Best Sounding Straight 6

12v cummins.

datsun L with a 6 to 1 header and some kind of carb work.  something between rowdy and silky and just a wonderful tone.

 

The Ford turbo Barra engine is pretty decent.

Years ago I went to the Dureya Hill Climb. There was a Jaaaaaagggg XKE WITH BASICALLY AN OPEN HEADER (I'M YELLING BECAUSE IT WAS LOUD!). I had an eargasm right then and there.  I should have brought a spare hat!  

The later Jag sixes sound pretty good as well.  Not sure I've ever heard the 4.0 liter version of the AJ16, but the 3.6 AJ6 makes the right noises. 

However, I'd say the BMW S38 is pretty close to king of the heap for I6 noises.  Certainly better than pretty much any of the other BMW I6s. 

I think most I6 cars have been covered, I can't add much there.  But not liking the sound of V6 is odd to me.  Since a lot of race engines have been included, I'd like to nominate the P675 Nissan Pilbeam.

https://youtu.be/AB_x35ztf4M

I'm biased too, but the Vortec 4200 sounds pretty good. Needs a bit more RPM to really be perfect. I've always liked the RB26, but can't justify owning one.

One thing is for sure, you need a turbo accompanying the inline 6 to really set it off. It's the perfect harmony. V12s don't do it for me. Not sure why...

I remember watching a factory BMW 3.0 CSL at Road America driven by Hans Stuck and Brian Redman back in, I think, 1975...  That thing sounded great.   Dunno what engine it would have had. 

I am also partial to a Triumph 6, but I am also biased.

I wonder if some sort of "bundle of snakes" header design could improve a V6 tone? 

Also, there's this. DCTs make everything better.

For some reason I always thought the RB20DET sounded better than its larger displacement counterparts, it really has a wild animal type howl when the only muffler is a decent sized turbo.. 

Also any inline 6 with either multiple carbs or individual throttle bodies makes a pretty exciting noise, cars that come to mind include the Nissan Skyline from the early 70s, and this Supra - 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nvDa_l4DV8

Note: I've always like the induction noise of BMW's sixes, but I've always thought the E46 M3 exhaust note was often too thrashy and grating, depending on the exhaust design. I've noticed that every header I've seen for those cars collects the first 3 cylinders, then the second 3, probably for clearance purposes. My theory is that the engine would sound a lot better if the header was collected in relation to firing order, like the "bundle of snakes" exhausts on V8 racing cars of the 60s

L28, m104, and rb20 for me

My OM603 with a 3.4 head sounds pretty good (for a diesel) all the way up to its 5k. redline. 

But honestly, I like them all. 

I am also firmly in the camp of "straight sixes sound the best" The off kilter cadence of a crossplane V8 just doesn't sound good to my ears. Like a Harley twin. They sound like they are misfiring.  

The sound of a Lexus IS300 with a nice exhaust stops me in my tracks every time. The BMW M20 with the right exhaust makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up when you tip into the throttle at 3500 RPM. BMW M30's sound glorious when you open them up. The Triumph baby sixes (2 liter and 2.5 liter) sound amazing despite not making any power. Whenever we fire up a big Healey I am right beside it.

I watch a lot of Allen Milyard's videos and most of his small bore 4 stroke 6 cylinder conversions have an exhaust note to die for. 

definitely a fan of 6cyl/v6 sounds.  They can have such charisma.  v8s have their place...and well 4cylinders are hit or miss, but the 6 is definitely music with 5cyl close behind in 2nd place.

I have been perfecting toyota MZ v6 sounds lately...alot of their character is dictated by the Y-pipe...my Highlander still has the stock y-pipe so its a little uneven and gives it a "bigger" sound.  It has a lovely snarl.  While I recently did a Solara and made a custom Y-pipe and its...just beautiful sounding.  Best part no drone.

I cannot necessary pick a favorite 6cyl sound as each has its perk, Nissan RBs sure do can sound nice, but I kinda like the Toyota 1jz too...

BMW S38 is tops for me, of the ones I've personally experienced. There is an M20 in my driveway that I've also always loved the sound of. I never really liked the S54 much - too raspy. Same with the M50 I had; it always sounded best with a stock exhaust. I guess I like more of a howl and less rasp.

Honorable mention goes to the N52B30 in the E60 530i and E90 330i, with the 3 stage intake. With an open airbox/good cold air intake, those engines just sound fantastic.

How about an "almost" inline 6?  My VR6 is on a 7.5 degree stagger and the extra burble of the uneven exhaust ports makes it sound really cool.

Watch some R36 videos on youtube and see if you don't agree.

Here I am spamming my own thread, but I haven't found as many V6s I like the sound of. In line 6 - slam dunk, probably sound damn good. V6? Some do and some don't.

Here is one I do like the small V6 KLDE KLZE engine (fun starts about 20 secs in)

In reply to wspohn :

Those are in my top 3 favorite sounding v6s