What makes a Mustang sound so distinctive?

[Zvoiture]

Not knowing too much abour Ford powerplants, I have always wondered about this. You can hear a 'stang coming a mile away. The motor sounds unlike anything else. It doesn't matter if they have Flowmasters or Dynomax or anything else, they just sound different (although the aformentioned really accentuate them). I'm talking about the Fox mustang and onwards (early 80's or so)....Is it the intake? Lately I have heard a few really late model F-body's that sound somewhat like the mustang. Close, but not exactly.

steve77

[2ManyZs]

Hmm, could it be in the barley or grain they are feeding them? :stupid:

Hate that flatulence, don't you?

[Zvoiture]

Berry fuddy....BERRY fuddy

[the Z guy]

the ford 5.0 has a distinctive sound....this is what was in the fox body mustang...i dont know y they sound so distinctive but ...i agree w/ u the late model 4thgen. f bodys do sound like the 5.slow

[EScanlon]

2MZ's that's what I was going to say!!

[2ManyZs]

Sorry, just couldn't resist that one, been around one too many cattle farms when I was a kid. :tapemouth

I think the sound of the small block motors has more to do with the displacement, firing order and exhaust pulses. Take a smaller displacement small block and it doesn't have the same sound. It's just the size of the engine that they did right for once. :stupid:

[smg1404]

I am sure that is purposely engineer into the car. A lot of has to do with the the basic engine configuration. All small blocks share , to a degree a similar sound. Factors such as stroke , header tunning, exhaust design. All come into play to achieve the sound. While the cars you have heard may have different mufflers, they probably have not replaced the entire system.. Even if they did, they would sound like a mustang with a different exhaust system. , Think about it , you can probably many vehicles by sound. ... I can identify, a harley davidson more than a mile away, or a zcar, if it is close enough. most cars have a distinct sound.

[Zvoiture]

True, you can identify many cars by sound. But Mustangs sound REALLY different! What's different about the engine? Ford trucks don't sound like them...or T-birds or Marquis...etc.etc.etc... A chevy SB sounds the same in a Silverado or a Caprice Classic or a F-body. It can't be just the exaust, because Mustangs have that same 'tone' whether the exhaust is stock or modified.

steve77

[CoastGuardZ]

When it comes down to it my favorite amrican car has always been the the stang. And you can't help but love that exhaust note. My friend has a 93 (last year of the fox body) and has everything short of changing the rods and crank. It now has the gt-40 upper intake and the edelbrock lower, comp cam, complete BBK exhaust with stage 2 Flowmaster and 2 1/2" pipes and a myriad of other things. It puts a dyno proven 325 horse to the ground (thats 115 more than stock!) While it is now louder than original she still has that same note. And how truly beautiful it is!!!

Ever hear the original Windsor motor, the 289 hipo? Sounds almost exactly the same! It's gotta be the motor!!!

[Datzun76]

I dont think they all sound the same but I have come across a few that did have this distinctive sound you are referring too. Seems to be the 1985 year range Mustang GT's. I dont like stangs too much but some of them do have a mean little sound to them.

[smg1404]

I like the bodys on the newer mustangs but the new 4.6 litre engines do not have the punch that the 5 litre engines had. They sound great, but after you get up to highway speed they fall on their face... The exception to this would be the cobra's, of course they run a different engine.

[240znz]

I have no experiance with V8's but I agree that they sound sweet.

However, there are only 2 things that will make me wind down my window. A late model TVR or a Ducati 748/916.

The sound of the TVR Cerbera is devine. Cerbera 4.5 litre V8 gives a range topping 420 bhp and 380 ft.lbs. of torque. Getting to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds....Holly crap. The older Griffith 500 sound is equally digested. Check them out on www.tvr.co.uk I hope that TVR exports to the US or this is another car that you are missing out on.

The sound extruded from the V twin Ducati's is also chart topping in my book.