Fake engine noise

[Wathen1955]

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

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

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.

[99 pewtercoupe]

Friend of mine sent that to me
I replied that there is nothing fake about my engine noise. Borla Stingers sound fairly stock at idle, put your foot into it and it sounds like a banshee released from hell

[CertInsaneC5]

Originally Posted by 99 pewtercoupe

Friend of mine sent that to me
I replied that there is nothing fake about my engine noise. Borla Stingers sound fairly stock at idle, put your foot into it and it sounds like a banshee released from hell

Especially with LG long tube headers behind them. Put a healthy cam in the mix. My neighbors hate me at 4:30 in the morning.

[Datawiz]

Sacrilege.

[CertInsaneC5]

Originally Posted by datawiz

Sacrilege.

Blasphemy too.

[78SA]

They know nothing about cars.

[DukeAllen]

Rusted out mufflers sound bitching for less money up front

[Dan Dlabay]

Heck just cut the pipes and install a pair of Thrush or Cherry Bomb mufflers. Better yet also install a set of headers and cam.

[American Made]

Originally Posted by Wathen1955

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

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

A new Mustang GT? 2015? That's not true. i think Washington Post is a little off here. Piped in through the audio system? That would be a discovery. I don't buy it.

[Y2Kvert4me]

Originally Posted by American Made

A new Mustang GT? 2015? That's not true. i think Washington Post is a little off here. Piped in through the audio system? That would be a discovery. I don't buy it.

Not the GT...Just the 4cyl Ecoboost model.

[markids77]

Yeah, the GT gets resonators built into the intake system so it sounds good inside the cabin but passes Federal standards outside. Fake indeed, courtesy of the US Gubmint.

[CertInsaneC5]

Originally Posted by Waco

What about Borla Stingers sound stock at idle? They're stupidly loud compared to stock.

I might be biased though, I'm running long tubes too. Never heard 'em on stock manifolds.

Yes. Yes they are. Is there a problem here?

[ASTROCREEP]

Originally Posted by DukeAllen

Rusted out mufflers sound bitching for less money up front

I remember one time a local PO wanted to give me a modified exhaust ticket because my car was loud. (it was)

I was able to argue my way out of the ticket by showing him my "stock" exhaust. I should him the stock manifolds and that the exhaust went all the way to the rear bumper. He even looked underneath the car to look at the stock mufflers that looked original and perfect from the side but you could fist f*** them from being rusted out on the bottom.

No ticket and the car sounded good!

[99 pewtercoupe]

Originally Posted by CertInsaneC5

Yes. Yes they are. Is there a problem here?

[American Made]

Originally Posted by Y2Kvert4me

Not the GT...Just the 4cyl Ecoboost model.

Really? Ugh

[CertInsaneC5]

Originally Posted by Waco

Not at all. I'm making test pipes for mine to get rid of the cats soon too.

[LATB]

My F150 5.0 sounds great. And I'm pretty sure it's coming out the tail pipe and not the speakers.

[RED-85-Z51]

My vette was shorty headers into a borla front Y pipe, into a straight catless mid pipe, into a Borla rear Y (3") into Monza quads (thru)....and I thought it sounded mild....haha

My diesel truck is a 4"down pipe off the turbo, into a 4" stright pipe back into a 6" tip...at WOT it sounds like you have opened the gates of hell and kicked satan in the dick...

All my other trucks are Dual in/out Flowmaters or magnaflows, no cats..the 350 is a true dual Thrush 3 chamber setup...

The only thing I hear is AMERICAN BEEF

[63C2splitter]

I have chambered exhaust pipes on both sides....no mufflers in the back, on my 63.....same pipes that are on side pipes. They are pretty loud, but the pipes go out the back, so not too bad in the passenger compartment.

[RedLS1GTO]

Exhaust note is real on everything I own... mainly due to the fact that I don't buy under powered, eco box pieces of sh*t.


With that said, there is a big difference between a vehicle sounding good and simply being loud. Based on a lot of cars and trucks that I see running around, it would seem that many don't see the difference.



- I know how to make an F-150 more manly.
- How's that? We already added the man step. What else can we do?!?
- Well, we could start by offering an engine that is actually has the power to act like a truck and tow something.
- Don't be silly. I have a great idea... go get the radio guy in here.