Which Sounds Better: A Cross-Plane Or Flat-Plane V8?
We generally think of V8 engines as burbly, growly affairs. But, not all V8s sound like that, and it’s all down to the crankshaft. Before we get into which sounds best though, let’s take a look at what’s going on behind the scenes.
Traditionally, a V8 is fitted with a cross-plane crankshaft, giving a left, right, left, left, right, left, right, right firing order that’s uneven across the two cylinder banks. That’s what makes the whole burble thing happen.
A flat-plane crank V8 on the other hand gives an ‘even’ left, right, left, right firing order. It does without the counterweights found on a cross-plane V8, meaning the crank has a lower rotational mass. That’s a good thing, since it results in a lighter engine that can rev faster and higher, but it does result in more vibration and a lack of dat burble.
There are plenty of people who prefer the more ‘screaming’ nature of the flat-plane. But which do you prefer?
The two videos at the top of the page feature the strongest sides of each argument: the flat-plane Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale, and the cross-plane Maserati Gran Turismo MC Stradale. To make things even more interesting, the Maserati’s V8 is related to the successor of the engine found in the 360, which swapped out the Ferrari’s flat-plane crank for a cross plane.
Have a good listen to both, then cast your vote!
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
We come back to the sad truth - even though Ferrari make technically amazing cars, they’ll never make something as cool as a Maserati…
I love crossplane rumble and Idle, especially old muscle cars and the odd firing order
You mean flatplane
All that this explains, is that V8 is in its roots a flawed unbalanced engine design. Inline6 rocks.
Flat-plane FTW
cross plane sounds boring and uninspired, flat plane thou is a real screamer
You guys forgot the fact that de v-angle also plays a role in the sound. For example, the v8 of a volvo s80 (and olso noble m600) is flatplane, but has a v-angle of 60° instead of the usual 90°. Because of this the engine sounds like a v90° crossplane v8.
if the new mustang is flat plane, how does is sound so rumbly still?
I think only the 5.2 “Voodoo” in the GT350 has the flat plane crank
Polls are 50/50 lol, California rules too lol with 69 voters, much more than any other state lol
The scream of a flat-plane is wonderful, but the burbling of a cross-plane, OHV V8 eith a decent exhaust is the one I prefer (it has an old-school feeling)
50/50 split