts: 497

I'm not sure about a rumble exhaust note I enjoy the sound from the M52 in my BMW it is like nothing I have ever driven before and the nice smooth power band through out the entire rev range is nice to. I have never had the pleasure of driving something one would call a muscle car but I would not want the horrible gas mileage that came with that. As far as a noise maker goes I feel that is like those fake exhaust tips GM used on the Cobalt SS it is crap and is not the way cars should be produced where is the quality?

GrantX

Fri Jan 30 2015, 05:46AM

Registered Member #4074 Joined: Mon Aug 29 2011, 06:58AM
Location: Australia
Posts: 335

Chris Cristini wrote ...

I'm not sure about a rumble exhaust note I enjoy the sound from the M52 in my BMW it is like nothing I have ever driven before and the nice smooth power band through out the entire rev range is nice to. I have never had the pleasure of driving something one would call a muscle car but I would not want the horrible gas mileage that came with that. As far as a noise maker goes I feel that is like those fake exhaust tips GM used on the Cobalt SS it is crap and is not the way cars should be produced where is the quality?

Quality is hard to find these days, it would seem. My Dad owns a 1972 (HQ series) Holden Monaro GTS and even before restoration the 40-year-old motor was extremely reliable, despite guzzling petrol. The new 350 Chev crate motor was built primarily for reliability rather than power, same with the 5-speed manual transmission and the differential (Tremec and Detroit Locker respectively). The only "sound enhancement" required was a stainless steel twin exhaust system with long-tube headers and a single muffler on each side ;)

On the other hand, my 2010 Ford XR-6 (FG series) is already starting to fall apart at the seams. ALL the electronics are problematic: the audio system is barely functional, half the time it will work and the other half is silence interrupted by massive crackling interference. Even turning the audio system off won't stop the interference. Apparently the car has a computer that handles audio, climate control and pretty much everything. Ford has told me that replacement will cost around $2200-2500 AUD. The car eats batteries for breakfast, a new one is required every 18 months, apparently this is related to the destroyed audio system. Half the LEDs on each door's electric window controls are blown, for some mysterious reason. The screw holes for the plastic front bumper are broken on one side, so that side pokes out from the body panel by a centimeter or so. Even the interior plastic panels no longer line up exactly. And to top that off, the exhaust is now dying. A small rust hole has developed in one muffler, and a baffle has come loose in another muffler, resulting in a horridly loud metal-on-metal screech at certain RPM and throttle positions.

The drive train is still OK, thankfully. Except for the loose bushings in the diff, which causes some clunking at low speeds in low gears. And the synchro's in the Tremec 6-speed manual are slowly getting stiffer (I have no idea how that's possible, usually the shifter gets looser with time). At least the 4 liter straight-6 is still in good shape. The same motor was in an old work car, it was still running fine at 360,000kms.

When buying a new car, there seems to be 3 different paths. 1) Buy a cheap but fun car that is plagued with problems after a few years. 2) Buy a cheap car that is very small and underpowered, but reliable in the long term. 3) Spend over one hundred thousand and receive a car that is both fun and reliable, but replacement parts require a second mortgage.

I used to think Tesla coils and electronics was an expensive hobby. Until I saw the bill Dad received for getting the Monaro resprayed ;)

Ash Small

Fri Jan 30 2015, 01:15PM

Registered Member #3414 Joined: Sun Nov 14 2010, 05:05PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4245

Grant, is the XR6 engine derived from the old AJ6 engine?

XR6:

AJ6:

GrantX

Sat Jan 31 2015, 07:11AM

Registered Member #4074 Joined: Mon Aug 29 2011, 06:58AM
Location: Australia
Posts: 335

Ash Small wrote ...

Grant, is the XR6 engine derived from the old AJ6 engine?

I'm honestly not sure, I imagine they do share a lot of similarities. I know that both motors have a reputation for durability and reliability.

More detailed information on Ford's modern straight-6 can be found here:

And here's a comparison of the AJ6 and Barra 190:

I guess it can be seen as an evolution of the earlier "Crossflow" motor, a 4.1L carburetted push-rod beast that was quite popular in its time. The motor in my car is the DOHC Barra 195, which has more than enough power for a daily-driven car. I must admit, the combination of a 6-speed manual and 4 litre straight-6 is very nice for highway cruising and the windy mountain roads where I live. If only the electronics and build quality could match the drive train :(

Ash Small

Sat Jan 31 2015, 12:42PM

Registered Member #3414 Joined: Sun Nov 14 2010, 05:05PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4245

I guess the 2002 twin cam engine was developed after Ford bought Jaguar in the nineties, and used what Ford had learned from the AJ6.

The AJ6 was developed during the eighties from the old twin cam XK engine which was developed in the fifties.

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