Drove to the store without muffler...

[Robin-535im]

Sounded really cool. I was going to the store to buy new exhaust gaskets. Fired up the car, and WHOOOMMMMM rumblerumblerumble it sounded like a huge displacement motor.

Hurt my ears it was so loud. First I closed the windows to keep it quiet, then I got scared that I was going to trap exhaust in the cabin so I opened them up again. Man it was loud. I

Got a whole lotta looks from people as I drove down the street. Made me feel cool, actually, despite my disdain for those fart-can mufflers that make so much noise.

Round about 3000 RPM it hit some resonance and got relatively quiet so I tried to keep it in that range. Kind of fun if you ever get the chance.

[Martin in Bellevue]

My son Ayrtie & I made that trip a couple months ago. We had earplugs, but I don't think they were entirely needed. It wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. I think I've heard louder fartcan'd honduh's.
http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/Martin5er/headerCompare.jpg

Here's a header update. The ceramic coating is still the same, uniform finish. The nuts are still snug & the headers do not seem to be any louder than the stock manifolds. I also haven't experienced any extreme heat from these headers.

Also, the headers make dropping the exhaust, from the cat to the muffler, much easier. I replaced the shifter bracket rear mount a couple weeks ago, and found the exhaust much easier to drop & install as the headers end down near the bottom of the car. I could see the bottom of the headers from behind the muffler tips, with the car jacked up in the garage.

Robin, you still not coming up to hippieland for that wedding?

[Robin-535im]

Robin, you still not coming up to hippieland for that wedding?

Unfortunately, no. I was really really looking forward to it but until the new biz starts returning a paycheck we're in ultra-skimping mode.

[zuzuk212]

Martin,
Was it a sizable performance improvement with the new headers?

Robin,
I also know what you mean ... but with mine the internal baffle piping rusted ... so I know have a second resonator rather than a muffler :p Ok for around town but highway driving is annoying, unless the RPM's are just right ... do you think the cop would buy that? :D

Ken

[Martin in Bellevue]

I haven't been back to the dyno for numbers, but the butt-meter likes the headers. The are lighter than the stock m30 manifolds.


Martin,
Was it a sizable performance improvement with the new headers?

Ken

[uscharalph]

Cool

[BigKriss]

Sounded really cool. I was going to the store to buy new exhaust gaskets. Fired up the car, and WHOOOMMMMM rumblerumblerumble it sounded like a huge displacement motor.

Hurt my ears it was so loud. First I closed the windows to keep it quiet, then I got scared that I was going to trap exhaust in the cabin so I opened them up again. Man it was loud.

How was WOT? i tried this recently. at idle it rumbles agressively and any hint of throttle makes it worse. I'm thinking 100db at idle.