Tom Gentry wrote:
> Please do not confuse NVH and quality. Given a higher price point it is very
> easy to build a car with better NVH, this does not necessarily raise the
> durability. Yes, less expensive cars will invariable offer more noise and
> vibration than significantly more expensive cars. Vibration, rattles,
>squeaks,
> engine and road noise, lack of sound deadening materials, etc. DO NOT mean a
> car is less durable or poorly engineered.
I agree... with some qualifiers. The amount of NVH usually only
indicates how much $$ a car maker has spent eliminating NVH. You could
make a Neon as quiet as a BMW if you put 10 grand into the price of it
totally dedicated to NVH elimination. Of course, you would blow it out
of it's target market. Note that Chrysler did attack NVH on the Neon
starting late in '95.
While it doesn't say anything about the quality of the rest of the car,
it usually follows that if NVH was carefully sorted out, that other
areas are also well engineered; not an iron clad rule though.
> Also, I don't see how anyone can compare cars with huge price differences.
> Overall the more expensive car SHOULD have the edge, whether or not the edge
>is
> worth the price is a matter of personal preference, expectations and how much
> money you have.
Yup. The comparison in this case is simply because someone asked about
campaigning a 318ti in DS. If you're talking DS, you have to make
comparisons to the Neon.
> Most of the cars that I have owned have been purchased because I believed they
> were the best car I could get for my intended purposes and tastes at the price
> I could afford (or in some cases, almost afford LOL). Since NVH is not my
> primary concern, that has never weighed heavily in my choices. In many cases,
> I immediatley made modifications that raised NVH. The point is that with
> higher than normal NVH, the cars were better suited to my tastes and purpose.
> The secondary point is, that better cars in a higher price range were really
> irrelevant.
The only thing I'll say about this is that NVH is often a general
indicator of chassis stiffness and integrity. Engine and exhaust noise
don't bother me. That hollow ringing of aftershocks going over bumps
does. I'm all for a buzz from the engine, drone from the exhaust,
tingling in the steering, etc. I get worried about a car's long term
well being when the chassis creaks while pulling up on a driveway. My 88
Mustang 5.0 is an example of a car that really needs a lot of
aftermarket stiffening. If you don't do it, you'll start to get cracks
in the chassis. At that point, the car may be beyond economical repair
for continued hard driving.
--
Ron Katona
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