US V8 Sounds Vs. European V8 sounds

[Andyb23]

European cars just sound far better and their engines are a lot better designed overall.

American cars are all about muscle and power with no finesse. European cars combine all three and pull it off with class. I still can't believe there are people trying to push American cars these days... its almost a moot point. Reliability wise, engine wise, feature wise and looks wise American cars are consistently on the bottom of the barrel. I wish it was the opposite, but thats just the truth..

Lets not talk about the safety issues.

 

[Fenixgoon]

Originally posted by: Andyb23
European cars just sound far better and their engines are a lot better designed overall.

American cars are all about muscle and power with no finesse. European cars combine all three and pull it off with class. I still can't believe there are people trying to push American cars these days... its almost a moot point. Reliability wise, engine wise, feature wise and looks wise American cars are consistently on the bottom of the barrel. I wish it was the opposite, but thats just the truth..

uhhh... repair costs of C6 Z06 vs. repair costs of F430? gimme a berak. euro cars are known to be unreliable if anything - if not taken care of in an absolutely meticulous fashion. a vette you can take in every once in a while, a ferrari gets taken in every month.

go test some "mustang GT convertibles" with jeremy clarkson

 

[Andyb23]

Originally posted by: Fenixgoon

Originally posted by: Andyb23
European cars just sound far better and their engines are a lot better designed overall.

American cars are all about muscle and power with no finesse. European cars combine all three and pull it off with class. I still can't believe there are people trying to push American cars these days... its almost a moot point. Reliability wise, engine wise, feature wise and looks wise American cars are consistently on the bottom of the barrel. I wish it was the opposite, but thats just the truth..

uhhh... repair costs of C6 Z06 vs. repair costs of F430? gimme a berak. euro cars are known to be unreliable if anything - if not taken care of in an absolutely meticulous fashion. a vette you can take in every once in a while, a ferrari gets taken in every month.

go test some "mustang GT convertibles" with jeremy clarkson

Euro cars, have small problems such with lights and whatnot, but more often you will see American cars with horrible problems. The costs are mainly due to the fact that they are foreign parts.

And again lets not go into looks....

 

[Fenixgoon]

Originally posted by: Andyb23

Originally posted by: Fenixgoon

Originally posted by: Andyb23
European cars just sound far better and their engines are a lot better designed overall.

American cars are all about muscle and power with no finesse. European cars combine all three and pull it off with class. I still can't believe there are people trying to push American cars these days... its almost a moot point. Reliability wise, engine wise, feature wise and looks wise American cars are consistently on the bottom of the barrel. I wish it was the opposite, but thats just the truth..

uhhh... repair costs of C6 Z06 vs. repair costs of F430? gimme a berak. euro cars are known to be unreliable if anything - if not taken care of in an absolutely meticulous fashion. a vette you can take in every once in a while, a ferrari gets taken in every month.

go test some "mustang GT convertibles" with jeremy clarkson

Euro cars, have small problems such with lights and whatnot, but more often you will see American cars with horrible problems. The costs are mainly due to the fact that they are foreign parts.

And again lets not go into looks....

what euro car gives you a mean looking RWD 300hp-V8 coupe for ~~$30k tops? oh wait - none! referencing the mustang GT, btw.

 

[Iron Woode]

Originally posted by: Andyb23

Originally posted by: Fenixgoon

Originally posted by: Andyb23
European cars just sound far better and their engines are a lot better designed overall.

American cars are all about muscle and power with no finesse. European cars combine all three and pull it off with class. I still can't believe there are people trying to push American cars these days... its almost a moot point. Reliability wise, engine wise, feature wise and looks wise American cars are consistently on the bottom of the barrel. I wish it was the opposite, but thats just the truth..

uhhh... repair costs of C6 Z06 vs. repair costs of F430? gimme a berak. euro cars are known to be unreliable if anything - if not taken care of in an absolutely meticulous fashion. a vette you can take in every once in a while, a ferrari gets taken in every month.

go test some "mustang GT convertibles" with jeremy clarkson

Euro cars, have small problems such with lights and whatnot, but more often you will see American cars with horrible problems. The costs are mainly due to the fact that they are foreign parts.

And again lets not go into looks....

wrong.

Euro cars spend way too much time being "repaired" in a garage, while American cars are being driven around.

As for looks...yeah, right. The ugliest cars cars I have seen over the last 20 years have been Euro cars.

Sorry to burst your fanboi bubble.

 

[RichUK]

You Americans definitely get credit for this V8 monster.

I would LOVE to take this on the roads.

 

[forrestroche]

Originally posted by: Iron Woode
Euro cars spend way too much time being "repaired" in a garage, while American cars are being driven around.

Funny, when I am stateside I see a lot more cars sitting on flat tires in front of trailer homes than over here.

Sorry to burst your fanboi bubble.

Exactly

 

[forrestroche]

Talk talk talk

Here's the sh!t. You should hear the sound of my puppy. 1.2L with solid lifters...

ITS MUSIC BABY.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

I've heard Ferraris, and they don't do anything for me. To me, comparing an American V8 sound to a European V8 sound is like comparing a drum set to a violin. Sure, the violin has more prestige and you can make some beautiful music...


...but aren't there times when a good thumping track just really really feels great?

 

[ajayjuneja]

I LOVE the way the RS4 direct injection V8 sounds... rumble rumble rumble!

 

[Atheus]

Originally posted by: Iron Woode

Originally posted by: Andyb23

Originally posted by: Fenixgoon

Originally posted by: Andyb23
European cars just sound far better and their engines are a lot better designed overall.

American cars are all about muscle and power with no finesse. European cars combine all three and pull it off with class. I still can't believe there are people trying to push American cars these days... its almost a moot point. Reliability wise, engine wise, feature wise and looks wise American cars are consistently on the bottom of the barrel. I wish it was the opposite, but thats just the truth..

uhhh... repair costs of C6 Z06 vs. repair costs of F430? gimme a berak. euro cars are known to be unreliable if anything - if not taken care of in an absolutely meticulous fashion. a vette you can take in every once in a while, a ferrari gets taken in every month.

go test some "mustang GT convertibles" with jeremy clarkson

Euro cars, have small problems such with lights and whatnot, but more often you will see American cars with horrible problems. The costs are mainly due to the fact that they are foreign parts.

And again lets not go into looks....

wrong.

Euro cars spend way too much time being "repaired" in a garage, while American cars are being driven around.

As for looks...yeah, right. The ugliest cars cars I have seen over the last 20 years have been Euro cars.

Sorry to burst your fanboi bubble.

What a load of crap. All the Euro cars you're talking about are extreme high performace vehicles - of course they need more servicing!

Compare a regular old chevvy with a regular old (inert common euro marque) and you won't find much difference. Same if you compare a 500HP Ferrari with 500HP tweaked out American muscle.

 

[Zenmervolt]

It's not American versus European, it's flat plane (typically, but not always, European) versus cross plane (typically, but not always, American) crankshaft design.

A cross plane crankshaft in a V8 requires no additional balancer shafts, but has a heavier crankshaft and is generally better suited for low-end torque.

A flat plane crankshaft in a V8 effectively makes the engine a pair of inline fours and requires additional balance shafts for optimum smoothness. However, the crankshaft is lighter and this design can typically rev higher than a cross plane V8.

ZV

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Atheus
Compare a regular old chevvy with a regular old (inert common euro marque) and you won't find much difference. Same if you compare a 500HP Ferrari with 500HP tweaked out American muscle.

You mean like an Audi or VW (HORRIBLE reliability ratings)? Or a Pugeot (oh, wait, they pulled out of the US market because the cars kept falling apart)? Or maybe Renault (wait, they pulled out of the US market because they were worse than Pugeot)? Or how about Mercedes and BMW (on par with VW and Audi for reliability)?

ZV

 

[Atheus]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: Atheus
Compare a regular old chevvy with a regular old (inert common euro marque) and you won't find much difference. Same if you compare a 500HP Ferrari with 500HP tweaked out American muscle.

You mean like an Audi or VW (HORRIBLE reliability ratings)? Or a Pugeot (oh, wait, they pulled out of the US market because the cars kept falling apart)? Or maybe Renault (wait, they pulled out of the US market because they were worse than Pugeot)? Or how about Mercedes and BMW (on par with VW and Audi for reliability)?

ZV

Got reliability surveys?

http://www.whatcar.com/news-special-report.aspx?NA=217350#

That's the only decent one I could find. Ford and Chrysler sit 1/3 up from the bottom, above half the Euro makes, below the other half. Top is all Japan.

 

[RichUK]

You guys want crazy euro V8 music?

Check THIS video out of a Ferrari F40 on the Dyno

SHEESH!

God knows how many RPM?s that topped out at.

Thing is, the F40's turbo charged where as the Ferrari 355 is normally aspirated.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Originally posted by: RichUK
You guys want crazy euro V8 music?

Check THIS video out of a Ferrari F40 on the Dyno

SHEESH!

God knows how many RPM?s that topped out at.

Thing is, the F40's turbo charged where as the Ferrari 355 is normally aspirated.

Good gawd, did he go into 5th for the full pull? Jeebus!

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: DEMO24
I'm not fond of the american V8 sound. To hollow for me. Sounds like someone is banging on the exhaust pipe.

I'm fond of my WRX's boxer rumble though

Go open exhaust (catless) and you'll get a similar hollow sound with your WRX. It's the sound of the exhaust valve ticking open/shut down the pipe.

The differences between the American and European V8 sounds are in the crank design, i.e. cross-plane and flat-plane respectively. Cross-plane cranks have uneven firing orders within each bank (which is what makes the distinctive sound) and require heavy counterweights, but are better balanced. Flat-plane crank V8'ss are like having two I-4's bolted together, and suffer balance issues, but don't require the heavy counterweights (so they can rev higher).

edit: Doh! Zenmervolt beat me to it.

 

[CraigRT]

American V8s are the best sounding engines on the planet, IMO

I love V8's... best sounding type of engine there is. :thumbsup:

 

[Vic]

I can't even believe that people are arguing about the reliability of exotic European cars. :roll:

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: DEMO24
I'm not fond of the american V8 sound. To hollow for me. Sounds like someone is banging on the exhaust pipe.

I'm fond of my WRX's boxer rumble though

Go open exhaust (catless) and you'll get a similar hollow sound with your WRX. It's the sound of the exhaust valve ticking open/shut down the pipe.

The differences between the American and European V8 sounds are in the crank design, i.e. cross-plane and flat-plane respectively. Cross-plane cranks have uneven firing orders within each bank (which is what makes the distinctive sound) and require heavy counterweights, but are better balanced. Flat-plane crank V8'ss are like having two I-4's bolted together, and suffer balance issues, but don't require the heavy counterweights (so they can rev higher).

Though it is possible to rev "high enough" as in the case of the LS-7's 7000RPM redline and the '67 Z-28's 7500RPM.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: Andyb23
European cars just sound far better and their engines are a lot better designed overall.

American cars are all about muscle and power with no finesse. European cars combine all three and pull it off with class. I still can't believe there are people trying to push American cars these days... its almost a moot point. Reliability wise, engine wise, feature wise and looks wise American cars are consistently on the bottom of the barrel. I wish it was the opposite, but thats just the truth..

Lets not talk about the safety issues.

safety issues? reliability? features? what the hell american and european cars are you comparing? bmw to ford? (though, bmw got ugly as fcuk all of a sudden, and it certainly can't be merc or vw because their reliability ratings are in the sh!tter). don't forget that a focus in the UK costs 2x to 3x what it does in the US. for 2x to 3x the price it better be a sh!t ton better of a car.

you're not talking truth, you're comparing apples to oranges and then saying that the orange is really a fist-sized gold nugget.

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth

Originally posted by: Vic Flat-plane crank V8'ss are like having two I-4's bolted together, and suffer balance issues, but don't require the heavy counterweights (so they can rev higher).

Though it is possible to rev "high enough" as in the case of the LS-7's 7000RPM redline and the '67 Z-28's 7500RPM.

yup. it's really a rev faster (due to less rotating mass) than rev higher. rpm potential is more of a function of how far the piston has to travel and valvetrain limitations than the crank design.

 

[Raduque]

I've never been real impressed with how the Euros sound. Love the styling and the performance. It looks great sitting still and going fast, just don't want to hear it. I absolutely HATE that whiny wailing banshee scream they make. I think it's because it's really just all sound, with no feeling behind it.

Give me that low deep-down rumbling burble of a well-tuned American V8 with straight pipes and glasspacks. A sound that not only moves your emotions, but your feet as well, if you're close enough.

I like an engine that I can feel in my chest, not one that I feel in my ears.

Originally posted by: Iron Woode

Originally posted by: Ktulu
LS7

/thread

Hemi

@ 1:10 secs in

/thread

:Q

Now that's a real engine.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
yup. it's really a rev faster (due to less rotating mass) than rev higher. rpm potential is more of a function of how far the piston has to travel and valvetrain limitations than the crank design.

Yup, if you've ever seen an engine w/o a TC rev compared to with it's a fairly large difference.

...and the Cummins with it's reciprocating mass that is equivilent to a half dozen Huffy bicycles revs about as fast as the moon. But my god is it relentless once it gets going.

Fun fact:
If you take two LS7s and attach a VW engine onto it, you're only 50LBs more than a Cummins that's in the Dodge Ram.

 

[RichUK]

Originally posted by: fbrdphreak

Originally posted by: RichUK
You guys want crazy euro V8 music?

Check THIS video out of a Ferrari F40 on the Dyno

SHEESH!

God knows how many RPM?s that topped out at.

Thing is, the F40's turbo charged where as the Ferrari 355 is normally aspirated.

Good gawd, did he go into 5th for the full pull? Jeebus!

I'm guessing so, I?ve never been to a dyno session. Also you can really see the torque of the engine when he lifts off. I thought it was quality when each of the three exhausts backfired in sequence at the end.

 

[RichUK]

If you were to fully examine and strip the engines down. From an engineering point of view, which has the best design?

I?m guessing the euro style V8, although i don?t actually know.