Every time Tim Burton (better known to fans as Shmee) posts a video, he tends to focus on a few elements of interest when it comes to supercars, besides performance. With his new Porsche Taycam Turbo EV, battery range stayed top of mind. While checking out a BMW M3, his preoccupation with the kidney-shaped grille placed appearances in the spotlight. And he gets hung up on branding sometimes, such as the origins of Lamborghini's moniker choice for its new Xago. But until his latest entry hit YouTube Tuesday, Shmee never dedicated an entire program to vehicular noise.
F1 Racecar Not Eligible
Out of curiosity, Shmee grabbed his decibel meter and headed to his garage just to find out which car in his luxurious mobile inventory emitted the loudest noise from a cold start. He admits he can't test them all, as a few are being serviced elsewhere. Among the remaining cars, he predicts a close and noisy horse race between his Lamborghini Huracan STO, the Aston Martin GT8, and the Mercedes SLS AMG Black Series car.
But before testing them, he wants to provide a point of reference, so he gauges the volume of his cellphone alarm, ringing at 83 dB. "That's our benchmark for your bedside alarm when you're just alongside it," he added. "I've got a nice order planned to see how this is gonna go."
The Clio's The Quietest
Much of the video captures Schmee wandering from car to car with his trust meter near the exhaust while his buddy starts each machine. He begins with his four-cylinder Renault Clio, which kicks over at 76 dB and idles down to 59 dB. "That's pretty quiet," Shmee said. "My talking volume is in the 70s."
The bass-like rumble from his Porsche Taycan Turbo S is only slightly louder when it starts at 61 dB before sliding down into idle at 52 dB. Ignition and idling sequences remain stable for his Audi RS3 Saloon and Mercedes-AMG GT R Roadster, both roughly registering in the high 80s.
The loud purring sounds eventually morph into roars when Shmee receives mostly high-90 dB startup and idling readouts on his Aston Martin Vantage Roadster, Toyota GR Yaris, Mercedes-AMG G 63, Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG Black Series, and BMW M3. Then things get fascinating on cars emitting triple-digit noise.
Shmee's Ferrari Wins Loudly And Proudly
Next, Shmee approaches his McLaren 675LT Spider ("The supercar I've owned the longest."), which turns over at 100 dB and idles at 95 dB, but not before emitting a billow of smoke. "We might just ask McLaren about to see what's going on with that," Shmee remarked. Not as cloudy but marginally louder, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series kicks in at 108 db, with an idling volume of 91 dB followed by his Aston Martin Vantage GT8, starting at 117 dB and idling at 95dB.
While Shmee's Lamborghini Huracan STO boasts the loudest ignition volume at 118 dB and resonates at 96 dB, his Ferrari 812 GTS wins with its marginally quieter 116 DB start, but considerably more raucous idle registering at 113 dB.
"You would not want to be exposed to a sound that loud for really very long," Shmee surmised, "but it is one of the greatest sounds ever."
Source: Shmee 150