If some 3 cylinder engines sound like I6 engines, and some 5 cylinder engines sound like V10 engines, why don't more 4 cylinder engines sound like V8s? What exactly determines how a car's engine sounds?
If you get a flatplane V8, it will sound very closely to I4’s.
Most V8s are crossplane, which makes the “V8 rumble”. Pretty much every inline4 engines are flatplane. If you want a 4 cyl which sounds like a rumbling V8, listen to the sound of Yamaha R1 (crossplane inline 4). If you want a V8 that sounds like a typical inline 4, listen to a sound of flatplane V8. Honda S2000 (inline 4) and Ferrari 458 (flatplane V8) sound surprisingly similar when you listen closely.
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Find a cross plane inline 4
If you get a flatplane V8, it will sound very closely to I4’s.
Most V8s are crossplane, which makes the “V8 rumble”. Pretty much every inline4 engines are flatplane.
If you want a 4 cyl which sounds like a rumbling V8, listen to the sound of Yamaha R1 (crossplane inline 4).
If you want a V8 that sounds like a typical inline 4, listen to a sound of flatplane V8. Honda S2000 (inline 4) and Ferrari 458 (flatplane V8) sound surprisingly similar when you listen closely.