downeykp said:
I am kind of going the other way in my thinking on vehicles. I understood that there were limitations but I took the leap of faith hoping that Nissan would not screw me over. Fool me once.
At 62 years of age and living quite comfortably here in Kailua Kona, I have come to the realization that before I die an EV will be my only choice. I see the train a coming. To that effect I am an all gas family. Looking to buy a new Corvette or an Audi R8. I can afford them and the costs associated with them. There is something special about a V8 in the Corvette or the V10 in the R8 that an EV any EV can't match IMHO.
I do not want to just hear wind and tire traction noises when I drive. I want to feel the roar and the vibrations that only an ICE car can give.
Background, I have been a Motorhead my whole life. Love racing for many of the same reasons listed above. Formula E just does not do it for me, too quiet. Had an epiphany at the NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas In Oct. 2019 with my daughter and son in law. The first pass of the Top Fuel
race was awesome, 2 11,000 hp Top Fuel funny cars really rocked our world. 1000 yards in 3.8 seconds at 328mph. You could feel the noise and vibration running through every bone in your body. We looked at each other and could not believe we experienced that.
Like I said, I will eventually be forced to buy an EV when nothing else is available. So I am enjoying what is left of being a Motorhead.
I understand where you're coming from, as we're much the same age. I've owned and prefer to drive sticks all my life, and when I finally make the switch to a ZEV my biggest regret will be that I'll probably never get to drive a car with a clutch again. Which is one reason why I want controllable Regen on either a 'gear' selector or via paddle(s), to keep me engaged when the road gets interesting. Cruising the interstate, Level 4/5 autonomy can't come soon enough! :lol:
As to the noise & vibration of ICE racing, I hear you, or at least I did back before I lost my hearing. Although I was never a big racing fan, back in the '70s my dad had a girlfriend whose son raced 911s and 914s, and we went to watch him at Sears Point once. As you say, standing right next to the pits or by the track is a visceral experience, you don't so much hear the sound as feel it. I've always felt that Formula E just wouldn't catch on for the reason you state - it's kind of like watching full-scale slot cars
As far as noise in regular driving goes that's almost a non-issue for me now, as I can render any car silent by turning my hearing aids off. Even with them on it's not as if EVs are automatically quieter, as the engine noise often covers up wind and tire noise. IIRR, one of the car mags (probably C&D) tested a Model 3 and noted its relatively high noise level. Whether that was due to the motor, wind and/or tires, or poor QC on panels, wndows or weatherstripping I couldn't say. I do know that when I drove a Think Citi back in the late '90s it had a motor whine just like electric golf carts, which got annoying after 15 minutes and really irritating after 30.
My biggest problem now is the source of car noise doesn't matter, any of it will make it difficult or impossible to understand anyone speaking while I'm driving. EVs may have an advantage in that they have fewer sources to silence, but they're not inherently quieter once you get to a certain level.