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    Hot Burning Diaper GarbageGabrielle Bluestone
    1/23/15 12:32am

    Eh. It's not just about sales. A lot of people use engine noise as a source of feedback when they're driving, and the fact that they've gotten so quiet has led to people underestimating their speed, the time necessary to brake, and other SUPER IMPORTANT things.

    It turns out human beings are dumb irrational lumps of meat who trust more abstract forms of feedback like engine noise and vibration over what it says on the dash. Whoda thunkit?

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      TheDataHot Burning Diaper Garbage
      1/23/15 12:42am

      Citation on that please.

      I used to drive an extremely quiet late-90's Mercedes E Class. The thing would rest at 2800 rpm while doing 75mph, and was so well-shaped that wind noise was negligible. Dozens of people drove that car while I was a passenger. Nobody drove it faster than what was reasonable. Nobody came close to crashing it. It was an incredibly cheap car (for its price range) to insure, because so few drivers of its make and model crashed it.

      How do you explain my cheap insurance?

      Likewise, I've seen people act like complete assholes while driving a honda Fit (essentially the loudest car I've ever ridden in).

      Engine roar just feels more "fun." Read the linked article. It's just luxury/sports cars that are employing juiced engine noise. Are you telling me that people who drive porsche's don't speed like shitheads? Engine noise, if anything, makes you go faster.

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      special_k_sideHot Burning Diaper Garbage
      1/23/15 12:55am

      Hmmm, interesting, I drive 3 different stick wheeling 4x4's (27 years driving), I never look at the tach/speedo, I just know by the sound. Never thunked about your point.... True though, manufacturers' seem to think the less we know the better...... Rear view cameras however, and auto headlights/tailights, those I like! But still, everyone should learn to drive in a simple vehicle, it's like riding a bike.......when the training wheels are not there, you still know what to do! :)

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    Tom Servo's mechanical heart, Flat Earth TrutherGabrielle Bluestone
    1/23/15 1:27am

    well now that I know this, I'm disappointed no one is making them sound MOAR AWESOME. I want mine to sound like a goddamned angry tiger. Or at least maybe a kid making the "vroom vroom" noise.

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      psybabTom Servo's mechanical heart, Flat Earth Truther
      1/23/15 8:14am

      I agree vehemently with all the suggestions in this thread. Add Godzilla.

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    UncleCCClaudiusGabrielle Bluestone
    1/23/15 8:42am

    Vroom vroom

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      JoshDigiGabrielle Bluestone
      1/23/15 11:09am

      Because air pollution isn't enough, drivers insist on creating noise pollution as well.

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        CtrlAltDefeatGabrielle Bluestone
        1/23/15 3:17pm

        Can't wait for the day when all engines are quiet and broadcast Jetsons car noises to alert pedestrians of an approaching vehicle

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          Agree2DisagreeGabrielle Bluestone
          1/23/15 8:24am

          As someone noted downthread, sometimes these sound effects are added as a source of feedback. As a motorcycle enthusiast, I recently discovered that shifter technology has evolved such that manufacturers can make a completely silent and smooth shifter lever for bikes. It hasn't caught on though since focus groups have shown that bikers prefer to hear and feel the "chunk chunk" of shifting. I 100% agree. My bike is not overly loud but in a crowd of other bikes plus road noise, it helps to have another sensation to go by. It's not always about hearing the awesome roar of your engine.

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            DarthTurduckenAgree2Disagree
            1/23/15 10:15am

            Misread that as "shitter technology". If we could have noise-canceling toilets I would quickly forgive the lack of flying cars..

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