Pops and Bangs
Discussion
biggles330d said:
7en said:
On a related note, I'm also wondering how the standard exhaust sounds in Sport/Track mode?
Mine's got a standard exhaust and it is fairly subdued but I like that. It does pop a bit when you are on it but in a fairly subtle way and then not every time you back off, only when backing off from higher revs or going a bit faster. I don't think it sounds anywhere near as artificial as the sports exhaust that seems to do it all the time and at any speed. I'd suggest it sounds a bit more 'authentic' in that you drive to make it happen and are pleased when you do hear it rather than it being there every time regardless. It seems they are quite similar, only the sports exhaust turns it up quite a bit in Sport/Track mode. When letting off the throttle at low revs I also don't hear anything from the sports exhaust, however at mid to high revs it does reliably pop away. I think it makes an awesome sound, only the rythm of the pops when letting off the throttle a few times in quick succession can become monotonous. Given the choice again I would still spec it though, especially as the package includes the sound pipe.
7en said:
As Akrapovic are going to be making an exhaust system for the Alpine, I wonder what we would like to see, or more to the point hear?
Good question. They know far more than I ever will about exhaust design, but I'm a bit lost as to what 'tunes' they could pull out of a post-cat system on a 4 pot turbo (whose stock exhaust will have received a lot of professional attention during development). Without separate banks to unite and not much package space to change lengths I think there are few fundamental 'levers' they can pull. That said, you can still do a bit with muffler volumes/types and fancy thin walled materials - and I'm sure they'll get the most out of these.I am a big fan of 'zingy' exhaust notes (more raspy, less farty) and some higher order resonances would be fun. Somewhere between a Peugeot 106 group N (car long gone but the exhaust so good I still have it) and Ferrari F40 would be nice...
7en said:
I'd personally like some audible noise on gear changes in Sport/Track modes, and if possible having the 'pops and bangs' in sweet spots, or at least sounding more randomised compared to the 'pap pap pap pap' you can set your watch to on every lift off with the active sports exhaust.
Pops and bangs are entirely controlled by the ECU - zorst should have little influence (beyond amplification/attenuation). I have noted that post-facelift cars (at least in 300PS tune) have a very different cadence of pops/bangs than my pre-facelift 250PS; the 300PS is/was very monotonous, making four pap-pap-pap-pap sounds which are quite weighty. Mine much more random in both timing and volume, and preferable.(aside: F40 pops and bangs are a fine benchmark
)Nick
I believe that's a 'no', sorry - the mechanical actuation (i.e. the motive force) of the majority of these valves is pneumatic, meaning you have to wait for intake vacuum to build before they will close. The no-power/fail-state is always open.
Some cars have moved to electrically actuated valves following feedback that their cold start exuberance was not universally enjoyed (looking at you, F-Type), but then they're heavier etc...
Some cars have moved to electrically actuated valves following feedback that their cold start exuberance was not universally enjoyed (looking at you, F-Type), but then they're heavier etc...
k_m said:
Tested two GT prior ordering my Standard and had found the pops and bangs way too predictable, artificial and after 30 minutes test drive rather annoying. That's why I didn't order a sports exhaust for my car, hoping that pop pop pop pop is less noticable with the standard exhaust.
Completely agree with this, in the 300bhp cars there is a much more synthetic sound/ rhythm to it.Much prefer the base car and was pleasantly surprised with the tone/ volume… I’m a fan and having the ability to switch modes is very useful.
Keen to understand what happens with a remap, do they all become synthesise/ can the pops and bangs be kept as before if not enhanced?
Hoofty said:
I believe that's a 'no', sorry - the mechanical actuation (i.e. the motive force) of the majority of these valves is pneumatic, meaning you have to wait for intake vacuum to build before they will close. The no-power/fail-state is always open.
Some cars have moved to electrically actuated valves following feedback that their cold start exuberance was not universally enjoyed (looking at you, F-Type), but then they're heavier etc...
Very helpful. Thank you for the info.Some cars have moved to electrically actuated valves following feedback that their cold start exuberance was not universally enjoyed (looking at you, F-Type), but then they're heavier etc...
Hoofty said:
7en said:
As Akrapovic are going to be making an exhaust system for the Alpine, I wonder what we would like to see, or more to the point hear?
Good question. They know far more than I ever will about exhaust design, but I'm a bit lost as to what 'tunes' they could pull out of a post-cat system on a 4 pot turbo (whose stock exhaust will have received a lot of professional attention during development). Without separate banks to unite and not much package space to change lengths I think there are few fundamental 'levers' they can pull. That said, you can still do a bit with muffler volumes/types and fancy thin walled materials - and I'm sure they'll get the most out of these.I am a big fan of 'zingy' exhaust notes (more raspy, less farty) and some higher order resonances would be fun. Somewhere between a Peugeot 106 group N (car long gone but the exhaust so good I still have it) and Ferrari F40 would be nice...
7en said:
I'd personally like some audible noise on gear changes in Sport/Track modes, and if possible having the 'pops and bangs' in sweet spots, or at least sounding more randomised compared to the 'pap pap pap pap' you can set your watch to on every lift off with the active sports exhaust.
Pops and bangs are entirely controlled by the ECU - zorst should have little influence (beyond amplification/attenuation). I have noted that post-facelift cars (at least in 300PS tune) have a very different cadence of pops/bangs than my pre-facelift 250PS; the 300PS is/was very monotonous, making four pap-pap-pap-pap sounds which are quite weighty. Mine much more random in both timing and volume, and preferable.(aside: F40 pops and bangs are a fine benchmark
)Nick
I wonder if anyone has taken up the Life110 modification of reducing the pops and bangs and whether it can make it a bit more randomised?
Edited by 7en on Tuesday 30th April 19:16
7en said:
Ah ok, I'm only going from my experience when upgrading a standard exhaust which never made much noise, to an Akrapovic which pops and bangs beautifully, this is with no change to the ECU as the car is still on the factory map but the Akra system does delete the main cat.
Understood - my comments were from a theoretical pov and I'd not considered removing the cat (I used to have to refit 'the MOT exhaust' annually, done with that ). I'd assume in that case, the original system and cat were attenuating the pops and bangs which the Akra uncovered, and the fuel generating them just a by-product of something the ECU needed to achieve (rather than deliberately introduced).nickpan said:
Very helpful. Thank you for the info.
Very welcome 
Nick
Hoofty said:
Pops and bangs are entirely controlled by the ECU - zorst should have little influence (beyond amplification/attenuation). I have noted that post-facelift cars (at least in 300PS tune) have a very different cadence of pops/bangs than my pre-facelift 250PS; the 300PS is/was very monotonous, making four pap-pap-pap-pap sounds which are quite weighty. Mine much more random in both timing and volume, and preferable.
Interesting to read that others had similar experiences as myself ref: the sound of the 250PS vs the 300PS engine tunes. The times that I have driven the 300PS 'S' and 'GT' models, I can't honestly say that I felt the pops and bangs were more irritating or more frequent. However I did notice that the engine / exhaust note sounded more 'strained' and not so pleasant as my 250PS LGT model. That's not me "looking" for reasons to play up the lower tune model - quite the reverse in fact. I was looking to be persuaded to 'upgrade' to a 300PS GT but I just could not in the cold light of day justify it. There was (for me) no discernable difference in performance on the road (track may be different), it sounded not so playful, and, in my case, the standard interior was less appealing than that of the LGT. Topping it all off, I'd be down 27K Euro. I really couldn't make the man maths work at all - not for 50PS bragging rights and additional CarPlay functionality...Edited by Meonstoke on Friday 3rd May 10:24
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