Is 70 dB Loud for a High Performance Gaming Car?

As virtual racers, we want our in-game vehicles to stir our senses and pump our adrenaline like sitting in the driver‘s seat of a real race car. But accurate sound design matters – both for immersive gameplay and our hearing health. We‘ll analyse whether 70 decibels is loud for high-revving high performance cars, what noise levels real race cars produce, and the impact on our experience.

How Loud are Actual Race Cars?

Let‘s start by comparing specs across some famous real-life vehicles alongside top racing franchise game cars:

Consumer road cars like the Honda Civic have legal noise restrictions from 70-75 dB on average. But purpose-built race vehicles far exceed safe levels, with deafening exhaust tones over 180 dB!

For context on these crazy numbers: ambient noise in an office is ~60 dB while a military jet takeoff reaches 140 dB.

Gradual Hearing Loss from Loud Noise

Prolonged loud noise from engines and exhausts can eventually damage our hearing. The US EPA and CDC warn that average noise over 70 dB over 24 hours can pose long-term health risks. For every +10 dB increase, the permitted daily exposure time before gradual damage halves.

So while 80 dB may be ok for a couple hours, several years of daily multi-hour 80+ dB exposure can degrade high-frequency hearing. Race mechanics using power tools over 85 dB routinely experience accelerated hearing reduction in their career.

But what about momentary ultra-loud bursts? One-time explosive sounds, like firearms, can inflict immediate harm. Noise spikes over 120 dB will rupture eardrums, with pain near 130 dB.

Game Sound Design Should Balance Realism with Safety

So virtual race car sound effects face challenging trade-offs. Do we digitally recreate the true deafening wail of a Top Fuel dragster exceeding 180 dB for authenticity? Or responsibly limit the volume despite sacrificing realism?

Game studios lean towards prioritizing responsible audio levels to prevent hearing damage to players from lengthy exposure. Race games often cap car volumes around 105-115 dB to reasonably resemble real-world vehicles while avoiding risky sound intensity approaching pain thresholds.

The Sweet Sound of High-Performance Gaming Engines

Personally, I enjoy gaming vehicles tuned to produce a sweet yet strong sound in the 90-100 dB range. This allows appreciating subtle pitch character differences between engines in the roster without fatiguing the ears. I do tweak volume higher momentarily to feel the full-throated maximum-attack roar during intense moments.

Forza strikingly captures smooth high-RPM wail of performance road cars like the Ferrari F50 at 90 dB. Gran Turismo‘s Nissan GTR pumps the adrenaline with its characteristic industrial metallic overrun punching through at 105 dB.

Of course, enabling manual transmission with clutch pedal and dropping two gears mid-corner to provoke snarling backfires takes the engine note to the next level!

Conclusion – Game Responsibly!

So is 70 dB loud for a car in games? Not in my view – with legal road vehicles targeting below 75 dB average noise, sub-100 dB for race car sound effects hits the sweet spot between realism and responsible audio levels. While losing absolute authenticity, this allows us to safely enjoy engines pushing to redline without damaging our precious hearing. Let‘s be grateful games empower us to drive our fantasy dream cars without risky real-world consequences!

What do you think of game race car audio? How important is precise realism versus practical volume limits? Share your thoughts in the comments below!