LS Engine / Exhaust sound

LS Engine / Exhaust sound

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Discussion

renmure

Original Poster:

4,212 posts

223 months

Wednesday 10th December 2014
quotequote all
Newbie owner alert so bear with me here please (and be gentle) smile

I don't think the 6 litre decat LS2 engine in my GTR sounds as "awesome" as I might have expected. However, I don't really have any reference point for that compared to other Ultima cars so don't really know if that is just how an LS2 engine sounds. I think I was expecting more "loudness" and more "race car" like deep, beefy, head-turning V8 growl.

For context I have a Ferrari V8 with sports cats and a lightweight Capristo exhaust and it howls like a banshee race car and pops and bangs on over-run and the sound is exactly what you would expect if you saw the car, ie it makes an in-yer-face frenetic Ferrari noise. Similarly my V8 Vantage has a sports exhaust and sports cats and it burbles and growls exactly like you would expect an Aston to do and again the big, deep, barking and crackling sound is as big a part of the package as the looks.

Suppose my question is along the lines of.. Is that it? Is it the case that this is the noise the engine makes and that's it? Obviously the silencers are pretty big so I guess removing packing in there is one way to go but are there other alternatives that folk use or ...?

ROWDYRENAULT

1,270 posts

213 months

Thursday 11th December 2014
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Jim I am getting ready to go to a 8 into 1 exhaust on my very built LS motor so stay tuned for a sound track around Feburary . lEE

ebeck

17 posts

244 months

Thursday 11th December 2014
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Being here in the states, I hear lot and lots of them. A good bit of them stock pur like a sewing machine though. In general the LS2 does seem more tame yes. The LS3 seems to sound better for some reason, of course cam and exhaust make a big difference. Thus I have heard some LS motors in corvettes that are insanely sexy. Maybe check into what exhaust systems the vettes use when they are building up motors and get those cans? Got to be some good forums and video clips out there.

Just a thought..

F.C.

3,896 posts

207 months

Thursday 11th December 2014
quotequote all
renmure said:
Newbie owner alert so bear with me here please (and be gentle) smile

I don't think the 6 litre decat LS2 engine in my GTR sounds as "awesome" as I might have expected. However, I don't really have any reference point for that compared to other Ultima cars so don't really know if that is just how an LS2 engine sounds. I think I was expecting more "loudness" and more "race car" like deep, beefy, head-turning V8 growl.

For context I have a Ferrari V8 with sports cats and a lightweight Capristo exhaust and it howls like a banshee race car and pops and bangs on over-run and the sound is exactly what you would expect if you saw the car, ie it makes an in-yer-face frenetic Ferrari noise. Similarly my V8 Vantage has a sports exhaust and sports cats and it burbles and growls exactly like you would expect an Aston to do and again the big, deep, barking and crackling sound is as big a part of the package as the looks.

Suppose my question is along the lines of.. Is that it? Is it the case that this is the noise the engine makes and that's it? Obviously the silencers are pretty big so I guess removing packing in there is one way to go but are there other alternatives that folk use or ...?
Your Ferrari has the advantage of a flat plane crank, in short this means it has a completely even spaced firing order.
you will notice your Ferrari has a higher tick over than the LS this is because you tend to lose the smooth tick over at low RPM but once it is on the boil the firing order gives an uninterrupted flow of noise and resonance(compared to the cross plane crank.)in your LS the firing order is uneven so some of the noise is cancelled out because the resonance doesn't have a chance to "build".
if you want a more "racy" sound from your LS you need to build a 180 degree header or cross over exhaust, a bit like these:
you need to watch the whole of this clip. the Corvette at 8 minutes in has a really nice sound.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWoPnUM-FZE

Or more likely THIS!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nik0nCk8bVA

So you can go 180 degree header like the top example or use one of these: like the bottom example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0Va3sDhqwI

Edited by F.C. on Thursday 11th December 07:33

845ste

577 posts

126 months

Thursday 11th December 2014
quotequote all
for a sound similar to a racing v8 need to cross the tubes "x" not "h".
watch the exhaust system of the gt40.
the difference is there

for example:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nik0nCk8bVA

V8Dom

3,546 posts

201 months

Thursday 11th December 2014
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this is what you want...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31AlHeQYRyg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXl5tdQqZLA

180 degree headers are the bundle of snakes known on the gt40's are mass produced but not for the chevy... if they were id have one already fitted...

im sure there is a blue GTR in the states who has made an exhaust for his.. the only dissadvantage im told on the chevy is because dizzy at back primary tubes are too long so you will loose some horsepower if twisted ontop.. if headers go under the engine and cross there you gain horsepower as primarys are the length you want..

please dont get this confused with a x pipe or h pipe which ive listed below.

a nice read
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/small-block-...

h pipe v x pipe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ww2sHY8HB4





Edited by V8Dom on Thursday 11th December 13:08

F.C.

3,896 posts

207 months

Thursday 11th December 2014
quotequote all
V8Dom said:
180 degree headers are the bundle of snakes known on the gt40's are mass produced but not for the chevy... if they were id have one already fitted...

Here you are :
thumbup

260 bucks, there are plenty more sizes out there on the net too.

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Schoenfeld-Headers-1...




Edited by V8Dom on Thursday 11th December 13:08

confusionhunter

448 posts

221 months

Thursday 11th December 2014
quotequote all
Fascinating topic actually I had the same investogation for my audis.

This vid demonstrates clearly the impact an x pipe, h pipe and y pipe (Balance pipe) has on exhuast note.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKUrJBTPXUo&fe...

I for one prefer the more raw sound of an SBC. I know its less efficient and can runs like a bag of crap sometimes but my word it sounds good. I don't run any form of balance at all, which adds to the sound. X - pipes on SBCs do make them more refined and much more..... european like.

Id love to know what that 8 minute Corvette had for an exhaust though?

renmure

Original Poster:

4,212 posts

223 months

Thursday 11th December 2014
quotequote all
Well, at least I am glad nobody has laughed at me or called me a barrow-boy for raising the subject (yet!!) smile

I recently spent a fair bit of money trying various exhaust, cats and air filter options to try and get my supercharged Exige to sound better... without too much success really. The exhaust specialist did say early on that the nature of the engine plus the supercharger would mean I could get it louder, but it would never sound particularly nice. I wondered if that was going to be a similar story with the Ultima engine although at the moment I would even settle for a bigger, louder V8 burble.

Anyhow, thanks for the advice so far.. and the youtube links. I have emailed my exhaust specialist as well and will see what he says.

F.C.

3,896 posts

207 months

Thursday 11th December 2014
quotequote all
renmure said:
Well, at least I am glad nobody has laughed at me or called me a barrow-boy for raising the subject (yet!!) smile

I recently spent a fair bit of money trying various exhaust, cats and air filter options to try and get my supercharged Exige to sound better... without too much success really. The exhaust specialist did say early on that the nature of the engine plus the supercharger would mean I could get it louder, but it would never sound particularly nice. I wondered if that was going to be a similar story with the Ultima engine although at the moment I would even settle for a bigger, louder V8 burble.

Anyhow, thanks for the advice so far.. and the youtube links. I have emailed my exhaust specialist as well and will see what he says.
I had an Exige S with a Larini race pipe, it had an intermediate silencer that could be changed for straight through evil
Needless to say I removed the silencer, my neighbours weren't too pleased, on full chat it could make your ears bleed!

renmure

Original Poster:

4,212 posts

223 months

Thursday 11th December 2014
quotequote all
F.C. said:
I had an Exige S with a Larini race pipe, it had an intermediate silencer that could be changed for straight through evil
Needless to say I removed the silencer, my neighbours weren't too pleased, on full chat it could make your ears bleed!
I know it is OT.. but hey, it's my thread smile

I have struggled with the Exige. I have tried a few different variations including a Lotus Stage 3 motorsport one, a 6 inch 2bular one, a 5 inch 2bular one and went down the road of having Jim @ 2bular design what he called a custom rifle-barrel system but nothing really sounded particularly nice. Loud, yes but not really nice. To be fair to Jim he did say that would likely be the end result. Suppose that was the essence of my Ultima question in that a previous s1 VHPD Exige with decat pipe and sports silencer had a natural gurgling burbling raucous noise that sounded "just right" and I suppose that's the sort of rawness I want from the GTR.

corvettedave

274 posts

156 months

Thursday 11th December 2014
quotequote all
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWY9NzP4YJk

one of the best sounding V8's ive heard in a long time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_CgMK5D0sY

Standard crate LS3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPnNrPlXrrY

same car with ls3

so ls3 sounds pretty nice, but i think camshaft etc makes a big difference to sound