Nonsense Thread

[Panici]

I would really like to know who greenlit the exhaust tuning on those cars, they are easily the worst sounding stock BMWs of all time, and probably one of the worst sounding I6s. It's especially baffling since they sound a bit better with those goofy wavy midpipes that are available now, all it took was making the lengths equal-ish.

Had to look this up, they definitely look goofy! But worth it to make the things sound better I suppose.

[varg]

I don't know, I feel like a stock n55 sounds pretty good. It's still got a smooth straight six noise. It's even better this the MPPK muffler.

Also, n55 is a single turbo with a single cat and a single pipe to a single-in dual-out muffle, the n54 had twin turbos and 2 cats

Stock for stock it definitely sounds better than anything they make today. Especially the M3/4 which continues to sound like total ass. I would really like to know who greenlit the exhaust tuning on those cars, they are easily the worst sounding stock BMWs of all time, and probably one of the worst sounding I6s. It's especially baffling since they sound a bit better with those goofy wavy midpipes that are available now, all it took was making the lengths equal-ish.

[Northern]

Hopefully they used better vbands than on the MINI. The nut & bolt just look like one blob made of rust. If I look at it the wrong way, it's going to fall apart.

[McGyver]

It's nice to just have 2 v-bands to take off and the cat comes right out. It's also tucked up in a spot that would be impossible to cut out. The stock one is on a shelf now and I've got a 49-state legal AA high flow cat on there. A cat, down pipe, intercooler, and a tune is really all that's needed to get an easy hundred hp.

[Northern]

surprised either of those had less than two cats per exhaust stream, seems very un-bmw of them.

Edit: at least in NA market. I know there are some markets where they've historically only used a single cat since at least E30s and thru at least 2013

[McGyver]

I don't know, I feel like a stock n55 sounds pretty good. It's still got a smooth straight six noise. It's even better this the MPPK muffler.

Also, n55 is a single turbo with a single cat and a single pipe to a single-in dual-out muffle, the n54 had twin turbos and 2 cats

[MrBurgundy]

The tiny turbos they use make it sound like ass..

[Northern]

I'm sure multi stage DISA, turbos, DI, Valvetronic, etc all make a difference in the sound of any current BMW engine

Probably a lot better once swapped and you get all the intake muffling and half a dozen cats/mufflers out of the way.

[varg]

BMWs in general sound like ass, especially modern ones, I have no doubt the B38 would be any different.

As for all of this N55 talk, plus talk of sound. This one has been making the rounds and it sounds decent. It would probably sound better without a screamer pipe and with a muffler to tame some of the mid to low rpm rasp.

[Northern]

I'm not 100% sure, but I think all US f31s are 4-cyl turbos with automatics.

Yeah BMW pulled the same bullshit with the E91 - no 335 in wagons, later in production (at least in Canada) dropped manuals, non-xdrive, and even the 330, so by end of production it was just auto 328ix when I thought about trying to buy one.

N20s seem kind of shit. B38/46/48/whatever seem solid as they're 3-4cyl cut down B58s. Would really love to see the B38 in an e30.
Triples sound stupid good on bikes, but the B38 probably just sounds like a straight 6. Not sure how much they can take power wise, but I imagine 300hp is fairly easy pending ECU stuff.

[Exodus_2pt0]

Many threads of this type have tried, none have lived.

Glad to see this thread still going.

That said, I sold my old diesel Grand cherokee that had become yard art to some random guy with a tow truck for $50. It's at the scrap yard now.

What did I do with that $50 you ask? Well, the Mrs. and I found ourselves at Costco that day so I bought 2 fat lobster tails. Never made it myself, so figured why not. Well... I made the mistake of trying to cook it to temp, and while my mind was saying (they've been in there too long), the thermometer said different. I should have trusted myself.... Totally ruined $50 worth of lobster to the point that the dogs wouldn't even touch it, and they eat deer poo....

[McGyver]

The only thing that's been a major pain on my n55 has been replacing the o-ring on a turbo coolant pipe. I went through 4 or 5 o-rings trying to get the thing on, but kept slicing the ring on the sharp edge of the block because I couldn't get the pipe to go in straight.

The annoying thing is that BMWs catalog is not correct for some turbo related things. It'll pull catalytic converter gaskets for a 2013 n55 with a PWG instead of the 2014 updated version with an EWG. There are also some associated turbo coolant pipes that are incorrectly associated with the engine.

Other than that, it's been great. Just minor maintenance and repairs for known issues. I'm really happy that I bought it over another e30.

[MrBurgundy]

n55s are cake to work on.

Great engines

The n54 tho.... different animal for sure.

[McGyver]

F30s (ideally F31) seem like a good pickup, but I know almost nothing about them and I don't think they came manual or at least are exceedingly rare.

I've got an f30 (sedan) with the n55 and a 6-speed. I really enjoy that car.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think all US f31s are 4-cyl turbos with automatics. I've read about timing chain problems on early n20 engines, but the b48 seems to be very reliable. They are really nice cars and have plenty of power for such a small engine, I'd give it a look. I feel like my f30 is built very similar to how an e46 or e90 is put together. So although it's a little different, it's not completely alien to work on.

[Northern]

I agree with the e90 comment. Aesthetically aged well, nice interior, cheap, manual. I think an e91 would make an awesome daily, but there's a price premium over the e90.

F30s (ideally F31) seem like a good pickup, but I know almost nothing about them and I don't think they came manual or at least are exceedingly rare.

I do like having a comfy/newish daily with modern safety BS and bells & whistles, and have had relatively few issues with doing this.
When I do have issues, it's always something stupid, like my XC90's headlight leaking from some stupid locating tab being snapped off, or right now where the rear caliper piston is seized, and anywhere other than the dealer is on intergalactic backorder so I'm forced to either spend $550 on a goddamn brake caliper or take a shot at rebuilding it.