Does anyone else view sound as a car's most important trait?

PsuPepperoni

PsuPepperoni

Muscle Car Drifter
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Kansas City
PsuPepperoni
I suspect there is only a handful of people in the world like me, in that my absolute favorite thing about cars is the sound. I love speed and handling, but I'd be willing to sacrifice a lot of that for a musical exhaust note, within reason.

I bought my Mustang mostly because of the way it sounds. It seems like a terrible idea, but it's just what is important to me.

I bring this up because I saw a facebook post about choosing between a new Mustang 5.0 and a C7 Corvette. The Vette would be faster and more fun to drive, but from the videos I've heard, I just can't get into it. I'm not a ford fanboy; give me a C5 over a Mustang any day. The C7 just doesn't sound exciting enough though.
 
A car doesn't have to sound awesome, but if a sports car sounds bad then that is a huge downvote.

Example: The R35 is a very fast car, that would increase its coolness. It then takes a massive spiraling dive due to the engine note.:yuck:
 
Its not the be all end all for me, but important. That being said, I wouldn't buy a car on its sound alone (especially if its lacking elsewhere).
 
The only sound I care about when it comes to cars is-
sound system(I don't mean bass, I mean high quality speakers)
1960-1970's muscle cars

everything else I don't really care about.
edit- Oh, I hate any car with a fart cannon.
 
Sound isn't off my list of considerations, but I guess in my case it's a bit moot because there are few configurations I don't like -- cross-plane-crank V8s, some V6s, and maybe inline-3s. Otherwise I tend to like everything, from the utilitarian poot-ing of a single-cylinder motorcycle to the magnificent roar of a V12.

I do prefer the uneven-length headers of a boxer-4 to the typical 4-cylinder snarl, and boxer-6s and inline-6s are tied for my overall favorite, with the BMW M88 as a prime example. Beyond that it's all gravy. Inline-5s and V10s get kudos for their unique sound, the parallel twin on my bike sounds like half of a boxer down low and a 14,000RPM banshee up top, and flat-plane-crank V8s are pretty intoxicating.
 
Engine sound is important but not the most important thing.

If you only care on have a car sounds, add speakers to the outside of your car and play engine sounds on them.:sly: ( I think there a app that plays fake engine sounds from super/sports cars)

Alot of companies now are enhancing faking the engine sounds on their cars and I just HATE it.:yuck:
 
@PsuPepperoni -- I'm only speaking for myself, I respect those who feel differently. 👍 To me, the classic american V8 sound is more raucous than invigorating, and due to the nature of the design (crank counterweights) they tend to run out of revs just when (IMO) things are starting to get interesting. I prefer high-RPM screams over low-RPM grumbling; when a CPC V8 can stretch up to 7000RPM or beyond they do sound better.

I admit there's an appeal to the sheer crass loudness of it; my uncle has a 1970 Challenger I've had the opportunity to drive (I love the way those look). But it's not something I'd want to turn the key on every day.
 
It's pretty high up on my list, yes. I particular, I despise the sound of a typical inline four, and flat-plane V8s can tend to sound weak to me as well, especially at low RPMs (I was dumbfounded when I realized GT5's startup sound for the Ferrari 430 Scuderia was actually fairly close to what that car sounds like in real life). I think a car's exhaust note should be loud, lumpy, and perhaps a bit raspy depending on the engine sound - mufflers that over-smooth a car's sound are bad. Glasspacks are the best thing since, well, I'm having a hard time coming up with something here, and should be standard equipment on every car.

I also absolutely hate those "sound induction tubes", and synthesized engine noise (as well as its opposite, active noise-cancelling systems). If the engine isn't coming through loud enough, get rid of some sound deadening and install louder pipes. If the engine is coming through too loud... well, if you can drive it without earplugs, it's not too loud.

I also heavily dispute the claim that a GM 60deg V6 sounds like a tractor engine. It sounds almost like a cross-plane V8 (only perhaps a very slight be weaker, but that's VERY slight) from idle up to about 3000 RPM and transitions into fairly generic V6 sounds above that.
 
Sound is one of very many factors in a car for me.

Occasionally it isn't important at all - in the average family car/econobox/whatever I prefer there to be as little sound as possible since the engine in those usually sounds a little bland. Though there are nice surprises - the Skyactiv four-cylinder in the Mazda6 has a nice sporty sound that I appreciated.

Sometimes it doesn't even need to be a particularly musical sound - offbeat sounds are always good, like the three-cylinders used in many small cars these days, the flat-four in my old Beetle, the Fiat TwinAir engine, that sort of thing. Enhances the character of the car. And of course, I've no complaints about the V8s I've driven, or the inline 6 in a Jag E-Type, or the rally-esque PRV V6 in a DeLorean DMC-12.

On the other hand, and I know this is something that makes W&N apoplectic with rage, I've driven enough electric cars to know that I also like a lack of sound too. Driving a little city car is so much more pleasant with no sound, as it makes the experience much more relaxing than you'd expect from a small car. And I didn't once miss the engine sound in the electric Audi R8 I drove - the cool sci-fi whooshing noise it makes and the way it goes about being fast if anything enhanced the experience.

And I prefer either of those to the chunter of a diesel engine. There are maybe a handful of multi-cylinder diesel engines I've driven that sound good; the rest are just an anonymous muted mechanical rumble.
 
For sure. Your in the car all the time, it should give you goosebumps when you put your foot down, for sports cars at least.
 
PsuPepperoni
You don't like my car?
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I've driven a 2008 Mustang GT, it makes that same sound. :drool:

I really, really wanted that car...



But to be on topic, I think an epic exhaust note adds to the experience. If a car can take me around a corner and put a smile on my face, that's all I need.

It doesn't have to be a fast car, just a great handling car.
 
@LeadFootLiam I adore them, I actually prefer the BRZ more though. I like it because of the built-in understeer, it fits my driving style better. Besides, if I want to get a car to slide, I want to make it do it, not do with no effort at all.

I like the BRZ so much that on GT5, I have both a stock version, and tuned version.

CaptureBRZ.PNG


^ Seen here posing with it's driver.
 
It's one of the most important things to me. Add some serious bass to these videos.










The fact that that sound came out of 99% of the cars I like makes it that much better.

And I love stupidly loud exhaust systems to top it off. Yeah, I'm that guy. And I don't care what you think either. If the rocks on the ground aren't dancing at idle then I'm not satisfied.


I had good recordings of our truck on my iPod and played them really, really loud on my friends sound system in his Civic.

Kid you not I had a guy ask me if there was 454 in the thing.
 
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White & Nerdy
I also heavily dispute the claim that a GM 60deg V6 sounds like a tractor engine. It sounds almost like a cross-plane V8 (only perhaps a very slight be weaker, but that's VERY slight) from idle up to about 3000 RPM and transitions into fairly generic V6 sounds above that.
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I worked on a 1981 Camaro with a 3.8L V6. That's a 60 deg V6. Cut the exhaust off and fired it up...legit sounded like a tractor. Not even joking.

Cherry bombs didn't help much.
 
Slashfan
I worked on a 1981 Camaro with a 3.8L V6. That's a 60 deg V6. Cut the exhaust off and fired it up...legit sounded like a tractor. Not even joking.

Cherry bombs didn't help much.
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I just watched a tractor sounds video, sounded just like that "engine".

Glasspacks just made it sound like a ricer, but worse. (Is that even possible?!?)
 
Bopop4
I just watched a tractor sounds video, sounded just like that "engine".

Glasspacks just made it sound like a ricer, but worse. (Is that even possible?!?)
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Told you :lol:


The only thing glasspacks did was make it quiet lol.




On the topic of glasspacks I saw a cherry bomb on a dump truck yesterday morning :lol:
 
Sound isn't the only thing I look for. I still want a LS1 T/A even tho the LS1 sounds like firecrackers in a garbage can. I wouldn't touch a LT1 T/A with a 10 foot pole even tho it sounds better than a LS1 car. My Cobra had stock exhaust on it when I bought it so it was quiet as hell (2 1/4 pipes).
 
Badasp5.0
Sound isn't the only thing I look for. I still want a LS1 T/A even tho the LS1 sounds like firecrackers in a garbage can. I wouldn't touch a LT1 T/A with a 10 foot pole even tho it sounds better than a LS1 car. My Cobra had stock exhaust on it when I bought it so it was quiet as hell (2 1/4 pipes).
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My truck has 2 1/4 pipes with cats and mufflers and it is NOT quiet. First 3 minutes are the best.

 
Not really.

There's a video of a Sunbird with glasspacks floating around YouTube, I'll have to dig it up and post it so you can see how cool that engine actually sounds.
 

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