V8 Noise variants

[Rich_W]

Now I'm going to get ridiculed for it. But I've never been a fan of the traditional V8 rumble. The sort of thing you get with American Muscle cars. And of late from something like a C63.

https://youtu.be/5mWn1INavx4?t=13s
C63

The E92 M3 is slightly better. There are times when one of these giving it some can sound a bit 6 pot.
https://youtu.be/X_Gv9yaqEho?t=23s

But for me the best is something Ferrari (or as today the Maserati Quattroporte I saw)
https://youtu.be/OjbtWn5fvZE?t=28s

Obviously the "ultimate" is F1. No silencers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpvuu5MfaSk


A high pitched howl rather than a bassy rumble.

Is it purely an exhaust thing? Could you make a C63 into a howler? Or is that certain bore to stroke ratio's create the higher pitched sound? Is it induction/air filter related?

[Codswallop]

Cylinder firing order and crank design have a very large part to play as well. Sounds like you prefer the sound of flat plane crank cars (typically Fezzas, AJP V8 TVR etc). Much prefer the traditional off beat V8 rumble myself.

[dannydrama]

I'd always assumed it was the insane RPM of the engine that made it scream in F1. There's more difference between the sound of that and a muscle car than just a muffler I'd think.

I'm with the above, I prefer the traditional climbing through the gears to the howl of an F1 car but the sound of an F1 car is amazing in it's own right.

[acme]

Slightly off topic but it looks like that black E92 has a sunroof? I thought all E92's had a carbon roof so no sunroof? Or was it available in other markets?

[crostonian]

My old Maserati 4200 GT sounded amazing, an E92 M3 has a similar top end scream. If you could combine the induction noise of a 4200 GT with the exhaust noise of a QP you would have an amazing sound. Old Rover V8 TVRs sounded good, 400 SEs, pre cat Griffiths etc.

All these loud farty Merc AMGs and crackly Jag V8s sound so contrived to me and I've never been a fan of flat plane crank Ferrari V8s either, they sound like a noisy Fiat X1/9

Going further back the Lambo V8 in the Jalpa/Urraco was a corker and the Ferrari V8 with 90 degree crank in the Thema 8.32 sounded good.

[HustleRussell]

nowt like a brash, burbling V8... The V8s in BMWs, Japanese cars are generally a little on the refined side to me. One day I'll have a gigantic carburated overhead valve yanky piece of inefficient poor handling nonsense purely for the rude ungodly racket they make when you open the throttle up.

[lostkiwi]

Flat plane crank V8s howl or scream.
Cross plane V8s rumble.
The cross plane can be made to sound like a flat plane by redesigning the exhaust.
On a cross plane V8 the firing pulses go LRRLRLLR The typical V8 burble being caused by the double firing pulses on each bank.
On a flat plane V8 the exhaust pulses are LRLRLRLR.
Redesigning the exhaust to split the double pulses down opposite exhaust manifolds can be done and changes the exhaust note accordingly but it's complex manifolds work and not generally worth it.
Flat plane V8s are generally more responsive than cross plane V8s but suffer more from harmonic vibration as they are effectively two 4 cylinder engines on a common crankshaft.

[poing]

I love pretty much all V8's and would be happy with any of them but if I had to pick then it's old style American muscle car for me please. I think my diet of American films as a child probably caused this but from these 2, I'll take the one on the left please.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n05Ux8FKUSQ&sp...

[Baryonyx]

Flat plane vs cross plane crank makes a big difference to the sound. Flat plane, over square configuration gives that classic screaming V8 noise. The Yank Tank V8 rumble comes from a distinct firing order on a cross plane setup that produces a particular clang. IIRC, German and British V8's chose a different firing order that was more balanced and smooth.

[smithyithy]

This guy explains it simply:

http://youtu.be/-s5bSQIQQsY

[vournikas]

I do think that some cross-plane V8's can "howl"; have a listen to this GT40 at full chat :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEGUwvBG3rQ

That is one of the best V8 tunes: a low-rev burble and a high-end howl. Bloody lovely.

[Rich_W]

lostkiwi said:

Flat plane crank V8s howl or scream.
Cross plane V8s rumble.
The cross plane can be made to sound like a flat plane by redesigning the exhaust.
On a cross plane V8 the firing pulses go LRLLRLRRL. The typical V8 burble being caused by the double firing pulses on each bank.
On a flat plane V8 the exhaust pulses are LRLRLRLR.
Redesigning the exhaust to split the double pulses down opposite exhaust manifolds can be done and changes the exhaust note accordingly but it's complex manifolds work and not generally worth it.
Flat plane V8s are generally more responsive than cross plane V8s but suffer more from harmonic vibration as they are effectively two 4 cylinder engines on a common crankshaft.

Thanks for the explanation. YouTube videos weren't helping!

[Welshbeef]

For me he following

Cerbera V8 AJP superb high pitched just sounds so racy.
C5 RS6 even though turbo to me it sounds fantastic a low burble turning into a screaming top end
E55k AMG supercharged v8 5.4ltr of stunning noise from idle to limiter.


M3 v8/C63 v8 I like them but not as much as the above list.

[HustleRussell]

If you want to hear pure filth, 'Jerry was a race car driver' by Primus has a great V8 noise at the beginning- later referred to in the song as a 'four fourty-four'... Seven plus litres. Must be running a crazy camshaft, the kind of engine which can barely idle. The sort of beat which might've inspired Ringo Starr.

[lostkiwi]

kapiteinlangzaam said:

vournikas said:

I do think that some cross-plane V8's can "howl"; have a listen to this GT40 at full chat :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEGUwvBG3rQ

That is one of the best V8 tunes: a low-rev burble and a high-end howl. Bloody lovely.

Without watching the video, likely fitted with an X-pipe.

Makes a traditional cross plane crank scream at high revs by balancing the exhaust flows.

Had an X pipe fitted to my old A8. Burbled beautifully down low, howled like a banshee up high.

[PanzerCommander]

The drag strip is the place to go for a good sounding V8.

FIA finals, nothing like a pair of blown 10,000hp top fuel cars side by side.

[Iva Barchetta]

There's not many V8s I don't like.

Lots of different sounds,nearly all good.

[lostkiwi]

vournikas said:

I do think that some cross-plane V8's can "howl"; have a listen to this GT40 at full chat :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEGUwvBG3rQ

That is one of the best V8 tunes: a low-rev burble and a high-end howl. Bloody lovely.

The GT40 had some very trick manifolds to balance the firing pulses.

[HustleRussell]

bundle of snakes

[996TT02]

lostkiwi said:

Flat plane crank V8s howl or scream.
Cross plane V8s rumble.
The cross plane can be made to sound like a flat plane by redesigning the exhaust.
On a cross plane V8 the firing pulses go LRRLRLLR The typical V8 burble being caused by the double firing pulses on each bank.
On a flat plane V8 the exhaust pulses are LRLRLRLR.
Redesigning the exhaust to split the double pulses down opposite exhaust manifolds can be done and changes the exhaust note accordingly but it's complex manifolds work and not generally worth it.
Flat plane V8s are generally more responsive than cross plane V8s but suffer more from harmonic vibration as they are effectively two 4 cylinder engines on a common crankshaft.

Lovely, thanks for this.

Personally prefer Yank way of doing things, I can't tell whether a Ferrari or noisy superbike is coming round the corner but a Yank is always well announced beforehand. Likewise, at idle, a Ferrari sounds like a 4 cylinder bike at 1500 rpm, a Yank is just plain menacing.