Earplugs for 914 Driving?, Plus a fun AI cartoon Options

[Stev914]

Just returned from a very nice country drive in my 914-4. I'm putting it away for the Winter, so this was a great last drive of the year. I prefer to drive it with the top off, and it's about to get very chilly here in Michigan for late Fall and Winter. After owning it for a few months and putting about 800 miles on it, I feel like I am just starting to learn to drive it well. My motor memory has mastered the vague gearbox and the engine really purrs between 3,500 and 5,000 RPM. Tons of fun!

But... earplugs.

I prefer to wear foam earplugs when I drive it more than 10-15 minutes. I actually prefer the sound of the engine this way; I can really feel the low frequencies of the engine. Also, the 914 doesn't really create a lot of noticeable wind noise for me with the top down, even at 50mph+. But I said "noticeable." If I drive for longer than 10-15 minutes without earplugs, I can definitely feel that post-concert dullness in my ears. A simple pair of foam plugs that cut 32dB work perfectly: the same ones I use for operating power tools or going to rock concerts. I keep a little jar of them in the garage.

Anybody else use earplugs?

I've been wearing ear protection for noisy things since my college days of playing in rock bands, and then later in party and rock bands. While playing amplified music, I actually hear better with ear protection. Kind of funny: the sensation of feeling the engine behind me in the 914 is not unlike the feeling of my bass rig behind me on stage. The earplugs really make it more enjoyable... and that's to say nothing of the post-drive feeling of normal hearing when you put the car back in the garage.

Just thought I'd share. I hope you had a great drive in your 914 today!

Steve
1972 914-4

P.S. Here's a fun AI cartoon of my car.

[windforfun]

Why should you have to wear ear protection while driving a car? Poor design I guess?

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/WTF.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/WTF.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/WTF.gif)

[Stev914]

Why should you have to wear ear protection while driving a car? Poor design I guess?

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/WTF.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/WTF.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/WTF.gif)

Now *this* is the discussion I thought we were going to have. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)

For me, the earplugs enhance the driving experience, and that's very specific to me. I've been a hearing protection freak since my early 20s. I'm the guy they make fun of for pulling out earplugs at a rock show, and my bandmates gave me a fair amount of good-natured ribbing for playing gigs with earplugs (decades later, when I see them, they all wish they would have done the same). My daily driver car is super quiet (Buick QuietTuning technology, built right here in my hometown of Lansing, MI).

I need to drive some other 914s and compare. I am thinking most of what makes me wear plugs isn't the engine noise, but rather having the windows down and targa top off. I should grab an SPL meter and check it out some time. But like I said before, the experience of driving with earplugs is very similar to playing an amplified gig with earplugs: I can hear everything better, and I don't have the post-concert dullness after a drive.

Finally, the way I use this car is for "pure driving" if you can call it that. I'm not jamming to tunes. I'm not talking on the phone or visiting with a passenger. What I love about this car is the 100% analog experience of operating the machine.

Again, that's just me. Thank to everyone for chiming in.

Steve

P.S. These are my go-to plugs. When I was playing out a lot more, I had various musician's plugs that let a more even frequency range through, but these factory-floor type plugs work nearly just as well.