New Mustang GT Owners Can Now Hush the V8 Growl to be Good Neighbors; Brush with the Law Gave Engineer the Idea

• Industry-first Quiet Start – also called “​Good Neighbor Mode​” by Mustang engineers – allows drivers to schedule the time of day when their Mustang GT’s V8 engine will roar and when to keep it quiet to show courtesy to neighbors

• New Quiet Exhaust mode limits volume of 2018 Mustang GT’s 5.0-liter V8 engine using active valve performance exhaust system that closes valves to restrict the amount of noise made by the car

• According to a recent poll by ​Ranker.com​, loud engine revving ranks among the most annoying noises neighbors make, alongside other common nuisances including lawn mowers, power tools, barking dogs and band practice

Someone called the cops on Steve von Foerster. The former head of vehicle engineering for Ford Motor Company wasn’t thrilled, but he understood why.

On an otherwise peaceful morning in his suburban Detroit neighborhood, von Foerster had just backed a Shelby GT350 Mustang out of his driveway. As the car’s V8 engine thundered, an annoyed neighbor set aside their coffee cup and dialed 911.

Von Foerster had left before the officers arrived, and he didn’t end up with a ticket. Nor did he get angry. What he got was an idea for the new Mustang.

Von Foerster, who now leads Ford’s user experience team in product development, commented:

“I love the sound of the V8, but it can be loud, and you can’t annoy people like that in your neighborhood. It sounds so cool, but I thought, ‘There has to be a way to give people more control over the engine’s sound.’”

The experience fueled a discussion between von Foerster and fellow Mustang program team members that led to development of Quiet Exhaust mode and industry-first Quiet Start, known as “​Good Neighbor Mode​” among Mustang engineers. The new features on properly equipped 2018 Mustang GT vehicles allow drivers to keep engine sound at a minimum if they wish and to program quiet start-up times in advance.

While some sports cars offer active exhaust systems with on/off functionality, Mustang’s Quiet Start is the first to allow scheduling of times. Using steering wheel-mounted thumb controls, drivers toggle through a menu in the instrument cluster to select when they want to fire up their Mustang GT without sharing the event with neighbors. For example, between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m., drivers can keep the peace by scheduling their car to start, minus the roar.

Both new Quiet Exhaust mode and Quiet Start features will be part of the available active valve performance exhaust system on the new Mustang GT, along with different exhaust volumes for Normal, Sport and Track modes, giving customers more choice than ever before.