- Addition of sound absorptive and damping materials improves sound level in cabin
- Tuning of induction system and exhaust enhances heritage Mustang sound
- Integrated teamwork by designers, engineers key to solving wind, road noise issues
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 18, 2008 – The sound of a Mustang is one of the most evocative in the history of the automobile.
You know it when you hear it: that muscular burble at idle that transforms into an aggressive roar under hard acceleration. For 2010, Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) engineers for the Mustang focused on eliminating the unwanted sounds while maintaining the classic note of America’s favorite muscle car.
“We wanted to improve the driving environment for the customer. While you’re travelling down the road, it’s now much easier to have a conversation with your passengers, but when you stand on the gas, you still hear the roar of the engine and the sweet sound of the exhaust,” said Greg Wayne, NVH supervisor for the Mustang. “We maintained that Mustang characteristic sound, but made the whole driving experience much more enjoyable.”
The Mustang NVH team knows how important the sound of the Mustang is to its longstanding fans. They also are aware of how unwanted, unrefined noise detracts from the customer’s experience. So the team used a variety of methods and solutions to keep – and even enhance – Mustang’s heritage sound while eliminating unwanted noise.
Customers grapple with road noise, wind noise, powertrain whines, buzzes and booms – among others. Even storage compartments and doors on the new 2010 Mustang were “tuned” to create a more pleasing sound.
Wayne said the NVH team worked closely with their colleagues in Design Engineering and Manufacturing and Assembly to integrate the solutions, which sometimes were neither obvious nor easy.
“Wind noise, for example, is not only about adding absorption and deadening materials,” he said. “It’s also paying attention to the design details: for instance, where the radio antenna is located, how the wiper blades are styled and positioned relative to the hood and glass and how the exterior mirrors are shaped and mounted. There are many aspects from a design and assembly perspective you have to be aware of because each contributes to the overall sound quality you experience inside the car.”
On 2010 Mustang, the radio antenna was moved to the rear, creating a cleaner look on the front end as well as reducing wind noise. The mirrors were redesigned, resulting in aerodynamic gains and reducing wind noise. Those types of win-win solutions were the product of the teams setting a high baseline of expectation and working together diligently to make sure the designs met their targets every step of the way.
“One of the guiding principles for Ford NVH is 'Feels Right, Sounds Tight,’ ” Wayne said. “Door opening and closing falls right into our efforts to create a solid, vault-like sound when you close the door and that positive ‘snick’ and feel when you open it. A lot of factors play into that in terms of the door hardware – latches, strikers, sheet metal.”
Another door-closing variable involves the pressure wave it creates inside the vehicle. “How well the vehicle is sealed affects your door-closing efforts,” he added. “Design Engineering and NVH spent a lot of time on those details to get it just right. ”
Two of the most important tools used to control sound and vibration are the absorptive and damping materials. Absorptive materials are something akin to stuffing ear plugs or cotton into someone’s ears, keeping out loud noises while damping materials help reduce vibration.
Wayne said both were used strategically throughout the 2010 Mustang in areas such as the passenger side dash, trunk, hood, headliner and interior trim.
Mustang also features an industry-first Induction Sound Tube (IST), which enhances the driving experience by piping the sound of the induction system directly into the passenger compartment.
The revised Cold Air Induction system yields increased power but cuts out a significant portion of the interior sound and the character that customers want to hear. The IST was developed and tuned to recover and enhance that character.
The trick part of the system is that the potential for the aftermarket to develop custom tuning is highly likely, which is good news for Mustang – one of the industry’s most-customized vehicles.
“You still get to experience that distinctive Mustang sound our customers love,” Wayne said. “We just eliminated many of the noises and vibrations you don’t want to hear and feel on the new 2010 Mustang.”
###
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 224,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company’s core and affiliated automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo and Mazda. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit our website at www.ford.com.
