RB26 Turbo Setup Sound

[SnekDoc]

This is a noob question, but I am looking to get rid of the stock twins on my bnr32 and go single turbo.
The car is mostly a street car and sound is important for me since it's a big part of the driving experience.

I've watched a lot of videos of different setups, I've noticed not all single turbo setups have the exhaust sound I'm looking for and I really love the sound RB26s with T78 or T04z turbos, but I don't need that much power and I want something more modern and efficient. I'm looking to make between 500-600whp.
Can I get the same exhaust sound from cars with those turbos with something for modern like a GTX or G series turbo?
Does the actual turbo influence the exhaust sound much or is it mostly the manifold design?
Does twin scroll influence the exhaust sound a lot?

Any help would be appreciated.
Vids of the sound I'm looking for:

 

 

[GTSBoy]

Whether or not it is external gate and whether or not the gate is plumbed back in would have to be the biggest contributor to the noise.

Beyond that I can't help you. As I would be 100% oriented in the other direction from your priorities. How it works matters >> than how it sounds.

[Stixbnr32]

I think some of the big turbo cars have 3.2L with front facing manifolds to fit the turbo as it doesn't sit between the strut tower.  This effects sound dramatically.  Also the TI exhausts seem to have a certain note.

As above go with what works and get a good fab guy.

[ChrisW434]

The T51R mod on the inlet housing is available by some turbo companies. Looks to increase that awesome whistle sound under spool and boost conditions. Google it. ??

[SnekDoc]

4 hours ago, GTSBoy said:

Whether or not it is external gate and whether or not the gate is plumbed back in would have to be the biggest contributor to the noise.

Beyond that I can't help you. As I would be 100% oriented in the other direction from your priorities. How it works matters >> than how it sounds.

Yeah I’m definitely not a fan of the screamer pipe sound.

I’d like to have performance and sound

[Murray_Calavera]

The other thing to keep in mind is, how something sounds on youtube is not necessarily how something sounds in real life.  Also, what you are listening to said youtube on will have an effect on it as well... If you can't listen to it in person, I wouldn't put much value on a youtube clip.  

[Ben C34]

2 hours ago, SnekDoc said:

Yeah I’m definitely not a fan of the screamer pipe sound.

I’d like to have performance and sound

you talking exhaust sound or intake sound? or both?

 

[SnekDoc]

7 hours ago, Ben C34 said:

you talking exhaust sound or intake sound? or both?

 

Exhaust

[Unzipped Composites]

There are so many other things that are going to effect that sound, other than the turbo. Your choice of manifold will make a huge difference. A good quality manifold can make an RB26 come to life. The size and design of your exhaust will make a massive difference, hell even the material its made from, ie. Mild steel/stainless steel/titanium - they all sound different. Cam selection, head work, etc. Even intake pipe - I made the exact same turbo on my car sound very different just going from a 3" stainless intake to a 4" carbon fibre intake. And then again going from the 4" carbon to a 4-6" carbon. Huge difference.

 

Watching a video on YouTube and just picking the same turbo hoping to get the same sound is a good way to find disappointment. And I'm not bagging you out here, because I agree that sound is a massive part of the enjoyment you get from driving a car, especially as a daily. While I would always choose performance over sound, I'll admit to hoping I enjoy the sound when it all comes together. But you gotta be aware that there's a good chance you won't get the sound you're after just by choosing the same turbo - you would have to copy virtually the entire setup.

[Unzipped Composites]

After watching the videos you posted, I would say the turbo has very little to do with the sound youre wanting. A good quality manifold will get you 75% of the way there. Then speak to a good fabricator that understands how exhaust design influences sound and performance, and get them to build you a full exhaust system. Then pick the rest of the build based on quality and performance. 

[SnekDoc]

9 minutes ago, Unzipped Composites said:

After watching the videos you posted, I would say the turbo has very little to do with the sound youre wanting. A good quality manifold will get you 75% of the way there. Then speak to a good fabricator that understands how exhaust design influences sound and performance, and get them to build you a full exhaust system. Then pick the rest of the build based on quality and performance. 

Yeah I agree, I’m not looking to buy the same turbos I’m looking to achieve a similar sound with a modern more efficient turbo. I think the reason most of the videos I’ve seen with these turbos have the similar sound is because these turbos are often sold in kits including a manifold and downpipe.

Based on what I have seen so far in other people’s setups, it seems like parts of the exhaust with multiple pipes, the manifold (and downpipe if using twins), have much more of an effect on the timbre of the sound than single pipes like a test pipe and catback do.

Any insight into what to look for in a manifold to get this sound? Is it just equal length tubular manifold or is there more to it? I’m assuming twin scroll would also affect it.

[Unzipped Composites]

I doubt twin scroll effects it significantly- but potentially a little bit.

Any decent performance manifold is going to give you a good sound. 6Boost is a safe bet, FullRace, Sinco, I think even Hypertune make them for 26's these days. Just don't get anything China.

 

It sounds like what you're after is going to be pretty easy to achieve, you just don't want to go too big with the exhaust and you will want a couple of good straight through mufflers so that you dont get that tinny sort of ring. Any good fabricator is going to know how to build you an exhaust that sounds proper.

[AngryRB]

The sound gets better with more power/exhaust flow so all those things affecting flow contribute.

So depending what you choose like Capacity, compression ratio, camshafts, exhaust mani, turbo size, exhaust size, external gate  and muffler choice, the tune and power levels make the sound.

At that level experiment with kakimoto or hks or some aussie combo, the problem i found was that at low engine speed the drone is annoying with big pipes so i made a helmholtz resonator pipe which quitens drone on cruise.. each to there own but works and sounds sweet for me...

 

Edited August 15, 2020 by AngryRB

[Piggaz]

1 hour ago, AngryRB said:

The sound gets better with more power/exhaust flow so all those things affecting flow contribute.

So depending what you choose like Capacity, compression ratio, camshafts, exhaust mani, turbo size, exhaust size, external gate  and muffler choice, the tune and power levels make the sound.

At that level experiment with kakimoto or hks or some aussie combo, the problem i found was that at low engine speed the drone is annoying with big pipes so i made a helmholtz resonator pipe which quitens drone on cruise.. each to there own but works and sounds sweet for me...

 

Shouldn’t be ANY drone with ANY size of exhaust with decent mufflers, if there is, it’s time to look at your setup.

A Kakimoto exhaust is a sure way of having something excessively loud and make no grunt for the setup. Best place they’re for is the bin!

[Mick_o]

Don't listen to any of those suggestions. Steer clear of Jap exhausts. Judging by the Vids you want something on the louder scale?

Muffler size is the key. I have a 3.5" exhaust on my car and its quiet and has absolutely no drone & could be easily daily driven & it gets no attention by the boys in blue

[Mick_o]

[SnekDoc]

I don’t think muffler or catback have anything to do with the sound I’m after. Yes they make a difference in the final sound, but what specifically I am after (as shown in the videos I posted) is a fundamental change in the timbre of the sound. In my experience catback does not change the timbre much, or at least not in the way that I’m looking for.

[Unzipped Composites]

8 hours ago, SnekDoc said:

I don’t think muffler or catback have anything to do with the sound I’m after. Yes they make a difference in the final sound, but what specifically I am after (as shown in the videos I posted) is a fundamental change in the timbre of the sound. In my experience catback does not change the timbre much, or at least not in the way that I’m looking for.

It does, and they do. You know that 'timbre' means sound quality, right? Catbacks and mufflers make a massive difference to the sound quality of a performance car. 

[SnekDoc]

22 minutes ago, Unzipped Composites said:

It does, and they do. You know that 'timbre' means sound quality, right? Catbacks and mufflers make a massive difference to the sound quality of a performance car. 

It means quality in the sense of tone quality (a sin wave would be perfect tone quality with no distortion or other frequencies in the tone). I think a better word for it would be texture or color of the sound. I agree that mufflers and catbacks make a big difference in the sound, but based on the different setups I’ve heard I don’t think the catback portion of the exhaust is responsible for the aspect of the sound I am after.

[Ben C34]

This thread sounds  dumb.

You won't get your answer.