[ilhatch]

We knew it was coming and someone spotted the 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio QV going around the Nurburgring track!

 

[Khan22]

It just looks and sounds so ridiculously menacing going around the track holy cow! Doesn't look like they were beating on it too much though in the mule with camo on it. I was expecting to hear a lot more tire screeching goodness.

 

[ilhatch]

If I didn't have a visual of this test run and you asked me what kind of car it sounds like, I'd say a sport coupe or a hot hatch, not an SUV. That's a huge compliment to the Stelvio's exhaust system.

 

[Khan22]

Every time it shifts, it reminds me of something from MB or Audi potentially because of that quick couple of crackles and the depth of the exhaust, more so MB AMG though.

 

[Fiver]

Symphony for the ears, and there's a slight drift around the 20 second mark. Most likely due to the wet track, but it's a testament to the Stelvio and its driver with such a smooth recovery.

 

[poormansferrari]

I like that it has a bit of an exotic car tone to it which in a $100K + SUV is what we need. But when we hear it close up, hopefully its more exotic sounding than the Giulia QV:

 

[Khan22]

Hm... which exotic car do you think it most resembles??

 

[Fiver]

Maybe the maserati ghibli? I'm not one for exhaust sounds, at least not good enough to recognize specific models from it.

 

[ilhatch]

Too bad they never really rev to the redline in these exhaust sound videos. I want to hear what that'll sound like in the Stelvio!

 

[Khan22]

Heard that's typically not good if the engine isn't under load.. Found a little piece of writing on it and I can definitely agree, seen it happen before (rod breakage).

As pointed out by others, redline with a 4 stroke at exhaust TDC subjects the rod to ~ max tensile loads, but running no load would likely make the former firing TDC load similar, with a slight discount of at least compression pressure X piston area. The end result would ~ double the rate at which those max loads are accumulated.

I don't think the valve train loads are much different under power, except maybe the force required to crack open the exhaust valve.

A lot, if not most rod breakage (and metallic part failure in general) is the final stage of progressive cracking from fatigue. In the days when lots of passenger cars were still using forged steel rods I used to magnaflux rods at a hot rod engine shop. It was common to find small "indications" in the area brutalized by factory machining to accept the rod bolt head. That was true of abused engines as well as used passenger engines. It was much less common to find indications along the I-beam or around the wrist pin eye.

Is reving an engine to redline without a load (in neutral) bad? - Engine & fuel engineering - Eng-Tips

 

[poormansferrari]

I always thought higher RPM's were good just as long as you're mindful of what you're doing and be aware of the feedback its giving you; sound, RPM, temperature (god forbid). Been mindful of most my vehicle for as long as I have been driving with no issues, just one 300,000 mile car that burns a slight bit of oil.

 

[Khan22]

sound and all of that will always be beautiful in the higher rpm ranges, just under the right circumstances and using the good ol' common sense as to not abuse the vehicle. Another good thing.. stay away from the redline and don't keep bouncing off of it like you'd see a lot of people do lol.

 

[Fiver]

You won't be seeing the redline with an automatic Stelvio, but for those in manual I assume nobody will be revving the Stelvio hard on track before ripping through a straight. The Stelvio is too good for those kind of launches.