Best Noise

[chunoo]

Sorry, I know that it had been discussed to death on here, but thought I would put it to a poll to see what everyone thinks.

There seems to be a lot of people defending the sound of the new V6 engines, but personally I don't think you can argue that they sound anywhere near as good as the V8's or V10's that have gone before if you have seen them live.

So, what do you think?

I know some people might argue that a Ferrari V12 might sound better than a different manufacturers, but for simplicity lets just go by cylinder count

[Justaredbadge]

Other.

[37chevy]

You've not got a selection for the dfv! :-p or the v16 brm!

I think my 2 favorites are the ferrari v12 and Renault v10 from the mid 90s....I really like the sound of the v6....but to me it doesn't fit an f1 car...shut your eyes and think of a Le Mans car and it fits perfectly

[MartinQ]

"Other" for me. The safety car makes the best noise.

[chunoo]

Interesting results so far. Seems that the majority agree with me (V10's) but no love at all yet for the V8's!

[kambites]

I liked the 60s cars because they all sounded different. Amongst the more modern ones, I'd say the V10s, though.

[dr_gn]

Best V12 I ever heard was the Honda in an MP4/5C at a Silverstone test. Awesome, but I still prefer the sound of a 3.5 litre V10.

[FamilyDub]

Who's defending the new v6's noise - they sound st!

I'll have the V10 era back, please!

[dr_gn]

FamilyDub said:

Who's defending the new v6's noise - they sound st!

I'll have the V10 era back, please!

Sadly the TV audience is king, and they all sound st on telly.

[the other me]

I voted V12, but didn't have that much exposure to them, still remember Spa qualy1995 though , just about to p1ss down, Alesi/Berger barged to the front of the pitlane & came down the hill to Eau Rouge on their warm up lap at the speed of a Quali run to try & beat the rain. . .they did, and locked out the front row if my memory isn't failing, but Hallelujah ! ! "the noise" . Close 2nd would be the V10's they were fairly awesome.

After one day in Jerez this week I am aurally underwhelmed. The actual noise itself isn't TOO bad, it just feels like someone has turned the volume knob back to 7 . . . does it have to be this way ? can't we just drill some holes in the exhaust ? ( & in Red Bulls case quite a few more too in the cowlings )

[dr_gn]

the other me said:

I voted V12, but didn't have that much exposure to them, still remember Spa qualy1995 though , just about to p1ss down, Alesi/Berger barged to the front of the pitlane & came down the hill to Eau Rouge on their warm up lap at the speed of a Quali run to try & beat the rain. . .they did, and locked out the front row if my memory isn't failing, but Hallelujah ! ! "the noise" . Close 2nd would be the V10's they were fairly awesome.

After one day in Jerez this week I am aurally underwhelmed. The actual noise itself isn't TOO bad, it just feels like someone has turned the volume knob back to 7 . . . does it have to be this way ? can't we just drill some holes in the exhaust ? ( & in Red Bulls case quite a few more too in the cowlings )

The point is that the new engines take energy out of the exhaust, by putting a big obstruction in it. Combine that with a decrease in cylinders, capacity, exhaust outlets and rev limit, and it was always going to make them much quieter than the old n/a cars. Apparently to the surprise of many on PH who clearly have no grasp of even basic physics).

[anonymous-user]

Big Block 9 litre Chevy in a Can Am car, all the F1 engines sound like sewing machines compared to that thunder at full chat.

[PhillipM]

MartinQ said:

The safety car makes the best noise.

Sad but true for this season

[dtrump]

IMO it depends on where you are observing the noise from...

Sure V10s are nice n all, but these new turbos with all the spooling and electrical who hars have an unusal and beefy character which if viewed on tv with onboards etc will be a breath of fresh air...fascinately brilliant

Im not actally at the track, I watch on sky....(kind of)...

If I was at the track tho I can understand that perhaps they are a tad too quiet now and the sense of excitement has been reduced......its hard to follow the race live trackside at the best of times, so the noise is vital to maintain interest that something is actually happening... at another corner youre not at

new turbos FTW

[Scuffers]

dr_gn said:

The point is that the new engines take energy out of the exhaust, by putting a big obstruction in it. Combine that with a decrease in cylinders, capacity, exhaust outlets and rev limit, and it was always going to make them much quieter than the old n/a cars. Apparently to the surprise of many on PH who clearly have no grasp of even basic physics).

There not called rotary mufflers for nothing....

[ttthilvester]

Best noise EVER?

1953 BRM V16 1.5 Litres, twin superchargers, 600hp....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRNoRlLlsD8

[Scuffers]

ttthilvester said:

Best noise EVER?

1953 BRM V16 1.5 Litres, twin superchargers, 600hp....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRNoRlLlsD8

got to be up there....

what's striking about it is if you look at the stats, 1.5L, supercharged, 600Hp - ie. the best they could do at the time.

so, some 60 years later, we have 1.6L turbo engines making the same 600Hp

is this progress?

[DanielSan]

Not really a fair comparison though, let the engine manufacturers really open the taps on the new engines and they'd undoubtedly be over the 1000bhp mark.

The V10's were unofficialy there by the end of their era, the 80's turbo stuff were well over it so there's no reason why the new engines couldn't blitz that if the restrictions were taken off...

[Scuffers]

DanielSan said:

Not really a fair comparison though, let the engine manufacturers really open the taps on the new engines and they'd undoubtedly be over the 1000bhp mark.

The V10's were unofficialy there by the end of their era, the 80's turbo stuff were well over it so there's no reason why the new engines couldn't blitz that if the restrictions were taken off...

somewhat missing the point I was trying to make...

progress was the V12's, then the V10's (when they were used by choice rather then by regulation)

the problem now is we have vastly complex/expensive engines and associated systems just to meet a target that was achieved some 60 years ago.

Other bit that made me laugh, people going on about all this increase in torque and how the cars are wheelspinning - nothing to do with the harder (more durable) tyres and lack of rear downforce from the aero regs changes then? (see the LH interview if you don't believe me)

[rdjohn]

This is a very surprising result for me, as I loved the intoxicating sound of the outgoing V8s and it is a very close call with their V10 predecessors.

I was at Silverstone in '77 when Renault first turned up with a turbo and thought they would never catch on - far too quiet. I also remember standing on the chateau slopes in 79 and thinking how much better V12s sounded compared to DFVs as the echo reverberated all around as they accelerated out of Rascasse.

But all of the above sound many times better than the V6s that I listened to on Thursday, their biggest deficiency being the amount of time they seem to be off throttle while the whining electronics do their thing. They are quiet and way behind the aural enjoyment of road legal cars like the Ferrari 360 and 458, Aston Vantages or even big AMG Mercs.

Bernie is definitely right in this one respects, but it is called progress. I think that it is a step too far and can't seei it lasting 5 years before someone at the FIA gets another good idea. This may happen sooner if Renault cannot get their act together quickly.