[DiabloHnda]

I deactivated the active cylinder management (ACM). Because it's stupid and saves a thimble of gas per tank, at a cost of a wandering cruise control and other problems.

Reportedly, the active noise cancelling (ANC) system exists largely to counter low-frequency sounds that result from ACM engagement. It works through the subwoofer and only reacts to very low frequencies.

Rumor is that it also is the source of the "sporty exhaust note" that the PP has over the Pilot. That all the car reviewers raved about.

So, I unplugged that thing from behind the glove box. I can confirm unequivocally that the ANC is definitely the source of the sporty exhaust note.

The car is much quieter now and less annoying when accelerating. I know some people like that noise...but I like a quiet car.

Ironically, removing the ANC has made the car quieter. Takes 10 minutes and you can do it with a plastic spoon.

 

[58HUSTLER]

I deactivated the active cylinder management (ACM). Because it's stupid and saves a thimble of gas per tank, at a cost of a wandering cruise control and other problems.

Reportedly, the active noise cancelling (ANC) system exists largely to counter low-frequency sounds that result from ACM engagement. It works through the subwoofer and only reacts to very low frequencies.

Rumor is that it also is the source of the "sporty exhaust note" that the PP has over the Pilot. That all the car reviewers raved about.

So, I unplugged that thing from behind the glove box. I can confirm unequivocally that the ANC is definitely the source of the sporty exhaust note.

The car is much quieter now and less annoying when accelerating. I know some people like that noise...but I like a quiet car.

Ironically, removing the ANC has made the car quieter. Takes 10 minutes and you can do it with a plastic spoon.

"Sporty exhaust note" reminded me when I was researching GLC AMG Mercs they have a "performance exhaust" option, costs $1250, doesn't add any more performance or hp, just makes more "pops and gurgles". I kept thinking, "are you kidding?"

 

[Jermboy777]

I deactivated the active cylinder management (ACM). Because it's stupid and saves a thimble of gas per tank, at a cost of a wandering cruise control and other problems.

Reportedly, the active noise cancelling (ANC) system exists largely to counter low-frequency sounds that result from ACM engagement. It works through the subwoofer and only reacts to very low frequencies.

Rumor is that it also is the source of the "sporty exhaust note" that the PP has over the Pilot. That all the car reviewers raved about.

So, I unplugged that thing from behind the glove box. I can confirm unequivocally that the ANC is definitely the source of the sporty exhaust note.

The car is much quieter now and less annoying when accelerating. I know some people like that noise...but I like a quiet car.

Ironically, removing the ANC has made the car quieter. Takes 10 minutes and you can do it with a plastic spoon.

what did you use to deactivate the VCM?

 

[DiabloHnda]

Vcmtuner.com

I got the II version. Easy install. Works as claimed.

 

[storm303]

Vcmtuner.com

I got the II version. Easy install. Works as claimed.

Yep I've been happy without ANC and I think Honda should be ashamed of fake exhaust sounds. Any warranty or service concerns with ACM/VCM disabled? Is the cruise control markedly better?

 

[ksulliva01]

You know what's strange is that I unplugged the ANC as well, and I thought the car lost a bit of engine "growl" especially in the low end. Vtec is still there when you push it, but the general tone is less throaty and more smooth/modern car. But then I plugged it back in, and the growl never came back so I assumed that I imagined it. This is after a few months of regular use, no change in engine sound after that initial unplug. Also pulled fuses on every audio component to try and reset it (audio, backup, acc, amp etc.) just out of curiosity to see if Honda was faking the engine noise, I wanted to try and get it back. I wonder if unplugging ANC sends some signal to the Audio system or ECU (which I believe sends the rpm count to the ANC/ASC control unit that matches the revs with the fake sound effect) that is it is missing, and this is retained after plugging it back in. Either that or unplugging it with the car running broke the unit, which I did. You'd think a simple on/off ignition cycle would reset everything. Perhaps a battery disconnect would be the only way to truly reset it? I would be curious to know if you plugged yours back in, would the fake engine sound come back.

Also how did you do this with a plastic spoon? I took the whole glove box and half the dashboard out to reach that thing.

What trim are you guys running? I have a sport trim, and I have also wondered if honda exaggerates the engine sound on higher trim levels since the acoustic glass/insulation would mean a quieter engine.

 

[storm303]

You know what's strange is that I unplugged the ANC as well, and I thought the car lost a bit of engine "growl" especially in the low end. Vtec is still there when you push it, but the general tone is less throaty and more smooth/modern car. But then I plugged it back in, and the growl never came back so I assumed that I imagined it. This is after a few months of regular use, no change in engine sound after that initial unplug. Also pulled fuses on every audio component to try and reset it (audio, backup, acc, amp etc.) just out of curiosity to see if Honda was faking the engine noise, I wanted to try and get it back. I wonder if unplugging ANC sends some signal to the Audio system or ECU (which I believe sends the rpm count to the ANC/ASC control unit that matches the revs with the fake sound effect) that is it is missing, and this is retained after plugging it back in. Either that or unplugging it with the car running broke the unit, which I did. You'd think a simple on/off ignition cycle would reset everything. Perhaps a battery disconnect would be the only way to truly reset it? I would be curious to know if you plugged yours back in, would the fake engine sound come back.

Also how did you do this with a plastic spoon? I took the whole glove box and half the dashboard out to reach that thing.

What trim are you guys running? I have a sport trim, and I have also wondered if honda exaggerates the engine sound on higher trim levels since the acoustic glass/insulation would mean a quieter engine.

My Touring fake engine sound comes back whenever reconnecting. All trims have it to my knowledge. Not sure why yours wont come back on, did you do anything to the mics? Maybe you need to reset ANC on the head unit diagnostic?

I think the plastic spoon just refers to grabbing the plug on the ANC harness but still have to get access to the module with partial dash removal. I could be wrong though.

 

[ksulliva01]

My Touring fake engine sound comes back whenever reconnecting. All trims have it to my knowledge. Not sure why yours wont come back on, did you do anything to the mics? Maybe you need to reset ANC on the head unit diagnostic?

I think the plastic spoon just refers to grabbing the plug on the ANC harness but still have to get access to the module with partial dash removal. I could be wrong though.

Very interesting... The 5'' sport trim head unit diagnostic menu has an option for ANC under the sound menu, which defaults to "off" but I don't know if this means the unit is off, or if it means the diagnostic test for the unit is off. If you switch it to On, nothing really happens, then back to off, a low hum is emitted through the speakers for about a minute, but on or off, makes no difference on engine sound or music. Now I see for you guys that this unit is definitely generating fake engine noise. This leads me to believe that one of the following is true:

A) On the sport trim, with less sound deadening and no acoustic glass at all and the shittier head unit, Honda did not feel it necessary to include fake engine sound as the cabin is less insulated ( I may have imagined any perceived engine/stereo changes that first time I disconnected.) Wiring diagrams of the ANC connector in the passport service manual are slightly different for the Sport Trim 5'' Radio vs the 8'' touchscreen that's on all other models, with the touchscreen having extra pins labeled "front mix." Who knows, but I don't think this is the case.

B) The first time I disconnected it, it triggered some change that causes it to not be recognized by the audio system.

C) I broke the unit by repeatedly connecting/disconnecting and tugging on it. LOL. I don't think this is the case either.

Anyways, I'm definitely devoting too much thought to this relatively pointless issue, but It's driving me crazy wondering if I imagined all of the changes I thought I heard. Will try disconnecting / reconnecting one more time, and then a battery disconnect to reset everything. Then I will give up and go back to living my life.

 

[ksulliva01]

And just to be clear - the fake sound you are referring to, is that the vtec sound that kicks in at 5500 rpm? Or is it constant throughout the rev range?

 

[ksulliva01]

Update: Unplugged the ANC unit and plugged it back in. The diagnostic screen now shows "ANC ON" as default instead of "ANC OFF" like it was before, so there was some kind of reset. The fake sound is there again. I have to say it's pretty subtle. Maybe the sport trim with the weaker stereo and old fashioned head unit doesn't make as pronounced of an effect as what you guys are hearing. It's not really night and day. It seems to add a little low-frequency to the engine tone, like it sounds slightly fuller and slightly closer, but not much else. I really wonder if engineers felt it necessary to add more fake engine sound to the quieter, more insulated cabins of the higher trim levels. That being said, this J35 engine does sound pretty great all by itself.

On another note - deactivating VCM, interesting. Never seems to bother me, and I've gotten 29 mpg at ~72mph on a 230 mile highway trip which I attributed to this system (and a super light foot on that particular trip). Do you think it's worthless? How could 3 cylinders not consume less gas than 6?

 

[Jermboy777]

Update: Unplugged the ANC unit and plugged it back in. The diagnostic screen now shows "ANC ON" as default instead of "ANC OFF" like it was before, so there was some kind of reset. The fake sound is there again. I have to say it's pretty subtle. Maybe the sport trim with the weaker stereo and old fashioned head unit doesn't make as pronounced of an effect as what you guys are hearing. It's not really night and day. It seems to add a little low-frequency to the engine tone, like it sounds slightly fuller and slightly closer, but not much else. I really wonder if engineers felt it necessary to add more fake engine sound to the quieter, more insulated cabins of the higher trim levels. That being said, this J35 engine does sound pretty great all by itself.

On another note - deactivating VCM, interesting. Never seems to bother me, and I've gotten 29 mpg at ~72mph on a 230 mile highway trip which I attributed to this system (and a super light foot on that particular trip). Do you think it's worthless? How could 3 cylinders not consume less gas than 6?

People aren’t deactivating the VCM for mpg purposes, I think they’re doing it because of the VCM issues that were had in the past. It obviously is a violent enough shake and sound that Honda is using electronic engine mounts and using the ANC system to counteract the sounds of the VCM system. Will anyone have issues down the road resulting from VCM operation? Who knows.. that’s TBD. I would imagine Honda solved those issues of the past.

I don’t run any aftermarket sound equipment in my PP because I think the system sounds fine, so I don’t see the necessity in disabling the ANC with the factory sound system.

 

[ksulliva01]

Yeah I get that - I've heard of these issues with VCM and was wondering if the savings in fuel economy are really so small that the system is not worth the possible downsides. Agreed on the sound system.

 

[Jermboy777]

Yeah I get that - I've heard of these issues with VCM and was wondering if the savings in fuel economy are really so small that the system is not worth the possible downsides. Agreed on the sound system.

It would be cool to see someone do a comparison test. Hopefully the VCM doesn’t generate problems.
It

It’s funny because I thought the sound system was mediocre at first until I rode in the passenger seat on vacation and noticed there was no sound coming out of the right side speakers. I checked the sound balance between the speakers and found that it was set 100% to the driver’s speaker. Needless to say I corrected it to play equally throughout the vehicle and now it sounds great lol

 

[ksulliva01]

It would be cool to see someone do a comparison test. Hopefully the VCM doesn’t generate problems.
It

It’s funny because I thought the sound system was mediocre at first until I rode in the passenger seat on vacation and noticed there was no sound coming out of the right side speakers. I checked the sound balance between the speakers and found that it was set 100% to the driver’s speaker. Needless to say I corrected it to play equally throughout the vehicle and now it sounds great lol

Does VCM come on in ECO and standard driving modes or only ECO?

In terms of VCM causing issues, much of Honda's reputation is in reliability, and a lot of that is through word of mouth. I find it hard to believe they would implement a system that could undermine this reputation ?. Speaking of reliability, Honda ranked 12th out of 30 brands on the new Consumer Reports car reliability rankings released yesterday, for what it's worth. (Passport was named most unreliable Honda vehicle lol I think by default since it is the newest model.)

Regarding stereo, similar thing happened to me during test drive! Bass and treble were set as low as possible. Thought man this might be a dealbreaker, it sounds horrible. Luckily went in and brought both of them up to flat and was like ahhh ok, I knew it couldn't be that bad lol.

 

[Jermboy777]

Does VCM come on in ECO and standard driving modes or only ECO?

In terms of VCM causing issues, much of Honda's reputation is in reliability, and a lot of that is through word of mouth. I find it hard to believe they would implement a system that could undermine this reputation ?. Speaking of reliability, Honda ranked 12th out of 30 brands on the new Consumer Reports car reliability rankings released yesterday, for what it's worth. (Passport was named most unreliable Honda vehicle lol I think by default since it is the newest model.)

Regarding stereo, similar thing happened to me during test drive! Bass and treble were set as low as possible. Thought man this might be a dealbreaker, it sounds horrible. Luckily went in and brought both of them up to flat and was like ahhh ok, I knew it couldn't be that bad lol.

It comes on in all modes. It would have been awesome if it was tied directly to ECON only, so you could have the choice of using it or not.

I agree that Honda, nor any automaker for that matter, would ever implement any system that could cause problems. However when it’s new technology, shit happens, so hopefully they corrected that shit and we are in the clear!

Haha too funny, had I not sat in the passenger seat that time who knows how long it would have taken me to realize the sound was off everywhere else

 

[storm303]

I think someone did a VCM before and after disable fuel test on a Pilot. I don't remember the exact thread but it saves maybe 1mpg in ideal conditions. The system is shutting off certain cylinders all the time and has a whole system to deal with rumble and vibration. How can that possibly not affect reliability? I'm sure it is way better than the previous VCM and I never worried about it on my last Honda, but still seems very silly. Why not a better way to get the MPG? Similarly, ANC seems like a cheap way to quiet the cabin vs. Spending for the right materials.

The exhaust sound is similarly confounding, just why? It wasn't night and day for me either but very noticeable. Who wants to hear engine noise? Not me, that is what a sports car is for.

 

[storm303]

One more thought, after all my detailed tinkering and trials with the stereo described in another thread, the factory system is really not bad and maybe most will not change it. Yet why is ANC not a simple switch to disable for those of us who do want to add to the stereo or not hear that exhaust noise? Please stop choosing things for us Honda, especially questionable ones.

 

[ksulliva01]

VCM is good marketing. It gives salesmen something to say, and I think the average consumer hears that half the engine shuts off and assumes gas consumption will be halved as well. I was excited about it until I realized it doesn't actually do much.

ANC is a clever idea in theory. I think Honda probably assumed it would always be in the background and people wouldn't really know or care about it, let alone rip apart their dashboards to unplug it. You're right though, why not a setting to turn it off? Most noise canceling headphones have a switch to disengage the effect.

Sorry off topic but.... "Who wants to hear engine noise?" ?... If I could afford one of these as a weekend ride, I would not care about the sound of my Passport lol.

 

[58HUSTLER]

VCM is good marketing. It gives salesmen something to say, and I think the average consumer hears that half the engine shuts off and assumes gas consumption will be halved as well. I was excited about it until I realized it doesn't actually do much.

ANC is a clever idea in theory. I think Honda probably assumed it would always be in the background and people wouldn't really know or care about it, let alone rip apart their dashboards to unplug it. You're right though, why not a setting to turn it off? Most noise canceling headphones have a switch to disengage the effect.

Sorry off topic but.... "Who wants to hear engine noise?" ?... If I could afford one of these as a weekend ride, I would not care about the sound of my Passport lol.

Try and install an aftermarket subwoofer and you'll find out why it matters! Wish I'd known about the ANC when I put in a new sound system in my Ridgeline two years ago.