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    E30 Exhaust Disappointment

    I have an ‘89 325i with the stock M20 and a Turner Chip.
    my exhaust system has been stock with the exception of a Borla Muffler for quite some time now. I had been contemplating changing the exhaust note a bit. I was hoping to acquire a more raspy sound. So today I had an exhaust shop replace the cats with straight pipes and to my disappointment, it sounds god awful. Sort of like a 325 E46 with a muffler delete
    it has a very “empty/hollow” sound. I’m not sure if it’s because I have stock manifolds or not.

    My question for you guys is, what makes the M20 sound raspy? Would an X pipe change the tone as opposed to just straight pipes? Maybe even some eBay long tube headers?
    I’m aware that exhaust modifications won’t gain any power on a stock M20, maybe even lose some low end power, but in all honestly, this car’s my weekend toy and occasional canyon carver.
    thank you guys in advance!

    #2
    Our largest and quietest muffler, the 50 Series Big Block Mufflers is made for tow vehicles, full-size trucks, large SUV’s and RV’s/Motor homes. More than just compatible with big cubic inch engine application, the 50 Series Big Block incorporates a very large Resonance Tuning Chamber to almost completely reduce interior sound in large cab vehicle and enough case volume to handle engines under heavy loads – perfect for tow vehicles.

    This'll get it flowing freely and give you that stock sound (not empty/hollow) yet quiet.
    Also a dual in, dual out, so it'll weld up exactly where the old cat/resonator was - similar dimensions too.
    If it's got tits or tires, it's gonna cost ya!

    Comment


      #3
      Go on on a few websites, see what they offer and then look them up on youtube. There are tons of videos with their exhaust notes recorded

      Comment


        #4
        Rasp and "hollow" typically go hand in hand, just listen to a new edge mustang with flowmasters. Hokey explanations about pulse order and such you'll find on forums aside, if you look at an actual spectrogram of different exhaust sounds, rasp is identifiable as excess of higher frequency noise relative to the lower fundamental frequency noise that is the frequency of exhaust pulses. Funny that you're looking for the rasp, most people try to eliminate it. Since the M20 doesn't rev high enough to be a screamer where the more pleasant high frequency noises dominate the rasp, mid range rasp typically is not viewed as pleasant. Straight through mufflers and narrower pipes (i.e. stock size pipe and mufflers) will tend to let the rasp through without the "hollow" mid/low frequency resonance that you typically get from big and/or thin pipes. Cats are great for eliminating resonance since they're basically a resonator with a flow control device (the matrix) inside them. So choose a bolt on system based on clips, or weld a resonator in.

        IG @turbovarg
        '91 318is, M20 turbo
        [CoTM: 4-18]
        '94 525iT slicktop, M50B30 + S362SX-E, 600WHP DD or bust
        - updated 1-26

        Comment


          #5
          OP, just stick a potato in your exhaust.

          Comment


            #6
            get the ebay exhaust manifolds thinner metal amplifies the rasp sound..

            Comment


              #7
              single in dual out is the key for nice m20 note

              y pipe after a high flow cat, then a nice long resonator into a single in dual out vibrant and you'll come back and thank me

              Best sound ever.. I've tried it all and this is the one
              Originally posted by wholepailofwater
              Q
              :devil:


              WTB: Dove Grey e36 Front Door Panels (2 door)

              Comment


                #8
                Not sure I have ever heard anybody want rasp... but here's my set up. Sounds great. Bavauto long tube headers into a single 2.5" into a vibrant resonator and vibrant muffler.

                Instagram: Reichart12

                Comment


                  #9
                  PO-TA-TO. Do it.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by varg View Post
                    Rasp and "hollow" typically go hand in hand, just listen to a new edge mustang with flowmasters. Hokey explanations about pulse order and such you'll find on forums aside, if you look at an actual spectrogram of different exhaust sounds, rasp is identifiable as excess of higher frequency noise relative to the lower fundamental frequency noise that is the frequency of exhaust pulses. Funny that you're looking for the rasp, most people try to eliminate it. Since the M20 doesn't rev high enough to be a screamer where the more pleasant high frequency noises dominate the rasp, mid range rasp typically is not viewed as pleasant. Straight through mufflers and narrower pipes (i.e. stock size pipe and mufflers) will tend to let the rasp through without the "hollow" mid/low frequency resonance that you typically get from big and/or thin pipes. Cats are great for eliminating resonance since they're basically a resonator with a flow control device (the matrix) inside them. So choose a bolt on system based on clips, or weld a resonator in.
                    Thank you for the long informative response. Much appreciated!

                    Originally posted by roguetoaster View Post
                    OP, just stick a potato in your exhaust.
                    I AM in fact hungry. Baked potatoes sound pretty darn good this time of year

                    Originally posted by MrBurgundy View Post
                    single in dual out is the key for nice m20 note

                    y pipe after a high flow cat, then a nice long resonator into a single in dual out vibrant and you'll come back and thank me

                    Best sound ever.. I've tried it all and this is the one
                    I’ll try to find some YouTube clips of a similar setup. Thank you!

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by 6th Element View Post

                      Thank you for the long informative response. Much appreciated!



                      I AM in fact hungry. Baked potatoes sound pretty darn good this time of year



                      I’ll try to find some YouTube clips of a similar setup. Thank you!
                      I'll take a vid of mine after work for you
                      Originally posted by wholepailofwater
                      Q
                      :devil:


                      WTB: Dove Grey e36 Front Door Panels (2 door)

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by MrBurgundy View Post

                        I'll take a vid of mine after work for you
                        Waiting for the vid of your baked potato.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by roguetoaster View Post

                          Waiting for the vid of your baked potato.
                          Brace yourself for an offensively mediocre e30
                          Originally posted by wholepailofwater
                          Q
                          :devil:


                          WTB: Dove Grey e36 Front Door Panels (2 door)

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by MrBurgundy View Post
                            single in dual out is the key for nice m20 note

                            y pipe after a high flow cat, then a nice long resonator into a single in dual out vibrant and you'll come back and thank me

                            Best sound ever.. I've tried it all and this is the one
                            a resonator will remove the rasp and it will deepen the tone..I got a vibrant muffler and added a resonator to lower the rasp/tone... it sounds deeper then when I had the Xpro muffler

                            heres an example

                            Comment


                              #15
                              mine sounds totally different than that. Mine is no where near that deep.

                              Also, that vid is an m50 with vibrant rez and a whatever muff.

                              I have a bottleneck rez with a vibrant muff hehehe

                              Also, their (vibrant) style of resonators are essentially small mufflers that are much wider in relation to how long they are.

                              In my experience a long rez with a slightly larger diameter than the pipe will yield a lighter tone with no drone.
                              Originally posted by wholepailofwater
                              Q
                              :devil:


                              WTB: Dove Grey e36 Front Door Panels (2 door)

                              Comment

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