1 00:00:09,290 --> 00:00:11,430 On this episode of MythBusters. 2 00:00:13,430 --> 00:00:16,630 It's automotive madness with Team Extreme. 3 00:00:17,230 --> 00:00:21,190 Adam and Jamie push the limits of auto audio. 4 00:00:21,470 --> 00:00:23,090 Well, it better work. My shirt's all dirty. 5 00:00:23,350 --> 00:00:28,230 When they test the myth that a car stereo can seriously damage your car. 6 00:00:29,770 --> 00:00:31,070 That looks like it worked. 7 00:00:31,490 --> 00:00:35,170 And Grant, Carrie, and Tori hit the rough road. Faster. 8 00:00:35,610 --> 00:00:40,050 Yeah. To prove driving faster leads to a smoother ride. 9 00:00:40,290 --> 00:00:44,950 Ready for your 45 -mile -an -hour run. Paramedics are nowhere to be found. 10 00:00:47,070 --> 00:00:48,850 Who are the Mythbusters? 11 00:00:49,550 --> 00:00:50,590 Adam Savage. 12 00:00:51,890 --> 00:00:54,570 And Jamie Heinemann. 13 00:00:54,770 --> 00:00:55,990 This is going to kill you. 14 00:00:57,330 --> 00:01:01,070 Between them, more than 30 years of special effects experience. 15 00:01:01,470 --> 00:01:03,050 That's what I'm talking about! 16 00:01:03,330 --> 00:01:05,269 Joining them, Tori Bellacci. 17 00:01:05,850 --> 00:01:06,950 Very excited about this. 18 00:01:07,250 --> 00:01:09,770 Cary Byron. Look, he cracked into his skull. 19 00:01:10,010 --> 00:01:11,210 And Grant Imahara. 20 00:01:11,410 --> 00:01:12,990 Don't say anything. 21 00:01:13,270 --> 00:01:14,730 They don't just tell the myths. 22 00:01:16,570 --> 00:01:18,650 They put them to the test. 23 00:01:25,990 --> 00:01:27,910 Inexplicably, Adam's wearing chain mail. 24 00:01:31,310 --> 00:01:34,030 What is the myth? 25 00:01:35,429 --> 00:01:39,870 Well, apparently there are some car stereo systems that are so powerful that 26 00:01:39,870 --> 00:01:43,390 they're capable of destroying the car that houses them. We're not talking 27 00:01:43,430 --> 00:01:47,870 like, destruction over time, right? Not bolts rattling loose over a period of 28 00:01:47,870 --> 00:01:51,590 weeks. This is, turn on the stereo and the car just becomes a junker, right? 29 00:01:52,070 --> 00:01:53,790 That's correct, or it explodes. 30 00:01:56,930 --> 00:02:02,950 When it comes to the size of a man's subwoofer, big is not only better, it's 31 00:02:02,950 --> 00:02:03,950 essential. 32 00:02:04,090 --> 00:02:07,150 Some guys just have to play it loud to be proud. 33 00:02:07,390 --> 00:02:13,770 But is it possible to make your mobile sound system so powerful that when you 34 00:02:13,770 --> 00:02:20,010 crank the dial to 11, the car explodes? 35 00:02:21,510 --> 00:02:22,590 So what's the plan? 36 00:02:22,810 --> 00:02:26,330 Well, this time I think we need to get right into it and just go big. 37 00:02:26,630 --> 00:02:30,840 Hellbent for leather, no shop test, no small scale, just build... The biggest 38 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:31,840 subwoofer we can? 39 00:02:32,020 --> 00:02:35,240 That's right. The biggest thing we can possibly fit in that car and go for 40 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:38,140 maximum decibels. And hopefully max destruction. 41 00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:44,360 So it's a simple plan. Build the most powerful subwoofer possible, and if that 42 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:46,680 doesn't destroy the car, then nothing will. 43 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:50,940 But how can mere sound destroy something as solid as a car? 44 00:02:52,490 --> 00:02:56,970 Okay, so we know a speaker produces sound. It does this by switching an 45 00:02:56,970 --> 00:03:00,110 electromagnet on and off and vibrating the speaker cone. 46 00:03:01,350 --> 00:03:05,050 This moves air back and forth, creating waves of pressure. 47 00:03:06,610 --> 00:03:11,430 This sound pressure level is measured in decibels, and in theory, with enough 48 00:03:11,430 --> 00:03:14,450 decibels, enough pressure, you can break anything. 49 00:03:15,510 --> 00:03:18,870 And Jamie and Adam have already proved just that. 50 00:03:22,670 --> 00:03:27,350 On this classic episode, they confirmed the destructive potential of sound by 51 00:03:27,350 --> 00:03:28,570 hitting the right note. 52 00:03:30,230 --> 00:03:35,210 But on breaking glass, the key ingredient was finding the resonant 53 00:03:35,210 --> 00:03:36,210 the crystal. 54 00:03:37,710 --> 00:03:42,610 To shatter a car, this car, they won't be messing around with sound quality. 55 00:03:42,750 --> 00:03:45,830 They want decibels, and lots of them. 56 00:03:46,070 --> 00:03:47,770 All right, let's get her off the ground. 57 00:03:48,110 --> 00:03:49,110 Yeah! 58 00:03:49,770 --> 00:03:54,550 With the car in position, it's time to begin the super -sized subwoofer 59 00:03:54,550 --> 00:03:55,550 installation. 60 00:03:55,870 --> 00:04:01,570 Step one, make room by removing all mod cons and luxury extras, like the front 61 00:04:01,570 --> 00:04:05,030 seat. You could make a robot out of one of those. I think I could make a robot 62 00:04:05,030 --> 00:04:05,888 out of one of these. 63 00:04:05,890 --> 00:04:10,050 The back seat and the steering wheel. 64 00:04:11,410 --> 00:04:13,250 Now, this is cool. I want this. 65 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:19,920 A typical subwoofer has a cone size of around 10 inches. But in true MythBuster 66 00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:23,560 fashion, the Mythwoofer will be anything but typical. 67 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:26,240 52 inches. 68 00:04:27,140 --> 00:04:31,220 Oh, man. Which means we're talking probably a four -foot speaker cone. 69 00:04:32,220 --> 00:04:36,820 When you look in this car, what you're going to see is the entire interior of 70 00:04:36,820 --> 00:04:40,720 the car filled with speaker cone that's going to be moving up and down. It 71 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:42,020 should be quite entertaining. 72 00:04:49,550 --> 00:04:52,930 So finally, a myth from our Australian contingent, although I would imagine 73 00:04:52,930 --> 00:04:56,630 anybody who spent time driving on dirt roads would know this one. The myth is, 74 00:04:56,750 --> 00:05:00,630 if you're driving on a rough dirt road, it's better to drive fast because it 75 00:05:00,630 --> 00:05:01,770 smooths out the ride. 76 00:05:03,719 --> 00:05:07,440 Okay, so how exactly do you get these mythical good vibrations? 77 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:12,580 Apparently, at slow speeds, the wheels of the vehicle have time to drop down 78 00:05:12,580 --> 00:05:17,020 into the troughs of each bump, resulting in more bounce than a kangaroo on a 79 00:05:17,020 --> 00:05:21,320 trampoline. But according to the myth, if you put your foot down, the wheels 80 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:25,820 skip across the tops of the corrugations, giving the passengers a 81 00:05:25,820 --> 00:05:29,160 ride. Well, you know, that sounds pretty easy to test, doesn't it? What are you 82 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:29,999 going to do, just... 83 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:32,960 go out and get a bunch of cars and test them on a rough road? You know, I'm not 84 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:36,500 sure it's that simple, Jamie, because, I mean, you guys have to figure out a way 85 00:05:36,500 --> 00:05:40,540 of measuring the vibration that's happening to the car under different 86 00:05:40,540 --> 00:05:41,900 and different road conditions, right? 87 00:05:42,700 --> 00:05:45,780 First things first, they're going to need a car. 88 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:49,740 This is a 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. 89 00:05:50,760 --> 00:05:52,700 Listen to that baby burr! 90 00:05:53,260 --> 00:05:57,440 And to measure the rough road ahead, this old classic is going to need a 91 00:05:57,440 --> 00:05:58,820 Mythbusters makeover. 92 00:05:59,390 --> 00:06:03,730 To objectively record the vibration intensity at different speeds, they have 93 00:06:03,730 --> 00:06:04,990 three systems in mind. 94 00:06:05,350 --> 00:06:07,670 Tori has an idea for a suspension gauge. 95 00:06:07,990 --> 00:06:12,910 Grant will crunch the numbers on a three -axis accelerometer, but Carrie steps 96 00:06:12,910 --> 00:06:15,030 up with a more elegant solution. 97 00:06:15,850 --> 00:06:17,110 I love that. 98 00:06:19,210 --> 00:06:24,670 I'm making a system to measure how rough each of the road trials is. And to do 99 00:06:24,670 --> 00:06:28,490 that, I'm using all of these wonderful crystal chardonnay glasses and making 100 00:06:28,490 --> 00:06:29,449 them into a pyramid. 101 00:06:29,450 --> 00:06:32,470 Now, as the road makes the car tumble... 102 00:06:32,910 --> 00:06:36,850 The water should spill out from the top and kind of trickle down into the lower 103 00:06:36,850 --> 00:06:38,270 glasses and maybe spill out altogether. 104 00:06:38,610 --> 00:06:42,710 And at the end, we should have a really good representation of the roughness 105 00:06:42,710 --> 00:06:46,190 between a 15 -mile -an -hour drive and, say, a 50 -mile -an -hour drive. 106 00:06:46,430 --> 00:06:51,710 So after each test, using the 100 -mil mark, they'll simply calculate the total 107 00:06:51,710 --> 00:06:52,810 amount of water lost. 108 00:06:53,810 --> 00:06:57,690 The bumpier the ride, the wetter the designated driver is going to get. 109 00:06:58,610 --> 00:07:00,870 This is what your pee looks like. You have a lot of vitamins. 110 00:07:02,430 --> 00:07:07,370 After filling the pyramid with colored water to make it real purdy, Grant and 111 00:07:07,370 --> 00:07:09,070 Carrie gear up for a quick test. 112 00:07:11,350 --> 00:07:12,590 Down. Okay. 113 00:07:13,430 --> 00:07:15,350 Maybe we should just see what happens when we go fast. 114 00:07:15,690 --> 00:07:19,190 Not so much rough road driving as rough road walking. 115 00:07:20,350 --> 00:07:22,130 Okay, and time. 116 00:07:22,930 --> 00:07:25,050 But did the pyramid perform? 117 00:07:25,430 --> 00:07:26,950 That's a perfect proof of concept. 118 00:07:27,270 --> 00:07:28,270 It was great. 119 00:07:28,770 --> 00:07:33,390 Meanwhile, Torrey is rigging system number two, the suspension deflection 120 00:07:33,670 --> 00:07:38,710 He first welds a metal rod or needle to the suspension of the car. Then he 121 00:07:38,710 --> 00:07:40,250 attaches a scale to the hood. 122 00:07:40,810 --> 00:07:42,570 Impressive, but how does it work? 123 00:07:43,050 --> 00:07:48,430 So the needle stays with the suspension, and our scale stays with the body of 124 00:07:48,430 --> 00:07:53,590 the car. This way, we can see how much distance the two are, you know, 125 00:07:53,590 --> 00:07:58,980 traveling. Their next task is to rig the car for Carrie's glass pyramid. To make 126 00:07:58,980 --> 00:08:03,600 room and provide a flat surface, Grant removes the passenger seat and replaces 127 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:04,980 it with a wooden platform. 128 00:08:05,260 --> 00:08:07,680 Now to get the pyramid in the car. 129 00:08:08,020 --> 00:08:11,220 I think we should drain this before we try and fit it in there because there'll 130 00:08:11,220 --> 00:08:14,000 be a lot of fussing around to get it in. 131 00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:20,120 Maybe this is a good time to take a break. 132 00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:31,660 In the myth that a car stereo can destroy a car, Adam and Jamie have, 133 00:08:31,780 --> 00:08:32,780 destroyed a car. 134 00:08:34,360 --> 00:08:39,320 They've made space for their mythical shattering subwoofer, the Mythwoofer. 135 00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:41,460 they have to work out how to power it. 136 00:08:42,179 --> 00:08:46,700 Normally, speakers are powered with an electromagnet. It repels and attracts a 137 00:08:46,700 --> 00:08:47,700 permanent magnet. 138 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:51,480 And because it's electronic, it can do this very rapidly. It can vary the 139 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:53,860 amplitude and the frequency of the signal. 140 00:08:54,140 --> 00:08:57,520 That's how you get music and all sorts of good sounds out of a speaker. 141 00:08:58,240 --> 00:09:02,600 We don't need that. We're only interested in one thing, and that's 142 00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:07,200 amplitude. So how are they going to supply enough juice to their supersized 143 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:09,460 subwoofer to blow up a car? 144 00:09:10,300 --> 00:09:15,460 I figure just go directly to an engine. You know, we can get a crank. We can go 145 00:09:15,460 --> 00:09:16,860 right to the output of an engine. 146 00:09:17,640 --> 00:09:18,640 Raw power. 147 00:09:18,880 --> 00:09:20,080 That's what we're going to do. 148 00:09:20,720 --> 00:09:24,960 It's another myth -buster first. A diesel -powered speaker. 149 00:09:25,840 --> 00:09:30,080 To harness the engine's raw power, they'll need access to the transmission. 150 00:09:30,380 --> 00:09:33,980 So Adam and Jamie get cutting and open up the bodywork. 151 00:09:34,660 --> 00:09:37,680 From the top and the bottom. 152 00:09:39,560 --> 00:09:41,480 Where they find the drive shaft. 153 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:43,400 It's beautiful. 154 00:09:43,870 --> 00:09:47,930 That's the best news I've had all day. Is the perfect size and shape for their 155 00:09:47,930 --> 00:09:49,810 mechanically powered speaker plan. 156 00:09:53,050 --> 00:09:58,390 With the first incision successful, Dr. Savage checks the patient is still alive 157 00:09:58,390 --> 00:09:59,850 and fully functioning. 158 00:10:01,170 --> 00:10:03,990 Now it's not shutting off. Which could be a problem. 159 00:10:08,370 --> 00:10:11,170 Amazingly, there's a button on the engine that says stop. 160 00:10:13,130 --> 00:10:15,370 And I pushed it, and it stopped. 161 00:10:16,210 --> 00:10:21,830 The next step is to build a mechanical device called a crankshaft, the crucial 162 00:10:21,830 --> 00:10:23,950 link in the Mithwoofer's power chain. 163 00:10:25,290 --> 00:10:30,930 This is the crankshaft that is going to, via a push rod, push the speaker cone 164 00:10:30,930 --> 00:10:35,910 up and down. So what we've done is very carefully align all this stuff, and now 165 00:10:35,910 --> 00:10:40,170 I've got to weld it in place so that it works like a crankshaft inside an engine 166 00:10:40,170 --> 00:10:41,170 block. 167 00:10:41,930 --> 00:10:46,030 So this crankshaft will connect to the transmission, and when the engine is in 168 00:10:46,030 --> 00:10:50,930 drive, it will turn and pump the speaker cone up and down via a pushrod. 169 00:10:52,530 --> 00:10:55,650 Now, to get the crank assembly into the car. 170 00:10:56,330 --> 00:10:57,950 This is kind of heavy. 171 00:10:58,430 --> 00:11:04,110 This heavy steel bar is going to anchor our crankshaft in the car. This is the 172 00:11:04,110 --> 00:11:09,750 simplest, rather crude, but simplest way of really making this thing solid. 173 00:11:11,050 --> 00:11:14,490 I'm determined not to have this thing just rip itself apart. 174 00:11:14,730 --> 00:11:16,850 I want to have this speaker rip the car apart. 175 00:11:17,670 --> 00:11:21,910 That's the MythBuster way, an appetite for controlled destruction. 176 00:11:22,350 --> 00:11:27,910 And with the crankshaft bolted firmly into place... Well, should we start it 177 00:11:28,030 --> 00:11:29,029 I think so. 178 00:11:29,030 --> 00:11:31,190 It's time to find out if it works. 179 00:11:36,410 --> 00:11:37,750 I'm going to kick it into reverse. 180 00:11:41,770 --> 00:11:42,770 Turning beautifully. 181 00:11:43,230 --> 00:11:44,230 Nice. 182 00:11:44,690 --> 00:11:45,710 That is nice. 183 00:11:46,030 --> 00:11:50,870 With the build progressing nicely, Adam and Jamie call in Tori for a little fact 184 00:11:50,870 --> 00:11:51,870 -finding mission. 185 00:11:52,630 --> 00:11:54,530 This is beautiful. You're going to love this. 186 00:11:54,890 --> 00:11:57,630 Dude, I need you to go to Florida for us on the subwoofer story. 187 00:11:57,870 --> 00:12:01,590 I need you to go down there and check out this contest we found, the winner of 188 00:12:01,590 --> 00:12:03,830 which is the one with the loudest car stereo. 189 00:12:04,130 --> 00:12:05,290 Okay, what do you want me to do there? 190 00:12:05,590 --> 00:12:10,550 Well, we need you to go there and see if any of these car stereo systems are 191 00:12:10,550 --> 00:12:14,450 actually capable of destroying the cars that they're installed in. All right, 192 00:12:14,470 --> 00:12:15,750 cool. Should be a nice trip. 193 00:12:17,330 --> 00:12:22,170 So Tori's off to Daytona Beach, Florida for the Spring Break Nationals, the 194 00:12:22,170 --> 00:12:24,250 world's most famous sound off. 195 00:12:24,860 --> 00:12:25,860 Hey, look, I'm on TV. 196 00:12:26,340 --> 00:12:27,540 It's a tough job. 197 00:12:27,980 --> 00:12:29,540 This is nicer than my apartment. 198 00:12:30,020 --> 00:12:32,860 And Torrey takes one for the team. 199 00:12:36,900 --> 00:12:38,380 Put your hands together. 200 00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:42,920 But the Spring Break Nationals isn't just an excuse for the guys to show off 201 00:12:42,920 --> 00:12:43,920 size of their equipment. 202 00:12:44,300 --> 00:12:49,540 They're here to compete. They come every year to sound off and find out exactly 203 00:12:49,540 --> 00:12:52,000 who has the loudest car audio system. 204 00:12:52,600 --> 00:12:54,840 Now, you're the president of a DB drag racing. 205 00:12:55,360 --> 00:13:00,360 What is that? It's a format of car stereo competition where competitors 206 00:13:00,360 --> 00:13:02,980 against one another to see who has the loudest car stereo. 207 00:13:04,300 --> 00:13:09,960 Crazy but true. These guys customize their vehicles for one purpose, maximum 208 00:13:09,960 --> 00:13:14,680 volume. Then they compete in a head -to -head sound -off where the winner 209 00:13:14,680 --> 00:13:16,820 records the loudest decibel reading. 210 00:13:18,020 --> 00:13:20,000 But has Wayne heard about the myth? 211 00:13:20,360 --> 00:13:26,180 a car actually being destroyed by its stereo well i haven't seen one detonate 212 00:13:26,180 --> 00:13:29,560 that's what you're saying but i have seen windshields break and i know of 213 00:13:29,560 --> 00:13:33,660 of vehicles uh where the the panels have come undone and i've seen lights that 214 00:13:33,660 --> 00:13:37,060 you know all of the driving lights on the top of the of the vehicle like the 215 00:13:37,060 --> 00:13:40,940 trucks and stuff pop out during competition how many decibels would it 216 00:13:40,940 --> 00:13:44,570 shatter a window Well, it's not an exact answer, but I would say that once you 217 00:13:44,570 --> 00:13:49,010 get to 160 dB, you're in a range of sound pressure levels that could 218 00:13:49,010 --> 00:13:50,010 the windshield. 219 00:13:50,350 --> 00:13:54,070 So 160 decibels can potentially shatter a windshield. 220 00:13:55,090 --> 00:13:57,310 And Jamie and Adam have their benchmark. 221 00:13:57,710 --> 00:14:01,790 But let's get some more info on exactly what sound pressure can do. 222 00:14:06,010 --> 00:14:07,790 So I think we can actually... 223 00:14:08,060 --> 00:14:11,540 Name some figures to give viewers a perspective on the kinds of decibel 224 00:14:11,540 --> 00:14:16,520 we're talking about. 140 decibels is plenty to severely damage your ears no 225 00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:18,340 matter how short a time you're exposed to it. 226 00:14:18,720 --> 00:14:24,680 And 165 decibels is what you get out of a jet airplane with 15 ,000 pounds of 227 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:25,680 thrust. 228 00:14:26,280 --> 00:14:31,800 198 to 201 decibels is enough to kill you from the shockwave alone. 229 00:14:32,180 --> 00:14:33,159 Yeah, and... 230 00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:38,200 I believe 248 decibels is what the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima 231 00:14:38,200 --> 00:14:39,260 Nagasaki put out. 232 00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:51,420 Back with the build team, and they're tackling the myth that if you drive 233 00:14:51,420 --> 00:14:54,380 on a rough road, you get a smoother ride. 234 00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:59,200 We have three systems rigged to this car to tell us how bumpy the ride is. First 235 00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:04,120 one. The Tori suspension rig, and that's connected directly to the suspension on 236 00:15:04,120 --> 00:15:07,860 the wheel. As that deflects up and down, there's a needle that goes up and down 237 00:15:07,860 --> 00:15:11,100 and a camera on that so you can see how far it deflects. 238 00:15:13,020 --> 00:15:18,900 Perfect. The second system carries wine glass pyramid, and that's filled with 239 00:15:18,900 --> 00:15:23,700 water. And depending on how bumpy the ride is, we'll see water slosh out of 240 00:15:23,700 --> 00:15:27,480 glasses. And if we know that there's a lot of water out of the glasses, that 241 00:15:27,480 --> 00:15:29,360 means that they had a really rough ride. 242 00:15:29,680 --> 00:15:33,160 Excuse me, Garcon. More water, sir? Can I get a refill? 243 00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:34,480 Yeah, more ice? 244 00:15:34,540 --> 00:15:35,540 You'd like more ice? Yeah. 245 00:15:35,800 --> 00:15:40,360 Final system is my three -axis accelerometer, similar to the one that 246 00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:46,020 Buster's head, and that is going to measure electronically what the 247 00:15:46,020 --> 00:15:48,600 are, and I'll be able to load it on my computer and see. 248 00:15:50,360 --> 00:15:55,220 So it's official. This dirt road drive -by will result in more information than 249 00:15:55,220 --> 00:15:56,220 a space flight. 250 00:15:56,430 --> 00:16:00,850 And to check all systems are go, Grant and Tori are going to get the hump by 251 00:16:00,850 --> 00:16:03,030 taking on the parking lot speed bumps. 252 00:16:04,210 --> 00:16:09,050 Grant, with full -face helmet, five -point safety belt, and wet weather 253 00:16:09,050 --> 00:16:12,870 focused on the safety issues, visibility, and data accuracy. 254 00:16:13,710 --> 00:16:15,970 Tori, well, he just wants to go fast. 255 00:16:16,570 --> 00:16:17,630 I hit it. 256 00:16:18,970 --> 00:16:20,670 Faster. Faster. 257 00:16:21,030 --> 00:16:22,030 Yeah. 258 00:16:22,590 --> 00:16:23,590 Yeah. 259 00:16:26,120 --> 00:16:27,320 Yeah! Hit it! 260 00:16:28,440 --> 00:16:29,440 Yeah! 261 00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:31,040 Oh! 262 00:16:32,180 --> 00:16:33,180 Yeah! 263 00:16:35,020 --> 00:16:37,100 We have a great proof of concept. 264 00:16:37,380 --> 00:16:42,800 When I hit the bumps, I could see the needle deflecting on the suspension 265 00:16:43,260 --> 00:16:48,280 Water was flying around in here everywhere, and I've yet to check the 266 00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:50,300 accelerometer, but I'm sure it's pretty good. 267 00:16:51,560 --> 00:16:55,440 So everything's working, and it's time to hit a rough road for real. 268 00:16:55,680 --> 00:17:01,580 With dirt tracks in short supply in San Francisco, they head out of town. All 269 00:17:01,580 --> 00:17:02,580 right. 270 00:17:02,980 --> 00:17:04,060 Here we are. 271 00:17:05,420 --> 00:17:10,079 And just outside Sacramento, they find exactly what they're looking for. 272 00:17:10,900 --> 00:17:15,640 A little piece of rough road heaven. 273 00:17:16,170 --> 00:17:19,349 All right, we're here at the State Vehicle Recreation Center. This is where 274 00:17:19,349 --> 00:17:24,890 people with motorcycles, ATVs, rough road riding, this is the perfect spot to 275 00:17:24,890 --> 00:17:29,690 it. The section that we've found here is an access road, and it actually is 276 00:17:29,690 --> 00:17:34,110 pretty representative of a dirt road that you might find, say, out in the 277 00:17:34,110 --> 00:17:35,370 country or something like that. 278 00:17:35,650 --> 00:17:40,470 With their test track marked out, Grant gets into position for the first of two 279 00:17:40,470 --> 00:17:41,510 comparative runs. 280 00:17:41,770 --> 00:17:45,490 This one will be at the slower speed of 15 miles an hour. 281 00:17:46,100 --> 00:17:50,600 Meanwhile, Torrey takes time out to give his buddy some words of encouragement. 282 00:17:50,860 --> 00:17:57,220 If the car does happen to go off the road and you go into the embankment, 283 00:17:57,220 --> 00:17:58,220 stay put. 284 00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:00,840 We'll call 911. You'll be all good. 285 00:18:03,740 --> 00:18:08,060 Okay, dude. Good to go for run number one, 15 miles per hour. 286 00:18:09,040 --> 00:18:13,640 Grant begins his slow cruise to the start position, and Torrey takes him 287 00:18:13,640 --> 00:18:15,520 part two of the safety drill. 288 00:18:16,740 --> 00:18:19,840 Once again, in case of an emergency, let's say you crash. 289 00:18:20,280 --> 00:18:25,580 If the car does burst into flame, you should probably exit as soon as 290 00:18:25,920 --> 00:18:30,300 At the start line, Grant tops up, and finally he's ready to measure. 291 00:18:30,650 --> 00:18:34,330 In triplicate, exactly how rough this rough road is. 292 00:18:34,590 --> 00:18:40,650 First at 15, and then later at 45 miles an hour. Okay, I'm good to go for run 293 00:18:40,650 --> 00:18:43,150 number one, 15 miles per hour. Over. 294 00:18:44,930 --> 00:18:45,930 Copy that. 295 00:18:51,430 --> 00:18:55,570 Grant eases up to the test speed, and the camera on the hood shows the axle 296 00:18:55,570 --> 00:18:56,750 gauge works perfectly. 297 00:18:56,950 --> 00:18:59,910 It's recording maximum deflections of three inches. 298 00:19:03,310 --> 00:19:06,030 All right, Grant, so that was 15 miles an hour. It didn't look too crazy. 299 00:19:06,390 --> 00:19:11,010 No, and actually it was more like 20, like the car was idling very high. 300 00:19:11,410 --> 00:19:12,870 I'm noticing something. 301 00:19:13,630 --> 00:19:15,730 Your pants are wet. No, is that water? 302 00:19:17,890 --> 00:19:19,510 Why don't you come over and find out? 303 00:19:19,890 --> 00:19:24,250 While Tori finds out exactly how much water is lost from the glass pyramid, 304 00:19:24,670 --> 00:19:29,370 Grant, after a quick change of pants, downloads and saves the accelerometer 305 00:19:29,370 --> 00:19:31,390 data. Let's come back when they're done. 306 00:19:36,970 --> 00:19:41,550 Back in Daytona Beach, Florida, and super sleuth Tari has got his ear to the 307 00:19:41,550 --> 00:19:45,970 ground at the Spring Break Nationals. Jamie and Adam have sent him on a crash 308 00:19:45,970 --> 00:19:52,010 course in auto audio for the myth shattering subwoofer. Can you destroy a 309 00:19:52,010 --> 00:19:53,290 with a car stereo? 310 00:19:53,710 --> 00:19:56,470 If anyone can, it's one of these guys. 311 00:19:56,850 --> 00:20:00,290 So I hear you have the world's largest subwoofer for a car. 312 00:20:00,860 --> 00:20:05,120 Yes, this is the 22 -inch jackhammer. It is the world's largest production 313 00:20:05,120 --> 00:20:07,180 subwoofer for car audio. 314 00:20:07,880 --> 00:20:12,300 Although you can see this monster moving to the groove, it's at such a low 315 00:20:12,300 --> 00:20:13,980 frequency, it's not audible. 316 00:20:15,400 --> 00:20:20,800 A speaker moving at speeds below 20 hertz, 20 cycles per second, produces 317 00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:22,240 subsonic sound. 318 00:20:24,160 --> 00:20:28,960 But even though you can't hear it, there is plenty of sound pressure measured in 319 00:20:28,960 --> 00:20:30,460 decibels being generated. 320 00:20:30,760 --> 00:20:32,620 What kind of dBs do these put out? 321 00:20:34,220 --> 00:20:40,820 We put one in an Escalade, and we were running 6 ,000 true watts to it, and it 322 00:20:40,820 --> 00:20:43,040 did a 167 .3. 323 00:20:43,740 --> 00:20:45,400 Is that enough to destroy a car? 324 00:20:45,760 --> 00:20:48,440 It blew out all the interior lights on it. 325 00:20:48,860 --> 00:20:51,900 It rattled all sorts of things apart on the inside of it. 326 00:20:52,360 --> 00:20:55,260 You guys got the world's largest subwoofer now. 327 00:20:56,300 --> 00:20:57,740 Wait till we get done with it. 328 00:20:59,340 --> 00:21:04,920 Torrey's next stop is IASCA champ Mike Bartell, the owner of one serious noise 329 00:21:04,920 --> 00:21:05,920 -making machine. 330 00:21:06,340 --> 00:21:10,100 This is actually what's called an extreme vehicle. This vehicle is good 331 00:21:10,100 --> 00:21:13,300 nothing but sound, nothing but to be as loud as humanly possible. 332 00:21:14,320 --> 00:21:18,800 Put it this way, it's loud enough to make your hair stand on end. 333 00:21:19,470 --> 00:21:24,030 So what kind of modifications did you do to this? This thing is modified more 334 00:21:24,030 --> 00:21:28,630 than you can imagine. It actually weighs over 11 ,000 pounds, has over 50 bags 335 00:21:28,630 --> 00:21:32,630 of concrete in it, more fiberglass and steel than you can imagine, windows as 336 00:21:32,630 --> 00:21:33,630 thick as 4 inches. 337 00:21:34,170 --> 00:21:35,670 It's just like a... 338 00:21:35,980 --> 00:21:39,400 bank vault. Now, are you doing that to keep the car from falling apart, or is 339 00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:42,140 that just to keep the air pressure inside? It's a combination thing. The 340 00:21:42,140 --> 00:21:45,740 stronger you can make it to where no pressure can be released, the better 341 00:21:45,740 --> 00:21:47,880 going to be. So the louder it's going to be on the inside. 342 00:21:48,220 --> 00:21:51,300 You actually won't even hear that much on the outside, but inside it's just out 343 00:21:51,300 --> 00:21:51,959 of control. 344 00:21:51,960 --> 00:21:52,960 Dude, I want to take a look. 345 00:21:58,220 --> 00:21:59,460 Oh, my God. 346 00:22:00,380 --> 00:22:01,800 That is ridiculous. 347 00:22:02,160 --> 00:22:07,040 The scary part about it is the way this design is, there's actually a 15 decibel 348 00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:10,400 difference from where you were at to the other side. So if I was on the other 349 00:22:10,400 --> 00:22:13,120 side. The other side is literally something we will not let somebody do 350 00:22:13,120 --> 00:22:17,540 we don't know what will actually happen to your vital organs at 177 decibels. 351 00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:18,880 Oh, my liver. 352 00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:21,000 I think it might have damaged my liver. 353 00:22:21,300 --> 00:22:27,220 So Tori has learned 170 car stereo decibels is enough to tear stuff up. 354 00:22:28,220 --> 00:22:33,760 This subwoofer is so powerful, it takes a bolt this long to keep this door shut. 355 00:22:34,220 --> 00:22:39,060 But to find out if that sort of sound pressure will destroy an unmodified car, 356 00:22:39,320 --> 00:22:40,980 it's back to San Francisco. 357 00:22:42,060 --> 00:22:43,060 So how'd it go? 358 00:22:43,360 --> 00:22:47,740 It was very cool. It was a very cool contest. And these cars are sick. The 359 00:22:47,740 --> 00:22:50,040 amount of dBs they're getting up to is pretty incredible. 360 00:22:50,300 --> 00:22:52,520 So did you see anything on the level of... 361 00:22:52,760 --> 00:22:56,480 like car level destruction with those kind of decibel levels not like the myth 362 00:22:56,480 --> 00:22:59,720 talks about i mean there was a lot of rattling but no panels were popping off 363 00:22:59,720 --> 00:23:04,540 windshields were not cracking in fact they actually build the cars strong so 364 00:23:04,540 --> 00:23:07,900 that they don't break because they want to compress all that air they want to 365 00:23:07,900 --> 00:23:12,740 keep that air pressure so they can have higher dbs well had anybody there ever 366 00:23:12,740 --> 00:23:17,300 seen a car get destroyed by speakers they had seen like crack windshields but 367 00:23:17,300 --> 00:23:22,300 one has ever seen a car get destroyed by DBs. So car -level destruction by 368 00:23:22,300 --> 00:23:24,380 decibels is a complete mystery. 369 00:23:24,960 --> 00:23:29,740 Even in the world of sound -off competition, where the specialists use 370 00:23:29,740 --> 00:23:32,680 to enhance their incredibly high -volume readings. 371 00:23:33,980 --> 00:23:38,380 But of course, Jamie and Adam will go their own way. They'll be attempting to 372 00:23:38,380 --> 00:23:40,700 blow the car up with DBs alone. 373 00:23:40,960 --> 00:23:43,420 Raw, unadulterated volume. 374 00:23:43,930 --> 00:23:47,870 The plan is to power their giant speaker with the diesel engine of the car. 375 00:23:48,090 --> 00:23:53,030 The drive shaft will pump the speaker cone up and down, creating waves of 376 00:23:53,030 --> 00:23:57,230 pressure intense enough to destroy this unfortunate vehicle. 377 00:23:57,510 --> 00:23:59,250 This is the cone for the speaker. 378 00:23:59,490 --> 00:24:03,870 Now, technically, we could just have a flat plate, but this will actually be 379 00:24:03,870 --> 00:24:07,790 stronger. It'll be less likely to bend when we start pumping up and down on it. 380 00:24:08,320 --> 00:24:12,520 And, you know, in a real speaker, you would have, like, something that was 381 00:24:12,520 --> 00:24:14,500 perfectly conical. 382 00:24:14,720 --> 00:24:19,620 But by making these pi sections, we're able to get pretty close with a lot less 383 00:24:19,620 --> 00:24:20,620 work. 384 00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:25,400 There it is. 385 00:24:25,420 --> 00:24:27,340 Wow. That is perfect. 386 00:24:29,220 --> 00:24:33,160 Next, an attractor inner tube will double up as the speaker surround. 387 00:24:33,500 --> 00:24:38,800 This flexible diaphragm will allow the speaker cone to vibrate and retain a 388 00:24:38,800 --> 00:24:40,060 on the speaker cavity. 389 00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:45,040 And once it's glued to the aluminum cone, Adam and Jamie work on a new 390 00:24:45,040 --> 00:24:46,320 MythBuster theme tune. 391 00:24:52,320 --> 00:24:53,560 We are actually... 392 00:24:53,790 --> 00:24:57,310 Really close to nearing completion on all the major components of the 393 00:24:57,610 --> 00:25:01,930 All that remains for us is to put in the wooden parts that will house the 394 00:25:01,930 --> 00:25:06,230 speaker cone, glue the rubber gasket to those, bolt it all together. 395 00:25:08,730 --> 00:25:12,790 And I can't think of anything else, so that must mean that we're close to a 396 00:25:12,790 --> 00:25:17,570 test. With most of the box cut and glued into place, it's time to attach the 397 00:25:17,570 --> 00:25:19,010 pushrod to the crankshaft. 398 00:25:20,780 --> 00:25:25,160 This is the crucial link that will transfer the power of the engine to the 399 00:25:25,160 --> 00:25:26,160 speaker cone. 400 00:25:26,900 --> 00:25:29,620 And speaking of the cone, here it comes. 401 00:25:29,920 --> 00:25:32,900 But will it fit? Look at that. 402 00:25:34,380 --> 00:25:37,240 Dude, that's plenty of clearance. 403 00:25:38,460 --> 00:25:39,800 I was all worried. 404 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:45,760 To make sure the speaker cone stays attached to the pushrod, Jamie bolts it 405 00:25:45,760 --> 00:25:46,760 place. 406 00:25:47,220 --> 00:25:48,240 And there we go. 407 00:25:48,830 --> 00:25:51,750 Now the thing is to paint on the contact cement. 408 00:25:52,430 --> 00:25:57,770 This provides the main attachment between the speaker diaphragm and the 409 00:25:57,770 --> 00:25:58,549 the car. 410 00:25:58,550 --> 00:26:03,790 A coat of stinky, sticky stuff and some loving attention with a rubber mallet 411 00:26:03,790 --> 00:26:06,190 and the monster myth woofer comes to life. 412 00:26:06,550 --> 00:26:09,510 At the very least, it's starting to look like a bonafide speaker. 413 00:26:11,370 --> 00:26:13,390 Well, it better work. My shirt's all dirty. 414 00:26:14,350 --> 00:26:16,810 Holy Christ, it is. Look at that. 415 00:26:20,449 --> 00:26:21,449 And Dr. 416 00:26:21,670 --> 00:26:25,310 Jamie Frankenstein is as happy as can be. It's not half bad. 417 00:26:25,670 --> 00:26:32,130 It's a little off, but I think it'll sort of seat as we kind of turn on the 418 00:26:32,130 --> 00:26:33,130 diesel. 419 00:26:33,750 --> 00:26:35,410 The diesel will make it fit. 420 00:26:35,790 --> 00:26:40,050 The diesel engine will be putting the speaker cone and rubber surround under 421 00:26:40,050 --> 00:26:41,050 tremendous pressure. 422 00:26:41,730 --> 00:26:47,010 To help hold it in place, they make an inner tube sandwich with the plywood. 423 00:26:47,370 --> 00:26:53,990 And with that done, Adam takes time out to reflect on a deep philosophical 424 00:26:53,990 --> 00:26:59,590 issue. If a man's subwoofer is directly proportional to the size of his 425 00:26:59,590 --> 00:27:02,910 ability to attract women, 426 00:27:04,360 --> 00:27:09,260 This subwoofer says that we are way too preoccupied with size. 427 00:27:13,660 --> 00:27:18,760 Back on the bumpy road, and Grant and Tori are collecting data in an attempt 428 00:27:18,760 --> 00:27:20,560 solve the riddle of the rough road. 429 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:27,180 For answers, our drive -by duo are going to compare the vibrations at 20 and 45 430 00:27:27,180 --> 00:27:28,200 miles an hour. 431 00:27:28,730 --> 00:27:31,610 All right, so we just did one run with Grant going 20 miles an hour. There 432 00:27:31,610 --> 00:27:34,390 wasn't a lot of movement between the axle and the vehicle. 433 00:27:34,790 --> 00:27:40,050 The maximum deflection on the suspension gauge was 3 inches, and there were 3 .5 434 00:27:40,050 --> 00:27:42,790 liters of water lost from Carrie's glass pyramid. 435 00:27:44,830 --> 00:27:49,690 With the pyramid refilled, it's time this experiment moved into top gear. 436 00:27:50,210 --> 00:27:53,470 Okay, Grant, ready for your 45 -mile -an -hour run. 437 00:27:54,270 --> 00:27:56,470 Paramedics are nowhere to be found. 438 00:27:57,230 --> 00:27:58,810 Might be the last time we see Grant. 439 00:27:59,150 --> 00:28:03,850 With his elaborate safety measures, Grant has been driving Torrey crazy. 440 00:28:04,050 --> 00:28:07,950 But this run is no driving Miss Daisy. Look at that water. 441 00:28:08,650 --> 00:28:13,910 At 45 miles an hour on a tricky dirt trail, this is the real deal. 442 00:28:14,170 --> 00:28:19,090 The axle gauge is showing a lot more activity, at times reaching the top of 443 00:28:19,090 --> 00:28:21,890 scale, a maximum deflection of six inches. 444 00:28:22,790 --> 00:28:23,910 Don't hit that rock. 445 00:28:24,170 --> 00:28:25,170 Yeah! 446 00:28:25,360 --> 00:28:29,760 But let's find out from the driver whether the faster speed led to a 447 00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:33,140 ride. Dude, your eyes are, like, wide open. 448 00:28:33,540 --> 00:28:34,840 Did it scare you a little bit? 449 00:28:35,780 --> 00:28:36,780 Yeah. 450 00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:41,700 Other than, like, kind of control problems, it was actually a lot smoother 451 00:28:41,700 --> 00:28:42,699 I thought it would be. 452 00:28:42,700 --> 00:28:47,400 I thought I'd be, like, you know, all over the place. What is all over the 453 00:28:47,400 --> 00:28:49,240 is the water from the glass pyramid. 454 00:28:49,600 --> 00:28:53,920 Four and a half liters were lost, one full liter more than the slower test. 455 00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:59,160 One and a half. Which means Grant's subjective experience in the car of a 456 00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:01,320 ride is at odds with the data. 457 00:29:01,960 --> 00:29:03,500 But Torrey has a theory. 458 00:29:03,900 --> 00:29:08,780 It might be similar to, like, say, a horse, you know, as opposed to a trot 459 00:29:08,780 --> 00:29:13,660 gallop. You know, maybe the slower you're going, you're more conscious of 460 00:29:13,660 --> 00:29:17,080 actual hits that you're doing, you know, the rocks, the bumps. You're conscious 461 00:29:17,080 --> 00:29:18,080 of that. 462 00:29:18,970 --> 00:29:23,090 which might sound like a load of old horse manure, but Tori is prepared to 463 00:29:23,090 --> 00:29:24,890 saddle up to prove his point. 464 00:29:25,510 --> 00:29:29,110 Okay, so I'm giving you these, and I'm going to expect you to act responsibly, 465 00:29:29,170 --> 00:29:31,430 be home by 11, and have it gassed up. 466 00:29:32,990 --> 00:29:33,990 All right, Mom. 467 00:29:34,310 --> 00:29:35,530 Act responsibly? 468 00:29:36,010 --> 00:29:37,010 Tori Bellacci? 469 00:29:37,470 --> 00:29:38,470 It's possible. 470 00:29:38,890 --> 00:29:43,830 After seeing Grant do that 40 -mile -an -hour run, it just makes me want to get 471 00:29:43,830 --> 00:29:44,830 in there and go 70. 472 00:29:45,370 --> 00:29:50,010 Torrey may be comfortable taking the cutlass up to 70 miles an hour, but 473 00:29:50,010 --> 00:29:51,310 has seen the show before. 474 00:29:51,970 --> 00:29:57,350 Torrey and potentially dangerous situations just don't mix. We've seen it 475 00:29:57,350 --> 00:29:58,350 swing set. 476 00:29:58,550 --> 00:29:59,550 I'm okay. 477 00:29:59,690 --> 00:30:03,570 We saw it when he punched himself in the head with the meat hook. 478 00:30:05,090 --> 00:30:07,510 Sometimes that guy, you've got to wonder. 479 00:30:12,750 --> 00:30:13,750 I'm okay. 480 00:30:14,360 --> 00:30:19,060 With the area clear and the team at a safe distance, Torrey hits the gas. 481 00:30:20,420 --> 00:30:25,340 Responsible drivers, those wearing pacemakers, and Torrey's insurance 482 00:30:25,340 --> 00:30:27,500 may find the following pictures disturbing. 483 00:30:38,660 --> 00:30:41,800 Yeah, he's looking a little squirrely, like I would. 484 00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:47,720 Incredibly, he makes it back in one piece. But what exactly was his speed? 485 00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:52,960 All right. 486 00:30:53,480 --> 00:31:00,120 I probably, around the... Okay, calm down. Calm down. 487 00:31:00,800 --> 00:31:05,820 I guess around the first set of bumps, I probably hit around 70. And by the time 488 00:31:05,820 --> 00:31:09,220 I passed the high -speed camera, I was close to 75. 489 00:31:10,920 --> 00:31:11,920 Oh, man. 490 00:31:12,670 --> 00:31:15,610 Well, yeah, let's see what the data says. 491 00:31:16,270 --> 00:31:21,010 And for that, it's back to the shop, where Adam and Janie lend Grant their 492 00:31:21,010 --> 00:31:24,310 massive brain in an attempt to decipher the data. 493 00:31:24,570 --> 00:31:30,430 The numbers from the glass pyramid and suspension gauge quite clearly showed 494 00:31:30,430 --> 00:31:35,430 that the faster you go, the bumpier the ride, leaving the myth on a road to 495 00:31:35,430 --> 00:31:36,430 nowhere. 496 00:31:37,430 --> 00:31:39,570 Finally, I have my accelerometer data. 497 00:31:40,010 --> 00:31:44,730 But the accelerometer data on this comparative graph says just the 498 00:31:45,730 --> 00:31:50,330 The dark line of the 20 -mile -an -hour test shows more G -force peaks, 499 00:31:50,490 --> 00:31:52,390 representing a bumpier ride. 500 00:31:54,970 --> 00:31:58,770 Yeah, the 70 miles an hour in the first, like, 70 % of the test seems to be 501 00:31:58,770 --> 00:32:03,310 smoother than the 15 miles an hour, but again, like the 45, the spikes are 502 00:32:03,310 --> 00:32:06,690 higher. Well, our data's in a little bit of conflict here. I mean... 503 00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:11,040 Clearly, as you go faster, you lose more water and you have more deflection on 504 00:32:11,040 --> 00:32:11,739 the suspension. 505 00:32:11,740 --> 00:32:18,100 But our accelerometer says during that part where the road is fairly uniform, 506 00:32:18,520 --> 00:32:21,600 you actually have a better, smoother ride. 507 00:32:22,160 --> 00:32:23,260 when you're driving faster. 508 00:32:23,480 --> 00:32:27,900 I'm noting that the big difference is on the big hits, like a big pothole. And 509 00:32:27,900 --> 00:32:32,960 obviously, I don't think anybody would disagree with us. If you hit a large 510 00:32:32,960 --> 00:32:38,440 at a high speed, it's going to make more of an impact on the car than taking it 511 00:32:38,440 --> 00:32:39,319 easy through it. 512 00:32:39,320 --> 00:32:41,840 So what we're saying here is that the myth is plausible. 513 00:32:42,080 --> 00:32:46,600 But I really don't think that we can put this one to bed unless we test... The 514 00:32:46,600 --> 00:32:50,840 washboard road, that that is the type of road surface that people think about 515 00:32:50,840 --> 00:32:54,860 and have experience that driving faster makes for a smoother ride. 516 00:32:55,060 --> 00:32:57,260 And I think you should try it and get the data to support that. 517 00:32:58,120 --> 00:32:59,840 So it's back to the drawing board. 518 00:33:00,720 --> 00:33:05,000 If the team want to nail this myth, maybe they have to build a replica of a 519 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:07,860 track the tail is based on, the washboard road. 520 00:33:09,110 --> 00:33:13,670 These corrugated dirt tracks are common in the Australian outback, and Grant 521 00:33:13,670 --> 00:33:16,110 takes time out to discover how they're formed. 522 00:33:16,590 --> 00:33:21,130 So it turns out washboarding is created by the response of your car's suspension 523 00:33:21,130 --> 00:33:27,430 to alternatively accelerating or braking or hitting a pothole. What that does is 524 00:33:27,430 --> 00:33:32,490 it sets up an oscillation in the suspension that alternatively compacts 525 00:33:32,490 --> 00:33:34,890 or makes it fly up, creating that pattern. 526 00:33:39,880 --> 00:33:43,840 Adam and Jamie have souped up their ride with one thing in mind. 527 00:33:44,040 --> 00:33:49,180 Here we have the original factory installation, and here we have the 528 00:33:49,240 --> 00:33:52,700 more deluxe, little over -the -top installation. 529 00:33:54,400 --> 00:33:59,400 They're testing the myth that you can do this with a car stereo. 530 00:34:00,260 --> 00:34:04,860 And their diesel -powered speaker is just about ready to fire up. 531 00:34:05,900 --> 00:34:08,800 Now we just have to decide what tune we're going to play. 532 00:34:09,260 --> 00:34:14,139 DJ Jamie may be thinking about breaking out his hip -hop collection, but the 533 00:34:14,139 --> 00:34:18,400 sounds this speaker will generate won't be music to anyone's ears. 534 00:34:18,620 --> 00:34:25,420 We will not be piping a sound into this speaker, but it will be making a 535 00:34:25,420 --> 00:34:27,500 sound. Let me explain. 536 00:34:28,260 --> 00:34:32,300 We are merely creating a set of pressure waves, specifically just using the 537 00:34:32,300 --> 00:34:36,199 car's engine to make this thing go up and down about 15 to 20 times per 538 00:34:36,760 --> 00:34:40,739 That is sound because all sound is is a set of oscillating pressure waves. 539 00:34:42,420 --> 00:34:47,320 It's probably going to be too low to actually hear anything because humans 540 00:34:47,320 --> 00:34:53,080 hear really subsonic sounds like under 20, 25 hertz or 20 to 25 vibrations per 541 00:34:53,080 --> 00:34:54,080 second. 542 00:34:54,440 --> 00:35:00,240 But it will be incredibly high in the decibel range, and decibels is only a 543 00:35:00,240 --> 00:35:01,240 measure of pressure. 544 00:35:02,420 --> 00:35:07,060 And finally, because it's a little cramped up front, and no one wants to be 545 00:35:07,060 --> 00:35:11,840 the car when the Myth Warfer gets going, Adam rigs a sophisticated remote 546 00:35:11,840 --> 00:35:16,820 -controlled device for the throttle and gear lever, involving string and, you 547 00:35:16,820 --> 00:35:17,940 know, some knots. 548 00:35:20,480 --> 00:35:26,060 So that's it. Adam and Jamie's diesel -powered sub -warfer is all set to sound 549 00:35:26,060 --> 00:35:32,000 off. And fresh from the DV drag race in Daytona, our Duke of Decibels, Wayne 550 00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:35,780 Harris, is here to help measure the Mithwoofer's subsonic output. 551 00:35:38,120 --> 00:35:39,120 Check it out. 552 00:35:41,900 --> 00:35:44,040 It's like the world's largest wok. 553 00:35:45,500 --> 00:35:47,300 Holy cow, how big is that? 554 00:35:47,560 --> 00:35:49,480 Good question. How big is it? 555 00:35:49,700 --> 00:35:52,900 It is 51 inches in diameter. 556 00:35:53,140 --> 00:35:54,960 Judging by that stunned expression. 557 00:35:55,630 --> 00:36:01,250 Wayne has never seen one as big as Adam's. Yeah, it's a very, I mean, go 558 00:36:01,250 --> 00:36:02,109 stay home. 559 00:36:02,110 --> 00:36:07,190 I don't know if there's much more speaker that could be fit in here. No, I 560 00:36:07,190 --> 00:36:08,190 think so. 561 00:36:08,370 --> 00:36:13,030 And after a guided tour of the speaker specs, Wayne is still wearing that 562 00:36:13,030 --> 00:36:14,110 bemused look. 563 00:36:14,410 --> 00:36:16,750 I was thinking, you know, you're going to hook it up to the engine. I didn't 564 00:36:16,750 --> 00:36:18,030 realize you were going to use the transmitter. 565 00:36:18,870 --> 00:36:21,830 You got some serious torque. I don't even know how to convert that into 566 00:36:21,830 --> 00:36:22,830 equivalent power. 567 00:36:23,640 --> 00:36:27,020 Do you think it actually has the potential to destroy this car? 568 00:36:27,360 --> 00:36:31,220 Well, I'm pretty sure it's going to blow the windows out. At least one window. 569 00:36:31,280 --> 00:36:34,800 But as soon as you have an opening, you've released the pressure. And at 570 00:36:34,800 --> 00:36:36,960 point, then, you know, you're going to lose all of that energy. 571 00:36:37,700 --> 00:36:43,720 So it's time to raise the curtain on this tall tale of the shattering 572 00:36:44,580 --> 00:36:46,460 Adam takes off at safety zone. 573 00:36:47,340 --> 00:36:49,840 And the Mythwoofer is ready to roll. 574 00:36:50,200 --> 00:36:51,200 Let's go. 575 00:36:52,340 --> 00:36:54,320 Wayne prepares his measuring equipment. 576 00:36:55,680 --> 00:37:00,620 The setup is simple. A precision sound pressure level sensor will sit on the 577 00:37:00,620 --> 00:37:05,740 windshield inside the car, and Wayne will get a decibel reading on his laptop 578 00:37:05,740 --> 00:37:07,540 a safe distance. All right, high speed ready? 579 00:37:07,920 --> 00:37:14,620 Ready. Well, it's almost time to fire this thing off and potentially blow up 580 00:37:14,620 --> 00:37:15,379 this car. 581 00:37:15,380 --> 00:37:19,360 But first, I'd like to do one quick test run just to make sure it's operational. 582 00:37:20,720 --> 00:37:25,900 open all the doors so we don't build up any pressure, turn on the engine, make a 583 00:37:25,900 --> 00:37:29,320 test of pulling the car into gear, and a test of pulling the throttle just a 584 00:37:29,320 --> 00:37:30,320 little bit. 585 00:37:31,820 --> 00:37:36,980 The myth woofer has yet to be tried. The aim of this preliminary test is simply 586 00:37:36,980 --> 00:37:39,020 to check the massive speaker is working. 587 00:37:39,780 --> 00:37:44,360 You know what will make this test a success is the rig itself not failing. 588 00:37:44,800 --> 00:37:47,660 My big concern is that the subwoofer is not going to hold together. 589 00:37:48,280 --> 00:37:51,680 there's going to be tremendous forces that play on the linkage between the 590 00:37:51,680 --> 00:37:56,620 engine and the cone of the woofer. And if the cone starts to fluctuate, it 591 00:37:56,620 --> 00:37:57,900 literally rip itself apart. 592 00:37:58,360 --> 00:37:59,360 You ready, Wayne? 593 00:37:59,860 --> 00:38:01,040 Ready! Okay. 594 00:38:05,680 --> 00:38:06,680 Stop! 595 00:38:08,800 --> 00:38:11,460 That looks like it worked. 596 00:38:12,290 --> 00:38:17,110 Like a dream, Adam pulled the throttle, the drive shaft spun the crank, which 597 00:38:17,110 --> 00:38:21,650 pumped the pushrod, and that, in turn, pumped the speaker cone through several 598 00:38:21,650 --> 00:38:22,650 cycles. 599 00:38:23,090 --> 00:38:26,150 Dude, I'm cautiously optimistic. 600 00:38:27,010 --> 00:38:31,170 That's exactly what we wanted to see. We wanted to see it go without any big 601 00:38:31,170 --> 00:38:34,670 kabang and things shooting off. So we know the rig worked. 602 00:38:35,110 --> 00:38:38,190 Now it's time to close the door and do it under pressure. 603 00:38:44,270 --> 00:38:50,210 So far, it's rough road myth one, Cary Grant and Tori Zip. To even the score, 604 00:38:50,470 --> 00:38:55,670 the team have decamped to the wide open asphalt of Alameda. The dirt road data 605 00:38:55,670 --> 00:38:57,950 they've gathered so far is a little confusing. 606 00:38:58,750 --> 00:39:03,950 The pyramids and the suspension gauge seem to indicate a faster ride is a 607 00:39:03,950 --> 00:39:04,950 bumpier ride. 608 00:39:05,070 --> 00:39:06,070 Wow! 609 00:39:07,030 --> 00:39:10,490 But Grant's accelerometer hinted at the opposite. 610 00:39:11,440 --> 00:39:16,380 To solve the problem, our intrepid trio have decided to build a washboard road 611 00:39:16,380 --> 00:39:17,380 of their own. 612 00:39:17,640 --> 00:39:22,960 So, Carrie, what's the plan? The plan today is going to be a little back 613 00:39:22,960 --> 00:39:28,420 -breaking. We have about 4 ,000 pounds of steel angle iron that we are going to 614 00:39:28,420 --> 00:39:34,240 lay with about 8 -inch increments and weld them all down to make one long 615 00:39:35,620 --> 00:39:36,800 It's going to be a long day. 616 00:39:38,460 --> 00:39:40,140 It doesn't look that tough. 617 00:39:40,440 --> 00:39:42,420 Especially if you edit the sequence like this. 618 00:39:45,860 --> 00:39:50,600 Voila! One easy to assemble, straight out of the box, washboard road. 619 00:39:50,840 --> 00:39:52,540 Grant's going to tell us more about it. 620 00:39:52,760 --> 00:39:57,040 We've taken this angle iron and welded it to the steel here, creating a 621 00:39:57,040 --> 00:40:01,920 washboard pattern. And our research indicates that four inches tall and 622 00:40:01,920 --> 00:40:05,520 eight inches apart is about as bad as washboarding can get. 623 00:40:07,600 --> 00:40:12,520 So this steel track is an exact replica of the corrugated roads in Australia, 624 00:40:12,720 --> 00:40:17,180 where the myth comes from, which means when Torres finished his siesta, there's 625 00:40:17,180 --> 00:40:20,520 just one thing left to do. The test is going to be, we're just going to drive 626 00:40:20,520 --> 00:40:26,140 over our strip of washboard at different speeds, probably start around 10 miles 627 00:40:26,140 --> 00:40:29,580 an hour and then slowly ramp up to 70 miles an hour. 628 00:40:29,940 --> 00:40:34,620 For these runs, the team are just using the glass pyramid and the accelerometer. 629 00:40:35,260 --> 00:40:37,240 Five miles an hour and he's still wearing his helmet. 630 00:40:39,480 --> 00:40:42,080 And Grant is all set for the first run. 631 00:40:43,300 --> 00:40:44,660 NASCAR it ain't. 632 00:40:45,460 --> 00:40:49,680 Cruising at a breakneck five miles an hour, he hits the test track. 633 00:40:50,180 --> 00:40:55,500 But surprisingly, Grant and the glass pyramid are really feeling the vibe. Oh, 634 00:40:55,540 --> 00:40:56,840 look at the glasses spilling. 635 00:40:58,680 --> 00:41:02,840 Interesting. That's pretty bumpy. I saw that. You could see all the water 636 00:41:02,840 --> 00:41:04,020 jumping out of the glass. 637 00:41:04,400 --> 00:41:09,080 The glass pyramid showed a lot of activity, but the high speed is 638 00:41:09,280 --> 00:41:13,860 The wheel is bouncing, but how much, we won't know until we see a comparison. 639 00:41:15,060 --> 00:41:16,640 Time for run number two. 640 00:41:16,840 --> 00:41:20,440 Grant has to keep the speed at a steady 40 miles an hour. 641 00:41:22,620 --> 00:41:26,900 Tori and Carrie are charged with the responsibility of timing the run. 642 00:41:27,160 --> 00:41:28,160 Did you time it? 643 00:41:28,300 --> 00:41:29,300 I did it. It went 1 ,000. 644 00:41:30,120 --> 00:41:33,580 So you basically didn't time it. It was 1 ,000. 645 00:41:34,440 --> 00:41:35,980 It was less than two seconds. 646 00:41:36,220 --> 00:41:37,360 I didn't have a watch or anything. 647 00:41:38,400 --> 00:41:43,140 Okay, so the timing thing didn't work out. But the high -speed camera is very 648 00:41:43,140 --> 00:41:47,920 interesting. Compared to the slow run, the wheels are skimming across the tops 649 00:41:47,920 --> 00:41:48,920 of the bumps. 650 00:41:50,140 --> 00:41:53,040 By feeling it, it felt a lot smoother. 651 00:41:53,320 --> 00:41:57,040 Really? I don't know what the data is going to say. Okay, let's count up our 652 00:41:57,040 --> 00:41:58,040 water. 653 00:41:58,190 --> 00:42:01,810 But there's some head scratching because the numbers just don't add up. 654 00:42:02,250 --> 00:42:03,410 You ready for the countdown? 655 00:42:03,770 --> 00:42:08,770 Yep. Although Grant experienced a smoother ride, there was more water lost 656 00:42:08,770 --> 00:42:09,950 the slower run. Here. 657 00:42:10,590 --> 00:42:14,310 Yeah, those two there. It looks like you've lost two. Which means the 658 00:42:14,310 --> 00:42:17,850 data contradicts Grant's subjective experience in the car. 659 00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:24,900 Tori and Grant respond to this blip in the proceedings in their own special 660 00:42:25,120 --> 00:42:28,440 You'll never defeat me. I have come to take over the world. 661 00:42:28,800 --> 00:42:35,720 And with that done, it's time for the final run. And Grant feels the 662 00:42:35,720 --> 00:42:37,940 need, the need for speed. 663 00:42:38,340 --> 00:42:41,540 This run is going to hit 70 miles an hour. 664 00:42:41,760 --> 00:42:45,180 So if he starts steering in towards us, let's just run. 665 00:42:49,830 --> 00:42:54,790 Grant and the cutlass fly over the track. The high -speed camera again 666 00:42:54,790 --> 00:42:59,650 the tires skip across the peaks of the corrugations, exactly as the myth 667 00:42:59,650 --> 00:43:00,650 suggests. 668 00:43:00,690 --> 00:43:03,130 It felt actually pretty smooth. 669 00:43:03,410 --> 00:43:04,430 Yeah, it looked really smooth. 670 00:43:04,630 --> 00:43:06,990 I mean, subjectively, very smooth. 671 00:43:07,230 --> 00:43:09,810 From the glasses, it's looking really good. It looks like there's a lot less 672 00:43:09,810 --> 00:43:13,930 spillage this time. This time, the water loss from the pyramid backs up both 673 00:43:13,930 --> 00:43:16,470 Grant's experience and the high -speed result. 674 00:43:18,120 --> 00:43:19,800 Quarter. That's it. That's it. 675 00:43:20,700 --> 00:43:23,600 So it's looking good for myth confirmed. 676 00:43:23,880 --> 00:43:27,080 And Tori celebrates with a few skid marks. 677 00:43:27,340 --> 00:43:31,860 Well, Jamie, we went ahead and built our artificial washboard. I think we can 678 00:43:31,860 --> 00:43:36,580 conclusively say driving faster on a rough road will give you a smoother 679 00:43:36,840 --> 00:43:41,040 Still, you know, you're driving 70 miles an hour and you hit a pothole. You're 680 00:43:41,040 --> 00:43:42,780 going to break your suspension with that kind of math and velocity. 681 00:43:43,140 --> 00:43:44,140 What's the verdict? 682 00:43:44,440 --> 00:43:46,560 Well, as far as the myth goes. 683 00:43:47,070 --> 00:43:47,848 It's confirmed. 684 00:43:47,850 --> 00:43:49,350 Confirmed. Confirmed. Cool. 685 00:43:56,570 --> 00:44:01,330 Adam and Jamie have successfully tested the world's first diesel -powered 686 00:44:01,330 --> 00:44:02,330 speaker. 687 00:44:02,610 --> 00:44:09,310 The question now is how to maximize the rig's potential for the real experiment. 688 00:44:09,910 --> 00:44:13,630 Do we bring it up to a certain speed and just run it until it busts, or do we 689 00:44:13,630 --> 00:44:16,530 try and like... Like that. I just... 690 00:44:16,840 --> 00:44:19,120 I want to crank it and just send it to the moon. 691 00:44:19,320 --> 00:44:24,560 Adam's solution has got Mythbusters stamped all over it. Let's do it. XS and 692 00:44:24,560 --> 00:44:25,600 lots of it. 693 00:44:26,880 --> 00:44:31,260 Adam fires up the engine, and Wayne gets into position at the recording station. 694 00:44:32,780 --> 00:44:39,560 In order for this myth to be true, we need to see this car destroyed in some 695 00:44:39,560 --> 00:44:43,740 fashion by the sound system, i .e. our big speaker. 696 00:44:44,020 --> 00:44:46,140 Anything else in this thing is pretty much busted. 697 00:44:46,680 --> 00:44:50,020 I don't believe there's any way that the subwoofer is going to detonate the 698 00:44:50,020 --> 00:44:53,440 vehicle. I think there's a good possibility you could blow out the 699 00:44:53,440 --> 00:44:54,440 break some of the windows. 700 00:44:54,680 --> 00:44:58,460 But as far as actually detonating the vehicle, I don't see that happening. 701 00:44:58,700 --> 00:45:03,980 Of course, Adam and Jamie are impartial scientists, so a result either way is 702 00:45:03,980 --> 00:45:07,160 valid. But let's face it, music to their ears. 703 00:45:07,400 --> 00:45:11,220 We've got three melodies. It's called first gear, second gear, and third gear. 704 00:45:11,460 --> 00:45:13,600 Will be the sound of shattering car. 705 00:45:13,940 --> 00:45:15,620 Ready, let's go for it. In three. 706 00:45:27,340 --> 00:45:31,980 Now that didn't go to plan. The car is very unexploded. 707 00:45:33,440 --> 00:45:37,220 I'm thinking the audio guy better get ready with the bleep machine. 708 00:45:37,620 --> 00:45:39,600 There you go. 709 00:45:42,980 --> 00:45:44,460 I don't see no cracked glass. 710 00:45:45,610 --> 00:45:50,230 And why not? Because the speaker sure did look like it was working. And if it 711 00:45:50,230 --> 00:45:53,330 was, it was pumping out some serious sound pressure. 712 00:45:54,050 --> 00:45:57,690 It actually, to me, looked like a piece of medical hardware when it was pumped. 713 00:45:57,770 --> 00:46:04,050 It looked like some kind of... I mean, it was so kind of barbarically primitive 714 00:46:04,050 --> 00:46:06,230 in the way it was moving. 715 00:46:06,610 --> 00:46:12,410 And yet, I was so gratefully pleased to see that it was moving exactly as we 716 00:46:12,410 --> 00:46:13,410 intended it to move. 717 00:46:15,440 --> 00:46:16,440 Check this out. 718 00:46:16,800 --> 00:46:19,340 Blew the sunroof completely out of its tracks. 719 00:46:19,840 --> 00:46:20,840 Oh, no! 720 00:46:21,640 --> 00:46:23,960 Well, that's probably the reason the windows didn't go on. 721 00:46:24,180 --> 00:46:27,580 Yeah, once you have any type of opening, you know, all the pressure inside is 722 00:46:27,580 --> 00:46:31,140 released. The reason that we didn't get an explosion or shattered glass is 723 00:46:31,140 --> 00:46:35,460 because when you put pressure in a car like this, that pressure is going to 724 00:46:35,460 --> 00:46:38,200 the first outlet it can and release itself. 725 00:46:38,720 --> 00:46:43,660 In this case, it popped the sunroof off of its tracks itself, not a small feat. 726 00:46:44,280 --> 00:46:48,600 And at that point, nothing else was going to fail because the air had plenty 727 00:46:48,600 --> 00:46:51,700 room to move around then by escaping from the car. 728 00:46:52,380 --> 00:46:57,280 Okay, so the sound pressure escaped into the wild blue yonder via the sunroom, 729 00:46:57,460 --> 00:47:00,580 leaving the windows and the rest of the car intact. 730 00:47:01,480 --> 00:47:06,580 But how many decibels did the Mithwoofer pump out before it broke down? 731 00:47:07,500 --> 00:47:13,560 It did a 161 .3 when it failed, but what's really impressive is it did it at 732 00:47:13,560 --> 00:47:18,220 hertz. That is just almost unheard of to produce sound pressure levels that high 733 00:47:18,220 --> 00:47:19,420 at such low frequencies. 734 00:47:19,700 --> 00:47:23,400 It just takes a tremendous amount of energy to do that. If we were getting 735 00:47:23,400 --> 00:47:25,640 dB at 16 hertz... 736 00:47:26,259 --> 00:47:30,700 Does that mean that we're only going to get 160 dB at any hertz? No, because you 737 00:47:30,700 --> 00:47:34,020 didn't hit the resonant frequency of the vehicle. There's a lot of resonances 738 00:47:34,020 --> 00:47:36,060 and reflections and things like that that come into play. 739 00:47:36,700 --> 00:47:41,280 I've never seen a car brutalized like this. I think we did a good job of this. 740 00:47:42,320 --> 00:47:46,740 Wayne had never seen anything like this. I don't think there's ever been a 741 00:47:46,740 --> 00:47:51,000 speaker installed in a car that is this big and this powerful. 742 00:47:51,760 --> 00:47:56,740 Well, we managed to get the speaker working. The rig held together 743 00:47:57,020 --> 00:48:04,000 enough for us to get up to 16 hertz. That's 16 pumps per second, which 744 00:48:04,000 --> 00:48:05,920 is not an unimpressive feat. 745 00:48:06,460 --> 00:48:13,060 And we achieved 161 decibels and change at that hertz, which is actually, 746 00:48:13,140 --> 00:48:16,100 by all accounts, a pretty astonishing amount of sound pressure. 747 00:48:16,940 --> 00:48:20,860 Remember, a jet engine with 15 ,000 pounds of thrust. 748 00:48:21,290 --> 00:48:24,330 generates 165 decibels of sound pressure. 749 00:48:24,590 --> 00:48:27,530 Wow. It's just an incredible amount of force. 750 00:48:28,970 --> 00:48:33,230 With the Miff Whopper pumping out that kind of sound energy and the car still 751 00:48:33,230 --> 00:48:35,590 not detonating... Now there's the failure. 752 00:48:35,910 --> 00:48:40,530 This myth is looking as busted as, well, the Miff Whopper. Wow. That was a 753 00:48:40,530 --> 00:48:41,530 violent thing. 754 00:48:41,650 --> 00:48:42,830 It's a heck of a tune. 755 00:48:43,810 --> 00:48:48,730 Did someone ask for a tune? The Bat Lady is warming up right now. 756 00:48:49,500 --> 00:48:52,380 Well, guys, what are we going to call this? Busted, plausible, or confirmed? 757 00:48:52,840 --> 00:48:54,420 Busted, without a doubt. 758 00:48:54,680 --> 00:48:59,960 Look, we created some ludicrously high decibel levels, and the pressure did 759 00:48:59,960 --> 00:49:03,720 exactly what it'll do on any car. It found one outlet, popped out through 760 00:49:03,880 --> 00:49:05,820 and stopped acting on the rest of the car. 761 00:49:06,220 --> 00:49:09,480 I'm not saying you can't smash glass with sound. 762 00:49:09,700 --> 00:49:13,980 I mean, I think that's entirely possible, but you cannot destroy a car. 763 00:49:14,320 --> 00:49:19,280 Face it, the speaker's so big you can't get in the car, so... It's ridiculously 764 00:49:19,280 --> 00:49:22,400 oversized, and it's powered by the diesel. 765 00:49:22,660 --> 00:49:28,540 If that doesn't do it, then any kind of regular conventional speaker isn't going 766 00:49:28,540 --> 00:49:30,640 to do it, even a really, really big one. Yeah. 767 00:49:31,240 --> 00:49:32,240 It's totally busted. 768 00:49:32,460 --> 00:49:33,460 Totally busted.