Do all cars have their own unique sound signature?

Could it be used as evidence?

CrazyNeutrino said:

Do all cars have their own unique sound signature?

Could it be used as evidence?

Maybe if under testing you can prove you can identify the exhaust you claim it was.

My dog seems to recognise the sound of my car.

Don’t know.

I could certainly pick the sound of our family car when I was a kid. But that’s probably a combination of factors, the car itself and how my parents drove. Not sure if they somehow had another car of the same model it wouldn’t sound different.

My sister’s car was same model as mine but a year later, and sounded completely different.

> Do all cars have their own unique sound signature? Could it be used as evidence?

Ships are said to have a unique sound signature, as picked up by underwater hydrophones. I expect the same is true for cars.

Was a TV program recently that dissected the sound given off by cars into three components: road noise, wind noise and engine noise.

>Ships are said to have a unique sound signature, as picked up by underwater hydrophones.

They certainly do. A friend found a buoy on the beach near here a while back, with Navy markings on it. He rang the Navy and they sent some blokes to pick it up. 4 of them from Perth! They explained the basics. These buoys are deployed around the place to monitor shipping.

Probably vehicles are becoming less distinguishable, I have two quite noisy (old) NA diesels, and can tell when wife leaves work to come home (partly anticipation/expectation and familiarity with vehicle sound), but the Nissan is one of only a few vehicles in town with such an obvious diesel knock. I think the dog is quite tuned in also. Fans tend to be quite noisy too, minus the plastic typically they have around them.

Fans may be getting quieter on vehicles too from various changes to design of them and that around them, and perhaps spacings between radiator and fan and other factors.

Tyre noise can be quite distinguishable also, depending what tread on the boots, on whatever surface.

I recall nights listening to traffic noises years ago. The thump of a 4 cylinder Volvo was very distinctive up the slight rise of the street outside.

Skeptic Pete said:

My dog seems to recognise the sound of my car.

Mine too.

Er, my dog, that is. I don’t think Princess would recognise my car.

I recall Dr Hugh Wirth saying years ago that if you have a dog that gets car sick, try it in a different car. He felt they could be sensitive to particular car sounds/vibrations and might only be affected by certain cars.

CrazyNeutrino said:

Do all cars have their own unique sound signature?

Could it be used as evidence?

I imagine the answers are yes and yes. I wonder why you don’t hear about it.

Maybe no-one has done the research.

I’d say sounds, like vision, is difficult to clarify. How would you test it?

AwesomeO said:

CrazyNeutrino said:

Do all cars have their own unique sound signature?

Could it be used as evidence?

Maybe if under testing you can prove you can identify the exhaust you claim it was.

smells have been considered in crime scene investigation. A smell can be broken down to give an identifiable ‘readout’ of the particles. A smell would be a more reliable marker than a sound.

>smells have been considered in crime scene investigation. A smell can be broken down to give an identifiable ‘readout’ of the particles. A smell would be a more reliable marker than a sound.”

Exhaust emissions change depending how long the vehicle has been running, how much the engine is loaded, and of course the fuel burned. Turbo diesels tend to get a bit more of a cleaner burn that NAs.
A vehicle running on recycled fish’n chip oil tends to be quite distinct. Always turns my head anyway. The reverse of driving past the deli.

Vehicles with catalytic converters might tend a cleaner burn too and can be differentiated from older vehicles.

>A smell would be a more reliable marker than a sound.”

Depends how old the vehicle, as vehicles have been made quieter it might be argued thay have become more uniform of sound signature.

Generally for sound to be used in any ‘evidence’ for identification, other corresponding factors to support the identification would probably be required. Unless it were recorded and highly distinguishable/determinable.

But you know if you could say oh yes the vehicle I heard sounded like a V8, had a rattly gudgeon pin or tappet, and slightly leaky exhaust manifold gasket, and sounded like it had an automatic transmission, then if that information weren’t put in the witnesses head somehow and did the magic of corresponding with some other information, then it might have some credibility.

I fitted a Hot Dog to the exhaust system of my 1971 LC Holden Torana when I was a lad.

Certainly changed the ‘sound signature’ of that car.

The neighbours loved me – could tell when I was on my way home from about 5 Ks away.

yes
yes

The_observer said:

I fitted a Hot Dog to the exhaust system of my 1971 LC Holden Torana when I was a lad.

Certainly changed the ‘sound signature’ of that car.

The neighbours loved me – could tell when I was on my way home from about 5 Ks away.

Bet they still love you, but in a different way.

PermeateFree said:

The_observer said:

I fitted a Hot Dog to the exhaust system of my 1971 LC Holden Torana when I was a lad.

Certainly changed the ‘sound signature’ of that car.

The neighbours loved me – could tell when I was on my way home from about 5 Ks away.

Fergit yer car noises.

Here’s a real engine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVvGfjKY18w

18-cyl, 2-row radial. 3,050 hp on takeoff, with water injection.

Bet they still love you, but in a different way.

captain_spalding said:

PermeateFree said:

The_observer said:

I fitted a Hot Dog to the exhaust system of my 1971 LC Holden Torana when I was a lad.

Certainly changed the ‘sound signature’ of that car.

The neighbours loved me – could tell when I was on my way home from about 5 Ks away.

Fergit yer car noises.

Here’s a real engine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVvGfjKY18w

18-cyl, 2-row radial. 3,050 hp on takeoff, with water injection.

Bet they still love you, but in a different way.

Nice chaff cutter.

F1 teams can find out a lot of infomation about a competitors car by recording the exhaust sound. Gearing, shift points engine mapping lots of other stuff comes from it.

Well at least they did, when F1 cars used to have an exhaust sound… unlike this year’s ‘sewing machine engined’ cars :(

for those into burnout tractors