Worst Sounding Engine

[93JC]

you spelled marvelous incorrectly. 

Heathen.

Never said they did by design. Honda, Mercedes, Audi and various other manufacturers have sweet sounding 90 degree V6s. However, I've never heard a nice sounding 90 degree V6 from any American carmaker, and I challenge anyone to find a sound clip of one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6De6yrRnbk



You're probably never going to find a nice sounding Chrysler 90? V6, being that the only 90? V6s they ever made were strictly truck engines.

[Rupert]

Oh my.

[Speed_Racer]

I walked past a current-gen Passat idling at the curb and thought it was a TDI until I saw the 2.0T badge on the trunk.
And an ex-gf drove a Kia Sephia, and that sounded awful all the time.

[Rupert]

Ha, yeah, those little Korean engines sound like shit.

[Cookie Monster]

I don't think the MDX sounds good at all. It has a weird high pitched whine whenever you give it gas (and only when you are on the throttle, not when you are braking) kind of like a supercharger.

Also the Miata doesn't sound too good in the higher RPM range. It sounds like I'm just hurting the car.

[Rupert]

I always thought that the NA sounded great.

[MX793]

I haven't heard a new Miata, but the MZR in my car actually sounds better at higher RPMs than at lower.  A contrast to the Nissan KA24 I had before it, which sound pretty good up until about 5000 RPM, then it got thrashy.

[omicron]

Never said they did by design. Honda, Mercedes, Audi and various other manufacturers have sweet sounding 90 degree V6s. However, I've never heard a nice sounding 90 degree V6 from any American carmaker, and I challenge anyone to find a sound clip of one.

You just have to add the right bits.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0N3NWUe_ZWg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIvadJk4BhA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXHzIRfSIgQ&feature=related

[Colonel Cadillac]

A very good question Kevin!

I have to say the Chevy Cavalier engine, I'm thinking it was a late 90's or early 00's version that I drove for driver's education. Terrible, just terrible. No idea if it had the ecotec at the time, I tend to ignore shit cars.

[sportyaccordy]

Here's another awesome 90 degree V6

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n49Z_Z4Nb_A

And here's prob the greatest one of all

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVWnQ2m6sjs

That Grand Prix was "meh".... at the front of a car on a dyno run all you hear is intake; unless those Commodores are GM 3800s I'm not convinced

[93JC]

Here's another awesome 90 degree V6

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n49Z_Z4Nb_A

Meh.

And here's prob the greatest one of all

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVWnQ2m6sjs

Whinge, whinge, whinge... You can't reasonably expect something like the 3.9 L V6 out of a Dodge Dakota to sound anything like that: it's a truck engine!

That Grand Prix was "meh".... at the front of a car on a dyno run all you hear is intake;

Of course you do: you hear the engine, not the exhaust.

unless those Commodores are GM 3800s I'm not convinced

VN to VY (1989ish to 2004) Commodores used the 3800 V6.

[giant_mtb]

Here's another awesome 90 degree V6

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n49Z_Z4Nb_A

And here's prob the greatest one of all

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVWnQ2m6sjs

That Grand Prix was "meh".... at the front of a car on a dyno run all you hear is intake; unless those Commodores are GM 3800s I'm not convinced

My friend's 3800: http://www.youtube.com/user/Lutey110#p/u/5/Ys5LClp917M

[FoMoJo]

I'm going to get flak for this, but the V10 in my brother's Viper has to be the most disappointing engine sound in any car.

I was thinking the same thing.  I understand that they fire 2 cylinders at once.  Not sure if that's completely accurate but it might explain the unusual sound.

[The Pirate]

My friend's 3800: http://www.youtube.com/user/Lutey110#p/u/5/Ys5LClp917M

I'm a big fan of the 3800 (my first car had that engine, my brother's current car does and I loved it in the Grand Prix GTP that I've driven), but it does generally sound like a tractor IMO.

IMO, one of the better sounding V6 motors is any iteration of Mazda's KL block (but that's for another thread ).

[MX793]

I was thinking the same thing.  I understand that they fire 2 cylinders at once.  Not sure if that's completely accurate but it might explain the unusual sound.

This is incorrect and in the case of the Viper's engine not even physically possible.  The Viper's engine has the banks laid out at 90 degrees.  The crankshaft for an I5 or V10 has the crank journals set at every 72 degrees.  You'll never have two pistons at TDC at the same time with such a configuration.

[giant_mtb]

In C&D's recent article on engine firing and configurations, they mention:

"In the early Nineties when Chrysler developed the V-10 engine for the Viper (basically a 90-degree V-8 with two additional cylinders), it didn't use a split journal crankshaft, and the V-10 subsequently fires unevenly, which produces the Viper's unusual sound."

[93JC]

Balderdash. Very few 90° V10s, especially performance V10s, use split crank journals. The Lamborghini V10, the BMW V10: they all fire unevenly.

I think the only 90° V10 that actually uses split journals is the VW diesel. And maybe the Audi gasser V10. Maybe the Ford too, but I doubt it.

[Mustangfan2003]

I remember when Ford still built the 3.8 Mustangs and they sounded like shit as they aged.  The GM 2.2 was pretty horrible in our S10, the sound and the engine itself.  And last and not least any 4 banger with a fart can is pretty bad. 

[MX793]

Balderdash. Very few 90? V10s, especially performance V10s, use split crank journals. The Lamborghini V10, the BMW V10: they all fire unevenly.

I think the only 90? V10 that actually uses split journals is the VW diesel. And maybe the Audi gasser V10. Maybe the Ford too, but I doubt it.

The Ford V10 does use split pin journals.  I believe the Gallardo's (and I'm guessing the similar Audi gasser) does as well.  The Viper's does not, nor does the M5's.  Not sure about the Lexus LF-A's or the Porsche Carrera GT's.

[GoCougs]

Viper V10 and pickup diesels sound terrible IMO, especially when uncorked (the Cummins being worst of all).

[93JC]

The Gallardo's doesn't, or at least the 5.2 L version doesn't, nor does the version used in the Audi R8 (I looked it up).

The Lexus engine is a perfect 72° vee: it doesn't need split journals. The Porsche is 68°, and off the top of my head I'm not sure but I think it doesn't have split journals either. I figure it's close enough to 72° they're not worried about the vibrations.

[Payman]

I think the Viper V10 gets a lot of flak for not sounding like a V8, not necessarily sounding 'bad'. A properly tuned (i.e. not fucked with, like the one in the video above) Viper V10 sounds great in my opinion. Unfortunately most Viper owners seem to want to tinker with the exhaust to make them sound lower and deeper, but I think they'd be better off if they left it alone. I don't know how many of you have ever heard a normal Viper at high rpm but let me tell you: it's fucking marvellous.

As for awful sounding engines, no modern engine can compare: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pwzdQiikMA

I hate the 3.5 L Nissan VQ, especially in the 350Z and G35. Awful, awful sound.

I spent an entire week driving a 2008 Viper. Are you trying to convince me that they sound marvelous? Have you ever driven one?

[cawimmer430]

Any nice things to say about the Oldsmobile 350cid V8 diesel?   

[The Pirate]

Any nice things to say about the Oldsmobile 350cid V8 diesel?   

Recalling a story from C/D, it was very easy to outrun the cops when their cruisers were so equipped.

[93JC]

I spent an entire week driving a 2008 Viper. Are you trying to convince me that they sound marvelous?

No I'm not trying to convince you, I'm telling you you're wrong.

[Payman]

In contrast to he Viper, bro's 911 Carrera 4 with Borla exhaust sounded incredible. It added greatly to the driving experience, wheras the Viper's droning diminished the experience in that car.

[68_427]

No I'm not trying to convince you, I'm telling you you're wrong.

The sound inside is different than what you hear from the outside...

[Payman]

No I'm not trying to convince you, I'm telling you you're wrong.

Oh... well, okay then.

[S204STi]

Uncorked HDs, most V-6s, most I-4s, any diesel.

[93JC]

Oh... well, okay then.