People talk about the rumble of a V8 or the wail of a Ferrari V12 or the shriek of an F1 car. All great audible delights, but for me the best sound of all comes from a rally car. I love the BOV whistle going into a bend followed by turbo spool and exhaust and flying gravel as it exits.
This clip is a pretty good representation, but not nearly as awesome as catching it in person.
Yaris WRC
before even reading your answer I was going to say the sound of mechanical differentials adjusting with a rev matched down shift while a diverter valve whistles and simultaneously excess raw fuel dumps into a turbo igniting and expanding the air into a massive fireball out the tailpipe.
I think I enjoy the sound of the race track even more than watching the action. I also love the smell of burnt racing fuel.
The sound of old Plymouth starters bring back happy memories from when I was a kid.
Storz
Dork
9/26/14 8:30 a.m.
2 strokes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ31pgHkwW0
Jerry
SuperDork
9/26/14 8:32 a.m.
As happy as my Abarth makes me, the drive I did in the Lamborghini Gallardo made me pretty happy as well.
Woody wrote:
I think I enjoy the sound of the race track even more than watching the action. I also love the smell of burnt racing fuel.
The sound of old Plymouth starters bring back happy memories from when I was a kid.
+1. I've often wondered why the smell of race cars is so attractive to me, but, man, do I love it.
I love the sound of Judd V8 hillclimb cars...among tons of other racing sounds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1W4mP7tucA
Woody wrote:
I think I enjoy the sound of the race track even more than watching the action. I also love the smell of burnt racing fuel.
Same herebut if I have to pick just one sound it would be hearing an Aston Martin V12 racing engine coming bown the back straight at Mid Ohio.
wspohn
HalfDork
9/26/14 9:14 a.m.
Best automotive sounds in order of preference:
V-12
straight 6
V6
V8
I-4
Other sounds I like include a straight cut race gearbox - think rising frequency whine as the rpm increase. Sadly, I've never had such a gearbox on the same car as I've had a V-12, which would be automotive sonic Heaven.
As for BOV farts, I can live without them, but if you really love them, you can buy fake ones that make that noise when there is no turbo. Fool your neighbours into thinking you have a very 'special' Prius!
BOV alone doesn't do it, but with Diff clunks and whirls, dogbox whine and antilag, it works :)
tuna55
UltimaDork
9/26/14 9:19 a.m.
After hearing nitro fueled drag cars, and even your average 9 second bracket car, it sounds to me as if most road race cars have their throttles adjusted wrong when spectating. For sound, nothing beats the dragstrip.
Turbo noises in general. Rotaries. A howling high-revving 4 or 6.
Most V8s, 10s, or 12s do nothing for me.
Oh, and 5 cylinders huffing inordinate amounts of boost really does it for me.
http://youtu.be/0o6FfJAfJKg
In reply to Woody:
We used to run our generator at the track with the gas we put in the car, for convenience of course.
My favorite sounds are Block Dirt Modifieds. The worst was the Buick V6 NASCAR engine because it was only a matter of time before it turned to a sickening silence after something decided it was tired of being trapped inside an engine.
rotard
Dork
9/26/14 10:00 a.m.
Rotaries....braaaap braaaap braaaap. I also love the V6 SHO engine. That thing sounded awesome at 7k rpms.
V4's also have an awesome sound.
Ian F
UltimaDork
9/26/14 10:08 a.m.
All of the above?
For some reason, I'm drawn to the sound of a turbo Subaru with a decent aftermarket exhaust. Sometimes I want a WRX mainly for that.
long gear pulls with any engine that sounds good....
Grizz
UltraDork
9/26/14 11:11 a.m.
This:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5fU3oBW9hw
But while I like big uncorked v8s, it's the smaller ones that rev higher that get my tingles happening.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmPVjmtMNSQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8dZGmQa8vc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ivUbc1fAEQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNY_gqvACI0
You know, while still sounding like a V8.
Honorable mention:
6A12 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeMWTxeTBVI
pinchvalve wrote:
People talk about the rumble of a V8 or the wail of a Ferrari V12 or the shriek of an F1 car. All great audible delights, but for me the best sound of all comes from a rally car. I love the BOV whistle going into a bend followed by turbo spool and exhaust and flying gravel as it exits.
This clip is a pretty good representation, but not nearly as awesome as catching it in person.
Yaris WRC
I hate BOV sound. Compressor surge is where it's at.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anVW1qoUEz4
Keith Tanner wrote:
Overrun. Pop pop bang!
This. And like 80% of the reason why diesels suck. Diesels don't crackle!
I rode in my neighbor's Lada VFTS once.
The combination of the slight "crunch" of the dog-box downshift, the "slurp" of the two unfiltered Weber side-drafts as he got back on it very high in the RPM range and the unmuffled raw exhaust being dumped while gravel and dirt was beating the hell out of his wheel wells has yet to be topped on my "favorite car sounds".
Good god what an experience.
They made a promotional video out of one of his runs once (with his wife in his "other" Lada) but videos seldom do reality justice plus they played some stupid music over it so it's kind of ruined: http://indavideo.hu/video/13_Mikulas_Rally_2107_belso
Knurled wrote:
pinchvalve wrote:
People talk about the rumble of a V8 or the wail of a Ferrari V12 or the shriek of an F1 car. All great audible delights, but for me the best sound of all comes from a rally car. I love the BOV whistle going into a bend followed by turbo spool and exhaust and flying gravel as it exits.
This clip is a pretty good representation, but not nearly as awesome as catching it in person.
Yaris WRC
I hate BOV sound. Compressor surge is where it's at.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anVW1qoUEz4
Unf. Sprongl is my favorite autograph on my helmet - above Higgins and Pastrana.
TR6. Yummmy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO7uIIvxr8w
E-Type
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGzBVPLG8xk