[FenixMike]

That it did absolutely nothing. Not a grumble, not a gurgle, nothing. It did save about 15 lbs from the resonators, but its just as depressingly quiet as before I may order a pair of magna flows next week, but it was miserable being under that car today while building that so my interest in doing ANYTHING until november when it cools off is zero! I haven't picked up a mig welder in probably 2 years now, and all I had to work with was a sawzall, welder and a marker since my buddies shop isn't setup for exhaust work.

[Simple5]

You did set yourself up for a great setup when you swap out the mufflers though!

[Bmw doubles]

I wonder if a muffler delete with resonators still intact would give the sound and minimal drone at freeway speeds?

[FenixMike]

No idea, mufflers we're going to come out eventually anyway, I just didn't want to buy tips right away

[Simple5]

I think a set of Vibrant mufflers with a pair of Cyba tips will look great!

[FenixMike]

Originally Posted by Simple3

I think a set of Vibrant mufflers with a pair of Cyba tips will look great!

nothing vibrant will ever go on my car... Magna flow, Borla, maybe dynomax, but thats about it. I like Akrapovic but just too expensive.

[Simple5]

Here's a guy that did a custom magnaflow set-up

[FenixMike]

curious what components he used. I have my eventual system planned out once (if) I get down pipes, I was just wanting more rumble. Magna flows have a tendency to sound incredible and deep under hard acceleration, as do Borlas... the big issue is which one I want to use for fitment purposes as even the short body mufflers leave little room for tips.

[FenixMike]

Ehh little update after driving for a day... I know it shouldnt feel any different, however throttle response and power DOES feel different. I keep telling myself its only in my head, but it feels significantly less lazy down low when you stab it. Only conclusion I have is I got rid of all the squished tubing they used to clear things and have only full diameter round now. Right after the rear large resonator it did pinch down pretty small , almost wish I saved those pieces just to show.

[Bmw doubles]

Originally Posted by FenixMike

Ehh little update after driving for a day... I know it shouldnt feel any different, however throttle response and power DOES feel different. I keep telling myself its only in my head, but it feels significantly less lazy down low when you stab it. Only conclusion I have is I got rid of all the squished tubing they used to clear things and have only full diameter round now. Right after the rear large resonator it did pinch down pretty small , almost wish I saved those pieces just to show.

Nice, any droning?

[FenixMike]

Originally Posted by Bmw doubles

Nice, any droning?

none at all, I almost think its a bit quieter than stock... which makes the kick in the balls worse! My car is silent and the roads here are for the most part great with average speeds of 70-80 mph, so id notice even the slightest increase in volume or drone. Too bad its 110+ out every day or id go dyno to see if there was actually a difference. Going to order Borla XR1s as soon as I take some measurements and pick out tips.

[lsturbointeg]

Keep us posted!

[Bmw doubles]

Originally Posted by FenixMike

none at all, I almost think its a bit quieter than stock... which makes the kick in the balls worse! My car is silent and the roads here are for the most part great with average speeds of 70-80 mph, so id notice even the slightest increase in volume or drone. Too bad its 110+ out every day or id go dyno to see if there was actually a difference. Going to order Borla XR1s as soon as I take some measurements and pick out tips.

Well if the throttle response has increased that's a +. If you were looking to get a slight tone/gurgle while remaining respectable maybe a DP and a resonator delete is in order. Personally in terms of mufflers my experience with them has they have all been fart-can sounding for the most part. My best experiences with mufflers have been flomax and believe it or not a 20 dollar summit racing exhaust. My opinion is to just delete the muffler if you want to go that direction. It would be the least expensive, weight reduction and it sounds burly!

However, I'm very interested now in replacing my resonator with an x-pipe now that your reporting better throttle response. I'm getting a catless DP next week while keeping my stock exhaust in tact. I'll report back on sound/tone.

FYI I've if the sound quality is right for me meaning DP and x-pipe combo and I want the look of an expensive exhaust I was going to do the M5 retrofit diffuser and these tips on my stock exhaust.
http://m.ebay.com/itm/161343769695?_...49&_mwBanner=1

[lsturbointeg]

Sounds like a muffler delete is the way to go? But I'm afraid of drone issues

[FenixMike]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

Sounds like a muffler delete is the way to go? But I'm afraid of drone issues

I fired it up with just the mid pipes cut at the first resonators and it sounded like a boat... definitely not a sound I want, and I also hate the sound of muffler deletes personally, but everyone has their own taste. I like a "tuned" exhaust and 99% of the time it comes out perfect with magna flow or borla, the key is using the correct shape, design, and size of muffler to get the sound you want. Most people don't know Magnaflow makes about 100 different mufflers because most places install the same couple different ones at every shop for cost purposes, but each series and size has a different tone. If you're worried about drone, start with a pair of mufflers, and then delete resonators as you go. If you just want "loud", then hack the mufflers off and see how it sounds.
To each their own, and theres no "wrong" way to do it, just whatever you like. Ive had AT LEAST 5 different exhausts on every car ive owned until I was happy.

[lsturbointeg]

Wondering... and Maybe I need to check but is the piping diameter larger on a complete exhaust upgrade vs an axle back exhaust?

[FenixMike]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

Wondering... and Maybe I need to check but is the piping diameter larger on a complete exhaust upgrade vs an axle back exhaust?

Really doesnt matter, dual 2.5ish (slightly larger since its metric) is more than enough to support over 600 rear wheel horsepower, the main thing would be to get the restrictions out of the factory setup where it has been crushed for clearance. Obviously bigger is better when it comes to turbos (you will not EVER find a factual article supporting smaller exhaust for turbo vehicles as the turbo produces plenty of backpressure, but there is a point of diminishing returns where its just a waste of money) but at the same time unless youre running larger turbos, E85 and LOTS of boost, theres no need to increase the actual diameter of the exhaust (and even then, cars have been making 1000+ horsepower on dual 2.5 or single 3.5-4 inch forever). If you live in an area where stainless is required for rust purposes, you may want to buy an entire system for that reason instead of modifying as I did, otherwise you need to make sure you use stainless steel piping and stainless welding wire so it doesnt rust.

[AZ_Bmw_550]

Hey Mike, I have a Shteigen system on my 550 now and if you'd like to hear it some time just let me know. It sounds pretty good to my ear and downright angry at WOT...

[FenixMike]

Originally Posted by AZ_Bmw_550

Hey Mike, I have a Shteigen system on my 550 now and if you'd like to hear it some time just let me know. It sounds pretty good to my ear and downright angry at WOT...

as a fabricator, it goes against my religion to pay more for anything that it costs me to build it, but id love to hear it sometime Knowing what goes into building a muffler, and how much in the steel, I cringe at the cost of these systems! That being said, single piece mandrel bends arent cheap even for shops that sucked it up and bought a mandrel bender, so im sure its just offsetting labor/ R&D costs and reduced sales compared to something common. This months fun money went to firearms, so maybe next month I will order up some mufflers and tips.

[AZ_Bmw_550]

Originally Posted by FenixMike

as a fabricator, it goes against my religion to pay more for anything that it costs me to build it, but id love to hear it sometime Knowing what goes into building a muffler, and how much in the steel, I cringe at the cost of these systems! That being said, single piece mandrel bends arent cheap even for shops that sucked it up and bought a mandrel bender, so im sure its just offsetting labor/ R&D costs and reduced sales compared to something common. This months fun money went to firearms, so maybe next month I will order up some mufflers and tips.

Yep, I totally get it. I bought it used, otherwise I'd be fabbing something up too. Also, it's a center mount dual in/out muffler and totally drone free, (although that may have something to do with the resonance chamber too). I may be on that side of town next week, so I'll msg you if it works out that way.

[FenixMike]

Originally Posted by AZ_Bmw_550

Yep, I totally get it. I bought it used, otherwise I'd be fabbing something up too. Also, it's a center mount dual in/out muffler and totally drone free, (although that may have something to do with the resonance chamber too). I may be on that side of town next week, so I'll msg you if it works out that way.

Let me know, im up north on 7th and 101, going to stop by ESS eventually though when AJ is back in town to play with a few boost profiles on my piggy back to see how much I can add before it starts melting the tires and spiking the boost levels.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

Sounds like a muffler delete is the way to go? But I'm afraid of drone issues

Not a big fan of muffler delete on a daily driver. It is the cheapest solution to make your car louder thats for sure.
If it was my car i would rather get an exhausts system built for it . You have a ton of options AFE, GThaus, Megan Racing, Remus,etc...