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Loss of the exhaust note…sex without noise.

bbqdevil

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I'm not too hung up with the move to electric with cars / trucks (the 0-60 is amazing), but the end of ICE motorcycles such as the V-twin Ducatis, V-4 Aprilias, or an in-line four cross-fire Yamaha with a good pipe is a bit sad for me. And, replacing the whole clutch, brake, throttle routine with the push of a button makes it hard for me to be excited about riding an electric motorcycle. But, I recognize it is time to move on. Besides, I'm getting too old to keep up with those bike's performance anyway. ?
I think the impending death of ICE bikes is still quite a ways off. Currently, the only options are very pricey and limited to around 100 miles or so of mixed driving. One of my regular rides runs 400-600 miles, no way I could do that with an electric bike. I can't even do a round trip ride from my house in San Jose to San Francisco without a charge.

With our R1T and our M3LR, we're *almost* gas free at this moment in time, but for the foreseeable future, my Bonnie T100 is going nowhere.
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E.S.

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Here is a custom Alpha Romeo Giulia GT EV by Totem with an exhaust emulator and it sounds really good for an EV.

Just don't ask for the price as only 20 of these will be made and each one is uniquely customized to the individual purchaser.
 
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nc10

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After driving an EV for years, all the noise that ICEs make seems just obnoxious and unnecessary. I say that as someone who put performance exhaust on previous vehicles.
I could live with hearing a few less loud car exhausts going by my house, or on the next street over, or the road outside our rural subdivision............
 

Pendarin

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There was a car...something forgettable...on the road this morning with a modified exhaust to make it sound...uh...macho or something. The only thing I could think to myself was that it sounded like it was a poorly maintained vehicle. That's what loud cars sound like to me. A well maintained well designed ICE should purr, not rumble. And the fact that when they apparently floored it when the light turned green and it made an insane amount of noise but barely moved, I thought to myself, "imagine all the power that backpressure is sucking from the engine." So not only is it obnoxious, but it sounds like you're not maintaining your car, and you've just made your car weaksauce intentionally. That's like...the opposite of macho. I've always felt that way about loud cars.

But then, I'm really annoyed at the PWS in the R1T. The shape of the noise it makes and the fact that it seems really inconsistent in level and when it turns on/off is all wrong. (I've no intention of disabling it, regardless.)

I guess I'm just super sensitive to sounds in general. That's why I love my R1T as it flows down the road with only the whish of wind coming in through the rolled down windows. It's way quieter than even my Zero and I love it.
 

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fallen888

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After driving an EV for years, all the noise that ICEs make seems just obnoxious and unnecessary.
100%. I've been driving EVs since 2016 and do not miss that obnoxious ICE nose at all. And I hate hearing and smelling ICEs around me on the road. Looking forward to the day when ICE is in a tiny minority of vehicles on the road.
 

Speedrye

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As an automotive enthusiast, I try to find the good in almost all things. When there is new technology, I welcome it. I try to keep an open mind. The world is changing and we need to adapt. All enthusiasts should be the same way.

It frustrates me to no end when all you see on Tesla (open) Facebook groups are "blah blah no soul, I'd rather have my 20 year old V8", or "have fun with your appliance". Those people are not enthusiasts. They are trying to get noticed. Did they complain when the color TV came out? Or when dual-clutch automatics came out? I mean hey, go have fun being left behind figuratively and literally. Does a V8 Challenger/Mustang really have soul more than a Tesla? I mean it makes a lot of noise in a straight line and makes you feel good. But minus the noise, what's the difference? Don't get me wrong, they're cool cars too but what REALLY is the difference when you list it out.

I've had several fun cars throughout the years. High revving 4 cylinders, high revving flat 6 911s, naturally aspirated V8s, twin turbo V8s, etc. I now have a Rivian R1S and Tesla Model S coming soon. Bring on the new tech!

Will I miss the engine/exhaust noise @ 9000rpm or a beefy twin turbo V8 rumbling upon startup? Sure. But there are other benefits to the Rivian/Telsa that the others can't provide. But I'm keeping my 9000rpm car anyway. Just selling the V8 :p.

My only "complaint" about Tesla and maybe Rivian in the future is just how many of them are there. In Southern California (and I'd imagine CA in general), every 3rd car is a Tesla. Granted they are Model 3/Y and not the S but you don't stand out. I like my vehicles to be a little unique.

Rivian is still new and unique but if it takes off, who knows.
My simple answer to your soul question- It isn't only about soul, it's about involvement for me. All of my vehicles have manual transmissions, because I enjoy the involvement and connection to the vehicle while I'm driving. My SUV has a manual, my sports car has a manual, and my V8 daily sedan has a manual. Heck, I still prefer a handbrake as well for a variety of reasons.

As such, I wish some of these brilliant EV engineers would come up with a way to be more involved with the driving in these new vehicles. Give me some extra control, whether truly needed or not. Let me have some fun. I'm completely open to suggestions on how to accomplish that. As far as an R1T/S goes, maybe give me an off-road mode where I can control front motors with one pedal and rear motors with the other pedal? I mean, we're looking at a vehicle that can accelerate and brake each wheel independently. There's got to be something fun you can do with that with some kind of manual control, right?

I'm fine losing the sound of ICE, but I don't want to drive something that is just boring to pilot.
 

ja_kub_sz

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Thought I’d address a pink elephant in the room…the loss of the emotional exhaust note. Sex without noise. Get there fast with no audible emotion. Tesla owners care to opine?
Funny. Love the thread header.

I was always a less is more kinda guy.

Better to be silent, yet so good you can't be ignored as opposed to so loud they can't tune you out.

Never missed it.
 

E.S.

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... A well maintained well designed ICE should purr, not rumble...
THIS. Sadly, too many idiots (yes, I said it) are too brain washed into believing that sound is the end all/be all regarding a vehicle's 'soul'. I even during my heavy I.C.E. days, I loathed the sound of rice burners and would even ask "how is that engaging or enthusiastic building?" I too believe a well designed I.C.E should purr, not rumble. However, I find that I get just as excited about a well executed EV as I do a finely designed I.C.E. R1T, to me, falls in this category.
 

Zybane

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I have a love/hate relationship with this topic.

I've had two Tesla's now, coming from a long line of sports cars. My last being one of the grandaddy's, a V10, 8.4 Liter, manual, Dodge Viper track car.

Man that car was a beast. Just starting it up, the whole car would roll slightly from the torque. And that sound. Was so much fun to drive. The engagement of the manual transmission, and the sound high in the RPM band. Especially through tunnels.

Now get to my Model Y Performance. Nearly just as quick to 60 MPH, but does it so effortlessly, I don't know, like soullessly?

No thinking, no skill required, not much involvement. Just press the pedal, go, does it get old? A vehicle that a 90 year old could be just as fast as a race car driver. A car like an appliance?

I'm already bored of the Model Y Perf, will the same thing happen with my R1S?
 

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opnwide

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I have a love/hate relationship with this topic.

I've had two Tesla's now, coming from a long line of sports cars. My last being one of the grandaddy's, a V10, 8.4 Liter, manual, Dodge Viper track car.

Man that car was a beast. Just starting it up, the whole car would roll slightly from the torque. And that sound. Was so much fun to drive. The engagement of the manual transmission, and the sound high in the RPM band. Especially through tunnels.

Now get to my Model Y Performance. Nearly just as quick to 60 MPH, but does it so effortlessly, I don't know, like soullessly?

No thinking, no skill required, not much involvement. Just press the pedal, go, does it get old? A vehicle that a 90 year old could be just as fast as a race car driver. A car like an appliance?

I'm already bored of the Model Y Perf, will the same thing happen with my R1S?
Well, have you gotten your R1S yet? Is it the journey or the destination that made the trip worthwhile?
 

Donald Stanfield

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I am going to miss the sound of my Audi. Fortunately my wife is keeping it so I will still get to hear it on occasion. Really unless you have something pretty souped up you could take or leave the noise. My Audi S car sounds really great, especially when you're going down a hill and it dumps boost. Then it sounds like a race car coupled with the downshift. It's really a pleasant sound.

With that said I'm fairly certain that the instant torque and overall faster Rivian will more than make up for it. I'll find out soon because mine is en route to the service center for delivery to me.
 

Donald Stanfield

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I don't like for my victims.. err.. I mean other drivers to know that I want in front of them till I am already there. The exhaust noise is a traitor in my book. I do feel a little guilty about it, but I am looking forward to pulling up in the empty lane of the stoplight and still being able to change lanes and turn onto the highway comfortably ahead of the other car. Some mornings I am late for work and I want to make up time with no actual traffic infractions. I am thinking that 0-35 faster than the car beside me can react is legal. Doing it silently may even seem polite in comparison.
It doesn't take much to do this. My Audi easily gets in front of just about anyone before they can react and that's quite a bit slower than the R1T.

Noise (and light) pollution is just that; pollution.

The number of otherwise socially aware people that insist on proclaiming their presence to all those near (and far!) is interesting, if annoying.

We live in a world where the population is increasing dramatically everywhere, including previously rural areas where we "adventure". Surely, being environmentally responsible goes beyond air and water quality.
I bet you're fun at parties.


You say you want something that screams out loud?

I highly recommend Hearts' "Crazy on You" at as much volume as the Meridian speakers can handle.

If you do, pay close attention to the drummer, Mike Derosier who plays two drum solos in the background during the "Aaaahhh" part of the chorus. The first is good. The second will blow you away. Mike did that recording in one take - no cut-ins or outs. It is probably one of the more underrated solos out there.
Good tune.
 

CommodoreAmiga

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No thinking, no skill required, not much involvement. Just press the pedal, go, does it get old? A vehicle that a 90 year old could be just as fast as a race car driver. A car like an appliance?
You mean like a Corvette (and corresponding typical owner)?
 

mini2nut

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Making artificial V8 sounds might backfire on Dodge. Let’s hope they install an on/off button on their upcoming 2024 eMuscle car, Dodge Daytona.

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