Do Your Neighbors Hate Your Loud Exhaust?

by | Aug 18, 2017 | Automotive News

Ford has come up with an ingenious idea for you to still enjoy your loud exhaust and be a good neighbor. Ironically enough, Ford are calling this new feature “Good Neighbor Mode”.

The feature allows 2018 Mustang GT owners to schedule times on their vehicle when the exhaust can be quiet or when it can roar. The quiet exhaust mode limits the noise of the exhaust by using valves in the system that will close to restrict it. It’ll take the noise down from about 82 decibels to 72 decibels. That is about the equivalent of taking the noise from garbage disposal levels to a shower. ¹

Ford engineer came up with the idea after his neighbor called 911 on him.

Steve Von Foerster, former head of vehicle engineering for Ford Motor Company was backing his Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 out of his driveway in Detroit suburbia when his neighbor dialed 911. According to Ford Media, Von Foerster did not get a ticket as he was gone by the time the police got there. On a separate note, why was his neighbor using an emergency line for exhaust noise, but anyway, we can thank him in the end for saving the future of ‘roarty’ sounding exhausts?

This incident inspired Von Foerster to come up with a way to avoid this situation in the future and keep suburbia patrons and apartment tenants happy. “I love the sound of the V8, but it can be loud, and you can’t annoy people like that in your neighborhood,” said von Foerster, who now leads Ford’s user experience team in product development. “It sounds so cool, but I thought, ‘There has to be a way to give people more control over the engine’s sound”.²

There are other sports vehicles available with active exhaust systems, however, the ability to schedule times on the system is an industry first. The Mustang GT will get different exhaust notes for Normal, Sport and Track mode driver configurations. There will also be ‘Quiet Exhaust’ mode and ‘Quiet Start’ features.

¹“Noise Level Chart: DB Levels of Common Sounds.” Noise Help, Noise Help, www.noisehelp.com/noise-level-chart.html

²“Media Log In.” New Mustang GT Owners Can Now Hush the V8 Growl to Be Good Neighbors; Brush with the Law Gave Engineer the Idea | Ford Media Center, Ford, 1 Aug. 2017, media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2017/08/01/mustang-gt-quiet-start-mode.html.