Ford Will Make Its Small Engines Sound Thirstier So People Use Them More Efficiently
We think of artificial engine sound as something manufacturers are piping into the cabins of performance cars to add a dash of excitement to proceedings, but Ford is looking at applying the idea for a rather different purpose. It’s just applied for a patent for a new type of artificial noise-creating device which will apparently make its users drive more efficiently.
The problem is that many people ‘shift by ear’ rather than using the rev counter, and those driving cars with Ford’s smaller engines - like the 1.0-litre, three-cylinder Ecoboost unit - tend to change gear at much higher revs than they would with a larger engine with more cylinders, sapping efficiency. In the patent, Ford says: “a time period between two directly successive ignition events of the internal combustion engine is determined. A superimposed noise is then generated at a time between the two directly successive ignition events.”
In other words, by inserting artificial noise at the right points in the ignition cycle, Ford will be able to make a dinky engine sound like it has more cylinders. The theory is that with the sound of a larger engine with more cylinders hitting their ears, drivers will be more likely to shift up earlier.
It’s too early to say whether or not this intriguing piece of technology will actually make its way to Ford’s production cars, but we’ll certainly be watching with interest…
Comments
the best way of doing that is the same way my mom’s mk4 golf 1.6 makes me, a frequent redline chaser, change before 3000RPM, make it sound like a dying animal at anything nearing fun amounts of RPM
Am I the only one who likes natural sounded small engines?
Oh, that is good. Maybe next we can play sirens at every intersection so people drive more carefully.
If they can make a 3 cylinder sound like a Lambo V12 I’m down.
Well. I don’t need tachometer or engine sound to shift properly. I don’t know but is something that borns with you like a instinct
Comming from someone who is an autoelectric and a minor physicist, a 3 cyl engine is just a terrible idea.
If they don’t want people to rev so high surely they should just lower the rev limiter?
Not the sound I’m interested in.. It’s the fact that Ford could be bringing a new diesel engine to the US. Once here, then we can worry about the sound..
If they want people to use the engines more efficiently, why not do what MB is doing. Make a big engine run really lean and then you can have decent amounts o power and torque without having to use as much fuel, making people shift at lower revs because the power up higher in the rpm band wouldn’t be needed.
Its true that 3 cylinders doesnt really have personality. Like the nissan hr12de we find in march or the new datsuns. Its one of the worst engine I driven its powerless, shaky, and sounds like crap. Even the k3ve toyota unit is much better. Because its a 4 cylinder.
Topics
Manufacturers
Sponsored Posts