Quote from BlueFlame :

but they are badly timed engines thats why they sound like they do,

nah, you get this rumble from the unequally length manifolds. I have seen Subarus with equally length ones online, and they sound very different (the 3.0 Legacys like Porsches :nod

Quote from ACCAkut :

(the 3.0 Legacys like Porsches :nod

Thats probrably because the 3l Legacy has a flat 6 instead of a flat 4.

The engine has horizontally opposed cylinders (boxer engine). Because of that the headers are of unequal length, this is what gives it the distinct sound.

Nowt to do with bad timing

Quote from DejaVu :

Nowt to do with bad timing

I think being a fan of VW's old and new, that I would know what a boxer motor is, any tuned flat four will inevitably misfire, they are better as torque machines, not as power machines.


Bad flat four : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-fuuNSGg_k
Good flat four : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89uciXdGd8M (skip to 0:20 if you don't wanna wait) [as rusty and as shed like as this example is, it still sounds smoother than the Subaru, and it has just as much of a stupid exhaust too. :P]

but how can a badly timed engine win so many rally championships?

I doubt a lot can be worked out a lot from an engine simply from its exhaust note, other than if its making abnormal crunching, rattling or knocking noises its about to blow up.

(Unless you have some very specialist equipment and it has been known to happen in F1).

Besides there really isn't that much difference in the exhaust notes, don't let a love for People'swagens (or Subarus) cloud your judgement.

What makes a flat engine more likely to misfire/ not be so good for high power? Porsche got over 600hp out of a n/a flat engine, and it was air cooled and had a big power sapping fan.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying outright that Subaru flat 4's ARE badly timed, but by exhaust note alone, they SOUND it.

Oh there is no shortage of engines that sound like they have a problem from new.

as far as i know vw battle has v engine

TITAN MOVIE 2.0 Team Ghost <-- wonderful, thanks for posting this

Quote from N I K I :

as far as i know vw battle has v engine

We are talking about the Old VW Beetle. Not the BubbleGolf.

Quote from BlueFlame :

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying outright that Subaru flat 4's ARE badly timed, but by exhaust note alone, they SOUND it.

Uh, yeah you did say it outright

Quote from BlueFlame :

but they are badly timed engines thats why they sound like they do

man, I had to youtube Stephane Benini and watch everything he made. That guy's got some real talent

Sorry Bluey, but your VagFagness is showing through again. It is purely the big exhausts that are commonly fitted to Subaru Imprezas which give it that burble.

My Brother had a Prodrive exhaust fitted to his old GC8, and while it sounded very nice, it did not have such a distinct burble as the videos posted above, and the car was timed up perfectly.

It's hard not to be biased when you're a skizo.

You said it, not me.

Quote from BlueFlame :

If the Flat 6 roar up Eau Rouge doesn't send a shivver down your spine, then something is wrong with you. That vid was pretty intense, the introduction of race car sounds and music is really harmony purified!

If you've ever been at the 24h Nordschleife race, you'll never get exited about the sound of a Porsche again.

Quote from ATHome :

If you've ever been at the 24h Nordschleife race, you'll never get exited about the sound of a Porsche again.

I doubt it

Porsches don't sound interesting at all. One of the dullest engine sounds ever.

And how can you possible like Beetles, but dislike EVERY Ford? Have you not taste?

You've gone for a long time without trying to talk about how engines work, and then you come out with that nonsense about them being timed badly? Obviously you haven't spent the last year reading "My first illustrated book of car engines"...

Quote from tristancliffe :

Porsches don't sound interesting at all. One of the dullest engine sounds ever.

And how can you possible like Beetles, but dislike EVERY Ford? Have you not taste?

You've gone for a long time without trying to talk about how engines work, and then you come out with that nonsense about them being timed badly? Obviously you haven't spent the last year reading "My first illustrated book of car engines"...

Beetle is most popular car for a reason, because it is good. Ford's are popular, because the home country is America, and there are also more stupid people in the world than smart.

Just why does Ford being based in America have anything to do with it's popularity in the world? and I thought being American-made was a "bad thing" these days...

Quote from RiseAgainstMe! :

Just why does Ford being based in America have anything to do with it's popularity in the world? and I thought being American-made was a "bad thing" these days...

When I say popular I don't mean popular by opinion, I mean popular by statistics.

What you said doesn't really make sense when taken that way either.

On topic: one of the best on-board videos I have ever seen. Wheel-to-wheel racing for the entire 15 minutes (2 parts) between some very, very fast drivers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5khlaTXyM80&NR=1

Formula V is grand, remember one event I went to the Irish championship had come over, they all got hammered the night before and in the race the next morning every car in the field left the track on the exit of T1, the same thing happened for about 4 laps.

Feed me with Formula VEE why don't you?

The great Antti is back.

Ayrton Senna Tribute

Some 40min tribute to arguably one of the best racing drivers the world has seen. Terrific video.