Contrary to popular belief, the BMW i8 doesn’t truly rely entirely on electricity for power.
Together, the electric motor and the 1.5-liter, 3-cylinder gasoline engine with turbocharging produce 362 horsepower. The plug-in hybrid vehicle makes good use of its gas-guzzling engine. Unfortunately, the i8 just doesn’t sound like a BMW flagship sports vehicle, which is disappointing.
Heinz Performance, an aftermarket business, has now made the decision to make good use of the noise it can produce.
For the BMW i8, Heinz Performance has developed an exhaust system. It has baffling that can be opened or closed so you may keep driving quietly or open the system and allow your svelte coupe make a little bit of noise. Yes, seeing a BMW i8 for the first time will be strange, but it will also be sort of awesome to see one with sound and sporty appearance.
Since Heinz Performance is based in Belgium, shipping costs will undoubtedly be high if your BMW i8 is located in the United States. A setup’s price is also unknown, although given that it is a valved exhaust system, we do not anticipate it to be very high. However, since this is a BMW i8, the prestige of being the only owner of a vehicle of this caliber and the even greater rarity of owning one that actually makes excellent noise may cause the price to increase a little.
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How Would the BMW i8 Sound Without the Fake Exhaust Sound Generator?
Due to the fact that there are no other sports cars on the market that are quite like it, the BMW i8 has always been a bit of an outlier.
The i8’s 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine generates 357 horsepower and 420 lb-ft (570 Nm) of torque at 3,700 rpm when coupled with two electric motors. Models made for 2018–2020 have a little bit more power with 369 hp. The i8 has a good performance, but all models that left the factory had a false sound generator installed to make it seem like a real sports vehicle in spite of the fairly subpar powertrain.
This owner turned off the system in order to hear how the i8 sounds without sound coming from the internal speakers or the exterior speaker located under the rear bumper. He did this by totally removing the external speaker and coding out sound production from the internal speakers. To determine whether the i8 genuinely requires a phony sound generator, he then put it to the test.
The outcome? In fact, the i8 doesn’t seem all that horrible after all, especially when you take into account the fact that it has a tiny three-cylinder internal combustion engine.
It’s true that the person who created this video muddled together internal recordings and a microphone mounted to the back bumper. As a result, if you turned off the false sound generator in another i8, the sound coming from behind the wheel wouldn’t sound exactly like this.
BMW i8 Final 18 Illustrations
The artificial engine noise, which emanates from speakers mounted both inside and outside the car, is intended to amplify any noise the 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine makes. It should be noted that while it is the same engine as a conventional Mini Cooper, not much can be expected. Maybe you can?
The video above, posted on YouTube by user Janky Whips, demonstrates that the i8 still sounds like a true sports car, at least that’s what the clip says, even without the fake exhaust tone that BMW used.
Well, you should be skeptical if you are. The uploader was upfront about his methods for recording the sounds. The sound you hear in the video, according to the description, was combined from two distinct recordings: one made from inside the cabin and another using a mic mounted on the bumper six inches from the muffler tip.
To put it simply, the music would sound different in the real world because no one can hear both internal and outdoor noises at the same time, at least not in the same mix or with the same level of harmonies as in the movie.
In any event, Janky Whips was quick to support the claim that the loudness would be unchanged but the sound would not. We remain skeptical. Who are you? Post your comments about this below.
The i8’s diminutive (by sports car standards) three-cylinder engine has drawn criticism from some, but it actually doesn’t sound half awful.
The BMW i8 is a genuinely unique vehicle that the Bavarian carmaker won’t easily copy. It is a highly distinctive offering mostly because of its design, but the fact that it is a plug-in hybrid powered by a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder adds to its mystique. While driving it, you would never suspect that the vehicle is propelled by such a small engine.
The standard 1 Series car or various MINI variations use the B38 1.5-liter engine, which is essentially half of the BMW B58 3-liter straight-six. While the i8’s engine is pushed to 228 horsepower and given a boost by two electric motors for a total of 369 horsepower in post-2018 vehicles or 357 in older examples, the engine is tuned differently for all those other purposes.
If you’ve ever had the opportunity to drive or ride as a passenger in an i8, you know that it’s really quick—even faster than the numbers would indicate. The engine sounds you were hearing inside the car, though, was likely false and being played via the speakers if you’re a car fanatic, which you certainly are.
The fake engine thrum cannot be turned on or off in the BMW, however it may be removed through vehicle customization. The i8’s outside sound is also improved, unlike most automobiles, thanks to resonators that increase the exhaust note and somehow make it sound like it’s coming from a bigger engine rather than a meager three-pot.
Have you ever wondered what a BMW i8 sounds like when the fakery in its exhaust system is switched off? Well, a brand-new YouTube channel called Janky Whips has produced a video that does just that. I know I’ve always been curious about it, but I’ve never seen one that does it in action.
Video: BMW i8 Gets Three-Tip Custom Exhaust
The BMW i8’s tuning is a risky and possibly pointless endeavor. The plug-in hybrid from BMW is one of those vehicles that ought to be left alone and unaltered. This is likely the reason why tuners haven’t gone to great pains to provide kits for the i8. However, some people prefer to stand out even more, and the exhaust system is one important area where the car might use some enhancement, mainly because a 1.5-liter, 3-cylinder turbocharged engine is mounted on top of the rear axle. Even if it isn’t too bad, that isn’t exactly what you’d call a “nice sounding mill.” We actually kind of loved the i8’s sound during our test drives, and it does have some similarities to the 3-liter inline 6-cylinder engines that BMW is famed for.
The 3-cylinder architecture makes it difficult to design a unique exhaust that doesn’t sound like a lawnmower, though. The Heinz Performance guys appear to believe they succeeded in accomplishing this difficult task. In a recent YouTube video, they showed a BMW i8 with a modified exhaust, which they believe is better than the factory one.
It costs 4,900 Euros, which seems a bit excessive to me, but you probably have to adore the way this thing sounds if you’re interested in purchasing it. Despite the fact that we can’t really comment on the sound this exhaust makes (to each his or her own), we do appreciate the way the car looks with those triple exhaust tips at the back. They look decent and do resemble the Ferrari 458 Italia.
If that’s not your style, there are other options available as well that alter the sound of the automobile without changing its appearance. One is available through Turner Motorsports, and you can hear it in the second of the two videos shown below.
How is the BMW i8 audible?
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Since the invention of the automobile, mufflers and greater insulation have been used by car manufacturers to lessen engine noise. The converse issue now exists because of technical advancements: engines are excessively silent. More and more manufacturers are using the car’s speakers as a solution to the problem.
According to spokesperson Dave Buchko, BMW’s inline six-cylinder engines are renowned for their loudness. He claims that the sound of the engine revving up is what the passionate driver wants to hear.
The new hybrid sports car from BMW, the i8, produces some of that sound without using the traditional engine. The i8 has a three-cylinder turbocharged engine as well as an electric motor. They are strong and energy-efficient, according to Buchko, but do not produce exactly the same roar inside the automobile. The result is that BMW plays some engine noise via the speakers.
What you get, according to Buchko, is a pre-recorded engine sound that is perfectly timed to a car’s RPMs.
Many firms are doing this right now, but they have developed some inventive branding for the method. “Active Sound Design” is how BMW refers to it. It is “Soundaktor” at Volkswagan.
This type of engine sounds is not exclusive to electric or hybrid vehicles. Ford now uses it for the most recent Mustang model as well. The Ford Mustang’s sound engineer is Shawn Carney. He claims that the amount of digital augmentation is negligible—about 10% of what you hear—and that it only becomes noticeable when the driver is driving fast. He claims that it “isn’t changing the song; it’s simply sort of filling out and supporting the music that’s already there.” According to Carney, it gives the Mustang a more authentic sound.
Since many years ago, manufacturers have mechanically modified the sound of the engines in sports vehicles. The so-called “engine tuning” is overseen by specific engineers. To achieve the desired sound, they experiment with the engine insulation, mufflers, and exhaust systems. However, some purists feel that this new digital modification goes too far.
Professor of automotive engineering at Minnesota State University, Mankato, is Bruce Jones. He compares it to those who prefer vinyl albums to digital recordings. Some drivers prefer to hear the actual noise rather than a recording’s improved version.
Jones argues that sound is crucial for drivers of sports cars. It is both functional—helping to signal when to change gears—and aesthetically pleasing. It facilitates the perception of strength and establishes what the industry refers to as the “aural sensation” of driving. The sound of the engine is integral to a car’s identity and might evoke memories.
Jones recalls recollections when he hears an old VW Beetle. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll long for the Prius’ wail to transport us back to the middle of the 2000s. But when it comes to modern sports cars, drivers anticipate hearing a specific engine rpm, one that sounds more like the old gas guzzlers.
Jones anticipates more auto manufacturers going digital despite criticism. According to him, there is simply not enough actual noise to provide drivers with the kind of experience they are paying for.