Who needs the standard exhaust in the measly straw diameter?? Wide construction is also popular for the exhaust system, the larger the pipe, the hornier the sound. But hardly anyone knows, how much know-how already in the factory“Potten ” plugged.
Silencer specialist Walker showed us his sound laboratory in Edenkoben.
Still primarily created here “Compositions” for large limousines or noble sports cars. “Up to now, the effort would have been too great for cheaper vehicles”, explains Frank Scherer, AM Product Engineer, “but now the experiences are there, and exhaust systems for middle class- and compact cars will follow.”
“The effort” – that means specifically, that the sound engineers with different pipe diameters, Partitions work in the muffler and filler materials, until the exhaust sounds the way you want it and of course is durable. Sometimes even valves are used, which control the air flow depending on the load condition. This gives you a decent sound in every speed range. “In a limousine, one expects a subtle or barely audible background noise, while a sports car should sound robust, possibly still load-dependent”, so Dr. Garcia, one of Walker's sound experts. The suppliers receive the relevant information from the car manufacturers, how the car should ultimately sound. In the so-called “anechoic chamber” becomes the plant, encapsulated from the engine, examined for their noise behavior. Hear the experts, whether their product “hums, howls, schettert or kie-selt” (so the jargon). But that is only one stage in the creation of the sound image. That is why different departments work together at Walker, to combine the desired tone with the expected durability for each type of car. Computers are just as indispensable as the roller dynamometer, where driving past is simulated with an artificial head, and, last but not least, the human ear. “We can read all kinds of data on the monitor, but the subjective perception of the sound is ultimately decisive”, you know in the laboratory. Actually a thankless job – some hardly notice the sound of their car, others replace the series system with sports silencers. Of course, Walker Gillet has them too, so to speak as “Cur” for the developers…