How loud will this be?

[SchnellerVert]

Big is not always good you will loose velocity and this does not help.

Your right, it's not the mufflers it's the pipe harmonics and the resonance from the engine, Straight sixes make a distinct sound. All very similar.

The down turned pipes will help to a degree this is why all the major manufacters are doing this, it cuts the sound down while allowing them use of larger tubing. Reverse of DTM.

Also, thinking the straight pipes don't help in the least bit. The get to shaking in a rythmic fashion.

How loud is it truely?

[static]

The resonator is to close to the muffler. It needed to be back towards the engine and needed to be bigger.

This is true at least theoretically. From what i read, the nasty resonance/drone is born not in muffler but rather in the pipe. Like in organ, it depends on lenght/diameter of the piping. Resonator is meant to break the resonance by "splitting" up the pipe into two shorter ones, which should help with breaking up the resonance frequency.
When i installed my 22" magnaflow res. instead of hiflow cat, it made sound smoother (got rid of rasp) and helped a tiny bit with resonance/drone but definitely have not eliminated it.

my conclusion was that if you want quiet but still free flow, you have to go big and multiple (as in big and multiple mufflers)

[matt]

The resonator is to close to the muffler. It needed to be back towards the engine and needed to be bigger.

Very sorry you are having this issue. The exhaust shop did the mention this?

Come to think of it... those are the two differences between this setup and mine. I have a 24" cherry bomb where he has his cat. Smilar magnaflow though.

[SchnellerVert]

The resonator is to close to the muffler. It needed to be back towards the engine and needed to be bigger.

Very sorry you are having this issue. The exhaust shop did the mention this?

How about doing reverse DTM tips toward the ground. This will absorb some sound and be viable cheaper alternative to tearing it apart.

By not exiting the body it's reverbing under the car. Arg no the drone feeling, used to have a TechTonics Tuning on my VW, while it made great power thru out the entire band it was obnoxious at the standard 16V cruise range on the highway at 3300 to 3700rpm. Gutted Scirocco's are known to do that thou.

[static]

^^ my condolences and i hear you on the frustration.
It really sounds like you should change your exhaust/welding shop. Thankfully, cutting and welding up couple of flanges on headers won't cost you a fortune.
As i mentioned in my PM, stock e36m3 muffler fits (with just a bit of underbody massaging and good angle) but it will probably defeat the purpose of having headers as it's baffled=restrictive, plus it's very heavy. But i do agree that peace of mind is more important than a few horses/pounds .
Another option is as i mentioned 5x11x22 magnaflow, which fits again at a proper angle (i have single in single out)
I was inspired by this dude:
http://e30m3performance.com/installs...haust/exh1.htm

but as i mentioned, i'd like it even quieter, so another muffler instead of my 4x22 res is in order.

Alex

[dougsic]

Loudness is a subjective thing, but this will be F&^%$'in loud! And the worst thing, it will drone like a broken truck at around 2-3krpm, i've been there.

Static is the winner! You are absolutely right!

Loudness is subjective - when driving this car, it is the subject of everyone around me.

Before doing the exhaust this way, I had the ebay headers connected to the stock e36 M3 midsection and rigged onto the stock e30 325i muffler. The exhaust was silent until WOT when it hissed a bit. I felt the muffler was strangling the exhaust and I still feel that way.

Now, the car is so freaking loud I hardly drive it as I'm embarassed. And worse, exactly as Static stated above, the drone in the car is overwhelming. With a passenger, we are nearly shouting at each other to be heard. No, we ARE shouting at each other to be heard. My wife actually said that the car is louder INSIDE than it is outside and she refuses to ride again until it's quieter.

Even when I barely tip into the throttle, the volume increases unbearably.

I would love to brag to you guys that I welded the exhaust up in my garage but the truth is I didn't. I paid dearly for it. Sorry Ed. The tubing is SS 409, mandrel bent. I had the converter installed with v-bands and a track pipe made for it - well, that will never get used!

The resonator was installed after I took the car back to the shop complaining that it was too loud. Because the exhaust is so tight to the underbody, there was no room for a chambered resonator so this one is straight through. It made only a barely noticable difference.

Enough whining.

The flex pipe is installed so that there isn't any binding going on between the headers and the rest of the system since the exhaust is welded directly to the headers (no flanges).

I didn't know the shop was going to weld the exhaust to the headers or I would have protested. Look closely at the first picture in this topic - how in the world can I ever remove the headers? They are effectively welded together now! Looks to me like I would have to cut them apart or pull the engine to get them out?

Here is a picture of the rear valance and the tips. Sadly, they look really nice - they don't stick out too far and are well centered.

The car goes back to the exhaust shop on Wednesday morning for a different muffler. If that doesn't help enough, I may ask for a chambered resonator in place of the catalytic converter. I hate to be a polluter but I hate more to have this fun car that I can't stand to drive.

[EtaSport]

Where in Md are you from? There's going to be 24valve e30s coming out of the woodwork in the MAR soon. We NEED to have a meet.
I need to get in gear and get my swap started. Someone give me a ride in a swap car, that'll get me in gear.

Back on topic. That should be pretty loud. Ill be running a similar setup but with a Non Vanos M50.




Hunter

stop into my work, ill give you a ride. I need to get some more exhaust work done. We just got a welder in at work, I might experiment.

using the e30 getrag? did you get the trans mount in there? What rear are you going to be running?

[BUDNUNTA]

Where in Md are you from? There's going to be 24valve e30s coming out of the woodwork in the MAR soon. We NEED to have a meet.
I need to get in gear and get my swap started. Someone give me a ride in a swap car, that'll get me in gear.

Back on topic. That should be pretty loud. Ill be running a similar setup but with a Non Vanos M50.




Hunter

[static]

Do you have trans mount cups?

i did, then i took them off, then i change mounts for stock e36 ones. Just a mild reduction in noise.
I have a feeling it's exhaust leak somewhere in the manifolds' general vicinity. When i drive the car i can smell the stinky exhaust (but i don't run cats right now, so..)
Soon i'll be changing for obd2 manifolds, will change studs, gaskets... hopefully i'll find a leak that will fix the noise issue

[So Live]

i have very similar custom exhaust (that i kept changing).

Loudness is a subjective thing, but this will be F&^%$'in loud! And the worst thing, it will drone like a broken truck at around 2-3krpm, i've been there.

One question i have for you: what is the use for the flexpipe? is it to insulate engine vibrations that go through the manifolds from going further back? I get a lot of unneeded vibrations and nasty sounds, and i have suspicion that they are exhaust related. (perhaps downpipes rattle somehow, as the noise comes from the front pass side of things, can be heard loud and clear when in 4th or 5th at around 2-2.5krpm and giving about 70-100% throttle)

Do you have trans mount cups?

[static]

i have very similar custom exhaust (that i kept changing).

Loudness is a subjective thing, but this will be F&^%$'in loud! And the worst thing, it will drone like a broken truck at around 2-3krpm, i've been there.

One question i have for you: what is the use for the flexpipe? is it to insulate engine vibrations that go through the manifolds from going further back? I get a lot of unneeded vibrations and nasty sounds, and i have suspicion that they are exhaust related. (perhaps downpipes rattle somehow, as the noise comes from the front pass side of things, can be heard loud and clear when in 4th or 5th at around 2-2.5krpm and giving about 70-100% throttle)

[mazur]

where did you find the 2.5 magnaflow muffler? I can only find 2.25!

If you cut off the 2.25'' inlet at the weld, you'll have a 2.5'' inlet.

[ed94r]

That looks super Doug. I like the look of the merge pipe and the flex fitting. Is that OBD1 merge or did you make it? Info on the "did you make it?..yes I did" answer if you did.

Looks simple and efficient. Must copy.

Ed

[mitch500]

doug i pmed you a while ago and i have still not heard from you can you update me on the status.?

[gazellebeigem3]

where did you find the 2.5 magnaflow muffler? I can only find 2.25!