Can diesels sound good?

[Otispunkmeyer]

cerb4.5lee said:

Monkeylegend said:

My 4 pot Mercedes diesel sounded good everytime I drove it.

It was earning me money.

I had a 6 pot diesel merc E class drive by me the other day while I was on foot and I actually thought how well it sounded and I didn't expect that from a diesel.

Merc's 350 diesel is nice. My OH's dad has one in a new S-Class and its really only when you stand right next to it on idle that it sounds a bit diesely, even the start up is quick and petrol like. Probably got a weapons grade duvet under the bonnet though.

A lot of the noise reduction comes from the high pressure common rail systems though. New injectors have a pressure amplifier inside them for when they need the ultra high pressure. This means at other times you can get away with lower pressure in the rail which takes out some noise from fuel pumps etc.

Additionally at idle its beneficial to do a pre-injection and a main injection. The pre injection is earlyish and burns a bit slower and just brings up the cylinder pressure more gradually before the main injection comes into finish things off. The higher compression ratios do contribute to noise but mostly its the rapid pressure rise once fuel is injected that makes the most clatter. Pre-injections help dull that rise.



In older unit pump diesels there is a load of racket coming from the cam-rocker-plunger arrangement for driving the injectors. I don't know what it is in cars, but in big trucks I have heard they need about 3T off force pushing these plungers down to get the injection pressures they want. I mean you're basically sledge-hammering the cylinder head with each injection

[ZX10R NIN]

coetzeeh said:

Drove next to a Scania 580 with "sports exhausts" on the M1 today. Holy moly that sounded meaty.

Yea they can sound very good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MK3dq4th9xw

[Merc 450]

framerateuk said:

Merc 450 said:

My 300hp Audi A6 3.0tdi storyline avant with 7speed paddle shift has a volume control on the twin exhausts. On the computer you select car then systems then settings then exhaust note and when turned up if you change about 3 to 4 thousand revs it howls like an F1 car. Pees off the boy racers with their big exhausts also nippy, the book says 0to 60 in 5.0 and 163 mph topend. On and its an Audi so zero emissions: D

I find that really, really hard to believe.

Try one in a sainsburys underground car park you will be surprised: hehe:

[HarryW]

The VAG V6 Diesel in my 262 Touareg actually sounds OK at full throttle, particularly as it shifts up the box too.

[Jimmy No Hands]

Reading this thread has really opened my eyes to what some people call a 'good' sound

[InductionRoar]

Merc 450 said:

framerateuk said:

Merc 450 said:

My 300hp Audi A6 3.0tdi storyline avant with 7speed paddle shift has a volume control on the twin exhausts. On the computer you select car then systems then settings then exhaust note and when turned up if you change about 3 to 4 thousand revs it howls like an F1 car. Pees off the boy racers with their big exhausts also nippy, the book says 0to 60 in 5.0 and 163 mph topend. On and its an Audi so zero emissions: D

I find that really, really hard to believe.

Try one in a sainsburys underground car park you will be surprised: hehe:

Would it also work at Tesco?

[Merc 450]

InductionRoar said:

Merc 450 said:

framerateuk said:

Merc 450 said:

My 300hp Audi A6 3.0tdi storyline avant with 7speed paddle shift has a volume control on the twin exhausts. On the computer you select car then systems then settings then exhaust note and when turned up if you change about 3 to 4 thousand revs it howls like an F1 car. Pees off the boy racers with their big exhausts also nippy, the book says 0to 60 in 5.0 and 163 mph topend. On and its an Audi so zero emissions: D

I find that really, really hard to believe.

Try one in a sainsburys underground car park you will be surprised: hehe:

Would it also work at Tesco?

Audi a bit middle class for tesco

[toohuge]

The Ford 7.3 diesel (in the states) sounds awesome, especially on start up. The nice thing about the 7.3 sound is that it is so distinct, you know if one is idling correctly immediate.

Some people like the Cummins 5.9 and 6.7 but imo, the powerstroke 7.3 is great, so if the whistle of the 6.0 but that doesn't excuse the short comings of that engine.

[Willy Nilly]

veccy208 said:

Just my type of conversation! I'm a big fan of diesels as where would you gain so much performance for so little fuel consumption! And a wee remap can work wonders.
From outside though 'normal diesels never sound good and I think of the indescribable disappointment when a Souped up x5 comes towards you and you hope against hope, waiting for the roar...but it clatters past in a cloud of disappointment.

Best sounding diesels:
Scania V8
JohnDeere 7530 under load
Someone mentioned trains. How about NIR Class 80 trains (look them up on youtube)
LR Defenders aren't too bad either!

The little diesel engines they put in cars sound rubbish. Diesels are supposed to be big, low revving, grunty and able to do a days work. My Massey snarls when I start it up and would probably suck the panels off a passing Range Rover if one drove past while it was under load. The B5.9 Cummins in MX Maxxums always sounded good, the 7.5 Powerstar 40 Series Ford engines have a lovely exhaust note and the IH 956 and 1056 engines are almost musical. There are lots of nice sounding diesels.

[james-dcracing]

Sound of a scania v8 or a big cat lump yes please. My old discovery 300tdi didn't sound too bad and this in my vectra 1.9 racer which I think sounds pretty decent. Sounds even better now it's running A bigger turbo https://youtu.be/JT3JEsGF5WM

[Mr2Mike]

Jimmy No Hands said:

Reading this thread has really opened my eyes to what some people call a 'good' sound

It's no surprise to be honest, some people actually like the noise of a raspy fart can on a Japanese hatchback.

Chap down the road has a 330d estate with what must be a straight through exhaust on it and it sounds horrendous, just like someone blowing a raspberry. I wouldn't have thought you could make a straight six sound quite so bad, but he's managed it.

[anonymous-user]

Merc 450 said:

Audi a bit middle class for tesco

Audi wishes

[Merc 450]

dme123 said:

Merc 450 said:

Audi a bit middle class for tesco

Audi wishes

Oi sainsburys are us

[TazLondon]

The new Maserati Ghibli Diesel sounds quite good...for a diesel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs7_REKKi7A

[HustleRussell]

TazLondon said:

The new Maserati Ghibli Diesel sounds quite good...for a diesel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs7_REKKi7A

I knew this bump would be about the Ghibli! I too heard the advert on the radio- my thoughts were;

That does sound rather good for a diesel

and then

Kudos to Maserati for marketing a car, particularly a diesel, on the way it sounds- seems refreshingly un-PC somehow.

[ORD]

It sounds like an angry taxi. Good for a diesel = terrible.

[morgrp]

The old vag 6pot oil burner from the LT35 sounded good - I even like the clattery idle! - the 740 turbo diesel sounds good with this motor under the bonnet

http://youtu.be/u-z76N7iRVg