Automotive Eargasm!

I"m pretty much a forced induction 4 cyl fan and prior to this point had no V8 ambitions. But I've heard many fine sounding engines, both on the street and at autocross of the 6-cyl and 8-cyl variety. It was shear pleasure last night on the drive home from work to hear the glorious sound of someone's late model black Camaro. He, or she, came up fast behind me and passed me as soon as able. The car shifted while passing and it sounded like an automatic based upon the speed of the shift. But OH THE GLORIOUS SOUNDS FROM THAT CAR!!!!

It looked lowered, had wide (305s?) tires on the rear, had SS badge on the back right and what looked like some kind of Hurst badge(?) on the back left. The driver leaned into it once across the dam and up the road on the other side. It simply walked away from my little '15 GTI as I tried to keep up, but the sound of that car has made me rethink EVERYTHING!

That was a car that I'd drive just to hear. I'd just start the car in the garage to hear that GLORIOUS SOUND. Years into the future when I'm incapable of driving I could still go into the garage and fire that beast up. Hands down that was the best sounding car I've heard in my life and I'm old. It spoke to me.

On top of all that, the driver must have been doing alot of down shifting for effect and the car was actually spitting yellow fire out of the exhaust (it was dusk and this made the whole thing even better!).

So, I don't know who you were or even if you come here but I'm now rethinking my future automotive plans! I've always thought a car should be a pleasure to see and to drive. Now I also know it should be a pleasure to hear as well.

I'm thinking there had to be an aftermarket exhaust with a tune on that car. I think I need a V8! Who knows about these things here, please spill the beans, what was this glorious sounding beast?

180 degree headers maybe? If I had a V8 I would REALLY want some:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/1-8uYCabSog

Don't know if they could even be put on a modern Camaro without major surgery.

Maybe so:

I had a similar expirience yesterday. I was driving down the freeway at 70 with the with the windows up, ac and radio on. I heard the most glorious sounding exhaust note despite all that- from a car down below, accelerating up the entrance ramp. I couldn't see the car at first, I could only hear it. It was very angry yet refined at the same time. Up the ramp pops a caged 928 with Gambler's Run decals. I've already been looking up 928's on Craigslist, I didn't need to hear that.

i've always been an American V8 kind of guy, but i had a similar experience back in '03 or so when i let my cousin drive my Nova and pass me as i drove his truck at highway speeds... the sound of my vortec headed/HOT cammed 355 powered 71 Nova that had an X pipe between the Hedman Hedders and Flowmaster crossflow muffler passing me at WFO in third gear at 90+ mph (probably well north of 6000rpm as he went by) was almost spiritual... i had driven that car in anger many times- and it sounded awesome from the driver's seat- but that was the first time i had ever heard and experienced what others got to hear and experience when i passed them.. i don't even know how to describe it: my Nova getting larger and larger in the rearview mirror, then blasting past in a shockwave of pure noise and fury.. i instantly became jealous of anyone that ever got to hear my car when i was out playing with it and understood why i always had people asking me what the hell kind of exhaust i was running on that thing.. i might be a little bit biased, but i honestly think it's the best sounding car that i've ever heard..

regarding the sounds of newer Camaros: they sound pretty throaty in factory trim, but some of the aftermarket exhaust kits make them sound absolutely evil.. in a good way....

I did a track day this spring with a new(ish) ZL1 package Camaro. The sound of that thing was so glorious, my passenger and I would roll down the windows (despite the POURING rain) just to get the full effect as it went by.

I've always loved the sound of our V8 Datsun back when it was in challenge trim. It had a small block chevy with a set of 180 degree headers. I hope this is relevant to the conversation.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/qJOIFTgxhrU

That video makes me smile. A lot.

I like following vintage Ferraris on track days for just this reason. There's a quality of sound to an older V-12 breathing through Webbers that even the new Ferraris don't have (plus, I can't keep up with the new ones on the straightaways).

A friend has an Alfa Montreal, which is slow by modern standards. His favorite thing to do in the car is to open up the throttle on the DOHC V8 in tunnels and just breathe in the sound.

I've always had a thing for bent 8's, and musclecars, and for the last qtr century been driving very boosted sub-2 liter 4cyls. Now my DD is a Naziwagen E55 which has one of the very meanest and nastiest of V8's ever made in it, it's a musclecar for grownups and thus I have no idea how I ended up with it... and don't care. Gad what a noise! So go find that Camaro or whatever you like and drive it. I suspect you'll find the noise to be all that and a cuppa coffee, but the great huge lump of instantly-there torque will be even more of a revelation.

Oh geez Andy I could replay that clip over and over, you're absolutely right that Z sounds fantastic

Here's a clip of my car making pretty good noise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=snphJIZGr3o

I recently bought a car with an uncorked 1UZ in a place it doesn't belong. The noises are glorious, and I've wasted more than a little bit of fuel just... listening.

My second favorite exhaust sound is a foxbody with an h pipe and old super 40 flowmasters. Just sounds so right to me. Top favorite is still high compression open header big blocks at idle.

4 cyliders just don't make the music a V8 can. More cylinders=more pulses per revolution. Then you add flat plane cranks and 12 cylinders....

https://youtu.be/9jAngoCbOMg

One it gets going, it never stops!

Gratuitous Fairmont noises.

http://youtu.be/l2FlvjwFjRk

http://youtu.be/0W9Jsux1nrA

http://youtu.be/OeII8mGUL80

http://youtu.be/pSO9OPZhFx8

The new Chevrolet SS sounds about as good as anything I've heard in a while.

In reply to snailmont5oh:

Those vids from Pocono!!

The late 80s 911s on track at nhis with open headers at full song going in to turn one. The shredding metal sound that only an open pipe 911 makes will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

But then several years later I heard a 928gts track car taking test runs by our shop on the access road and all I can say is wow.

I thought this was the pinnacle of exhaust sound untill I heard a V12 merc blast by me late one night. I don't know what it had for an exhaust but it was far from stock. It was a spiritual experience.

Between the mid-shift snarls and high revs this e60 m5 gets me every time. Anytime I see one I think of this vid.

V10 Sex

snailmont5oh wrote: Gratuitous Fairmont noises. http://youtu.be/l2FlvjwFjRk http://youtu.be/0W9Jsux1nrA http://youtu.be/OeII8mGUL80 http://youtu.be/pSO9OPZhFx8

How much trouble would it be to get a 351w in a Fairmont?

There is a complete 351 at my local pic and pull waiting for a home. I saw it on the shelf among a bunch of other much nor modern v8s. I was amazed how small it was in comparison.

I went to my first NASCAR race last weekend and all I can say is that if you like good V8 noises and haven't been - GO!

I was literally holding back tears from the time they first fired all 43 of those things up until they had made a few passes at speed, hearing it for the first time. I've never heard anything close to that level of autimotive auditory pleasure in the flesh before - F1 was cool but just didn't do it for me in the same way. Hearing them run through the gears exiting the pits may have been my favorite part.

As a comparison, this is what the same engine that was in the Z sounds like with two different sets of headers, and in two other cars. The yellow bug has open headers. The blue MGB at the time had two into one single 5 inch, with a muffler.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/nyJChiCIeNo

https://www.youtube.com/embed/rrcMYjkZhMw

I would go for 180 degree headers if you can swing it.

PS: Jay_W referred to me as Andy above. Hi, I am Calvin, Andrew's youngest son.

yupididit wrote:

snailmont5oh wrote: Gratuitous Fairmont noises. http://youtu.be/l2FlvjwFjRk http://youtu.be/0W9Jsux1nrA http://youtu.be/OeII8mGUL80 http://youtu.be/pSO9OPZhFx8

How much trouble would it be to get a 351w in a Fairmont?

pull one out of an 80's LTD or Marquis it drops right in using stock Mustang 5.0 motor mounts and a K member for anything besides an inline 6... you can even buy headers for a 351W in a Fox body car.. my cousin had about $200 into a 79 Mustang with a 351W in it- and that included the price of the shell (a factory turbo car that had 3.45 gears) and the motor and trans from an LTD... this was also in 1992, so prices might have gone up a bit... that car was fun, even with just a stock smog era Windsor with manifolds and a 2 barrel carb..

Here's my contribution: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYYA2jE3Ze0

Still gives me chills listening to it again.

I have a few.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-eQ_UNFv8c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsG6p-VQEoY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUoSrEP8rDk