Modern engine notes?
Discussion
I spent 2 days working adjacent to a high street, but not in full sight. Just earshot. Every now and then ( quite an affluent area ) some expensive machinery would drive up, and one thing that struck me is engine notes. They were very dissapointing! Back in the 90’s I remember so many different engine notes, we still had a lot of classics like Escorts on carbs and minis with whining gearboxes and straight through exhausts. Dump valves were all the rage!! Normally aspirated screamers, wastegates , over fuelling and over-run popping.
Nowadays, high end cars seem to almost have a generic warble, a whine, a wail, thumping auto gear changes and don’t start me on the single guys switching on their popping’&bangin’ remaps for the schoolgirls in the 30 zone high street….. either that or the cars are silenced befond belief or bloody electric!!!!!
Anyone else miss distinctive engine notes and knowing what car it is before you see it? I suppose Subaru made the last distinctive note? What was your favourite old-school car for distinctive noise?
Nowadays, high end cars seem to almost have a generic warble, a whine, a wail, thumping auto gear changes and don’t start me on the single guys switching on their popping’&bangin’ remaps for the schoolgirls in the 30 zone high street….. either that or the cars are silenced befond belief or bloody electric!!!!!
Anyone else miss distinctive engine notes and knowing what car it is before you see it? I suppose Subaru made the last distinctive note? What was your favourite old-school car for distinctive noise?
New turbo engines means almost all new sports/supercars sound the same and are rather disappointing, with Lamborghini still clinging on to an exciting engine!
V8’s still sound good to me in almost any guise from RR SVR to classic American muscle all nice to hear rumble about. Tbh I can’t remember the last time I heard something special sounding being reved out making me jump up to try and catch a glimps and see if my guess on vehicle is right
V8’s still sound good to me in almost any guise from RR SVR to classic American muscle all nice to hear rumble about. Tbh I can’t remember the last time I heard something special sounding being reved out making me jump up to try and catch a glimps and see if my guess on vehicle is right
I agree, I really like the distinctive rumble of a large engine. A V8 at tickover is so much nicer than a turbo 4 cylinder at the rev limit, but the continued pursuit of efficiency means that we end up with most engines being the same format and all turbo charged. They all need to pass sound regulations and have done for years, but there are also so many that think that loud = good, so there are tons of obnoxious noises.
MikeM6 said:
I agree, I really like the distinctive rumble of a large engine. A V8 at tickover is so much nicer than a turbo 4 cylinder at the rev limit, but the continued pursuit of efficiency means that we end up with most engines being the same format and all turbo charged. They all need to pass sound regulations and have done for years, but there are also so many that think that loud = good, so there are tons of obnoxious noises.
Why on planet ****ing earth do people get a popping and banging remap on purpose?? Would love someone to fess up that they bought one and why? The spinner of plates said:
Modern high-end DCT gear changes are a particular non-favourite, all sound the same and sound a bit crap.
They do sound similar but I wouldn't describe them as crap. I think they sould pretty good. 
A cool sounding gear change will always be slower on the road.
Just out of curiosity what is your definition of "high end"?
My personal experience extends to Audi S and Mercedes AMG.
Furyblade_Lee said:
I spent 2 days working adjacent to a high street, but not in full sight. Just earshot. Every now and then ( quite an affluent area ) some expensive machinery would drive up, and one thing that struck me is engine notes. They were very dissapointing! Back in the 90’s I remember so many different engine notes, we still had a lot of classics like Escorts on carbs and minis with whining gearboxes and straight through exhausts. Dump valves were all the rage!! Normally aspirated screamers, wastegates , over fuelling and over-run popping.
Nowadays, high end cars seem to almost have a generic warble, a whine, a wail, thumping auto gear changes and don’t start me on the single guys switching on their popping’&bangin’ remaps for the schoolgirls in the 30 zone high street….. either that or the cars are silenced befond belief or bloody electric!!!!!
Anyone else miss distinctive engine notes and knowing what car it is before you see it? I suppose Subaru made the last distinctive note? What was your favourite old-school car for distinctive noise?
Surely the most iconic engine note of the '90s is that of a Transit with the "banana" engine, usually heard being thrashed to within an inch of its life. Even today the sound of one on tickover takes me straight back to when I was a kid queuing up for a 99...Nowadays, high end cars seem to almost have a generic warble, a whine, a wail, thumping auto gear changes and don’t start me on the single guys switching on their popping’&bangin’ remaps for the schoolgirls in the 30 zone high street….. either that or the cars are silenced befond belief or bloody electric!!!!!
Anyone else miss distinctive engine notes and knowing what car it is before you see it? I suppose Subaru made the last distinctive note? What was your favourite old-school car for distinctive noise?
Super Sonic said:
I drive an 02 Accord type R and when the VTEC kicks in nothing else sounds like it,goes from a growling rumble to a really angry howl. The supersprint exhaust helps!
My 2.2 Prelude was my favourite engine note out of all the cars I have owned, closely followed by R53 mini and then 1.8 k series, all sound great climbing up the revs.MrGTI6 said:
Furyblade_Lee said:
I spent 2 days working adjacent to a high street, but not in full sight. Just earshot. Every now and then ( quite an affluent area ) some expensive machinery would drive up, and one thing that struck me is engine notes. They were very dissapointing! Back in the 90’s I remember so many different engine notes, we still had a lot of classics like Escorts on carbs and minis with whining gearboxes and straight through exhausts. Dump valves were all the rage!! Normally aspirated screamers, wastegates , over fuelling and over-run popping.
Nowadays, high end cars seem to almost have a generic warble, a whine, a wail, thumping auto gear changes and don’t start me on the single guys switching on their popping’&bangin’ remaps for the schoolgirls in the 30 zone high street….. either that or the cars are silenced befond belief or bloody electric!!!!!
Anyone else miss distinctive engine notes and knowing what car it is before you see it? I suppose Subaru made the last distinctive note? What was your favourite old-school car for distinctive noise?
Surely the most iconic engine note of the '90s is that of a Transit with a "banana" engine, usually heard being thrashed to within an inch of its life. Even today the sound of one on tickover takes me straight back to when I was a kid queuing up for a 99...Nowadays, high end cars seem to almost have a generic warble, a whine, a wail, thumping auto gear changes and don’t start me on the single guys switching on their popping’&bangin’ remaps for the schoolgirls in the 30 zone high street….. either that or the cars are silenced befond belief or bloody electric!!!!!
Anyone else miss distinctive engine notes and knowing what car it is before you see it? I suppose Subaru made the last distinctive note? What was your favourite old-school car for distinctive noise?
MikeM6 said:
I agree, I really like the distinctive rumble of a large engine. A V8 at tickover is so much nicer than a turbo 4 cylinder at the rev limit, but the continued pursuit of efficiency means that we end up with most engines being the same format and all turbo charged. They all need to pass sound regulations and have done for years, but there are also so many that think that loud = good, so there are tons of obnoxious noises.
Perhaps the problem is that those regulations cover only the volume during specific usage scenarios and have nothing to mandate a pleasing timbre.By pleasing timbre I do of course mean engines of 8 or more cylinders (I could be persuaded to allow rotaries) and if diesel then 2-strokes have a special low tax rate. Concealed cameras would be triggered by contrived pop/bangs/crackles/excessively reclined seats, which on the first instance deploys a stinger and a second instance will initiate immediate and relentless VBRJ.
donkmeister said:
MikeM6 said:
I agree, I really like the distinctive rumble of a large engine. A V8 at tickover is so much nicer than a turbo 4 cylinder at the rev limit, but the continued pursuit of efficiency means that we end up with most engines being the same format and all turbo charged. They all need to pass sound regulations and have done for years, but there are also so many that think that loud = good, so there are tons of obnoxious noises.
Perhaps the problem is that those regulations cover only the volume during specific usage scenarios and have nothing to mandate a pleasing timbre.By pleasing timbre I do of course mean engines of 8 or more cylinders (I could be persuaded to allow rotaries) and if diesel then 2-strokes have a special low tax rate. Concealed cameras would be triggered by contrived pop/bangs/crackles/excessively reclined seats, which on the first instance deploys a stinger and a second instance will initiate immediate and relentless VBRJ.
Newer cars seem to generally lack the aural range. Flat is the word I'd use. The pitch doesn't change much through the RPM range which, combined with rather sterile gear changes, doesn't leave much to command the attention or evoque much imagination in me. It's not about volume either, just (lack of) quality.
There are still a couple of Lamborghinis which sound good, as does the GMA T.50 so modern cars are not exclusively dull. Just mostly.
There are still a couple of Lamborghinis which sound good, as does the GMA T.50 so modern cars are not exclusively dull. Just mostly.
Truckosaurus said:
You still get things like Subarus that sound distinctive.
The Subaru sound is an interesting one - it's an outcome of FHI cheaping out on the exhaust manifolds, but it's such a distinctive sound people expect it and associate it with the Impreza. I heard an Impreza with equal-length headers and it sounded like any other 4 cylinder, very odd!
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