1. Apply the parking brake and set the gear selector in neutral or park.
2. Place SoundRacer in the cigarette lighter/12V/24V socket.
   The display indicating FM frequency should light up automatically. If not, the ignition key has to be turned to the position where power is applied to the socket. You will see the display light up when power is on.
3. Turn on the FM receiver and set it to a frequency where no radio station is heard.
   Press the + or – button on SoundRacer to set the same frequency as on the FM receiver, then you should hear the sound of an idling engine. Adjust the volume on the radio so that the sound is clearly heard.
4. Start the engine and rev it up to 2500-3000rpm (revolutions per minute) by quickly pressing down the throttle and then release it. You should hear a short beep in the speakers when the engine is slowing down. The beep indicates that SoundRacer has found the alternator signal. After about 2-4 seconds, when the engine is down to the idling rpm, you should hear two beeps indicating that SoundRacer has detected the idling rpm.
5. That’s it! Now you can press down on the throttle and hear a Super Sports Car engine rev up.

Drive off and enjoy, but always drive safely!

Engine sound: Adjust volume, treble and bass on the radio to get the best sound experience in your car. More bass brings a more powerful sound effect. Just be careful not to blow your speakers.

Engine speed: If you want the SoundRacer “engine” to run on lower rpm you can adjust it by locking the idling to a higher rpm. This is done by not releasing the throttle fully during startup, after the first beep you keep the rpm at approximately 1500-2000 rpm. This is useful if you drive a “high rev” car or for highway driving.

 

3. How it works

The technology in SoundRacer is based on signals (electrical noise) on the electrical cables from the AC alternator.

The signal frequency follows the engine speed, SoundRacer detects this signal and transforms it to a simulated rpm. The increase in simulated rpm is then multiplied in order to produce a more exciting acceleration impression without running the car’s engine at high rpm.  Based on the changes in rpm SoundRacer also produces different  sounds: idling, acceleration at lower rpm, acceleration at higher rpm and deceleration, etc.

The engine sounds are transferred to the car radio by a FM transmitter.

Use the 3.5 mm stereo cable to connect a MP3 or CD player to SoundRacer to enjoy your favorite music on the car stereo. The 3.5 mm plugs fits in the headset output of the music player and the line in socket under the SoundRacer front. Engine sound is automatically muted when the plug is inserted. 

5. If it does not works as expected

The radio will not remain on the selected frequency, changes to another station.
Try deactivating AF function on the radio. AF is used to automatically search for the best station in an area.  Usually there is an AF button on the radio and an AF symbol in the display. Press the AF button until the AF symbol disappears. See the user manual for your car radio for a detailed and correct description.

The radio reception is weak, the sound is low with a lot of noise.
Check the car antenna and radio. The transmitting power of SoundRacer and other FM transmitters is limited by government regulations. This means that the antenna cannot be too far from the transmitter.
Check that no radio station transmits very close to the selected frequency.

The sound quality is low.
The quality of the engine sound is naturally highly dependent on the sound system in the car. With high class radio receiver, amplifier and speakers you will have an astonishing sound experience, with a standard car stereo you will still have great engine sound but maybe less impressive. Especially the low frequency sounds are important so adjust the audio controls on the radio to suit your taste.

SoundRacer cannot find the rpm?
If there is no first beep or second beeps, then SoundRacer has a problem to detect the alternator signal and rpm. This can happen if the alternator signal is very low compared to other electrical noise. Try switching off the fan, air condition, wipers or other potential sources of electrical noise.  If there is still no rpm detection, try in another car. SoundRacer works in most car models on the market.

SoundRacer does not follow the engine rpm?
If the engine sound repeatedly changes to higher rpm when the engine is idling then try to lock the idling to a higher rpm, see Tips & Tricks. This makes the rpm detection avoid the higher noise levels that some cars have at lower rpm. Also other problems with rpm following can be reduced by this action.

6. Specifications

Built–in FM transmitter with LED display
Frequency range: 88.1 to 107.9 MHz
3,5 mm stereo plug line input (cable included)
Transmits music from an external audio player to FM radio
Power supply: 12V/24V from cig. lighter socket. 30mA/15mA. Fuse 100 mA.