# New cars with fake engine sounds **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 31, 2015, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cars-with-fake-engine-sounds/711434 "2015-01-31T16:17:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2015, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cars-with-fake-engine-sounds/711434/21 "2015-02-01T13:52:01Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > And your Mustang GT is complete shit compared to an average sedan today let alone the real performance cars. It is stylish in a nostalgic kind of way but can it beat a modern Toyota Camry let let alone a top tier modern Corvette in any contest including a straight line? Of course it can’t. uh, it has 412 horsepower (and a manual trans.) No it can’t keep up with a 'vette but a Camry isn’t even in the same league. > [@](#): > > What is the point of all that noise pollution? We have moved well beyond that. Making noise for its own sake is the psychological crutch of Harley riders and vintage Mustang enthusiasts. It is irritating to everyone else and unnecessary. The real performance cars are as silent as possible because that takes real skill. you don’t have the first clue what you’re talking about. Helmholtz resonators and acoustic canceling have been well understood for at least a century. it doesn’t take any “skill” to quiet an engine, it takes a few calculations that you can look up in five seconds in Leo Beranek’s _Acoustics_. > [@](#): > > You don’t need burning tires and loud engine noise even to go in a straight line as fast as possible. That is wasted energy and proves that that they didn’t know what they were doing during the muscle car era. Even muscle cars weren’t that loud from the factory. drive-by noise requirements have been in place for quite some time. as far as “burning tires” goes, that’s all down to the dimp in the left front seat. even a family sedan (your vaunted Camry) has enough torque to immolate its tire (whichever one breaks traction first thanks to its lack of a limited-slip diff.) Guess the Camry just wastes energy. > [@](#): > > Let’s face it, they aren’t true performance vehicles anymore so why do the enthusiasts insist on making as much noise as possible from something that has mediocre performance at best? The Mustang isn’t a performance car? Someone should have told [these guys.](http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/new-ford-mustang-first-drive-car-review-top-gear-2014-09-17) > [@](#): > > The real performance cars are ones like the top tier Corvettes and others that are as silent as possible. Oh yeah, [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVSOXL7IK0Y#t=32s) is real silent. > [@](#): > > Modern tires and other alterations changed the game so I do not understand why people still think louder is better. because we like the sound. > [@](#): > > Spare everyone please. Think smooth…no matter what your redneck friends tell you. That is the true nature of the game. are you one of those old people who get upset when kids are playing outside? ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2015, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cars-with-fake-engine-sounds/711434/22 "2015-02-01T13:54:48Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > I don’t think you’re comparing what he was comparing. Let me narrow his quote down a bit then… > [@](#): > > can it beat a modern Toyota Camry. If I’m missing something please let me know. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2015, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cars-with-fake-engine-sounds/711434/23 "2015-02-01T14:07:14Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > Let me narrow his quote down a bit then… > > If I’m missing something please let me know. You gave the specs for a 2015 Mustang GT. We were discussing vintage ones. The newer iterations of classic muscle cars do have good performance for what they are designed to be. The older ‘muscle cars’ that many people lusted over in their youth were surprisingly slow by any modern standards. Here are the specs for a 1965 Mustang. “[Boasting the V8 and four-speed manual, the Mustang Road & Track recorded a 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) time of 8.9 seconds, with the standing quarter mile in 17 seconds at 85 mph.](http://www.netcarshow.com/ford/1965-mustang/)” People tuned and hot-rodded them of course but it still took a lot to get them to approach even straight line speed of a mundane family sedan today (a Camry is just example and not even close to the fastest one) and it gets worse on true driving courses rather than short drag strips. It sounds like **jz78817** has a very custom example with a generous 412 hp. That is pretty impressive but it is hardly typical. I would be curious to know what the true 0 - 60 time is for that one and what other modifications have been made. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2015, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cars-with-fake-engine-sounds/711434/24 "2015-02-01T14:15:13Z")
> [@](#): > > It sounds like jz78817 has a very custom example with a generous 412 hp. That is pretty impressive but it is hardly typical. I would be curious to know what the true 0 - 60 time is for that one and what other modifications have been made. Or, you need to stop making assumptions. my car is a 2012. [http://www.edmunds.com/ford/mustang/2012/road-test-specs.html](http://www.edmunds.com/ford/mustang/2012/road-test-specs.html) Drive type Rear-wheel Drive Engine type V8 Displacement (cc/cu-in) 4,951cc (302 cu-in) Block/head material Aluminum/aluminum Valvetrain Double overhead camshaft Compression ratio (x:1) 11.0 Redline (rpm) 7,000 Horsepower (hp @ rpm) 412 @ 6,500 Torque (lb-ft @ rpm) 390 @ 4,250 Transmission type Six-speed manual ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2015, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cars-with-fake-engine-sounds/711434/25 "2015-02-01T14:18:29Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > You gave the specs for a 2015 Mustang GT. We were discussing vintage ones. Since when? The thread is about “fake” engine noise which is a recent development in Mustangs. **jz78817** never mentioned the model year of his mustang that I can see. I have to assume we are talking about these. **Amateur Barbarian** mentioned that he has a '65 and a '68 and he is the one who started this complaining that the new versions are somehow fake. As you have shown… his vintage models don’t hold a candle to the current ones. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2015, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cars-with-fake-engine-sounds/711434/26 "2015-02-01T15:41:07Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > Since when? Since post #33. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2015, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cars-with-fake-engine-sounds/711434/27 "2015-02-01T16:04:02Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > Since post #33. You realize this is post 26 right? ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2015, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cars-with-fake-engine-sounds/711434/28 "2015-02-01T16:07:14Z")
Numbers are hard. 11 ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2015, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cars-with-fake-engine-sounds/711434/29 "2015-02-01T16:30:45Z")
He said “YOUR mustang GT”. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2015, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cars-with-fake-engine-sounds/711434/30 "2015-02-01T17:20:55Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > He said “YOUR mustang GT”. Exactly… in post 18 **Shagnasty** is responding to **jz78817** with the “YOUR Mustang” remark. At the time we didn’t know the year but it turns out it is a 2012 which will blow the doors off of a current model Camry. I made the assumption that it was a 2015 which is even faster. Just because there was an earlier comment about early model muscle cars didn’t make me assume the entire conversation had shifted from “current model cars are fake because they enhance the engine noise and can be beat by a sedan like a Camry” to a late 60’s Mustang can be beat by a current Camry. If it did somehow then yes a current Camry can beat a late 60’s Mustang. If not, it can’t come close to a current Mustang even with the “fake” engine noise (which again the only faking is on the 4 cylinder and not the GT which was mentioned specifically)… the current 4 cylinder Mustang has a faster 0-60 time than the Camry. (5.0 v. 5.8 seconds) ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2015, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cars-with-fake-engine-sounds/711434/31 "2015-02-01T22:56:02Z")
I need to apologize to **jz78817** because I misread some of the thread before I gave my responses. The newer generation of muscle cars are powerful and nice vehicles that actually do what the older ones claimed to. I am not a big fan of excessive engine noise no matter what is causing it but I didn’t intend to imply that a newer generation Mustang is a shitty car at all. I grew up with people that loved to hotrod old muscle cars and then make false claims about their original and current capabilities so I tend to react strongly against that but I was arguing about something no one else was actually saying. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2015, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cars-with-fake-engine-sounds/711434/32 "2015-02-02T23:53:49Z")
For what its worth, I’d rather have _one_ 68 Mustang than a Toyota Camery for every day of the week. Hell, _month_, even! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cars-with-fake-engine-sounds/711434/33 "2015-02-03T00:29:30Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > For what its worth, I’d rather have _one_ 68 Mustang than a Toyota Camery for every day of the week. Hell, _month_, even! > > 😃 until you tried to start the thing on a cold morning. ---
**Author:** ![Whiskey\_Dickens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc348/32.png) [@Whiskey\_Dickens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey_Dickens)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cars-with-fake-engine-sounds/711434/34 "2015-02-03T14:26:26Z")
Just want to thank **jz** for his ignorance busting. The Dope seems to be a haven for people who like to talk about cars, but are only able to repeat half-correct facts biased by half-baked opinion. Regarding active engine sound generators, if you want to pick a philosophical fight with the manufacturers, the first to start it were VW and BMW (who are less fun to beat up on than Ford, which may be why the OP picked Ford instead of the originators). ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cars-with-fake-engine-sounds/711434/35 "2015-02-03T14:54:55Z")
> [@Whiskey\_Dickens](#): > > Just want to thank **jz** for his ignorance busting. The Dope seems to be a haven for people who like to talk about cars, but are only able to repeat half-correct facts biased by half-baked opinion. it’s doubly frustrating with people who just jump to a conclusion and treat it as unassailable fact. And then double down with the smugness if you tell them otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cars-with-fake-engine-sounds/711434/36 "2015-02-03T15:32:57Z")
So, anyway. Fake engine sounds. My daily driver is a 2014 Lexus IS300h. It’s a hybrid version of the IS250/350 sedan also available in the US (to my knowledge the hybrid is not available there). In the interior, there’s a small volume knob under the steering wheel called ASC. This stands for “active sound control”. Turn it up, and the otherwise very quiet combo of the Atkinson L4 and the electric motor transforms into a sort of V8 rumble over the speaker system. It even mimics gear changes - never mind the drive train is a CVT. 🙂 It’s a silly gimmick which completely misses the point of the car. It’s supposed to be a quiet, refined ride for effortless motoring. It’s not a quarter mile candidate - although it’ll do the 0 -100 kph dash in a respectable 8 seconds. I’ve tried that silly button just the once, and then switched it off. If I want to enjoy a good exhaust note, I’ll take my '97 Jag XK8 for a spin. It’s had the rear silencers removed and replaced by straight pipes, resulting in a throatier note than the standard quiet-enough-for-the-country-club whisper they deemed appropriate in Coventry. It’s still virtually silent on tick-over and low RPM’s, but it’ll really belt out a roar when you push the revs up. Best of both worlds. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cars-with-fake-engine-sounds/711434/37 "2015-02-03T15:41:24Z")
> [@Coldfire](#): > > If I want to enjoy a good exhaust note, I’ll take my '97 Jag XK8 for a spin. It’s had the rear silencers removed and replaced by straight pipes, resulting in a throatier note than the standard quiet-enough-for-the-country-club whisper they deemed appropriate in Coventry. It’s still virtually silent on tick-over and low RPM’s, but it’ll really belt out a roar when you push the revs up. Best of both worlds. Quite a few cars in the high performance range have exhaust bypasses or cutouts that kick in only at higher speeds. That keeps them quiet on surface streets, but adds power and satisfying Tony-roar at speed. None go to completely open pipes the way street racers used to, but bypass all or most of the post-cat resonators and mufflers. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cars-with-fake-engine-sounds/711434/38 "2015-02-03T15:46:45Z")
> [@Coldfire](#): > > It’s a silly gimmick which completely misses the point of the car. It’s supposed to be a quiet, refined ride for effortless motoring. Which makes me picture a Rolls-Royce playing the sound of a ticking clock. And nothing else. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cars-with-fake-engine-sounds/711434/39 "2015-02-03T16:07:11Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > I’ve often thought that an engine sound simulator would be a great accessory for an electric car. You’re waiting at the light, and you hear a heavy bass rumble pulling up beside you, and you look, and it’s a guy in a Nissan Leaf. Grinning. What you want is something like the [Soundracer V8.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9XAC-BvUyo) (FF to 0:46 to get the before/after sound comparison.) OK, the car in the video isn’t an electric - but I’m sure such a device could easily be adapted to an electric. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cars-with-fake-engine-sounds/711434/40 "2015-02-03T20:00:24Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > until you tried to start the thing on a cold morning. Never a problem with the 65 and 69 Fords I have. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cars-with-fake-engine-sounds/711434.md?page=1)