[Timpo]

Why do better performing engines sound good?
Because sometimes, better sound the more horsepower.

You can just hear them and powerful engines generally sound really good.

I found it funny because 'good sound' is highly subjective.

I thought it was the volume(loundness) of engine, but it was not.
Because if you put a loud exhaust system on a crappy engine, they would just sound like a loud shitty car.

For example if you put straight pipe(or something loud) on used Chevy Cavalier, and match the loudness of, say 110-120 decibel Lamborghini V12, you can still easily tell the loud Cavalier isn't making much power.

Even 4 bangers like Honda K20 engine, when you mod the engine, the more power it makes, the better it sounds. Add ITB, high compression piston, ECU, high flow injector, header, exhaust, etc...
No I'm not talking about how LOUD you can get (you know?)

I know that Veyron's W16 may not sound good as Ferrari V12, but if you mod them, they tend to sound better. Have you guys noticed that?

[XplicitLuder]

Wut
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[Grim]

yea... just like how an ugly chick seem to sound more annoying compare to a hot chick.

[320icar]

^^ that is so not true. Those fucking air headed blonde bimbos with their idiotic voices sound brutal.




.... That's why we have ball gags for the bedroom
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[mos_skeeto]

this thread makes me
http://i.imgur.com/EpX69oQ.jpg

[Marshall Placid]

You make a lot of sense, and what you said is agreeable.

You can usually tell from the exhaust noise as well.

4 straight versus V6/straight versus V8...

[Lomac]

A lot of stock exhausts of "high performance" cars have systems that are tuned specifically to make a nice sound. Those high pitch whines coming from that Ferrari 458 or Porsche Carrera GT aren't natural. It's the work of thousands of hours tweaking a bend here, moving one of the mufflers another inch, etc., etc.

But, yes. A lot of the "good" sound does also come from the internals of the engine itself, such as the firing order, as much as the headers, type of metal used, length, size, etc.

[radioman]

Interview with Friedrich Eichler from AMG on the engine of the C 63 AMG Coupé - YouTube

[JesseBlue]

good sounding engine = good engineering = good engineered air box + exhaust...ie. nissan's 350/370z and infiniti equivalent...

[roastpuff]

I think that the Fiat 500 Abarth sounds insanely good... does it make the engine a high-performing engine?

[KO7]

For a "slow" economy car, I thought my previous 2010 Civic Si sounded pretty damn good stock. I miss the banshee wail of the engine at high rpms as well as the exhaust note.

My current stock GTI sounds much too muted for my taste. It's so quiet that the VW engineers used some kind of fake soundbox with amplifier in the engine bay they call a "Soundaktor". Even if I don't end up getting an ECU tune and getting a downpipe, I might still get an intake and catback exhaust and unplug the Soundaktor. Even then, the 2.0T engine supposedly doesn't sound great. :(

[320icar]

^^^ that is mostly because of the strict decibel ratings for new cars. Not just for the exhaust, but also for induction. That's why the frs has a tube that pipes intake noise into the cabin. You can hear it as a driver when you floor it, but outside the vehicle stays quiet.

Same theory for the m5 and having the intake/exhaust play through the stereo. Most new cars have some sort of similar setup
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[KO7]

^^^ Is it because they "think" they need to appeal to a wider audience by making the GTI quiet? I don't know about regulations, they're obviously allowed to make the exhaust louder, like the Fiat 500 Abarth or even the Si on newer cars. It's disappointing that the GTI is supposed to be their sporty car, yet sounds so muffled. I don't know if the Golf R sounds that quiet stock as well.

[BrRsn]

IMO there are engines that sound good (i.e. you will hear a specific sound from the engine bay) and there are exhausts that sound good (the sound of a G35/G37, for example)


pretty easy to make a car's exhaust sound nicer, but there's only a few cars where I really love the engine noise :sweetjesus:

[swfk]

VR6 sounds amazing but they aren't exactly awesome in performance or reliability. I still want a VR6 powered car one day though.

[4444]

One reason is that the average corolla driver doesn't want to sound like a Ferrari f430, they just want a comfy commuter car, hence a quiet commute is desired

Additionally, tuning engines and exhausts costs money, for a high margin car, fine, for a low margin commuter car, not worth the money (plus wont be desired by the consumer)

[hk20000]

And then there is the fundamental design issue of the header and the rest of the exhaust. If it is designed properly the wave fronts (from each cyl when the exhaust ports are open) will follow tightly to make more smooth sounds. Thats why equal length headers make a car sound smoother and to human ears that sounds like everything is "in tune" like a piano.
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[flagella]

A lot of stock exhausts of "high performance" cars have systems that are tuned specifically to make a nice sound. Those high pitch whines coming from that Ferrari 458 or Porsche Carrera GT aren't natural. It's the work of thousands of hours tweaking a bend here, moving one of the mufflers another inch, etc., etc.

But, yes. A lot of the "good" sound does also come from the internals of the engine itself, such as the firing order, as much as the headers, type of metal used, length, size, etc.

For example: 2010 Lexus LFA Exhaust Note breaks Champagne glass - YouTube

[Timpo]

I think that the Fiat 500 Abarth sounds insanely good... does it make the engine a high-performing engine?

No but my point is, let's say you added individual throttle body, tune your ECU, high flow catalytic converter, fuel injector, header, exhaust, high compression piston, high cams, etc..

Your engine will sound much better. Not that you were trying to make it sound better, but higher performance it gets, better it will sound.

Not because it's louder as I mentioned. Because if you simply add loud exhaust to match the decibel level of your tuned engine, it won't sound the same.
High horsepower engine will sound better and I don't know why.

[radioman]

Horses neigh and snort.

If you have 100 horses in your engine that's only 100 horses neighing and snorting.
If you have 500 obviously it will sound better because there are more horses.

[twitchyzero]

auto tech discussion thread on RS

wat

[Lomac]

VR6 sounds amazing but they aren't exactly awesome in performance or reliability. I still want a VR6 powered car one day though.

I've had a VR6 before. The sound coming from the stock exhaust, though kinda quiet, sounds infinitely better than any aftermarket system I've ever heard.


I'll be honest even though it's probably not going to be a popular opinion on here... I hate aftermarket exhausts. I hate hearing an exhaust note from two blocks away, regardless of if it's stock Aston Martin Vanquish or a '96 Civic with a fart can. I prefer the muted growl of a stock exhaust, where it simply hints at the power instead of yelling about it to your face.

[dared3vil0]

For a "slow" economy car, I thought my previous 2010 Civic Si sounded pretty damn good stock. I miss the banshee wail of the engine at high rpms as well as the exhaust note.

My current stock GTI sounds much too muted for my taste. It's so quiet that the VW engineers used some kind of fake soundbox with amplifier in the engine bay they call a "Soundaktor". Even if I don't end up getting an ECU tune and getting a downpipe, I might still get an intake and catback exhaust and unplug the Soundaktor. Even then, the 2.0T engine supposedly doesn't sound great. :(

Yes, The K20Z3 sounded awesome between ~6,000-8,200RPM. Like you said, "Banshee" is fairly accurate.

[Timpo]

I've had a VR6 before. The sound coming from the stock exhaust, though kinda quiet, sounds infinitely better than any aftermarket system I've ever heard.


I'll be honest even though it's probably not going to be a popular opinion on here... I hate aftermarket exhausts. I hate hearing an exhaust note from two blocks away, regardless of if it's stock Aston Martin Vanquish or a '96 Civic with a fart can. I prefer the muted growl of a stock exhaust, where it simply hints at the power instead of yelling about it to your face.ok so what if you add more horsepower and keep the decibel level the same.

would it sound better or worse?

[BrRsn]

auto tech discussion thread on RS

wat

led by timpo, no less

http://sameffect.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/mind-blown.gif

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http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/283/a/e/earth_explosion_by_akro227-d30hryi.gif

[Lomac]

ok so what if you add more horsepower and keep the decibel level the same.

would it sound better or worse?

It's not as simple as that.

Imagine a 600hp Civic still running the original 4cyl but using a giant turbo and a few upgraded internals. It's still going to sound like shit compared to, say, a VR6 running only 200hp or even the 140hp Windsor v8 from an 80's Mustang.

[snails]

i think this actually a decent post.. someone should mark this on a calendar and we shall celebrate annually!

anyways like posted above i agree with many points... good sounds dosnt mean shouting, it means aggressive, ready to unleash.

i think the reason for that is due to the progression of the tone through the rpm...

if something sounds pretty much the same through the rpm tone it means its not moving much more intake/exhaust and intake/exhaust = power... thats why a shitty cavalier sounds shitty even with exhaust, the sounds its making at 2000 rpm are similar to the sounds it makes at 5000rpm... you hear it and know its not going to surprise you..

also, how fast the rpm climbs, as we know, faster climbing rpm = more power!

we have all associated high hp with things like turbo's, cams, high revving rpm so when we hear these things we think is sounds good.

Subaru's for example sound like a miss firing civic..but we all love the sounds of those unequal headers because we know its a turbo Subaru.. but if it were to be a civic running on 3 cyl we would get it to a shop immediately.

i am personally not a fan of loud exhaust..i like to hear my turbo spooling :D and so to others around me!

[Lomac]

I'd love to hear from godwin or dangonay about the effects of cams and firing order and the like when it comes to engine sounds. They can both explain it far better than I'm able to.

[supremematt85]

Go home Timpo, you're drunk.
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[Timpo]

no im not

[JoshuaWong]

I've had a VR6 before. The sound coming from the stock exhaust, though kinda quiet, sounds infinitely better than any aftermarket system I've ever heard.


I'll be honest even though it's probably not going to be a popular opinion on here... I hate aftermarket exhausts. I hate hearing an exhaust note from two blocks away, regardless of if it's stock Aston Martin Vanquish or a '96 Civic with a fart can. I prefer the muted growl of a stock exhaust, where it simply hints at the power instead of yelling about it to your face.

+1 sometimes when I drive my friends stock M3, I appreciate how clean and pure the sound from the engine is making. Like Jeremy clarkson said, pure sound of mechanicals working in harmony is a great noise.

[Iceman-19]

Absolutely retarded. Typical timpo.

[Mancini]

So Timpo started a thread to say he likes 5 litre mustangs?
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