An ongoing cultural commentary through the lens of an automobile-centric headspace.

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Faking It: Engine-Sound Enhancement Explained > Tech Dept. > Car and Driver

Volkswagen previously used a resonator tube similar to the Mustang’s in its GTI but has switched to what it calls a “Soundaktor.” This system is like the M5’s, in that an audio file is stored on the car’s computer and then played during certain throttle applications. Unlike the more selective M5 setup, VW’s broadcasts all the noise from under the hood through a dedicated speaker located near the engine’s throttle body. Soundaktor speakers are currently making noise in the GTI, GLI, and Beetle Turbo.

Well... this is all not true in my car's case... Updated research required, I guess.

07:46am, Aug 01


What we’re learning from the Reddit blackout

r/formula1

I swear to god...

I can't help but take another opportunity here to remind you that Formula 1 is just... the least interesting, least (substantially) dramatic form of motorsport one can indulge in.

And also, this.

22:11pm, Jun 20


Lewis Hamilton: The F1 Superstar on Controversies, Racism, and His Future | Vanity Fair

Hamilton is an achingly sensible and careful driver, never speeding and frequently pulling over to let impatient drivers pass. Third, as he explains, he actually doesn’t like driving. Not this kind, the kind the rest of us do, with traffic in two directions, and pedestrians, and junctions, and nothing clear-cut to prove. In fact, he rarely does it. “I just think that I find it stressful,” he says. “I try not to do things that don’t add to my life.” And then he adds—a statement said with sincerity—“Look, we’re on these roads, anything can happen.”

Apologies if this comes off as cruel, but it is just Plain Dumb to indulge this reaction to people in motorsports expressing disdain/anxiety regarding driving on These Got Damned Streets.

They have literally been saying it... over and over again... for more than half the history of the whole idea.

That said, what bothers me most is that we somehow manage to continue remarking car man don't like car!! haha! while managing to not reflect on what > if anything > that might indicate about this thing we do that is vaguely adjacent to what they're basically professors in.

As in, actual authorities in technique.

16:54pm, Aug 18