Reverse Engineering the Sport Sound Module

[f1eng]

Why would anyone want to retrofit one of the worst features in the Taycan??

I hate the darn thing.

Guess I'm old.

Yup, I tolerated it for less than a minute on the demo car so didn't spec it, and it being non-optional and louder on the GTS was one of the several reasons I stuck with the CT4S order .

I'm probably older though...

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[f1eng]

Same is for PSE Porsche Sport exhaust on ICE cars.
Hate it or love it. There is not much in between ?‍

Not really IMO, an IC engined car is noisy anyway and some make a nice noise some don't.

My Ferrari makes a lot of beautiful noise without any faux assistance, it has a bypass valve in the exhaust for more high revs power.

The faux noise on any car, be it IC or EV is what I dislike.

One of the reasons I chose the Taycan for everyday use was silence.

But I am very old.

 

[simcity]

The faux noise on any car, be it IC or EV is what I dislike.

One of the reasons I chose the Taycan for everyday use was silence.

This 100%. The real machine, the real sound. No need to pretend.

 

[ardevd]

As a side note to this thread, I cannot believe that Porsche has yet again another module with single functionality.

Almost all manufacturers have 1 module for 1 function; 1 ECU/module for electric windows, another for the suspension, and another for the interior lights, etc. etc.

All of this increases costs, multiplies the points of failure, increases complexity, weight, and power consumption (all of these things go against light weight, low cost, low power consumption that all EV manufacturers strive for). It also means that there's a ton more points of failure in the supply chain, because if the module that controls your headlights is unavailable then the whole car cannot be delivered. It's ridiculous. I suspect this is because of the silo'd nature of the engineering teams working at Porsche and other major manufacturers.

Tesla got one thing right in having a much smaller number (a handful IIRC) of ECUs doing multiple jobs, similar to having a "general purpose" server on the car.

Yes, there are ways to guarantee performance/response time of a multifunction OS (things like realtime operating systems) but if Porsche software developers cannot get PCM to remember radio stations reliably then I wouldn't bet my money on them.

Totally agree. It’s probably the most significant thing Tesla has accomplished which has really taken the rest of the automotive industry by surprise. Complete unified vertical integration from hardware to software is a massive advantage, reducing cost and complexity and seriously eases updates and QA, which is why they can improve functionality and add features over time.

Meanwhile, traditional auto makers outsource so much to different OEMs, making it almost impossible to maintain over time in an effective manner before they start from scratch on a new platform with different suppliers and software stacks.

At least VAG is migrating to Android Automotive for the infotainment (but without GAS for some ridiculous reason).

 

[f1eng]

As a side note to this thread, I cannot believe that Porsche has yet again another module with single functionality.

Almost all manufacturers have 1 module for 1 function; 1 ECU/module for electric windows, another for the suspension, and another for the interior lights, etc. etc.

All of this increases costs, multiplies the points of failure, increases complexity, weight, and power consumption (all of these things go against light weight, low cost, low power consumption that all EV manufacturers strive for). It also means that there's a ton more points of failure in the supply chain, because if the module that controls your headlights is unavailable then the whole car cannot be delivered. It's ridiculous. I suspect this is because of the silo'd nature of the engineering teams working at Porsche and other major manufacturers.

Tesla got one thing right in having a much smaller number (a handful IIRC) of ECUs doing multiple jobs, similar to having a "general purpose" server on the car.

Yes, there are ways to guarantee performance/response time of a multifunction OS (things like realtime operating systems) but if Porsche software developers cannot get PCM to remember radio stations reliably then I wouldn't bet my money on them.

I agree that having multiple modules makes “life” difficult for Porsche but a lot of them are legacy controllers from IC engined cars used on several models.

Tesla are a new basically have only ever had one product and what they did was obvious to everybody but not an option for any company with legacy products IMHO.

If Porsche did the same sort of thing the options list would become more difficult but software updates massively simpler but it isn’t really a practical option given the product range and legacy features.

Probably once all Porsches are EVs they will have moved in that direction.

 

[Hegi]

I had disconnected the Module and the Sportsound is still there.
Despite it has the same Partnumber and location as in the Retrofit Guide, it does not make any sense. Also the wiring harness to it has not enough pins for connecting 3 speakers to it.
Something is fishy here.

 

[simcity]

if wiring is not fitting may be you are mixing the AVAS Sound Generator and the optional Sportsound? Their ECUs look very similar and their names as well.

I had disconnected the Module and the Sportsound is still there.
Despite it has the same Partnumber and location as in the Retrofit Guide, it does not make any sense. Also the wiring harness to it has not enough pins for connecting 3 speakers to it.
Something is fishy here.

 

[Hegi]

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2022/MC-10208593-0001.pdf is from 2021 and did not change with the model years 20-23

the optional Sport sound ECU can be exchanged with the AVAS??? I doubt that very much.

afaik both are built in:
9J1035446 I-Sound MLB Evo
9J1035335 E-Sound MLB Evo (VAG shared part 3F0 035 335)

Where did you get those numbers? Seems possible that its the same part afterall.

 

[Hegi]

That seems to be the case weirdly.

 

[Jono]

Your Taycan will have the standard pedistrian alert sound which keeps you legal.

Not in Australia, so the external sports sound is a very useful option here.

 

[W1NGE]

Not in Australia, so the external sports sound is a very useful option here.

I thought it was mandated for 2020 but I guess that never happened. It will come however.

Seems a fairly dumb decision to drag heels on this one.

 

[Jono]

I thought it was mandated for 2020 but I guess that never happened. It will come however.

Seems a fairly dumb decision to drag heels on this one.

Thats politics for you. I guess we have so many other natural dangers here that EVs rank low on the list ;-)

 

[bosch88]

In my car, 2020, in Canada, I do not have the e-sport sound. The standard pedestrian warning sound comes from a speaker unit in front of the frunk area. The optional e-sports sound is control unit plus an extra speaker in the back of the car under the trunk and two speakers in each of the rear doors.

 

[Hegi]

In my car, 2020, in Canada, I do not have the e-sport sound. The standard pedestrian warning sound comes from a speaker unit in front of the frunk area. The optional e-sports sound is control unit plus an extra speaker in the back of the car under the trunk and two speakers in each of the rear doors.

Do you know where the Sportsound Module is in the Back? So far i only found the pedestrian module apparently.

 

[simcity]

Do you know where the Sportsound Module is in the Back? So far i only found the pedestrian module apparently.

For the e-tron GT…perhaps Taycan is in a similar pos:

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