New Exhaust Goodies

[10/10ths]

Just got my new exhaust setup for my 89 325i autocross/track car. For 3 years now I have run the stock setup without the cat. I went with the Tri-Flo catback and Ireland Engineering Long Tube Headers for increased power, reduced weight, and of course a burly sound:p

I will have them installed within a week and I will post my impressions and a video of the sound. Cant wait!

(Missing in the pic is the X-pipe, It is on the way)

Justin

[PiercedE30]

how much did the triflow run you and where did you get it?

[g22]

yea, that tri flow looks sweet. Can you post sound clips when you get it all together???

[10/10ths]

Unfortunately the Tri-Flo exhaust is one of the most expensive but you get what you pay for. Not too many people carry it for the E30 and the cheapest I found is Bav auto, it's right around $850 for the M20. The headers on the other hand are not bad at $340.

I have had Tri-Flo exhausts on other BMW's including my first E30 and I can say that they are not for everyone. They are pretty loud...a real deep, bassy, aggressive sound...IMO they have the best sounding exhaust note for the E30. I will definitely post a clip of the sound when it’s done, should be this weekend.

Justin

[euroshark]

Let us know how the headers fit, I'm getting a set for my 6 series and I want to know how the quality is!

[JasonC]

I had a problem with the #5 tube fitting with my IE long tubes.

[10/10ths]

I will definitely let you guys know on the fit as well.

E30 Reaktionär, how bad was the problem? what did you have to do to make it work?

[JasonC]

I had to oblong the holes and cut the top stud half off out of the head to get the nut to fit onto it, and i had to use two gaskets on the #5 tube to get it to seal. The flange was twisted slightly. It still has a small header leak at the #5 flange. That was the only problem i had with the headers.

[10/10ths]

Update...
Got my X-pipe last night and my buddy Rand and I started on the exhaust overhaul today (a bit later in the day).

We managed to get the old exhaust, including the straight pipe mid-section that replaces the cat, and the headers off without much drama. The new IE long tube headers are bolted onto the head via brand new studs and we did not have any fitting issues at that end (thanks E30 Reaktionär for the warning). The new Tri-Flo muffler is in place on fresh donuts and we were left with the most difficult section of this project-coming up with new custom mid pipes that connect the headers/X-pipe to the "cat back" Tri-Flo exhaust system.

We did some measurements and came up with what we thought would be the right length, correct bends (minimal), and the needed connecting flanges at the ends of two sections of 2" diameter pipe. We brought our "blueprint" to a local exhaust shop and had a mechanic fabricate our pipes. Unfortunately we were off a bit, and our first attempt at the mid-section was a little less than ideal. Without going into specific detail, we could make it work if we wanted to, but I decided to eat the $30 bucks I have in these pipes and consider them templates for a new set. We will now be able to bring these pipes in and re-make a slightly different set based on these...albeit another $30...but they will be perfect:D

At around 7pm we realized we had basically spent two hours under the car just staring at the exhaust and talking about what our next move will be, so we cracked open 12 pack of Busch Light and called it a day. We will start again first thing in the morning and hopefully finish by early afternoon. I will update and post a video clip ASAP.

Justin

[JasonC]

I'm glad you had no problems with the headers fitting. Can't wait to hear the sound clip.

[10/10ths]

Finished! (Actually we finished on saturday night, sorry about the late reply)

So we went to our local Chop Shop (literally, that is the name of the place) and had them custom re-make our exhaust mid-section for better fit and also knew we didn’t need them to bend as much as our first set. They did an excellent job and when we did a test fit they were perfect and were as straight as we could make them.

Our biggest issue was fitting the headers to the X-pipe; we had to modify the long tube header end pieces to work with the X. We made it work and clamped the whole thing together. At the first startup it sounded great but really the thing we noticed most was a major leak somewhere. At closer inspection we noticed that just about anywhere we had a clamp, we had a leak. So long story short, we took the whole thing off, including headers, and welded together the connections with the worst leaks. I am now left with only 2 clamped sections (with minor leaks) in the entire exhaust and it can still be removed without much difficulty.

Here are a few pics and a video, which shows the initial startup. The video itself is pretty weak and does not give the sound justice; I am a little weary of revving the engine while not under load. Driving the car, or listening to it in person is what I am really happy with. It has a very deep, aggressive sound and really growls when you get on it! I will post a video that gives you a better idea of how it really sounds under real conditions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEQx8RoOWXk

Justin

[nando]

sounds good! I warned you about those headers didn't I? rand told me all about it at the picnic. too bad you didn't show up. :p

where did you get the section after the x pipe? did you have the chop shop make that? it looks nice! mind sharing how much it was?

edit: duh nevermind. just read the rest of your thread. :p

[10/10ths]

As crazy as it may sound...I didnt really feel like going to the E30 picnic this year. Did you win anything? Sounds like Rand's M3 is a little better off with a brand new TM chip!

The custom mid-pipes only cost $25, ($30 for the first set)

btw-I dont remember a warning about the headers Chris...I got the long tubes, you have shorties. Running this weekend?

[backtrail69]

I won a set of silicone radiator hoses.... Nando (who I was holding his tickets for...won nothing).. Exhaust sounds killer (looked at the youtube) Tri-flow is where its at.

[nando]

As crazy as it may sound...I didnt really feel like going to the E30 picnic this year. Did you win anything? Sounds like Rand's M3 is a little better off with a brand new TM chip!

The custom mid-pipes only cost $25, ($30 for the first set)

was that at the chop shop? now I really feel like I got ripped off on my exhaust. LOL.

the picnic was fun.. but I understand. esp. after spending 2 days under your car :p