|
|
 | The Sound of Sound Engineering
Next time you're driving, take some time out for a second or two. Turn off the
DVD player. Hang up the cell phone. Put the iPod on pause. Even though you're
hurtling down the interstate sipping on your 86-ounce soda, you may in fact
hear the miraculous sound of sound engineering—silence! There are many factors
that contribute to a relatively silent automobile interior.
| |  |
| Cost of Quiet
First is expense. A top-of-the-line luxury automobile usually has enough
engineering built in to silence everything short of Krakatoa from ever
reaching the confines of the interior. An economy car, on the other hand, is
usually built with low cost in mind. As a result, the cabins of less expensive
rides are a bit more susceptible to engine noise, road buzzes, transmission
whining, and wind noise—the most noisy of noises. Regardless of which end of
the scale your vehicle lands on, wind noise is one of those things you will
definitely notice when you hear it. Whistles, whooping and whining can be
caused by worn, loose, or misaligned weather stripping. If the weather strip
comes loose, a little glue can save you big money in the long run.
Thanks to strategically placed strips of rubbery weather stripping,
automobiles can rip through the air while we converse about movies or argue
over directions inside. Even though the outside of the car is full of seams,
doors, trunks, and sunroofs, the weather strip tucked inside the seams, around
door frames, under trunk lids, and in between door pillars not only keeps out
roaring wind, but also water and weather. This weather strip is usually held
in place by hidden clips, or weather strip-specific glue.
|
|
