3 ms·

Every newer sport-focused car on the planet has this. All of them. Its how many companies still make low-displacement turboed engines sound good enough to back

by 013a 8y ago

Every newer sport-focused car on the planet has this. All of them. Its how many companies still make low-displacement turboed engines sound good enough to back up their performance; for example, here's an article about a 2012 Focus ST [1] [1] https://www.autoevolution.com/news/ford-focus-st-sound-symposer-delete-explained-is-an-easy-diy-118757.html https://www.autoevolution.com/news/ford-focus-st-sound-sympo... VW calls the system Soundaktor, as another example. You'll see it implemented one of a few ways (or a combination): fake sound being piped through the speakers, real sound being piped through the speakers, a physical breach in the engine firewall to allow sound through, additional speakers in the firewall-area specially tuned for engine noises... etc. They're very common. Startlingly common. I'd bet that you, the person reading this, has one in your car and you don't even know it.

perl4ever 8y ago
I grant you Ford and VWAG may do it, and I'm aware that BMW does on some models, but I don't believe that literally every "sport focused" car does it. That sounds like something a salesperson reflexively says when a prospective buyer expresses distaste for the idea.
- 013a 8y ago
  [1] 2018 Honda Accord [2] 2017 Mercedes CLA250 [3] Ford Mustang, F-150 [4] Porsche, Lexus LFA The list goes on. Ford and VW are the worst, but every ICE auto manufacturer does it to some degree. There's nothing funnier than hearing someone act so smug with the sound of revving their A3 2.0T, then telling them to get out of the car and listen to it from the outside, watching the look on their face when they realize it sounds like a V6 on the inside and a lawnmower on the outside. Basically, if your car has a turbo'd 4 cyl engine made recently, you almost definitely have fake engine noise. As displacement goes up, the need for it goes down, but even the most popular V8 engines have it (everything Ford makes, Audi does it as well). The only manufacturer in this class that I can't find any evidence deploying fake engine noise is Mazda, but given their close relationship with Ford it wouldn't surprise me. [1] https://www.driveaccord.net/forums/249-audio-electronics-lighting/526233-any-way-disable-fake-engine-sound-playing-thru-audio-system.html https://www.driveaccord.net/forums/249-audio-electronics-lig... [2] https://www.mercedescla.org/forum/5-cla-general-discussion/22666-what-s-sound-generator.html https://www.mercedescla.org/forum/5-cla-general-discussion/2... [3] https://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?noredirect=on&utm_term=.59affc226beb https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/americas-bes... [4] https://www.caranddriver.com/features/faking-it-engine-sound-enhancement-explained-tech-dept https://www.caranddriver.com/features/faking-it-engine-sound...
  - perl4ever 8y ago
    I understand you're saying it's common across several manufacturers, but you overstated it, perhaps for effect, when you said every sporty car. I remember reading about how the Mazda Miata was tuned to have a nice exhaust note when it first came out, but that isn't what I would call fake engine noise. Conducting sound where and how desired doesn't make it fake. I also note some of your citations appear to involve random and possibly confused people making guesses on enthusiast forums which are less than an authoritative source.
  - 2trill2spill 8y ago
    I feel ya I wish ford wouldnt do it, but as a silver lining it took me 30 seconds to disable it on my 2017 focus rs, so at least it's easy to turn off.
    - brokenmachine 8y ago
      How does it sound without it?
      - 2trill2spill 8y ago
        Much quieter than before but it's much more authentic then before and you hear the crackles and pops better. Also its not like the car is quiet it's certainly louder then most cars on the road especially in sport or track mode. Finally I was planning on getting an intake and exhaust anyway so it will be much louder in the future.
51lver 8y ago
I got 4 good speakers and 4 dead speakers and none of them play engine sounds thanks. (now that vw with a ground loop on the sub amp that my buddy had was a different story...)
tbyehl 8y ago
> Its how many companies still make low-displacement turboed > engines sound good enough to back up their performance Turbo'd engines inherently produce fun sounds and (most) manufactures silence them with overly restrictive intakes and exhausts. Why fake it when they can actually make it?
- expertentipp 8y ago
  Probably because anything engine- and exhaust-related is heavily regulated, while some „auxiliary noises” less so.

by 013a 8y ago

perl4ever 8y ago

I grant you Ford and VWAG may do it, and I'm aware that BMW does on some models, but I don't believe that literally every "sport focused" car does it. That sounds like something a salesperson reflexively says when a prospective buyer expresses distaste for the idea.

013a 8y ago
[1] 2018 Honda Accord [2] 2017 Mercedes CLA250 [3] Ford Mustang, F-150 [4] Porsche, Lexus LFA The list goes on. Ford and VW are the worst, but every ICE auto manufacturer does it to some degree. There's nothing funnier than hearing someone act so smug with the sound of revving their A3 2.0T, then telling them to get out of the car and listen to it from the outside, watching the look on their face when they realize it sounds like a V6 on the inside and a lawnmower on the outside. Basically, if your car has a turbo'd 4 cyl engine made recently, you almost definitely have fake engine noise. As displacement goes up, the need for it goes down, but even the most popular V8 engines have it (everything Ford makes, Audi does it as well). The only manufacturer in this class that I can't find any evidence deploying fake engine noise is Mazda, but given their close relationship with Ford it wouldn't surprise me. [1] https://www.driveaccord.net/forums/249-audio-electronics-lighting/526233-any-way-disable-fake-engine-sound-playing-thru-audio-system.html https://www.driveaccord.net/forums/249-audio-electronics-lig... [2] https://www.mercedescla.org/forum/5-cla-general-discussion/22666-what-s-sound-generator.html https://www.mercedescla.org/forum/5-cla-general-discussion/2... [3] https://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?noredirect=on&utm_term=.59affc226beb https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/americas-bes... [4] https://www.caranddriver.com/features/faking-it-engine-sound-enhancement-explained-tech-dept https://www.caranddriver.com/features/faking-it-engine-sound...
- perl4ever 8y ago
  I understand you're saying it's common across several manufacturers, but you overstated it, perhaps for effect, when you said every sporty car. I remember reading about how the Mazda Miata was tuned to have a nice exhaust note when it first came out, but that isn't what I would call fake engine noise. Conducting sound where and how desired doesn't make it fake. I also note some of your citations appear to involve random and possibly confused people making guesses on enthusiast forums which are less than an authoritative source.
- 2trill2spill 8y ago
  I feel ya I wish ford wouldnt do it, but as a silver lining it took me 30 seconds to disable it on my 2017 focus rs, so at least it's easy to turn off.
  - brokenmachine 8y ago
    How does it sound without it?
    - 2trill2spill 8y ago
      Much quieter than before but it's much more authentic then before and you hear the crackles and pops better. Also its not like the car is quiet it's certainly louder then most cars on the road especially in sport or track mode. Finally I was planning on getting an intake and exhaust anyway so it will be much louder in the future.

51lver 8y ago

I got 4 good speakers and 4 dead speakers and none of them play engine sounds thanks. (now that vw with a ground loop on the sub amp that my buddy had was a different story...)

tbyehl 8y ago

> Its how many companies still make low-displacement turboed > engines sound good enough to back up their performance Turbo'd engines inherently produce fun sounds and (most) manufactures silence them with overly restrictive intakes and exhausts. Why fake it when they can actually make it?

expertentipp 8y ago
Probably because anything engine- and exhaust-related is heavily regulated, while some „auxiliary noises” less so.