18335 replies to this topic

[MrRegieRitmo]

An SD1 with no throaty engine noise.....what's the point?


Mind you, noticed how all BMWs barring except the old 316s and 318s all have a throaty sound, even bog standard 2.0 litres?

The only other sub 2.0 litre cars to sound strangely throaty were the Suzuki Alto / Swift! Don't ask me why, but they did.

That's cos all the other BMW engines are 6 cylinder, and the alto and swift would have been 2 or 3 cyl, hence the difference in sound to the usual 4 pot

So BMW & Suzuki are the only manufacturers to use such engines? If so, why so? Do they believe them more advanced? Why don't others use them?

[pogweasel]

Ummmm?Well a 6-cylinder has more moving parts to go BLAMMO. Running costs are obviously higher etc. Which is why 'posher' cars have sixes and eights etc. 4-cylinders gives a good compromise between performance, economy, cost of maintainace and smoothness. You'll find that cars with less than 4 have been historically a bit poop (Charade GTTi aside). Go and drive a 3-cylinder Vauxhall Corsa to see what I mean.

[mk2_craig]

That's cos all the other BMW engines are 6 cylinder, and the alto and swift would have been 2 or 3 cyl, hence the difference in sound to the usual 4 pot

So BMW & Suzuki are the only manufacturers to use such engines? If so, why so? Do they believe them more advanced? Why don't others use them?

Oh dear...http://en.wikipedia....wiki/3_cylinderhttp://en.wikipedia....wiki/Straight_6

[Milford Cubicle]

I luv 3-pots. Somehow GM managed to mess up theirs to make it buzzy, wheezy and harsh.The good 'uns are refined and sound deliciously offbeat like an Audi 5-cylinder.

[wuvvum]

A 1984 Alfa 33 with a 1.8-litre 3-pot turbo diesel? Now that would be true shite. I want one.

[Milford Cubicle]

From the purveyors of diesel shite that is VM, they also developed the fairly large (1.5?) 3-cylinder diesels in recent Hyundais and Kias.

[pogweasel]

I imagine the ownership experience of such a vehicle would inevitably lead to severe depression and/or suicide.Rusty AND dog slow. Wow.Would that VM 3-pot basically be the 2.4 they used in range rovers and the like with a cylinder lopped off? Christ, it was a disgusting enough engine with 4....

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Despite looking for many years i have never seen a 3-cyl Alfa 33 diesel, either in the flesh or for sale anywhere, even in Italy. Thats got to be a whole 'nother level of shite.I like those big thumping VM 2.4/2.5 diesel engines though, they are fookin ace when fitted into a Rover 800 diesel.

[MrRegieRitmo]

All? ALL? Why how very dare you Mr Ritmo. I'll have you know my sub-2.0 BMW makes a lovely noise. OK, so the sixes do sound nice at idle, I'll admit. But a decent 4-pot at full chat is a glorious sound.

Wow, a hot topic - 6 replies in 20 mins!Well Pog, what you're saying actually backs up my point about BMW's sounding powerful & throaty at much smaller CCs than it takes for other cars to sound as good! For instance a 520i which has a 2 litre sounds as good as an old MkIII Granada 2.9! My g/f's dad's A4 2.4 Avant sounds throaty but her mum's A4 2.0 saloon doesn't, but if it was a Beemer it would. That's my point.

[pogweasel]

I'll admit my experience of the VM is not a good basis for opinion.I drove an early 80's range rover with one in, it was fookin' appalingly slow, not helped by the ancient manual gearbox with porridge-stir gearchange it was attached to and the fact that it seemed to be properly worn-out.

[MrRegieRitmo]

Ummmm?Well a 6-cylinder has more moving parts to go BLAMMO. Running costs are obviously higher etc. Which is why 'posher' cars have sixes and eights etc. 4-cylinders gives a good compromise between performance, economy, cost of maintainace and smoothness. You'll find that cars with less than 4 have been historically a bit poop (Charade GTTi aside). Go and drive a 3-cylinder Vauxhall Corsa to see what I mean.

So in other words the meaty cylindered engines are found Beemers because they can and the puny but musical sounding small cylindered engines found in the Suzuki's are for economy. Think I understand, but if I couldn't have a car that sounded as good as a 6 Cyl BMW then I'd have a car that sounded like the Alto or Swift instead because they sound surprisingly good, if pathetic!

[r.welfare]

Hey, I think the Corsa 3-cyl sounds pretty good. Well, better than the 4-cyl one anyway.

I read somewhere that the optimum cylinder size - for power, economy, emissions and smoothness - is 350cc for petrols and 500cc for diesels, which is why Daihatsu persevered with the 1-litre 3 pot. And probably explains why the BMW 2-litre straight six is one of the smoothest engines there is. But I'm with Milford - for noise you can't beat an Audi 2.1 five between 3000 and 4500rpm. Oooh!

Back onto topic, but related, I wish I'd bid on this:


http://cgi.ebay.co.u...emZ200153332277

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Ummmm?Well a 6-cylinder has more moving parts to go BLAMMO. Running costs are obviously higher etc. Which is why 'posher' cars have sixes and eights etc. 4-cylinders gives a good compromise between performance, economy, cost of maintainace and smoothness. You'll find that cars with less than 4 have been historically a bit poop (Charade GTTi aside). Go and drive a 3-cylinder Vauxhall Corsa to see what I mean.

So in other words the meaty cylindered engines are found Beemers because they can and the puny but musical sounding small cylindered engines found in the Suzuki's are for economy. Think I understand, but if I couldn't have a car that sounded as good as a 6 Cyl BMW then I'd have a car that sounded like the Alto or Swift instead because they sound surprisingly good, if pathetic!

You're a special case though Reg, not many car buyers out there saying "Well - the Beemer's great but the range is a little too confusing and i don't like the later model headlight shape as much as the pre-87 ones, so i'm gonna plump for the SUZUKI ALTO on the basis of engine noise" You'd have a salesman running for the fire escape!

[Mr Livered]

You're a special case though Reg, not many car buyers out there saying "Well - the Beemer's great but the range is a little too confusing and i don't like the later model headlight shape as much as the pre-87 ones, so i'm gonna plump for the SUZUKI ALTO on the basis of engine noise" You'd have a salesman running for the fire escape!

But surely that's what autoshite is all about? Leave him alone!

[Volksy]

more 12!

http://cgi.ebay.co.u... ... dZViewItem


http://cgi.ebay.co.u... ... dZViewItem


http://cgi.ebay.co.u... ... dZViewItem

[MrRegieRitmo]

But I'm with Milford - for noise you can't beat an Audi 2.1 five between 3000 and 4500rpm. Oooh!

Ahh yes, if it's what I think it is, I dig that sound too! Sort of a deep burble, or warble....?Whilst waiting at the bus stop when I was in my last year of school, a proper old skool A reg Audi Quattro used to drive past every morning - what a sound! Mouth watering.If you can find a clip of this sound on You Tube or summat, I will gladly listen! I remember sometimes hearing old MkII Passats sounding like that too.Mr_Bo11ox fair do's, we all dig different things, if any of them were logical this website wouldn't exist!

[r.welfare]

PAGING POG - PAGING POG: COME IN MR POG, YOUR CAR IS READY


http://cgi.ebay.co.u...emZ180167254585

PS Reg, this is the Youtube vid you want:

[wuvvum]

I remember sometimes hearing old MkII Passats sounding like that too

Yup, that would be the GL5. They used the 2-litre Audi engine and were chuffin' quick. I want one one day.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

You're a special case though Reg, not many car buyers out there saying "Well - the Beemer's great but the range is a little too confusing and i don't like the later model headlight shape as much as the pre-87 ones, so i'm gonna plump for the SUZUKI ALTO on the basis of engine noise" You'd have a salesman running for the fire escape!

But surely that's what autoshite is all about? Leave him alone!

Hey its only a bit of leg-pulling!! The lad has a Mk1 strada - obv a shiter of some repute.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

The shite light is burning bright on this one: Cavalier 2.0 4x4 NON SPORTY JOB!



http://cgi.ebay.co.u...:MEBI:IT&ih=020

Those wanky wheeltrims do it no favours and the 4wd system has problems apparently (QUELLE SURPRISE ) but that is defo some top level shite.

[retrogeezer]

That Cav is definitely shite, he says he doesn't know why the 4wd stuff has been removed as it was done before it came into his posession, but says it was owned by a friend....some friend if he did not speak to him.It's also had the o/s rear quarter painted - and by the fit of the panel to the boot lid it looks like accident damage. Bumpers look better than they really are as it is wet...It's shit - e.

[pogweasel]

PAGING POG - PAGING POG: COME IN MR POG, YOUR CAR IS READY

http://i16.ebayimg.com/03/i/000/bb/6a/c2...
http://cgi.ebay.co.u...emZ180167254585

z0MG!
Check the pert little external boot hinges on that honey!!!
However, 'special' wheels and a guarded reserve suggests that one would NOT be coming to Pog Towers for the proceeds of a good day's graft.

[mouseflakes]

more 12!

http://cgi.ebay.co.u... ... dZViewItem

Same guy has now listed this. Looks solid enough.


Sure he had both cars on at least once before?

[MrRegieRitmo]

more 12!

http://cgi.ebay.co.u... ... dZViewItem

Same guy has now listed this. Looks solid enough.
http://carad.ebayimg.com/i3/01/a/000/77/...

Sure he had both cars on at least once before?

Looks like your old one Tim?

[nigel bickle]

They have both been on before- and advertised in Classic car Weekly.I called him -and his parents asked me to call him at work -which I did. Dont know if it was a particularly bad day- but he was pretty short and abrupt, and wasnt at all happy to answer ANY questions -not least price!So -wasnt to be -for me, then, anyway!

[mouseflakes]

Looks like your old one Tim?

Indeed Reg - same body colour and year, but mine was a TS with fablious purple high-back seats and the 70's TS wheels.

[r.welfare]

That Cav is definitely shite, he says he doesn't know why the 4wd stuff has been removed as it was done before it came into his posession, but says it was owned by a friend....some friend if he did not speak to him.It's also had the o/s rear quarter painted - and by the fit of the panel to the boot lid it looks like accident damage. Bumpers look better than they really are as it is wet...It's shit - e.

Ha ha, another 4wd Cav with a buggered transfer box, as usual. One of the mechanics at my local garage wants to sell me his 34k mile GSI 2000 4x4, it's nice but I wouldn't touch it for fear of complex problems. Another car from the period of 'mad 4x4 application', just like the 405, BX, Camry, Mondeo and 626 4wd's, total sales of about 624 combined I would have thought

[Volksy]

An old freind of mine bought a Chavalier GSi2000 4x4, after a sucession of Astra GTE's and none 4x4 GSi2000's.In the pub one night he was bragging about the better handling, how it was 'unstickable' etc etc.I came to service the car a week later and noticed that the Prop had been removed and the system disconnected.. he went a bit quiet after that.Tit..

[wuvvum]

They have both been on before- and advertised in Classic car Weekly.I called him -and his parents asked me to call him at work -which I did. Dont know if it was a particularly bad day- but he was pretty short and abrupt, and wasnt at all happy to answer ANY questions -not least price!So -wasnt to be -for me, then, anyway!

Shame - with two Renner Twelves, a 100A estate and a White Hen in his fleet he would seem to be a shiter of some repute. Anyway, I bid three hundred squid on the saloon and the reserve ain't met - that's about my limit for a non-tax-exempt one in that condition really.

[wuvvum]

An old freind of mine bought a Chavalier GSi2000 4x4, after a sucession of Astra GTE's and none 4x4 GSi2000's.In the pub one night he was bragging about the better handling, how it was 'unstickable' etc etc.I came to service the car a week later and noticed that the Prop had been removed and the system disconnected.. he went a bit quiet after that.Tit..

A Cavalier 4x4 with the 4wd equipment removed is a bit like the dog from Chief Wiggum's Mythical Beast tent in the Simpsons - "the amazing two-headed dog, born with only one head!" It's basically a Cav 2.0L with different badges.