M42club.com - Home of the BMW E30/E36 318i/iS
DISCUSSION => Engine + Driveline => Topic started by: quinn11m20 on April 02, 2009, 06:31:25 PM
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Hey guys its been about five months since I have last been on this site. Sorry to all the dedicated ones out there. So to get started. I did something really stupid. I cut off my exhaust just after my O2 sensor. Then welded on a 2 1/2 in. pipe directly over to the muffler. Man let me tell you it sounded like shit!!!!:confused:. Like one of those F-ing Japanese POS:mad:. I lost all low end power as a result of it. The good thing is I kept my CAT and Resonator just in case I wanted to weld it back up. I did that today. I have all my power back and my Natascha is quiet and runs like a dream. So for those of you who want to cut out your CAT, be forewarned that you might want to find some backpressure for your exhaust. And don't upsize the diameter of the pipe either. Gawd it sucked! I am Looking for a CAT back system now.
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did u keep the stock header?
i wonder how a straight pipe 2.25" with a racing cat and a nice muffler would sound and perform
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Yes. I had wrapped them about 3 months ago. I cut just after the O2 sensor.
As for the racing cat, I would say real smooth. I had a very bad backfire and raspy sound. Yuck. If you go to a bigger diameter pipe, it just amplifies the sound . I recommend keeping the same Dia. and wrapping your headers. My CAT was still good, so I put it back. I am going to try Supersprint exhaust. I have heard they are great. Not as expensive as Remus or Scorpion or Billy Boat.
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sounds like you need a glass pack as a cat ;)
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maybe its just mine but my iS had a custmom header,2 1/2in collector 2 1/2 stainless pipe back to a glasspack i cut 9in out of and welded back together then 2 1/2 in stainless back to a borla boomer stainless muffler sounded great when i had it. smooth bends,all welded.
supersprints might sound good but im not gonna pay that kind of money when i can build a system for a 1/4 of the cost of a supersprint.
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True. Very True. Thats the name of the game. Get the quality you want at a price you want. On the other hand They are cheaper than Remus or Scorpion.
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I've had a Supersprint on my 318is since '99 and I have yet to hear anything that I think sounds even remotely as good. Beauty is in the ear of the beholder.
IIRC, it cost about $400 at the time. A custom cat back would have been more than that if done properly and in stainless steel. They are $550 now at BMP.
I don't mean this as a knock, but if you can build a system equal to Supersprint, even in aluminized steel, please let me know how you do it. I need a new set of pipes for my M535i, but the whole Supersprint system is $1500, so I'm exploring the idea of building the entire exhaust, headers and all. Someone bodged a Remus M5 cat back pipe and an aftermarket cat onto it at some point after it was federalized.
Neil
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mine was stainless from header to muffler. hand welded and polished. i did the bending at my shop and a buddy of mine did all the welding and machining. this was 3 maybe 4 years ago when i was working at mid atlantic machine tool and i got all the stainless pipe at cost.
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I think mine sounds good.
2 1/4", no cat stock resonator to a magnaflow muffler and a resonated tip.
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I think why mine sounded so crappy was because the pipe diameter went from 2" to 2 1/2". It just created a large resonator. Its all back to normal now.
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im getting ready to do the exhaust on my DD since the rear muffler hanger broke and its rattling like a mofo. the PO must have been a cheap bastard because the exhaust is peiced together and sloppily welded. so its all comming out and getting new. picked up a supersprint muffler last week on ebay i might use on this one. ive still got one header we built that i might put on but im not sure yet. ill take some pics of this one when i get started on it.
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When I bought my Rabbit GTIs a few years ago, the seller was telling me about the full Techtonics exhaust that he'd just had professionally installed. I thought "cool, Techtonics is a well known brand in the VW world, so that's a bonus".
It turned out to be a collection of pre-bent slip-fit pipe sections bound together with band clamps. The "muffler" and resonator were off-the-shelf Flowmaster cans. 2" stem to stern. At first, I though that he was fibbing, but it turns out that is what Techtonics sells.
It was the single loudest car that I've even owned, including the time that I broke the exhaust off my M10 318i at the cat, but it had a tone that made me grin even when it was idling. Some of that wonderful sound was from the worked over engine (ported this, oversized that, decked the other).
Normally I prefer less loud, but it looked scary and ran like a scalded dog, so the loudness seemed natural.
As I said before, beauty is in the ear of the beholder. It's your car, make it sound however makes you happy. That's why we spend far more than they're worth keeping them on the road.
Personally, if you could post a soundbite, I'd like to hear it. I have sound bites of most of the cars that I've owned, and dozens of others that I found on the net. I load them onto my mp3 player as a separate tracklist and let them loop.
Neil
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Anyone know what would be a good catback to put on that isn't much louder than the standard muffler?
I've just purchased a 318iS which for some stupid reason has an M40 318i muffler on it which is quietly raspy throughout the whole rev range :o Need to replace it asap!
I was thinking of finding a 325i muffler and getting an exhaust shop to weld it on with a Y pipe, that should go ok yeah?
Something cheap prefebly, would love go to get an SS but I just cant justify the price, it would be almost half what I paid for the entire car!
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I knew a guy years ago who had a Stromung 325i exhaust installed on his 91 318i. It was fairly loud, but sounded good. Not fart can loud at all, but no where near factory quiet. It was installed with a y-pipe right after the cat.
Keep in mind that the volume/flow of an exhaust designed for a 2.5l engine may not produce any performance gain on a 1.8l. It may even lower performance and/or fuel economy. Engines need a certain amount of back pressure to work efficiently, and the ideal back pressure varies with the engine's size, state of tune, and so on. This is how they determine the ideal tubing diameter for the application.
Someone on some mailing list I'm on had the formula for determining the flow rate for dual pipes VS. single. I don't remember the formula, but it's not 1 1/2" single = 3/4" duals. Putzing around town, you may not notice the performance gain or loss anyhow.
Neil
Anyone know what would be a good catback to put on that isn't much louder than the standard muffler?
I was thinking of finding a 325i muffler and getting an exhaust shop to weld it on with a Y pipe, that should go ok yeah?
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haha i did the same.. i cut the pipe just after the O2 sensor but kept the same diameter. i have a stainless steel catback system on mine but its still sounds ok. not what i wanted. so i am hunting for a full upgrade. dont know where to get a good one thou. i need extractors but i cant find any for a 4 cylinder anywhere.. the 6 cylinders are everywhere over the internet. and turbo kits an also supercharger kits. http://www.capa.com.au has a good kit. have a look
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You should try http://www.supersprintna.com . They will have what you are looking for. Good Luck.
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last i heard the supersprint 318i/is exhaust was out of production. i was wanting just the supersprint muffler but ive had no luck finding one.
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OK. So you specifically want Supersprint. You know Bavarian Autosport has some other systems. Remus, Scorpion, B&B. I actually have a DynoMax muffler on mine and she sounds great. Quiet idle with a nice growl on acceleration. Good luck in your search.
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just wasnt wanting to spend $1k on a muffler and tubing when im setup to bend and weld stainless pipe that i can get at cost. if money wasnt a option id put one of my stainless headers on and a full stainless triflo billy boat exhaust.