by "Honeybunchesofgoats" (honeybunche0fgoats)
Published 06/13/2017 at 09:38
by "Honeybunchesofgoats" (honeybunche0fgoats)
Published 06/13/2017 at 09:38
No Tags
STARS: 1
I took another day off work, because I feel like crap and get fatigued very quickly while standing. But I did miss driving, so I took the Jag to Starbucks. The thing is, I’m very congested and stuffy and it’s made it difficult to hear. The XJ8 is already pretty silent (Jag purposely made the V8 quiet and used it in advertising claiming the car could go from “0-60 in under 6 seconds without raising its voice”), but with my head being so stuffy, I can’t hear the engine at all, even under heavy acceleration.
The funny thing is, I’ve become so used to driving the car that I regulate speed based more off of the sound of the engine and shift patterns than actually looking at the speedo. Since I can’t hear the car, I keep inadvertently speeding without realizing it. I kept thinking I was doing 50 and then looking down and seeing that I was at 70.
"random001" (random001)
06/13/2017 at 09:44, STARS: 6
What?
"diplodicus" (diplodicus)
06/13/2017 at 09:45, STARS: 1
I’ve been driving with earplugs in on the highway since my ac doesn’t work and I don’t like the fatigued feeling I get from all the noise. It is really weird doing 75 and all you hear is a faint rustle of the wind.
"AuthiCooper1300" (rexrod)
06/13/2017 at 09:47, STARS: 5
That’s the reason why operators should never be thoroughly insulated from what they are in charge of – whether it is a car or a nuclear power station.
"marshknute" (marshknute)
06/13/2017 at 09:49, STARS: 1
This is exactly why the non-M E46 engines suck. They’re completely mute and uninspiring. Sure they’re smooth AF, but what’s the point if you can’t hear shit?
"MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s" (mastermario)
06/13/2017 at 09:49, STARS: 0
That sudden change in pitch when no input or change was made is always concerning
"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
06/13/2017 at 09:50, STARS: 2
That’s exactly why I can’t stand driving with earphones. Even in an automatic transmission vehicle where all you really have to do is set the cruise, I prefer to hear the motor, the tires, the wind, everything out there that gives you more information than just your eyes.
"Honeybunchesofgoats" (honeybunche0fgoats)
06/13/2017 at 09:51, STARS: 8
I NEVER REALIZED HOW IMPORTANT SOUND IS TO DRIVING
"AuthiCooper1300" (rexrod)
06/13/2017 at 09:51, STARS: 1
Or a different frequency of vibration (which ultimately is nothing but a “different change in pitch” too).
"Honeybunchesofgoats" (honeybunche0fgoats)
06/13/2017 at 09:51, STARS: 0
I can totally agree with that. I’m the sort of person who has to turn the radio off in parking lots because I find it too distracting.
"Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction" (rustholes-are-weight-reduction)
06/13/2017 at 09:57, STARS: 0
Boy that escalated quickly!
"DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time" (dc3ls-)
06/13/2017 at 10:04, STARS: 1
Psst! Hey! Did I miss an update on the best Oppo song or has it not dropped yet fam?
"AuthiCooper1300" (rexrod)
06/13/2017 at 10:08, STARS: 0
I specifically mentioned nuclear power stations because it seems that at some stage the trend was to cocoon the technicians in an enclosure unaffected by sound/vibration - and let them figure out everything through gauges and indicators. That is not a very good idea.
So yes, noise and seat-of-the-pants feeling are also important for that sort of machinery.
"Svend" (svend)
06/13/2017 at 10:12, STARS: 0
Sound is very important.
I don’t know what it’s like for automatics but for petrol engined manuals, it’s knowing when to change gear up or down.
I had a friend who some idiot totalled her diesel Peugeot 306. She was used to changing gears with the rev counter, when given a petrol Mini Cooper S as a courtesy car by the insurance company. I had to teach her how to listen for the engine tone for changing gears, how driving up inclines at lower speeds required changing from the gear she was in, etc... It was good fun and she picked it up fast.
The engine sound is import to a smooth driving experience and not putting undue pressure on the engine.
"CobraJoe" (cobrajoe)
06/13/2017 at 10:14, STARS: 2
For the first few years of driving in a city, I’d crack a window just so I could hear traffic better when things got hectic. It really helps to be able to hear a car coming in your blind spot.
"random001" (random001)
06/13/2017 at 10:18, STARS: 4
Ah! Yes, having round tires is important!
"Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction" (rustholes-are-weight-reduction)
06/13/2017 at 10:21, STARS: 1
Years ago, I was ready to buy a brand new Infiniti Q50. After a few weeks of hyping myself up, I went to the dealer. The car looked even better in person. I already knew the exact configuration I wanted: a Diesel (because I drive a lot) manual (because of course) red (because red is fast) Q50 with the sports package (because it looks way better). So I was at the Renault/Nissan/Infiniti dealer, in the Infiniti section, which of course was separated from the rest.
The salesperson had a difficult customer on the phone, and took care of me and apologized for the wait as soon as he got of the phone.
We sat down on a nice leather couch, the coffee table was filled with documentation. I was offered a coffee as we discussed what I was looking for.
After a while, the salesman asks me if it has to be new.
Turns out they had a car with the exact configuration I wanted, except for the color, of course, because no one puts color on a luxury car. This one was black, which is acceptable,about a year old, with 7000 km, and 15.000€ cheaper than a new one.
He handed me the card, I was thrilled to go do a test drive, we sat down, I adjusted the seat, mirrors and steering wheel. Then the big moment: I pushed the start button.
In that very moment, excitement became disappointment. The car drove nicely, was ergonomically perfect for me, and had adequate power. The sound though, ruined everything.
I proceeded to buy an old american V8, which is slow, wasteful, and unrefined. But the sound alone makes up for that :)
"Honeybunchesofgoats" (honeybunche0fgoats)
06/13/2017 at 10:24, STARS: 0
I think it’s more of a horses for courses sort of thing. In a BMW? Sure, engine noise is nice. But in a large British luxury sedan, there’s something wonderfully appropriate about having an engine that doesn’t announce how powerful it is. It’s completely on-confrontational. You can floor it at stop lights or when passing and it never gives off the impression of being aggressive.
"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
06/13/2017 at 10:26, STARS: 1
Agreed. It’s weird to think of, but the lack of audio can really make you look like a douche on the road. For example certain songs have sit at a very close frequency range to my exhaust note. Unless you’re 100% on it (and you aren’t, you’re listening to music) you’ll completely miss things like the engine loading going up a hill and needing more gas. You’ll catch it eventually, but that just changes you from slow idiot to can’t-hold-speed idiot.
Also, for some reason I find it incredibly hard to drive to Eminem. All I can think of it’s the way the rhythm works... most songs you find yourself relating to the lane markings... he’s so good at varying the rhythm it throws me for a loop.
"Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction" (rustholes-are-weight-reduction)
06/13/2017 at 10:27, STARS: 0
I insulated the hell out of my Pajero, so I didn’t hear the imminent destruction of my gearbox. Luckily, I went to a drive-through, and the sound echoing from the wall to the open window told me to stop using it until I replaced the bearings.
"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
06/13/2017 at 10:32, STARS: 0
Same for autos. If you listen to music when you drive, and the song is in the right range, it can mask the engine noise. So for example if you start to climb a hill you won’t hear the engine loading up and won’t give it more gas. And when you do catch it it’s hard to tell how much to give. Etc.
"Honeybunchesofgoats" (honeybunche0fgoats)
06/13/2017 at 10:34, STARS: 0
I have to compile the next round still. I’ve been lazy.
"DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time" (dc3ls-)
06/13/2017 at 10:36, STARS: 0
If you want to narrow it down even more. You could do what you did last time, but only give people one vote.
"AuthiCooper1300" (rexrod)
06/13/2017 at 10:39, STARS: 0
The works Mini rally drivers, back in the day, used to say that when the car stopped making noise (powerful Minis have to be fitted with straight-cut transfer gears
and
straight-cut gears in the gearbox) you knew your rally was over.
"Svend" (svend)
06/13/2017 at 10:43, STARS: 1
I’ve never driven an auto, so I can only speak from a manual side.
I’d hate to think what the artificial engine sounds would be like.
"Aremmes" (aremmes)
06/13/2017 at 10:44, STARS: 1
... I regulate speed based more off of the sound of the engine and shift patterns than actually looking at the speedo.
My dad made this a central theme of his lessons when he taught me to drive some 25 years ago. The cars he could afford back then typically didn’t have tachometers so having a feel for engine speed based on sound was important. In his words, the engine would “ask” for a higher or lower gear and one only had to listen to it.
"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
06/13/2017 at 10:48, STARS: 1
Electronic lag on throttle input as well as feedback... “shit” is my guess. I’d rip the system out and throw on a louder exhaust.
"Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction" (rustholes-are-weight-reduction)
06/13/2017 at 11:04, STARS: 0
I try to imagine the sound level straight cut gears make in such a small cabin.
"Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies" (jordanwphillips)
06/13/2017 at 11:23, STARS: 0
That’s one thing I hated about my FiST. Stock it was nearly silent unless the intske sound thing opened. It’s supposed to be a fun car, it needs noise.
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
06/13/2017 at 17:32, STARS: 0
Only solution: straight pipes.