What's the best sounding starter motor?

"Amoore100" (amoore100) 05/14/2015 at 19:49 • Filed to: Oppo asks, Starter motors, SaabKyle04

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All modern cars need something to turn their engines over. An engine doesn’t magically start and run by itself, and we have the humble starter motor to thank for cranking up the engine every morning. We don’t give it much thought but the starter motor can represent a major aspect of a certain car.

Take the Brutus for example. Its starter motor takes a long time to do its thing and continuously rises in pitch as it does so, befitting of such a large engine.

In this video, I have combined several clips from Saab Kyle04’s videos to illustrate my point:

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You can hear that the more expensive and especially luxury cars (Mercedes) have a smooth starter, whereas it is more common on sporty/other cars to have the more well-used cranking noise. Some cars have motor sounds unfitting of their usage, like the Camry-style starter in the Lexus RC-F. Towards the end of the video, you will notice that both Volvos use the same style of starter with the ‘slicing’ sound, and that the diesel Golf requires barely a push to start. My current favorite is likely the RX7, with the gentle starter that twists the mighty rotary into action.

So, what is your favorite starter motor sound? (Or favorite starter motor in general?)

Video clips property of respective owners. No claims have been made to suggest that their material is being used for profit or misuse.

RallyWrench > Amoore100 05/14/2015 at 19:54

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Outside of race cars, and within the realm of cars I’ve experienced, the V12 BMW 750/850 or Mercedes-Benz 600 V12. Just a seamless, smooth gear “whirrrr”, then 12 cylinders coming to life at once.

crowmolly > Amoore100 05/14/2015 at 19:56

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Powermaster XS torque.

In some cases it’s strong enough to move a car if it’s left in gear. On most engines it doesn’t come close to stalling, so instead of

Vrt Drt Vrt Drt Vrt Drt Vrooom

It’s

Vrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Vroooom

Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey > Amoore100 05/14/2015 at 20:02

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I like air starters. Why? Because the entire county hears it.

Jonee > Amoore100 05/14/2015 at 20:08

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There were two microcars that used a Westinghouse gyrostarter like in a helicopter. And it whines just like a helicopter. One of the cars was called the Inter and was France’s answer to the Messerschmitt. Here’s a video of one starting. Unfortunately the sound is fucked up, but you’ll get the idea. It was a pretty cockamamie way to start a car since the starter winds up, then you pull a lever and it suddenly and kind of violently engages the flywheel which cranks the engine and starts the car usually.

Decay buys too many beaters > Amoore100 05/14/2015 at 20:09

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I like the sound of the dying starter on my Saab. Had someone tell me the other day that it sounds like a plane starting up. To me it sounds like a faster tardis landing noise.

Jcarr > Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey 05/14/2015 at 20:11

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Came here to say air starter. I think this vid may be a fake though. That sounds an awful lot like an air wrench.

Here’s a good example:

http://youtu.be/ruaSQXFX8kw

KamikazePigeon > Amoore100 05/14/2015 at 20:13

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A few years back my starter motor went on my 2002 Chevy Venture minivan.

The replacement aftermarket starter motor my former boss and I installed sounded extremely similar to supercharger whine for the first few weeks while starting up.

Sometimes, I dream of actually supercharging just because RaceVan.

TheOnelectronic > Jonee 05/14/2015 at 20:16

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“What sort of audio compression should we use?”

“All of it.”

Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey > Jcarr 05/14/2015 at 20:18

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Yeah I thought about the same, it was just the first video I saw.

Amoore100 > KamikazePigeon 05/14/2015 at 20:19

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Awesome! My dad just had the starter replaced on our ‘05 Odyssey and it starts much more reassuringly in the morning now...much perkier than before, when it just went “whun whun whun clack *VROOOOM*”

Amoore100 > Decay buys too many beaters 05/14/2015 at 20:20

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Hah, truly Born from Jets!

Amoore100 > RallyWrench 05/14/2015 at 20:22

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Yep, love the starters on V12’s since they seem to exude that sense of effortlessness as all 12 pistons start moving up and down...

Amoore100 > crowmolly 05/14/2015 at 20:22

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Starters with continuous sound are the best.

Jcarr > Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey 05/14/2015 at 20:23

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Air starters make me think of Maximum Overdrive. Great movie.

Jonee > TheOnelectronic 05/14/2015 at 20:34

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It’s from ‘98. It probably had to be saved to a Zip Disk.

srftcdx > Amoore100 05/14/2015 at 21:13

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too bad there’s not much info on the car tho

Amoore100 > srftcdx 05/14/2015 at 21:18

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Awesome! Sounds like a turbine!

blackchair > Amoore100 05/15/2015 at 00:34

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Early 2000s Jeep Cherokee

Amoore100 > blackchair 05/15/2015 at 00:51

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Never heard one before.

Old-Busted-Hotness > Amoore100 05/15/2015 at 06:21

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Jag V12. Turn the key and it’s just a smooth, rising whirrrrr til the engine catches. No gear noise, no pulsing, just a smooth, subdued electrical sound.

random001 > Amoore100 05/15/2015 at 06:30

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Oh man. I once had a 1974 AMC Javelin AMX that was as purple as it's possible to get. It had this massive built up 402 V8, and that starter motor had to kick that thing off. It was like hell burping from too much human soul cola. I miss that car...

Amoore100 > Old-Busted-Hotness 05/15/2015 at 09:12

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Yeah. V12 starters are usually super smooth.

MonkeePuzzle > Jcarr 05/15/2015 at 13:35

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when I think air starter, I think of max starting the mack

traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn > Amoore100 05/17/2015 at 08:43

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Ford Triton 5.4. Sounds just as deep and beefy as the engine itself.

N4CR > Amoore100 05/17/2015 at 10:02

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Anything involving pyrotechnic starters and a radial engine.

N4CR > srftcdx 05/17/2015 at 10:03

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Sounds like 1000cc bike engine and a jet with some unholy drive system..