The sound of a 440...

[lloyd3]

My son had his highschool senior pictures done last night and because his car is getting the body welded-up he asked if we could use my Charger as a prop for the shoot. Since he'll eventually get this vehicle (barring the unforeseen), I acquiesced. The ride to the shoot was a touch warm last night, so all the windows were down as we made our way. Traffic here is pretty bad all the time now so I had to be fairly aggressive to keep up with the flow of things and to merge to the left to exit the highway at the correct stoplight.  Modern carmakers have clearly paid attention to the great sound "performance" engines can (& should) make and many of them now make fairly-distinct noises. If you ever just listen to traffic these days, you'll hear some obviously "sporty" engine sounds. Some cars even use technology to enhance those sounds as part of their "image". My car has no such enhancements as it is as factory-stock as I've been able keep it, so the H-pipe and mufflers, tailpipes and tips are basically unmolested. The 4428s AVS carb is breathing through the stock (& unsilenced) air cleaner and when opened up, it definitely adds to the overall effect. The sound the car makes when driven aggressively is pure music to my ears. It was (and is) so different from all the other sounds in the traffic around us last night, it's way-deeper and more pervasive, more throaty (much more in the bottom of the sound spectrum, clearly displacement makes it's own unique noises). You can almost feel it as much as hear it, and there is no back-rapping or popping, and nothing is screeching or even hissing, just a deep, full and dominating roar, coupled with the howling-moan of that big 4-barrel carb coming open.  It is just so-familiar to me (and so characteristic of these cars) because I've heard nearly it a million times in my life by now and yet...I never fail to notice. There is a resonance and a recognition, and my pulse quickens every time because of it. I'm fairly sure I'm grinning like a mule eating briars when that happens (well... at least a smirk) and I suspect it's one of the bigger reasons why I've kept this car around for so-long now.  There is no replacing this sensation for me, no other source of such pure pleasure. Life would be much-less full without it's occasional presence.

[HANDM]

While I like the sound of my Charger (383) when idling, I'm probably in the minority by saying that while driving the exhaust note is fairly annoying.

My 318 Challenger on the other hand, sounds great and I love the long wind up of RPM's

The wife's 2018 Challenger T/A also has the long wind up of RPM's and it sounds even better!

Don't get me wrong, I love driving the Charger as it's more comfy, softer ride with plenty of power and garners a lot of attention.

[lloyd3]

HANDM:  Too loud is no-fun either. I've had several cars that suffered from that and I surely get it (likely just got hearing-aids because of all that silliness). Because this car is just so-darn plain-Jane stock, it sounds exactly the way I remember them being. The minute you put headers on them, or fool with the mufflers, or resonators, or even the tips... that truly unique sound is usually lost. What replaces it can sound really good, better-even (I suppose).  You had to have grown-up with them to maybe appreciate that fact.  I even passed on the Dynamat-option when we re-did this car back in 2008 because I didn't want it to sound any different to me in any way.  It's the mix of the carb sounds and the engine sounds blending so-perfectly (IMHO) that does it, at least for me. You tend to lose those neat AVS carburetor wailing sounds when the exhaust is modified and I would really miss that part of it.  

I would add that the only other car I've personally been in that made a more dramatic carburetor racket when floored was a 1973 Fury II Pennsylvania State Police interceptor. The Thermoquad on the 440 in that car was absolutely huge (1,000 CFM?) and it wailed like a banshee when accelerating hard and long. If I remember correctly, that car had two sets of mufflers and even resonators so it was reasonably quiet as well, until you uncorked it.

[Kern Dog]

You just don't get this from an electric appliance on wheels.....

[TexasStroker]

A lot plays into the sound characteristic, but I agree...nothing like it!

[RallyeMike]

I would add that the only other car I've personally been in that made a more dramatic carburetor racket when floored was a 1973 Fury II Pennsylvania State Police interceptor. The Thermoquad on the 440 in that car was absolutely huge (1,000 CFM?) and it wailed like a banshee when accelerating hard and long. If I remember correctly, that car had two sets of mufflers and even resonators so it was reasonably quiet as well, until you uncorked it.

This is how my 74 Rallye 440 Charger was set up too. The car had a quiet rumble through the stock muffs, H-pipe and resonators, but when you dropped your foot the vacuum door would drop out the bottom of the air cleaner and those gigantic Thermoquad secondaries came on like a tornado was forming. Loved that sound.

[ACUDANUT]

 The mufflers make the sound. A 383 and a 440 sounds the same.

[lloyd3]

Maybe. While similar, there's almost a full liter of difference in displacement (~60 cubic inches). I've owned healthy versions of both and I think the 440s make a deeper and louder sound. The torque and horsepower numbers are certainly different.

[Kern Dog]

If they have the same cam, the 383 will sound a bit more racy. The cubic inches eat up the duration.

[Challenger340]

I'm surprised it hasn't been brought up yet.... and it may not be popular for saying so ?
But that said....
I think the factory Exhaust Systems provideD  a very unique genre to the driving experience.

I consider myself very lucky because my factory X9 Black '69 Charger R/T SE still sports it's original Exhaust System behind it's UN-Rebuilt 440 Magnum...
which
SOUNDS JUST LIKE THIS !  Very unique engine drone when tasked.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no7XR7s8Z7o

[Nacho-RT74]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no7XR7s8Z7o

I allways laugh about the ammount of hubcaps lost on the chase LOL