US I4 (400hp) has fake engine noise pumped through speakers

[Kaz]

So you were able to disable it?

Yes but only because my stock signals are now going to an external amp...I removed fuse for this new amp which means the only speaker working in my car is the center channel driven by the stock amp. No fake engine noises or exhaust is routed to the center speaker, which now sounds like an alarm clock am station.

No fake noises great! No stereo obviously not great, but I couldn't drive with the amplified fake sounds they are very loud and drone-y when amplified.

 

[675430VME]

Yes but only because my stock signals are now going to an external amp...I removed fuse for this new amp which means the only speaker working in my car is the center channel driven by the stock amp. No fake engine noises or exhaust is routed to the center speaker, which now sounds like an alarm clock am station.

No fake noises great! No stereo obviously not great, but I couldn't drive with the amplified fake sounds they are very loud and drone-y when amplified.

Thanks for the tips!

 

[docron]

So you were able to disable it?

not yet... I did reach out to my local MB Service Dept to see if the techs knew how to disable to the fake exhaust sound since there is the same thing on the AMG A35/45. MB forums talk of Audio submenu that only MB service tech can access and decode...there is also rumored talk about secret menu that can be accessed by pressing the steering wheel buttons in a Street Fighter combo pattern...lol. I told the MB Service tech yesterday the i4 does not use the MBUX interface so we cant access Dynamic Sound Control (or Active Sound Design) through the headunit settings menu.

After digging through the Service Manual and Owners manual, there are a couple suspicious fuses that might be the culprit. If anyone has insight, please chime in. IN the passenger footwell fuse box, fuse 7&8 could be potentials (I'm speculating that #7 is the KEF amp since its designated "Premium" and "booster"). These fuses are 25A and are separate from the Infotainment fuse at #10.

 

[Nova]

I don't think there would be a separate fuse for the gateway module. It's very small and may just be a sensor of some sort that feeds the engine speed signal to the audio system.

The Audio Module is the main DSP processor and audio amplifier. The booster the secondary amp for the subwoofer.

It would be great to have the pin out of the main entertainment system, which I am guessing is what's generating the fake noise.

 

[Kaz]

I am really hoping this isn't just something buried in the main entertainment logic and not able to be turned off. So if you have an I4 and you change your mode from Touring to Sport/Track and you hear that louder exhaust inside your car? Completely generated. Without the system running you can kind of hear a slight pitch change and I am sure outside the car it is louder, but inside the cabin there is barely a change. More I realize the differences I can more understand why they did this. Someone test drives the AMG version and is cross shopping other sports cars...they wouldn't want them to think the car sounds like a 4 cylinder Honda Civic (which is does, it's a 2L 4 cylinder). It will actually sound amazing once all the new bits are on the car - I just want a functioning stereo without the generated sounds.

 

[Teshoo Lama]

I am really hoping this isn't just something buried in the main entertainment logic and not able to be turned off. So if you have an I4 and you change your mode from Touring to Sport/Track and you hear that louder exhaust inside your car? Completely generated. Without the system running you can kind of hear a slight pitch change and I am sure outside the car it is louder, but inside the cabin there is barely a change. More I realize the differences I can more understand why they did this. Someone test drives the AMG version and is cross shopping other sports cars...they wouldn't want them to think the car sounds like a 4 cylinder Honda Civic (which is does, it's a 2L 4 cylinder). It will actually sound amazing once all the new bits are on the car - I just want a functioning stereo without the generated sounds.

Is the fake sound played in Tour mode?

Does anyone have any evidence that this also afflicts UK i4s? I dread to think that this will be in our Turbo SEs when they start to be delivered.

 

[Emira Fan]

[ I dread to think that this will be in our Turbo SEs when they start to be delivered.]
Don't dread it the sound adds some character, yes it's fake but the absence of sound might be worse.....

 

[Kaz]

Is the fake sound played in Tour mode?

Does anyone have any evidence that this also afflicts UK i4s? I dread to think that this will be in our Turbo SEs when they start to be delivered.

I would imagine all i4's are doing this because most likely it's all just ported over from AMG - and again, it's such a fringe case of any i4 owners who have amplified the stock system with aftermarket speakers amps and subs to even notice this is happening. So probably not many people have noticed

The sound in stock form isn't terrible it's just very synthetic and doesn't sound anything like what is actually happening. The exhaust increase in volume in the cabin when you switch into Sport/Track is almost entirely the three rear bass speakers (and why your audio is distorting) and the engine noise a growly boxer engine noise, not an M139 sound. I'll record it and post both ways

 

[Medic518]

I am with you @Kaz - I ran my own simple experiment with music while in sport - with the music loud, and in sport, the subwoofer (bass) sounds are very over modulated and that gets worse with more throttle, but with the same song at the same high volume in tour it sounds perfectly fine.

..and after reading all of this, I'm really hoping you guys find a way to turn it off..

 

[Rainier]

Maybe try these settings: sound optimization or speed compensation?
(I'm not aware of any fake engine noise however I have only driven in Tour mode)

 

[Kaz]

Maybe try these settings: sound optimization or speed compensation?
(I'm not aware of any fake engine noise however I have only driven in Tour mode)

View attachment 61619

The only adjustment we have on I4 is "Speed Compensation" to make the overall volume louder as speed increases.

When you eventually get out of engine break in and go into Sport/Track the volume increase in exhaust sound is almost entirely your rear three speakers, and the engine noise same

 

[Kaz]

Added video here and first post

 

[geoffbland]

Added video here and first post

I have to admit when I had a test drive in a UK i4 I didn't notice the engine noise particularly (got a V6 in the end). But the amp-on noise sounds really fake when you hear them back to back like that. And the non-amp engine noise sounds way better.

 

[Kaz]

Straight from Lotus NA: "We heard back from the factory and this function can not be disabled"

 

[RoryBellows]

Added video here and first post

Straight from Lotus NA: "We heard back from the factory and this function can not be disabled"

That is unfortunate to say the least. To put that in without a manner to disable it is not cool. Especially when it functions through the existing system messing it up in the progress.

 

[Adam Brouillard]

Is this only in sport/track mode, or in tour as well?

 

[Kaz]

Is this only in sport/track mode, or in tour as well?

The engine drone is in all modes, most noticeable in sport/track. Your sub is distorting basically all the time from this signal in all modes - this is why there is no fader in the car too, that would lower the fake noise if you moved to the front.

 

[F1 SML8R]

Well the radio is usually off on the track, but this sucks for the 98%of the time that I'm not on a track.

 

[Tomwa]

Well the radio is usually off on the track, but this sucks for the 98%of the time that I'm not on a track.

I think it is pumping through the speakers even if you have the radio off. I could be wrong, but my understanding is, you don't have to be bopping to a song or listening to an audiobook for these engine noises to be piped in through the speakers.

 

[Kaz]

I think it is pumping through the speakers even if you have the radio off. I could be wrong, but my understanding is, you don't have to be bopping to a song or listening to an audiobook for these engine noises to be piped in through the speakers.

Yeah on all the time independent of media volume, for stock setup if it bothers you can just full the fuse to the amp -