The Setup -

Ok, so I was passed by 2 brand new Lamborghini Gallardos today. (Dealership by my work) They accelerated past me, and away from me, at a high rate of speed. I had the windows down and the stereo off so I was able to soak up the sound. It's a sound that will live with me forever. The 'quality' of the sound was spectacular. Along with the obvious 12 cylinder spectacle, here is a high-pitched component and some other harmonics and it all sounds like it emanates from a large, hollow resonator. Like an angry hive of giant mutant bees. And they were LOUD!

So the obvious question - Is it possible to make a 4 cylinder engine display a similar tonal quality? Why or why not? Then also, What's the best sounding 4 cylinder engine you have heard and why do you think it sounded so good?

Eagerly awaiting your comments!

imho i like mk1 golf gti with the original full janspeed ( old skool)
just b4 it hits the rev limiter sound cool (screaming)
but i think the system have changed and sound different now
you could always try playing with your tail pipe
try rolling the edges that make it sound better,

[Edited on 25/2/06 by ch1ll1]

Lotus Twink or Ford BDA.

Holeshot Racing Hayabusa Turbo

RG500 with swarbricks.......awesome and enough to make your ears bleed

There's a blast from the past.

Stan Stephen's 575 kit, Swarbrick pipes, sold it to buy my first house. Twat.

Lotus-Ford Twincam (on twin 40s) or Rolls-Royce B40

My ZZR1100! 'cause it sounds like a car engine until 7,000rpm, then it goes mental, screaming like a banshie to the line. I'll try to record a clip later!

As an aside I am really disappointed in noise my road car makes. It's a BMW 4.4ltr V8 and it's as quiet as a 1.6 Focus. The exhaust is standard and exits through a single 3" back box. I guess the standard exhaust has loads of silencers in it

I'd prefer it to sound like this X5 http://videos.streetfire.net/hottestvideos/31/51F08AD2-A549-43F0-AD1B-E91F288808EB.htm



Mike

All steel full comp BDA on full song, music to the ears. Still a fantastic little engine by todays standards.

Only thing better is a proper small block v8 at 8k! Absolute heaven, raises the hairs on the back of your neck.

You'd have to rev a 4cyl to 20+k to get the same sound as a v12 at full yell.

Syd.

Best engine sound I've ever heard is an R1 at full throttle upto 12,000 RPM in 2nd then shifting into 3rd, 10,000 RPM, tull throttle.

Until I can put an F1 engine into a locost, that's the sound for me.

Although super heavy, the old a series bmc lump sounds much fruitier than anything of its time with very little work!

As for non four cylinder engines, the weslake ford cologne v6 is by far the best sounding of the touring cars! Just amazing - if anyone can find a sound clip of one on the internet, please provide a link!

i think the flat subaru four sounds nice, must be to do with the way the exhausts are hooked up a sort of throb/pur sound - just not quite as good as a tvr though

I thought I heard a Subaru outside the other day but when I looked out it was a bean canned Corsa running on 3 cylinders. I loved the sound my old Sud 1.5ti made with the Ansa single box system on it and twin 45 IDA's.

One of the problems the little car engined 4-bangers have is that they just don't rev up fast enough when you blip the throttle. I agree that bike engines sound much better than car engines, but aside from choosing the right exhaust, I think that removing weight from the flywheel would make a car engine sound much more lively and powerful.

If you listen to the audio of that v12 BMW X5 (what a machine!) when Hans blips the throttle, it's an immediate rise in revs. Waaaaap, Waaaaaap.

The other point is that the induction system can sometimes be just as loud as the exhaust, so it's a combination of intake and exhaust, coupled with a very quick revving engine that makes it sound great.

My personal thought is that a 4-banger car engine with a set of bike throttle bodies, a very light flywheel, a decent equal length tube header and a large-ish flowmaster muffler would sound pretty good. Plus it has to be a high-compression engine to get that cool popping sound...

I have been trying to find a decent sounding tone for my engine but not a whole lot of luck so far. Lots of power but sounds like a pissed off tractor trying to whistle.
Dale

Have to argee with the A series vote. They can be made to spin high and fast (well for the A series). Mine will rise to 9,500 rpm within a couple of seconds. But not for long though. Easily hits and runs at 8,000 in all 4 of the gears too. I'm reckoning somewhere around 110 Db from the exhaust and 100+ from the intake at full chat!! I can be heard easily from 3 miles away from where I live. The neighbours love it when I'm on earlies!

rather expensive option but the 2.0 I V-tec used in the 2001-2005 (probably later but i know they were made in those yeads) honda civic type R's

With the v tec system and on full song at 8800 rpm they scream, and when fitted with an open induction filter the noise is like a fighter jet.

If you combined this with a tuned for noise exhaust i think you would get something which would turn a few heads.

quote:

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Originally posted by DIY Si
Have to argee with the A series vote. They can be made to spin high and fast (well for the A series). Mine will rise to 9,500 rpm within a couple of seconds. But not for long though. Easily hits and runs at 8,000 in all 4 of the gears too. I'm reckoning somewhere around 110 Db from the exhaust and 100+ from the intake at full chat!! I can be heard easily from 3 miles away from where I live. The neighbours love it when I'm on earlies!

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Heheheh, it may not have the supercar sound everyone is after, but the good ol' VW Beetle flat four sounds pretty awesome with the right exhaust system!

Was that a normal 998 or a detroked S unit? And mine's got 1338cc anyway. Big bore/semi-short stroke jobbie. Just a shame it doesn't get on cam until 3,000. Makes a speedy get a way tricking if it's raining. But then i do have roughly 130bhp at the wheels And a 48 IDA sticking through the bonnet

Oh there's a few nice sounding 4 cyls about!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As Syd said, all steel BDA at full chat 11,000rpm takes some beating, but I can name two more that I reckon are better, just down to big displacement!!!!

No. 1 - Opel Manta 400 2.4 litre 16v, absolutely AWESOME noise!!

Here's a couple of links, in the first vid the car overtaking is actually a "Mancona" 400, i.e. a manta with an ascona front end, sounds awesome tho!!!

Mancona Vid


Also download the "Manta Magic Preview" from this link, it's got some awesome stuff on it!

Manta Magic


And coming a close 2nd is the Millington Diamond 2.5 litre, again an awesome 4 cyl sound.

[Edited on 26/2/06 by NS Dev]

i have build a b eries honda engine, 1.8l ls-vtec engine with big cams and compression on 4 throttle bodies.. a 215 hp at the wheel engine.. sound like a bike engine, but in 1.8 liter.. amazing sound and response.. you think it is a bike coming... but no.. it's only a normal looing civic.. i like that sleeper....

no point asking me

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Originally posted by akumabito
Heheheh, it may not have the supercar sound everyone is after, but the good ol' VW Beetle flat four sounds pretty awesome with the right exhaust system!

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Originally posted by sgraber
Ok, so I was passed by 2 brand new Lamborghini Gallardos today. .............Along with the obvious 12 cylinder spectacle, here is a high-pitched component and some other harmonics and it all sounds like it emanates from a large, hollow resonator.

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For a four banger it has to be a flat four for sound quality. However only above about 1500 rpm's. Below that and they all sound like Beetles.
It must be the offset firing order with the slight pause between the pairs that makes it special. If you can get them to rev high enough it is just music! Hence the Alfa Sud as one of the best ever sounding small cars.

All in my humblest of opinions of course!

Terry

I've always hated the flat-four throb - always sound like they've dropped a cylinder. otoh, a Subaru WRC at full noise sounds superb

Always liked the DOHC Chevette HS2300 (but then it's supposed to be half a small-block Chevy)

Does a 4-plate Rotary engine count?

My brothers pride and joy is a 1998 GTV 3.0 V6 that we took to Le Mans last year. The sound through the gears all the way to 140 from the toll booths was spectacular. The whole car feels highly stressed all the time, even just pottering about the engine is straining at the leash. I Can't see how these engines last more that 50k miles!

A friend had a Clio Williams MK1 that was standard but for a K&N filter. The engine sucked so hard it sounded as if it was supercharged!

Also had a blast from the past last week when a BMW E30 2.5 Sport hammered it past me on full song!

V10 eh? that's cool.

Would I be correct in assuming that most of the engines mentioned here are of the 10:1 and above compression ratio? The thought being that the hi-comp engines make a much lovelier bark than the low comp ones?

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Originally posted by andyps
.. but the Gallardo is a V10, ...

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Yea, most are higher compression, BUT!

Most of the lovely noise is intake not exhaust, and is down to cam timing+individual runner induction per port!

If you listen to the "Mancona" on the first vid I posted, all you can hear as is comes towards you is induction noise, it's only once is has passed the camera that you can even hear the exhaust at all.

An alloy flywheel makes a difference on the sound of throtle blips. So you get that nice idle to redline and back to idle in a partial second.
Dale