Imagine starting up your modern, boringly silent car and the interior is filled with the thrilling sound of a powerful Super Sports Car engine. SoundRacer makes almost any car sound like a super sports car. No installation, no tuning, just plug into the cigarette lighter socket, select a frequency for the car stereo receiver and turn up the volume.
Does you Honda have a VTEC motor? I used to own a Civic EX with a little VTEC and if memory serves me correctly VTEC (Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control) is constantly adjusting the advance and retard of the timing. Since the computer is controlling the firing system constantly maybe the device couldn't "lock in" to the natural rev of the motor.
All speculation here, maybe the device is just a piece of garbage.
The device uses engine RPM's to operate, so I wouldn't expect variable valve timing to impact it. The Chevy Cavalier 2.0L Eco-Tec engine doesn't have variable valve timings and it doesn't work on that at all either.
I'd try to find an old car with a distributor cap and rotor setup, simpler the better. And thought I read somewhere where it uses the alternator as the "rev counter". Could be wrong on that too.
Major_A wrote:I'd try to find an old car with a distributor cap and rotor setup, simpler the better. And thought I read somewhere where it uses the alternator as the "rev counter". Could be wrong on that too.
Two days ago I had a friend try it in an old 70's Datsun 280Z that he has, and it got similar results to what I got in my Honda. Sometimes it would work and other times it wouldn't.
Considering there is no possible way this thing can get any kind of engine info through the cigarette lighter, id venture to guess it is playing engine sound samples based on changes in ambient noise levels. It probably has some kind of mic on it and it tries to get a baseline reading from having you rev your engine. Try yelling into the thing and see if it makes monstrous engine sounds.