Telling the difference between engine notes

[Zenith]

I've always been perplexed by this, but one of my buddies seems to be able to tell what sort of engine a car is using by the sound they make while driving by. Now I'm no expert on sound, but I can usually tell the difference between a V12 and an I6 when the hood is open, the thing I don't understand is how you can tell through an exhaust note?

Any sound gurus out there want to enlighten me?

 

[socomplayer2]

Me and my car buddies can distinguish and identify different engines and sometimes specific car models by the exhaust note. I don't really think its something you can make yourself learn, its more of a being around it and talking about it enough it kind of gets embedded into your brain.

I can correctly identify countless cars just from sitting on my couch or laying in my bed at night with out having to look. Its hard to explain but its like knowing a song you hear a lot, once you hear it enough you'll recognize it anywhere. After a while you recognize countless cars just by sound.👍

My girlfriend of 2 years can pick out certain cars now too like one time we was sitting in my living room and I hear an evo coming down my street and before I could say "I hear an evo" She just says I can hear an evo, that was one of my more prouder moments with her .

But yea it kind of comes with the being around and obsessing with cars deal ya know.

 

[zazaza]

It is experience and listen to them various times. It's just like a song like socomplayer2 said. My friends are really impressed when we go to the rally stages, here in spanish mountains (events like WRC or regional championships), and we don't see yet the car and with the exhaust note I say wich car is it. It took some time and you need to listen these engines notes a lot of times, so it's just experience.

 

[Famine]

I've always been perplexed by this, but one of my buddies seems to be able to tell what sort of engine a car is using by the sound they make while driving by. Now I'm no expert on sound, but I can usually tell the difference between a V12 and an I6 when the hood is open, the thing I don't understand is how you can tell through an exhaust note?

Any sound gurus out there want to enlighten me?

Easy ones:

i4 - Harsh, raspy at the limit
B4 - Badly tuned Volkswagen Beetle. Unpleasant beat frequency
V8 (American) - Balanced and throaty. Goes "wompawompawompa" at idle
V8 (European) - Balanced and growly. Revs high and shouty. Sounds like a 00s F1 car.
V10 (European) - Sounds like a 90s F1 car.
V12 - Sounds like an 80s F1 car.

 

[mafia_boy]

Don't forget whether the crank is 90* or 180* degree, that changes the sound of a V12 aswell.

 

[TheCracker]

A number of things make the engine sounds differ. Amount of cylinders, firing order, exhaust header length, carburation, air induction etc etc. They all either effect the repetition of the engines combustions or what happens to the sounds that that combustion emits.

 

[niky]

Depends on the car... some exhausts have a very distinctive note, while others have a rather flat drone.

Did a double take yesterday. I heard a car start up and I turned to look as a Toyota pulled out of a parking slot. The thing is... what I heard was the metallic rasp of a Mazda MZR coming to life. It's as distinctive as the "ka-chunk" from a Garand as the magazine pops out. Now, at idle, most modern cars aren't loud enough to register above the background noise in the city, but I'd know a Mazda3 starting up, anywhere. A split second later, I saw that the car parked next to the Toyota was a Mazda3. And the driver was buckling up. And all was right with the world...

 

[Paulie]

It's not that hard to tell the difference, sometimes I think I can even tell the difference between an RB and a JZ motor.

 

[mafia_boy]

It's not that hard to tell the difference, sometimes I think I can even tell the difference between an RB and a JZ motor.

It's EASY to tell the difference between an RB and a JZ.....but owning a JZ helps too to tell the difference.

 

[sesselpupser]

Let's not forget the good old Subaru Impreza, you can always, always tell an Impreza by the deep warbling sound, caused by the fact that they have asymmetrical exhaust manifolds due to the boxer engine. I'm not that great at identifying the exact model of a car (normally because so many here have so-called 'fart cans' attached, thus making them sound different) but it's easy to tell how many cylinders an engine has, their layout and aspiration, or at least was, modern cars are so quiet. In some cases you can also hear the high-pitched mechanical whine of a dog box which I always enjoy because it's so rare these days. Oh and I think I can tell a GT-R by their noise, I've only seen three on the street but they make that deep rumbling sound with a hint of a turbo, restrained but potent-sounding at the same time.

 

[TheCracker]

Let's not forget the good old Subaru Impreza, you can always, always tell an Impreza by the deep warbling sound, caused by the fact that they have asymmetrical exhaust manifolds due to the boxer engine.

You can only tell an Impreza engine if it's amplified by a huge fart-can exhaust. My Forester has the same engine and from the outside sounds like any other 4cyl engine.

 

[Jondot]

I can recognise the PSA 1.6 HDI anywhere, that count?

I'll let myself out.

 

[Famine]

I can recognise the PSA 1.6 HDI anywhere, that count?

I'll let myself out.

Some people will FAP to anything.

 

[Jondot]

Some people will FAP to anything.

, well done sir.

 

[TheCracker]

I can recognise the PSA 1.6 HDI anywhere, that count?

That's because, looking at the list of vehicles it's used in, about half of all cars on our roads use it!

Any car drives past, all you say is "PSA 1.6 HDI" and there's a 50% chance that you're correct.

 

[Jondot]

That's because, looking at the list of vehicles it's used in, about half of all cars on our roads use it!

Any car drives past, all you say is "PSA 1.6 HDI" and there's a 50% chance that you're correct.

Oi, don't you call my ridiculous talent into question! I'm sure the Police will call upon me to identify a car from it one day.

...of course all I'll be able to tell them is that it's either a Citroen, Peugeot, Ford, Mazda, Suzuki or Volvo; but still.

I can pull the same trick with the BMW diesel they stuck in Rover 75s. Again, valuable knowledge I think you'll agree.

 

[TheCracker]

I can pull the same trick with the BMW diesel they stuck in Rover 75s. Again, valuable knowledge I think you'll agree.

Yeah, nice try, but nobody bought any of those. You'll be saying next that you can recognize anything with the Kent engine

 

[Punknoodle]

Just being around it a lot makes it easy. When watching the NZV8s I can tell the difference between the Ford cars and the Holden cars, simply by the noise. The Holden sounds a lot raspier than the Ford. Just one example. Oh, and I reckon the Forester with an un modified exhaust will still sound to me like a EJ20.

 

[Duke]

You can only tell an Impreza engine if it's amplified by a huge fart-can exhaust. My Forester has the same engine and from the outside sounds like any other 4cyl engine.

Not at all. All the boxer 4s have an off-tempo burble that is instantly identifiable. I can pick any Subaru out of a crowd by exhaust note.

V6s have a very distinct growl as opposed to the rumble of a V8. I6s aren't as distinct but can still be told from an I4 when you hear them run.

 

[TheCracker]

Not at all. All the boxer 4s have an off-tempo burble that is instantly identifiable. I can pick any Subaru out of a crowd by exhaust note.

Perhaps i need to have another peek under my bonnet to make sure no one has swapped mine for a regular i4 then. It's only when on tick-over that you get the faintest hint of off-beat boxer.

Having said that, i've only ever heard the engine from the inside sat in the drivers seat. I'll have to get someone to drive passed me in it.

 

[Neal]

Perhaps i need to have another peek under my bonnet to make sure no one has swapped mine for a regular i4 then. It's only when on tick-over that you get the faintest hint of off-beat boxer.

Having said that, i've only ever heard the engine from the inside sat in the drivers seat. I'll have to get someone to drive passed me in it.

Seeing someone else drive your car is very unnerving especially if you’re not in it!

I used to be able to recognise motorbikes by their engine note, when I still had my bike and was riding regularly, although different i4’s weren’t as easy as v twins and v4’s.

 

[marmar]

Well if you mean the sound difference between a l6 or V6 .. l6 sounds more like a v12 to me while the V6 sounds very angry .. one time I heard a very very loud 350z from my room's window which I recognized it must be a 350z. Another example the VTEC sound .. if you know how it sounds you will know its a Honda!

 

[Famine]

My brother's Forester was normal on the inside, but two badly-tuned Beetles when it went past.

 

[TheCracker]

My brother's Forester was normal on the inside, but two badly-tuned Beetles when it went past.

I presume that'll have been a turbo model with a free'er flowing exhaust as standard?

 

[Eric.]

Foxbody Mustangs as well as other cars/trucks with Ford 5.0 motors have a very distinct sound. S2000s sound kind of unique for a 4cyl. Chevy LS motors sound a lot different than their older V8s.

I can usually recognize every one of my friend's cars by their exhaust.

 

[motortrend]

I can recognize vvtis and vtecs, ive started to recognize the vvti ince i saw a lotus a small while ago and cmpared it to another toyota. The Hondas also have a bit of a coghing sound when starting up and toyotas have a distingushable noise too but i cant describe it. With subies you feel like you are hearing a piston fire and it sounds like multiple gunshots. The 350z is also a car with a particular sound

 

[Famine]

I presume that'll have been a turbo model with a free'er flowing exhaust as standard?

It'll have been a crap model with broken droplinks as standard. All I know is that he hated it...

 

[mafia_boy]

I can recognize vvtis and vtecs, ive started to recognize the vvti ince i saw a lotus a small while ago and cmpared it to another toyota.

The term you're looking for with the Lotus with Toyota motor (and Toyota Celica's) is VVT-Li, not VVT-i. The motor is the 2ZZ-GE. There is also the 1ZZ-GE which has the VVT-i motor that's found in the MR2 Spyder, and normal Corolla's (not the RunX Aero/Sportivo!) from the early 2000's. The VVT-i is the economy version, like a SOHC VTEC motor is the economy version of a full VTEC motor.

 

[Philly]

My biggest issue is telling the difference between V6s and 4 cylinders. Maybe that's because I don't particularly like the sound of either. A Nissan VQ sounds pretty distinctive but a lot of the V6s in Michigan just sound like 4-bangers.

 

[Eric.]

My biggest issue is telling the difference between V6s and 4 cylinders. Maybe that's because I don't particularly like the sound of either. A Nissan VQ sounds pretty distinctive but a lot of the V6s in Michigan just sound like 4-bangers.

Says the guy with a GTI.