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Comment by gweinberg | Hacker News Reader

Anyone else think deliberately pumping noise into the car is mindbogglingly stupid?

Especially considering that I'd wager the majority of the noise the car produces is artificial. Since cars are more efficient these days, it has become commonplace for manufactures to add artificial engine sound. Buyers want cars that sound like classic muscle cars but have modern efficiency. It would be fun hack the sound the car produces to make it sound something like this Domino's pizza scooter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n17B_uFF4cA

Most manufacturers do it. Consumer perceptions of power, performance and prestige are strongly influenced by engine noise. Modern turbocharged engines are much more efficient, but substantially quieter than naturally aspirated engines. A turbocharged I4 can produce just as much power as a naturally aspirated V8, but it doesn't sound as powerful.

Engine noise masks other mechanical noise from the suspension, brakes and gearbox; Those noises are often unsettling, giving a perception of poor build quality or mechanical defects. Artificial noise can mask those sounds, without the greater cost and weight of acoustic insulation.

I don't like the idea, but the marketing logic is perfectly sound.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/americas-best...

> A turbocharged I4 can produce just as much power as a naturally aspirated V8, but it doesn't sound as powerful.

Well, yes, you can make a 400HP 4 cyl turbo, but you wont have the same response as an NA v8. It's going to take some time to spool the turbo, and you wont have on call power. The torque curve will also look insane. Engines that perform like this don't last very long.

It is stupid, but that hasn't stopped a lot of manufacturers from doing it. I unplugged the one that came equipped in my GTI. Google soundaktor and your make/model to see if your car has one.

Hey, if it makes people feel better when their 3-cylinder hybrid sounds like a turbocharged V10, whatever.

Is there a business opportunity in hooking one of those cheap bluetooth OBD-II interfaces to a sample-driven synthesizer on a phone, hooked back into the car's sound system? Then you can make your sensible Civic sound like a Ferrari or a Bugatti... or an F14.

Some electric vehicles are very silent. I've seen a girl almost get run over by a quiet one - she was listening to music on her phone, so not sure anything short of the F-14 sound a sibling comment mentioned would have raised her awareness :P

To be clear, this isn't a safety feature. The noise is being piped into the cabin of the car, not out to people in the environment around the car. It's to make the driver hear a satisfying growl when you stamp down on the accelerator.

Thanks, I thought it was sent to the exterior, I read "All I can hear is a slight whine from the hybrid electric powerplant ready to be abused" and when I read the above comment I thought they were piping it to the exterior, like in this article:

http://www.psfk.com/2014/04/electric-car-fake-noise-safety.h...

"The European Parliament has just ruled that electric vehicles and hybrid cars have to be fitted with fake engine sounds so that people will hear them coming. The mandate aims to make streets safer for everyone, especially the blind and visually-impaired."

The tire noise of electric cars makes them sufficiently audible above a relatively low speed. Also note that conventional cars which are coasting are much quieter than conventional cars that are accelerating. As an electric car driver, I quickly figured out when I need to be very careful around pedestrians -- a bit more often than in a conventional car, but not that different.

The best part is after checking some guides for disabling this ridiculous feature, it appears that for some brands of cars a minor side effect is that you also disable the car's audio system. :)

Better than annoying everyone else within earshot.

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