This is why V6 engines sound so different to V8s

Have you ever wondered why V6 engines sound so different to V8s?

Well, fear not – because you are far from the only one wondering what the difference is.

Today, we’re going to walk you through the difference between V6 engines and V8s.

And the differences should explain why they both sound so different from each other.

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Lots of factors determine different engine sounds

For car fans across the globe, it is always a badge of honor to be able to tell an engine from its noise.

The number of cylinders plays an important role in determining how the engine sounds.

Even the cylinder configuration/layout makes a big difference to the note an exhaust produces.

An inline-six motor, for example, sounds completely different from a V6 layout.

It is important to note that several different factors can affect how an engine sounds.

Things like the cylinder firing order, crankshaft configuration, engine balance, and exhaust tuning are all equally important.

Generally speaking, the more cylinders there are, the smoother the engine will be.

This is because more explosion beats/pulses tend to get produced with an increased number of cylinders.

But a massive factor to consider is the layout of the cylinders within the engine itself.

What makes a V6 sound the way it does?

An inline-six and a V12 engine are always balanced due to always having cylinders that work in pairs.

One pair always works in the fuel intake/fuel combustion cycle, and the other pair works in the combustion/exhaust cycle.

A V6 or a V8 engine has two cylinder banks, with either three or four cylinders per bank.

These cylinders, as you’ve probably guessed, are arranged in a ‘V’ formation.

In a V6, the cylinder in each bank fires alternatively, e.g., R-L-R-L-R-L.

However, that different firing order means it’s inherently unbalanced.

To balance this out, engineers will often put a balancer shaft in the engine, which influences the mechanical sound.

Compared to V8s, V6 engines have more evenly spaced exhaust pulses, leading to a high-pitched wail at high revs.

V8s work completely differently from the V6 platform

Speaking of V8s, how do they work – and why do they sound different from a V6?

V8s emit an uneven, grumbling exhaust note at low revs, and a deep, bass-like rumble at high revs.

The higher cylinder count and resulting higher firing order result in a much richer sound.

Unlike a V6, V8s come with a crossplane crankshaft that literally looks like a cross when viewed from the side.

It means that the crankpins also sit at a 90-degree offset angle.

Because of this configuration, the V8s have two cylinders moving up at any given time, with one cylinder heading for the power stroke.

A small block V8, for example, will have two cylinders firing at the same time, with one cylinder in each bank firing alternatively.

This gives V8s something of an L-R-R-L-R-L-L-R firing configuration.

It ultimately gives the V8s their distinctive, iconic rumble noise.

Modern V8s do something slightly different; they employ a flat plane crankshaft.

This means that all the crankpins are placed on a single, flat plane – much like an inline-four engine.

It therefore allows each cylinder bank to fire at a 180-degree angle, allowing for equally spaced exhaust pulses.

A flat-crank V8 sounds very different from a traditional, cross-plane muscle car V8.

And there you have it – this has been your guide to why V6 engines sound different from V8s.