M52B28 exhaust too loud...advice?

[Drew325is]

Here's a quick run down on the current system and some pics:

-Custom equal length extractors


-2 x 2" mandrel bent piping

-Cat and resonators


-and a fairly small 2 x 2" in/out muffler (which I unfortunately don't have a pic of at the moment)...but it's pretty small.

I'm finding the system is too loud for my liking..and it drones badly.

Magnaflow look to have some options (http://www.magnaflow.com/02product/u...asp?shape=Oval). However, I've read some conflicting opinions about whether they are loud or not. Any thoughts as to whether or not a magnaflow would be loud when mated up to my existing system (minus the current muffler of course).

Help me get some stealth...I don't like letting the heat-around-the-corner know that I've gleefully spent the last few bends on the go pedal.

[e30s52]

where did you get your cats from?

[tubby17s]

ditch the hot dogs drew...

[Drew325is]

Just some additional info...the current muffler is about 3.5"x8"x17".

I'm fairly sure this magnaflow would fit: http://www.magnaflow.com/02product/s...e=main&id=7672

where did you get your cats from?

TBH I don't know exactly what brand/model the cats are...some universal high flow unit the shop fitted...

ditch the hot dogs drew...

Will that make it quieter?...i thought it'd do the opposite...but I know SFA about exhausts really.

[Drew325is]

Quick photo:

[tubby17s]

drew im running a big rear muffler and a big center muffler with a very very similar looking cat. I imagine mine would be fine NA.

Sorry drew i more meant get rid of the hot dogs and get a center muffler instead. I have been told that the hot dog mufflers wont do a great job of silencing it due to the lack of packing

Your rear muffler dosnt look like it would be doing much. have you taken it back to the exhaust shop you got the work done at?

[Drew325is]

drew im running a big rear muffler and a big center muffler with a very very similar looking cat. I imagine mine would be fine NA.

Sorry drew i more meant get rid of the hot dogs and get a center muffler instead. I have been told that the hot dog mufflers wont do a great job of silencing it due to the lack of packing

Your rear muffler dosnt look like it would be doing much. have you taken it back to the exhaust shop you got the work done at?

Yeah I went back and saw them a weekend or two ago...but they're a bit slow in getting back to me with solutions.

Have you got any pics of your set up? Did you have to remove the underbody heat shielding to fit a centre muffler?

[tubby17s]

no photos but i can take some possibly tommorow when i take the engine out.

My heat shielding isnt in at the moment but that was because i forgot to put it back in before i put the exhaust on

[Drew325is]

Thanks! See how you go though...if you're pulling the engine you've probably got more important things to be doing.

[btec116]

I finally got mine finished (more or less). I did the run down from Syd to Melb just to prove it to myself:) I'm running a completely stock E36 325i system mated to the original M52 headers. I must say I was very pleasantly surprised with the sound and performance of the whole package. It has just the right amount of everything; nice deep idle note, quiet at low loads/pressures (well it is stock), and loud enough to enjoy when you open it up:) It also has that awesome metallic rasp that is so characteristically BMW-six! (well I love it anyway).
As far as drone, sydney-melbourne in around 10 hours at ~3000RPM and I had absolutely no probs.
Some of you would probably give me shit for doing so much work to the car only to end up with a stock system. Originally I planned to ditch the muffler for something more open as soon as I got it registered, but now there's no way I'll be giving up this system! I love it!

[GotCone?]

those resonators are too small to do any good.

If you're muffler is straight through and you aren't too fond of it, try a dual pass muffler to quiet it down... or you could put some bigger resonators in there. the longer the better job they will do...

OR....

replace the resonators w/ a muffler and leave the rear muffler where it is. For this you could use a nice higher flowing muffler, but it will knock down the volume much more than a resonator.

[PiercedE30]

Why 2"?

[e30polak]

Get rid of the resonators and use something that will "muffle" the sound....maybe like a muffler.

[Drew325is]

It sounds like it's worth revisiting changing the resonators for a muffler, but when we were considering this option we had a lot of concerns over fitment/ground clearance etc...it just didn't look like there was sufficient space or anything...but obviously there are people making it work.

[btec116]

Can you modify the heat shields? They're pretty damn simple in function and there's a bit of room you could recover...