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I remember reading old Consumer Reports reviews where the auto tester engineers always complained about consistently noisy riding Chrysler Corp cars, especially in the late 60's.
Some of The worst culprits included the 1969 Dodge Coronet/Plymouth Satellite and the 1969 Chrysler Newport, all which were given "fairly noisy" ratings compared to their generally "quiet" competitors like Chevelle and Bonneville and LeSabre.
For 1970, after the engineers tested a Plymouth Satellite station wagon, they actually discussed the noise problem with Chrysler Corp engineers and concluded that it was especially important that the Satellite wagon be test driven by consumers to see how serious a fault the noise levels were
For 1971, Chrysler introduced a new body isolation system which included rubber insulation being added to the chassis' of the cars
As a result, cars like the Plymouth Fury were described as "indeed noticeably quieter than the 1970 models" and even the huge Dodge Monaco wagon rode quietly(beating Country Squire & Safari) and won the award as being "the closest in feel to a luxury car"
so, do you think Chrysler Corp developed this new isolation system for 1971 because Consumer Reports came to their door about the Satellite wagon? or do you think they were planning it for some time? in other words, was Chrysler in the dark about the noise levels until CR's alerted them?
BTW, within a year Chrysler cars were progressively becoming noisier again and didn't get better until 1976
I remember reading old Consumer Reports reviews where the auto tester engineers always complained about consistently noisy riding Chrysler Corp cars, especially in the late 60's.
Some of The worst culprits included the 1969 Dodge Coronet/Plymouth Satellite and the 1969 Chrysler Newport, all which were given "fairly noisy" ratings compared to their generally "quiet" competitors like Chevelle and Bonneville and LeSabre.
For 1970, after the engineers tested a Plymouth Satellite station wagon, they actually discussed the noise problem with Chrysler Corp engineers and concluded that it was especially important that the Satellite wagon be test driven by consumers to see how serious a fault the noise levels were
For 1971, Chrysler introduced a new body isolation system which included rubber insulation being added to the chassis' of the cars
As a result, cars like the Plymouth Fury were described as "indeed noticeably quieter than the 1970 models" and even the huge Dodge Monaco wagon rode quietly(beating Country Squire & Safari) and won the award as being "the closest in feel to a luxury car"
so, do you think Chrysler Corp developed this new isolation system for 1971 because Consumer Reports came to their door about the Satellite wagon? or do you think they were planning it for some time? in other words, was Chrysler in the dark about the noise levels until CR's alerted them?
BTW, within a year Chrysler cars were progressively becoming noisier again and didn't get better until 1976
Sometimes automotive engineers know that the cars they engineer have certain shortcomings, but cannot do anything about them because they have to engineer their cars within a budget. The truth is probably a combination of both consumer feedback and engineers getting the upper hand over the bean-counters. If automotive engineers had their way, cars would have much higher quality, but also be much more expensive.
This is why new Chrysler interiors are orders of magnitude better than they were during the late Daimler years: In 2005, Daimler bean-counters told Chrysler to cut the cost of all new interiors by 40 percent, which is why all Chrysler vehicles released between 2006 and 2008 had lousy interiors, and there was nothing the engineers could do about it. Interestingly enough, Chrysler's engineers are doing much more with much less now, which illustrates just how badly Daimler mismanaged Chrysler.
Sometimes automotive engineers know that the cars they engineer have certain shortcomings, but cannot do anything about them because they have to engineer their cars within a budget. The truth is probably a combination of both consumer feedback and engineers getting the upper hand over the bean-counters. If automotive engineers had their way, cars would have much higher quality, but also be much more expensive.
This is why new Chrysler interiors are orders of magnitude better than they were during the late Daimler years: In 2005, Daimler bean-counters told Chrysler to cut the cost of all new interiors by 40 percent, which is why all Chrysler vehicles released between 2006 and 2008 had lousy interiors, and there was nothing the engineers could do about it. Interestingly enough, Chrysler's engineers are doing much more with much less now, which illustrates just how badly Daimler mismanaged Chrysler.
asO VERY TRUE ABOUT THE "WARS" BETWEEN ENGINEERS AND BEAN COUNTERS! Engineeers know there is a right way and many wrong ways, but the bean counters usually get the final say and the engineers get shafted, which leads to lower quality.
To be fair, engineers would have every car be a MacLaren or Rolls Royce, and the average buyer can't afford that. So they do have to be reigned in a bit.
I NEVER take ANYTHING Consumer Reports says about anything as gospel.
I've read their reviews of products that I actually happen to own and more often than not they have what I can only say is their own "take" on things;
and...their data /test results don't nessasarily stand up to informed scrutiny.
On a historic footnote research the boon doggle of their report (and eventually a court judgement against them) for their "impartial" review of the 901 Bose speaker system. (And no..I never owned one)
What the OP is describing is the study and elimination of noise, vibration and harshness. It's big in the auto industry but also is pursued in any other industry that produces a consumer product with a motor or an engine. Think snow mobiles, jet aircraft, vacuum cleaners and lawn mowers.
NVH has been around for a long time but the Japanese auto industry in the 1970's and 1980's really led the push for quieter vehicles. This made the American auto industry follow suit.
What the OP is describing is the study and elimination of noise, vibration and harshness. It's big in the auto industry but also is pursued in any other industry that produces a consumer product with a motor or an engine. Think snow mobiles, jet aircraft, vacuum cleaners and lawn mowers.
NVH has been around for a long time but the Japanese auto industry in the 1970's and 1980's really led the push for quieter vehicles. This made the American auto industry follow suit.
The have been quiet American cars long before the Japanese cars of the '70s and '80s. It's more like the Japanese auto industry followed suit.
The have been quiet American cars long before the Japanese cars of the '70s and '80s. It's more like the Japanese auto industry followed suit.
For a long time, the only quiet American cars were Lincolns and Cadillacs. A "small" American car was terribly noisy. Chassis noise, wind noise, and engine noise. American 4 cylinder engines were ridiculously noisy for a long time. One of the big negatives of otherwise good Saturns (when first introduced) was the rough engines.
Honda 4 cylinders in contrast were very smooth at all rpm levels.
The Lexus LS400 was schockingly quiet when introduced. It was quieter than a Rolls and had the smoothest idle I had ever experienced.
In 1978, Consumer Reports rated the new Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon UNACCEPTABLE, because of handling problems. Chrysler (in typical Detroit fashion) denied there were any problems, then "fixed" the "nonexistent" problem, and the Consumer Reports rating for the 1979 models was "acceptable".
Consumer Reports is the greatest tool a consumer has. They take no advertising. They buy the products they test from stores and dealerships. They are totally unbiased. If they say something is good, it is, and if something is bad, it is, too.
In 1978, Consumer Reports rated the new Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon UNACCEPTABLE, because of handling problems. Chrysler (in typical Detroit fashion) denied there were any problems, then "fixed" the "nonexistent" problem, and the Consumer Reports rating for the 1979 models was "acceptable".
Shouldn't that read "in typical Toyota fashion?"
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