A Dodge Viper and a Lexus LFA both use a V10 engine, but a Dodge Viper has a very “deep” sound, but a Lexus LFA has a very high pitched whining sound?
What makes a car like a muscle car like a Mustang or Viper have such a different sound than a car like a Lamborghini or Ferrari when they use the same kinds of engines?
In: Engineering
Very simply, American performance engines tend to have bigger cylinders, resulting in a deeper note, and use a cross-plane crankshaft design. That results in the exhaust doesn’t come out in a smooth manner but instead comes out in pulses. This gives American performance engines like the V8 in the Mustang or the V10 in the Viper a deep, growling sound. By comparison, V8 in the Ferrari 458 or the V10 in the Lexus LFA have smaller cylinders, resulting in a higher note, and use a flat-plane design that results in a smooth, even exhaust note. The result is a higher-pitched whining sound.
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