540 guys, want more intake sound?

[onewhippedpuppy]

Without a K&N? The other day I noticed a flared reducer in the lower intake box, obviously a silencer. Since I removed the PO's K&N my car had become noticably quieter, too much so for my taste. So I removed the silencer, and it sounds damn nice. Not noticable at partial throttle, but it becomes a nice roar at WOT. Not loud by any means, but noticable, and nice. The only downside is I basically busted it out, the lower airbox is pretty brittle, probably from being right next to the radiator. Basically, it's not a reversible mod, but very easy. Remove the 2 bolts to remove the lower airbox, pop it out in pieces with a screwdriver, you're done!

[632 Regal]

I wonder why the 530s is smaller if its only for silencing.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Lower volume of intake air, proportionally smaller silencer? No noticable + or - for performance, but it sure sounds nice.

[E34 530]

Does the 530 have one???

[jjw]

You don't have to break the air box to get the horn out. It is held in by two or three tabs which can be easily push down from inside the air box and the hron will slide out without break anything except those tabs. I have tried it and have noticed loss of low end torque with small gain at high end. probably because without it, the air will not travel as fast into the air box, venturi effect from the hron, and possible air is not smooth out by the flair of the horn. Anyway, if you want to have a louder intake sound without much of the side effect, might want to consider the induction tube from Dinan, basically a bigger hron for the air box.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I know what you're talking about with the tabs, but mine was so brittle that everywhere I pried it cracked. Thus, it came out in pieces. Loss of torque was not noticable. E34 530, open up the box and look in the bottom. You'll see the circular port into the box, feel inside to see if there's a reducer.

[onewhippedpuppy]

jjw, I couldn't find any info on the Dinan piece, it's not listed on their web site. Just curious what it is.

[Mike-AZ]

I did that too in my '94 540i. Not much of a difference though unless under very hard acceleration up a steep incline. I used to have a '95 318i 5-speed though, and when I took the factory cone silencer out of the airbox, there was a HUGE difference upon any acceleration. It made a wonderful booming sound. This makes me wonder also...when I was changing out the intake manifold gaskets last fall on the 540i, I noticed that the little air "ports" within the intake manifold had little removable silencers in there, but I refrained from removing them because I did not want to have to take everything apart to put them back in if I did not like it. -- Mike

[632 Regal]

those are not silencers, they smooth the airflow right into the runners. I felt around and they are perfectly matched to the runner, couldnt get them any smoother. Some intakes just have the open ports but I think the little air deals have to help velosity dramaticly.


I did that too in my '94 540i. Not much of a difference though unless under very hard acceleration up a steep incline. I used to have a '95 318i 5-speed though, and when I took the factory cone silencer out of the airbox, there was a HUGE difference upon any acceleration. It made a wonderful booming sound. This makes me wonder also...when I was changing out the intake manifold gaskets last fall on the 540i, I noticed that the little air "ports" within the intake manifold had little removable silencers in there, but I refrained from removing them because I did not want to have to take everything apart to put them back in if I did not like it. -- Mike

[jjw]

It's basically a big air horn that clip on to the front of the air box where the smaller one used to be. Roughly the same size opening as without factory horn in place.

[E34 530]

You think I should do it or not lol??

[E34 530]

Alright I went out and looked.

There was nothing in the initial intake opening, my hand went right through it..
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a314/ripcurl530/2006_0418Image0001.jpg

There is however a metal grate in the "tube" going into the engine block. Is this the piece your talking about??

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a314/ripcurl530/2006_0418Image0003.jpg

[Bill R.]

air cleaner are not silencers, they act as the equivalent of velocity stacks, Those trumpets on the end increase air velocity and increase power not decrease it....On the m30 motor a long time ago Jim Conforti showed on the dyno that there was a decrease in power when it was removed. This is pretty much standard with all velocity stack designs. The factory can come up with plenty of ways to dampen sound. This wasn't done for that reason.
If you look at a cross section of the m60 manifold you can see what the inserts on the end do





I did that too in my '94 540i. Not much of a difference though unless under very hard acceleration up a steep incline. I used to have a '95 318i 5-speed though, and when I took the factory cone silencer out of the airbox, there was a HUGE difference upon any acceleration. It made a wonderful booming sound. This makes me wonder also...when I was changing out the intake manifold gaskets last fall on the 540i, I noticed that the little air "ports" within the intake manifold had little removable silencers in there, but I refrained from removing them because I did not want to have to take everything apart to put them back in if I did not like it. -- Mike

[SharkmanBMW]

air cleaner are not silencers, they act as the equivalent of velocity stacks, Those trumpets on the end increase air velocity and increase power not decrease it....On the m30 motor a long time ago Jim Conforti showed on the dyno that there was a decrease in power when it was removed. This is pretty much standard with all velocity stack designs. The factory can come up with plenty of ways to dampen sound. This wasn't done for that reason.
If you look at a cross section of the m60 manifold you can see what the inserts on the end do

cool picture!

I replaced my intake while doing the pcv plate because the stacks had mostly fallen off and were just rattling around!
5 out of 8 were off.
The 540 has so much pull, I can't say I noticed any visible increase in power after installing the new one...
I just didn't feel right in just removing the broken stacks, leaving the original manifold stackfree!

I have my stackfree manifold if anyone wants it really cheap!

[632 Regal]

definetly dont want to knock that grate out man, that smoothes the air before the AFM.

[E34 530]

definetly dont want to knock that grate out man, that smoothes the air before the AFM.

Thanks regal. F it, I don't want to mess anything up.

[MBXB]

My intake manifold didn't have any stacks in it!?



air cleaner are not silencers, they act as the equivalent of velocity stacks, Those trumpets on the end increase air velocity and increase power not decrease it....On the m30 motor a long time ago Jim Conforti showed on the dyno that there was a decrease in power when it was removed. This is pretty much standard with all velocity stack designs. The factory can come up with plenty of ways to dampen sound. This wasn't done for that reason.
If you look at a cross section of the m60 manifold you can see what the inserts on the end do

[jjw]

Taking out the factory one? No, don't do it. If you want to find the Dinan one, not sure if they still make them, but it do make a little difference. But for the $, not sure if will worth the effert for most people.

[onewhippedpuppy]

E34 530, it's in the top pic, see on the outside of the box how the pipe reduces to a smaller flared end? Grab onto it and turn it, you'll realize it's a smaller pipe in the larger pipe going into the intake box. That reducer and the smaller pipe attached is what I removed.

The velocity stack makes sense, smaller area = higher velocity, I guess it's just not a big enough difference for me to notice from a performance standpoint. I don't understand how the Dinan one is better, other than saying Dinan on it. You replace the factory piece that reduces to increase velocity with a bigger Dinan one. So you still lose that intake velocity, and you're out $200? I know some people think that Dinan is the God of BMW tuning, but they still need to make money.

[Gayle]

Blitzkrieg Bob warned me to stay away from this site but I wouldn't listen (http://www.dinancars.com/Series.asp?Series=15)


Dinan's high flow intake system for the 545 dramatically increases intake air-flow volume and velocity, as well as ensuring the lowest possible intake air temperatures for maximum power gains, as well as improved throttle response.

The system takes full advantage of the ram-air effect by adding a second air inlet in conjunction with the stock configuration, force feeding more cool, oxygen rich air to the enhanced air box. The system includes a complete replacement air box and lid, designed to increase overall volume and accommodate the additional air inlet. A special high flow filter element is included, reducing the restriction presented by the stock filter. The air box and lid are molded from a composite material that has been chosen specifically for its ability to resist power robbing under-hood heat and the design provides for a completely sealed air box, maximizing pressurization for optimum performance. Air from the secondary inlet passes through custom molded ducting, including a visible section manufactured from carbon fiber, also designed to reject underhood heat and provide maximum flow.

The high flow intake system alone produces a substantial 17 horsepower gain, taking the car to 342 horsepower at 6500 rpm. The intake note takes on a subtly more aggressive tone at wide open throttle that will be music to the driving enthusiasts' ears.


Dual Air Intake Ducts-
Secondary Inlet forces more air through the intake system, improving efficiency and performance.

Maximum Efficiency-
The system has been designed using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) and a Digital Manometer for the best possible air flow, as well as effective water separation for maximum performance and reduced engine wear.

Composite Air Box and Lid-
The replacement air box and lid increase overall volume and are manufactured using a special plastic composite material that is highly effective as an insulator, reducing the power robbing effects of under-hood heat. The lid completely seals the air box for maximum pressurization and further heat insulation, maximizing performance.

Molded Plastic and Carbon Fiber Inlet Ducting-
Custom molded inlet ducting is also manufactured from plastic, providing maximum flow and insulation from under-hood heat. Precision manufacturing ensures a perfect fit and clean appearance. The visible portion of the ducting is manufactured from carbon fiber for an elegant high performance look and effective insulation.

High Flow Filter Element-
The system employs a high performance air filter element that flows more air than the stock filter, while maintaining more than adequate filtration properties to protect the engine. Filter replacement is as easy as for the stock unit.

Accommodates High Flow Air Mass Meter-
The system has been designed for use with the soon to be released High Flow Air Mass Meter for further increases in power output at minimal cost.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Wow, maybe $999 would sound more reasonable to someone that has the cash for a new 545. It makes sense though, adding a second port would retain the velocity effect while adding more volume. I think if anything replacing the intake piping would make the biggest difference on an E34, the flexible accordion part of the E34 intake has to cause a lot of turbulence, negating some of the velocity stack's gains. There's a reason for that though, be a pain to change the filter without it.

[jjw]

Maybe the key is smooth air flow into the box. On the e34 M5 box, the opening is oval and almost as long as the air box, but with flair on the outside to smooth out the air flow. Well, Dinan say with the induction tube in plae, it will gain 10 more hp on top of the 15 with the chip alone. Who knows, but it dose make some difference, but with that price, is it worth? Depends on you then.