Need opinions from "real" E36 owners

[furherfecker]

Hello all,

As some of you may have noticed from the earlier exhaust thread, I have recently deleted my cats and resonators with straight pipes.

The noise has significantly changed. My friends seem to absolutely love it.

Personally, before I make my final decision on whether or not to leave it like this, i'd like to get your opinions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNTQ2Ohr9KQ

What do we think? Is this too rice with that raspiness?

...or just right? :D

[Moron95M3]

too much rasp IMO.

I'm in the same boat...my beater has no cats, just a straight pipe (but still mostly going through a muffler) and it sounds like poo.

[furherfecker]

would magnaflow highflow cats solve the excessive rasp?

[rochey6957]

Honestly, I have a four banger so I don't really know what a stock I6 sounds like. That has a lot of rasp when I rev up like you were doing in that video. Your system has a lot of rasp. Way to much for my taste. A good system has a deep note, one that rumbles. For me that sounds broken, not even ricey. Ricey is glass pack exhaust. I mean if you like it go for it. I wont tell you what to do but.... JMTS.

[NJohc]

Try just leaving in the cats or just the resonators? The AA track pipe still has resonators

[rochey6957]

actually, how is cabin noise at highway speed?

[Disgustipated]

Sounds like a disgusting, raspy Honda with a cheap exhaust. How the hell can anyone think this sounds good?

Put in at least one resonator, maybe two. I've got a 22" resonator on my S50 and it sounds about 10x deeper and with 95% less rasp than this.

[furherfecker]

actually, how is cabin noise at highway speed?

Cabin noise on the highway is fine.. really not bothersome.

Strangely the rasp seems to diminish as the exhaust heats up


Try just leaving in the cats or just the resonators? The AA track pipe still has resonators

Between the two I would lean more towards the cats.. at least it'll cancel the smell haha

Anybody install one of these universal magnaflow cats?

How would they sound? with no resonators and stock muffler?

[NJohc]

Ive heard the stock cats flow pretty well to begin with, but Id go with the magnaflows if I was doing this to my car. I havent seen anybody else try it yet. Also, from what Ive heard the stock catback gets raspy the more it has to push out. That could be contributing to some of it too

[flyfishvt]

Sounds like a disgusting, raspy Honda with a cheap exhaust.


^^^^ this

I hope that's a 4 cylinder. it sure doesn't sound like a 6. If you want an inexpensive exhaust look at Xellerator. I had one on my 325 and it sounded pretty deep and nice. A bit of rasp when you let off the gas but its a cheap exhaust so it wont be as perfect as a Borla or UUC and of course those are $$$$

Wish i still had the video i made of that exhaust. I used the stock midpipe with it. If i find the video I'll post it.

[keeslinger31]

way too raspy Just throw a muffler on there or cats or both if you don't want rasp. Not enough backpressure is what the rasp is.

[furherfecker]

^^^^ this

I hope that's a 4 cylinder. it sure doesn't sound like a 6. If you want an inexpensive exhaust look at Xellerator. I had one on my 325 and it sounded pretty deep and nice. A bit of rasp when you let off the gas but its a cheap exhaust so it wont be as perfect as a Borla or UUC and of course those are $$$$

Wish i still had the video i made of that exhaust. I used the stock midpipe with it. If i find the video I'll post it.

That's a 6 haha

I do agree there is a little too much rasp. My old cats were completely clogged and smelled of rotten egg everytime you gave it gaz so I told myself, why not see what its like without it.

I'll definately be installing the magnaflow cats.

[silverbullet21]

Get a supersprint resonator. Makes it sound nice - not too loud and not too quiet. Low rasp. I had one before I ran my turbo exhaust

[tmaxx445]

Sounds like you have a similar set up as what I am running. I have the stock m52 headers (soon to be replaced with shorties) to a full custom center section made with thin wall tubing with same O.D. as the stock pipe but much lighter and slightly larger I.D. that has two Magnaflow high flow cats and an X pipe rather than a resonator. This then flows to an m52 rear muffler with the restrictor flap bypassed so both sides are always open. Here is a short clip I made last summer before I had my cams and TRM tune. I don't know if it is all in my head, but with the cams and tune it seems to be slightly deeper sounding but I am not really sure how that would be. As you can hear is does backfire slightly which I like and it sound pretty cool on over run and when coasting and downshifting to a red light.:D The last rev in the video was to about 4500 RPMs. The sound level at highway speeds is not really any louder than stock. You can't hear my intake (AFE short ram) much from the back of the car, but it sure sounds great with the exhaust at WOT. :devillook
http://i742.photobucket.com/albums/xx66/tmaxx445/th_328is.jpg (http://s742.photobucket.com/albums/xx66/tmaxx445/?action=view&current=328is.mp4)







tmaxx445

[furherfecker]

Get a supersprint resonator. Makes it sound nice - not too loud and not too quiet. Low rasp. I had one before I ran my turbo exhaust

Thanks for the suggestion :thumbup:

But i don't know... i think if I have a choice between installing a resonator or cat... I would go for the cats. Cops don't pull you over for not having resonators hehe


Tmaxx45, she does sound good hehe. It does sound alot like mine but with a little less rasp.

[silverbullet21]

My turbo exhaust has an electronic cutout precarious :) quiet when I want to be and loud as hell when I want to be a jackass

[furherfecker]

^haha i'd be in jackass mode at all times...

I wanted to quickly ask, ive noticed that most of you who delete the cats and resonator don't install the pipes straight but in a "X". Is this to assure some backpressure?

Me and my mechanic did a quick job, we just welded in stock diameter piping:

http://i838.photobucket.com/albums/zz303/ivan820/straightpipe.jpg

[silverbullet21]

You have the 'x' with your o2 bung location but the purpose is the equalize the exhaust gas velocities.

Also, I'm in jackass mode all the time! Haha I have it more for the cops (so I don't get pulled over). Having an open dump is awesome for spool though!

[AllenE36]

Put them back in if you can. Doesn't sound good man. Eventually you will hate it alot. I know cause I did this. Spent all this time and money getting a nice custom free flow exhaust made, no resonators or cats. sounded awesome but the rasp was just too harsh.

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/96/20110319175003.jpg

I ended up selling it and getting an AA trackpipe. 2nd best thing ive ever bought for my car.

[bav 325i]

i think your muffler is destroyed, my 325 sounded the same even with cats and resonators. Get a new muffler that thing is shot. I put headers straight all the way to a muffler and it didnt sound anything like this.

[furherfecker]

^ Yeah I understand what you're saying... I'm still in the "honeymoon" phase hehe, only been a week since I took them off.

Like I mentioned before the cats were clogged and needed to be changed anyways... I'm going to try the magnaflow cats.. they're pretty reasonably priced.

I just checked at the prices for the AA track pipe.. little out of my price range hehe shame as they sound very very nice.


i think your muffler is destroyed, my 325 sounded the same even with cats and resonators. Get a new muffler that thing is shot. I put headers straight all the way to a muffler and it didnt sound anything like this.

humm... just when I thought I had made up my mind on what to do...:mad haha

you wouldn't happen to have a soundclip would you?

[jdantuono]

Just get an OEM M3 catback cheap & gut it.

[chadb08]

Ive heard the stock cats flow pretty well to begin with, but Id go with the magnaflows if I was doing this to my car. I havent seen anybody else try it yet. Also, from what Ive heard the stock catback gets raspy the more it has to push out. That could be contributing to some of it too


You have met that person then now, i have a high flow cat with a ebay muffler that i got all together for bout 90 bucks. its not to bad, or at least i can deal with it.

heres small vid clip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRWspXYGTEg&feature=plcp

[blaam3]

Way too much rasp for my liking, it makes it sound terrible in my opinion.

[tlamm]

Yeah i would go get a better catback with that setup. Also go with a x-pipe. Would even the tone out to sounds a lot better.

I love my x-pipe borla combo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyYrXDgebh0

[cabdolla]

I've done this type of "video" to my car. IMHO, doing the whole VROM VROM gas pedal with the car parked is not the same as the car driving by to really appreciate the "sound" of the exhaust. You really should do a proper drive by.

[Cr0tchF4i]

Sounds like a v6 Camaro

[PHARMDVIPER]

sounds like poo

[5OnTheFloor]

Sounds a little too raspy for me, and I like more rasp in an exhaust than most people lol
IMO since you've already deleted your cats and resonators, you should just buy a Vibrant muffler (under $150ish on eBay) like this guy did. I forget his username on the forums, but he posted in a recent exhaust thread. I'll be selling my Borla catback so I can replicate his exhaust, but I have to keep my cats in. His sounds great

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7MFvkoZdVU&list=FL8T58lFYngq2QgKJoPiDCbg&index=4&feature=plpp_video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ4p4cPwCEM&feature=relmfu

[bav 325i]

^ Yeah I understand what you're saying... I'm still in the "honeymoon" phase hehe, only been a week since I took them off.

Like I mentioned before the cats were clogged and needed to be changed anyways... I'm going to try the magnaflow cats.. they're pretty reasonably priced.

I just checked at the prices for the AA track pipe.. little out of my price range hehe shame as they sound very very nice.



humm... just when I thought I had made up my mind on what to do...:mad haha

you wouldn't happen to have a soundclip would you?

no i sold it to a bf member before i made a video. It wasnt raspy or ricey at all

[fahdyehia628]

personally ...

I don't like it

TOO RASPY

[furherfecker]

Alright chaps,

Firstly thank you for all your honest opinions.

I went out yesterday and took some videos of the car in movement.
Strangely that very raspy notes only seems to come up when the exhaust is still cold and at ~2,000revs. (could this be due a leak?)

I took 3 videos (and noticed its ridiculously hard to get a nice audio from i-phone cameras)

1) The first is WOT ...but stupidly i shifted to 3rd just as I was passing the camera man so audio dropped off significantly

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mcs1L3gf32w

2) Take off in first, there is some rasp but not as much as the first clip posted

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwVfc7XiQJE

3) In-Car Downshift to second with a little acceleration (couldn't do much on public roads though)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-5y20dWjdM

What do we think? Does the general consensus still stand?

[sephirothcr]

I think it still sounds terrible, but I like deep before rasp.. Just a matter of taste..

[PHARMDVIPER]

not feelin it

[jeffkniseley]

I'm not a fan of it I like the deep growl