resonator or no resonator lets talk exhaust

[pleasefixitup]

Ok,

Well I think exhaust is one of the coolest things you can customize on your car.

Different size resonators, different bends, y and x pipes, and the various muffler choices you have--not to mention pipe sizes.

I agree with having a resonator in line with your exhaust system--it's just a reasonable thing to do because of the nature of exhaust--it's not one steady stream of gases.

So I'd like to hear about everyone's setup if it's not stock.

Maybe pictures too?

[foolish]

I love "open headers" and also as much drone and rasp as possible on a street car because I like tickets for noise and setting off nearby car alarms, etc.

[SmokeyJohn102]

I love "open headers" and also as much drone and rasp as possible on a street car because I like tickets for noise and setting off nearby car alarms, etc.

I have to agree. I had a straight pipe on my 528e and I was so loud. Constantly getting tickets and setting off car alarms. My setup on my 535is will be resonator the a billy boat exhaust.

[foamy]

i have a pipe on my car with a few hollow mufflers just so the exhaust exits at the back of the car and i dont smell it. yea my mufflers all deteriorated internally im just not in a situation where i can spare the cash to replace them it works for now.

[Kyle in NO]

No resonator or muffler, and a pair of megaphone tips. Sounds just like a Murcielago!

[ahab]

[funfunfer]

My E34 has cats + resonator + no muffler. Sounds great.

[clangpap]

Didn't really give me a vote choice but I chose single. I have headers into single SS pipe to Dinan FF exhaust, so just a single muffler with dual outlets - is not loud but sounds a little better than stock to me.

[Bimmerguy2002]

no resonator on my b35'd car, sounds a lot better IMO.

[unt0uchable]

I just redid my exhaust a few months back. I stuck with dual 1.75", no cat (wasn't there to begin with), no resonator, flanged back to the stock rear section with both rear mufflers still in place. I have a leak again at my connection where the downpipes connect because I wasn't able to flangethat connection like I wanted to....but before that happened, I loved the new found sound and there wasn't any drone on the freeway doing appropriate speeds. Here is what went in place of my cat:



I don't know what your plans are for connections but flanges are awesome. It was so easy to install, and I could take it apart anywhere with just about any tool if ever needed. I still have to redo my downpipes and replace the hardware on the manifolds but that time will come soon. Do it all while your in there!

Here is the muffler setup, I think it was actually off a 533, but it sounds great. Picked it up for $70 off south26 on here. I plan on painting the whole setup with high temp black in the spring. It's too effin cold right now!!

[pleasefixitup]

The exhaust I want to make is a single pipe into a custom resonator (just a short and large section of pipe, Maybe 2.25 inch into 3.5 or 4 inch and back to 2.25 - then I would like to use a glasspack muffler.

I'm still in the planning stages with my Dad helping me choose how it SHOULD be done.

I like everyone's setup so far.

If I use my stock setup--which would be a pita and not to mention--the P.O had the whole setup as one piece.

Not a single flange on the whole system!!!!!! From the muffler to the downpipe. That will not work for the new motor and two 1.75 pipes can barely handle flow of gases from the new m30 motor. A 2.25 pipe would be a bit better but 2.5 would probably be optimal. I'm going to have to go back and do the math again.

[ElGuappo]

On my last 535 it came with a B&B, but instead of the tiny glasspack resonators it had an OEM resonator in the middle.
Made it WAY less obnoxious driving around town, but it still had plenty of RAWR when you put your foot down.
Otherwise those things drone like crazy.
I am pro-resonator.

[pleasefixitup]

What do you guys think the best pipe size is for a single pipe system with a m30 motor?

I'm wavering between 2.25 and 2.5 inch single pipe!

I don't want to go as large as 3.

[foolish]

I don't know if i'd take his advice for much ;) but Paul Burke told me that a y-pipe into a 2 1/2" single would be "good" for my high comp. B35.

[535is-pa]

no resonator on my b35'd car, sounds a lot better IMO.

+1 just a muffler stock m30 on stock muffler sounds damn good but very civil.



old car, b34 down pipes cut off at cat, 3 in to 2x 2in to bosal muffler with no resonator: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNXxvzd941c

[davintosh]

This thread is worthless without AUDIO!

Exhaust note is another one of those slightly subjective things; one guy's perfect sound is too raspy/drony to the next guy. There are so many combinations, and you never know exactly what it's going to sound like until you throw down the cash and get it put together. Would be great to have a thread showing different exhaust system combinations with audio -- from inside and outside the car -- to give a bit of an idea of what it sounds like.

[pleasefixitup]

This thread is worthless without AUDIO!

Exhaust note is another one of those slightly subjective things; one guy's perfect sound is too raspy/drony to the next guy. There are so many combinations, and you never know exactly what it's going to sound like until you throw down the cash and get it put together. Would be great to have a thread showing different exhaust system combinations with audio -- from inside and outside the car -- to give a bit of an idea of what it sounds like.

Yeah I second that idea 100%.

It should have motor (m20b27 / m30b34 etc...)

pipe size

dual or single pipe

the whole setup outlined

and the sound

A great sounding exhaust is something amazing but hard to find! And yes, completely subjective.

I would use something like this resonator

http://www.racingpartdepot.com/servlet/ ... let/Detail

Or I could just run a glasspack as the resonator (if it's open it's essentially the same thing...inlet/outlet sizes smaller than the main tube)

then back to a big glasspack or one of the mufflers I have laying around.

all these choices.[/url]

[LiftoffOversteer]

Manufacturer and Part # on that rear muffler? I want to replace my Magnaflow 12646 with something a little less tuner.

Btw I have stock B34 downpipes to a single 2.5" bullet cat to a Flowmaster 50 series to a Magnaflow 12646. It's similar to my old B&B in Db but doesn't have that vintage Euro sportscar sound I miss so much in the lower rev's.

When I change trans and diff fluids this weekend I'll snap some pics. It came out nice for being a couple hour job in the garage.

[redunzo]

Three inch straight pipes, tied to three foot "cherry bombs" with both exiting just in front of each rear wheel. Cowcatcher front end for the Three A.M. "Alley Rally". Have to find a more docile DD!

[unt0uchable]

Before you get much further in planning, read this entire page. Shawn makes some good points. What exactly are you planning on doing with this car? Track time? Lots of time in the upper RPM's? If so, go a little on the larger side. But if it's more so going to be a DD or even MAINLY a DD, you don't want to be driving around town asking yourself where the car's giddy up went. It'll likely be flowing right out the tail pipes!

http://home.mindspring.com/~scrappycrow/e28exhaust.html

Dual 2-1/4" pipes are generally considered to be an ideal street setup for a hot-rodded Small-Block Chevy 350 – do you REALLY think your stock E28 engine is so hot that it needs larger (relative) pipes than that?

[shagrath]

RAW!


Nice aluminum piping


New cat and clamps make the system very serviceable and easy to remove for driveshaft work.


Leaving the body uncut... but with new custom hangers and rubber. This system is so solid, if you shake the exhaust by the muffler, you shake the entire car.


Magnaflow muffler and cat, no resonator. Stock headers. I keep promising a video but my phone sucked. I will try with my new camera sometime soon.

Info:
1988 528e

Cut just as the two pipes enter the cat. Junk the entire exhaust after that. Take the two header pipes and join them together into a single pipe 2.25" into a single 2.25" universal hi flow cat. Continue to run 2.25" pipe all the way back to a 2.25" Magnaflow round body muffler.

Cat info here: http://www.amazon.com/Magnaflow-94006-U ... 267&sr=1-3

Magnalow muffler info here: http://www.magnaflow.com/02product/disp ... mber=10415

[unt0uchable]

Matt that setup looks impressive! I need to make some new custom hangers for my setup as well. As of right now, it rattles off the rear most heat shield. Yuck.

[athayer187]

I have headers, no cats, no resonator, just stock rear muffler. Sounds good, not loud but just the right rumble. Sounds great even after a 13 hour trip down to VIR.

[Snakeyestx]

I can tell you what an exhaust with a tennis ball sized hole in the resonator sounds like...

...irritatingly loud when it's droning right under your center console

I've been debating on doing a single 3 or 2.5" after the Y-pipe, but to be honest, there won't be a resonator there in either application. Simple is pure!

[pleasefixitup]

RAW!


Nice aluminum piping


New cat and clamps make the system very serviceable and easy to remove for driveshaft work.


Leaving the body uncut... but with new custom hangers and rubber. This system is so solid, if you shake the exhaust by the muffler, you shake the entire car.


Magnaflow muffler and cat, no resonator. Stock headers. I keep promising a video but my phone sucked. I will try with my new camera sometime soon.

Info:
1988 528e

Cut just as the two pipes enter the cat. Junk the entire exhaust after that. Take the two header pipes and join them together into a single pipe 2.25" into a single 2.25" universal hi flow cat. Continue to run 2.25" pipe all the way back to a 2.25" Magnaflow round body muffler.

Cat info here: http://www.amazon.com/Magnaflow-94006-U ... 267&sr=1-3

Magnalow muffler info here: http://www.magnaflow.com/02product/disp ... mber=10415

Does the C clamp ever leak?

So the stock downpipe is hung at the trans?

I have a 2.25 downpipe, but I'm going to run it into 2.5 inch pipe with a glasspack muffler that is 4 inch with 2.5 inlet / outlet that will be just past the CSB or in that area and then take a turn towards the passenger wheel and it will exit in front of the wheel. It comes out to around 7 feet of pipe, so about 5 or 6 full welds and 2 welds for the hangers. I've got the welding rod and I could use more practice.

Why am I doing this? Well a few reasons.

1. going to do a full setup this spring - all new components (resonator / muffler )and all stainless steel tubing.

2. need a car now! it's cold in chicago and I don't have time to be messing around because I do all my work in my driveway.

3. I am very low on cash, and I can build this setup very cheap. 30 for the tubing and 26.99 for the glasspack. I have scrap metal I can use to weld hangers and I think I could build / weld this setup in about two hours time or less. Going to use clamps at the glasspack so I can re-use it later and I'll also be able to re-use the clamps.

And yes, I know the "for the time being" setup I'm proposing sucks, it's nothing special and it's nothing good but I am tired of looking at this car, hearing it run and not driving it. It's just TOO cold and I'm too low on funds to have the exhaust setup I want. Kinda sucks but I gotta look on the bright side of things. I'll have the setup I want by april or may and I'll have the time to make it perfect.

[shagrath]

I paid $131 for parts and $325 for the install. The shop supplied the piping and hangers. All I gave them were the muffler and cat.

The c clamp does not leak. Otherwise I would have been raising hell and they would be fixing it!

[pleasefixitup]

Yeah I've read not so good things about C clamps but the band clamp they used are normally good.

Wow! That's a lot of coin, but I don't know how to weld aluminum so I'd have to pay too!

The whole stainless setup I want to make should cost me about 200 dollars in total with me doing all the welds. I can buy a "kit" that comes with some straight tubes, and some mandrel bends. I l love welding so it's actually something I'd rather do myself.

[BrianK]

RAW!

....

Magnaflow muffler and cat, no resonator. Stock headers. I keep promising a video but my phone sucked. I will try with my new camera sometime soon.

Info:
1988 528e

Cut just as the two pipes enter the cat. Junk the entire exhaust after that. Take the two header pipes and join them together into a single pipe 2.25" into a single 2.25" universal hi flow cat. Continue to run 2.25" pipe all the way back to a 2.25" Magnaflow round body muffler.

Cat info here: http://www.amazon.com/Magnaflow-94006-U ... 267&sr=1-3

Magnalow muffler info here: http://www.magnaflow.com/02product/disp ... mber=10415

I have the same setup on my 535 - magnaflow cat & muffler, no resonator, stock headers.

I think it sounds great, but it drones like hell at about 1800-2600 rpm - which is where I drive much of the time... So much so that it's on my list of things to "fix". I don't know if a resonator would help at all, but the droning needs fixing.

edited to add: Actually, I'm running 2 pipes up to the cat. There's a Y pipe in front of and after the cat & then 2 pipes back. I'm not sure who did this setup - it was like that when I got it.

[paul burke]

I don't know if i'd take his advice for much but Paul Burke told me that a y-pipe into a 2 1/2" single would be "good" for my high comp. B35.

John, did you mean for this to sound like it reads?


Paul

[pleasefixitup]

Before you get much further in planning, read this entire page. Shawn makes some good points. What exactly are you planning on doing with this car? Track time? Lots of time in the upper RPM? If so, go a little on the larger side. But if it's more so going to be a DD or even MAINLY a DD, you don't want to be driving around town asking yourself where the car's giddy up went. It'll likely be flowing right out the tail pipes!

http://home.mindspring.com/~scrappycrow/e28exhaust.html

Dual 2-1/4" pipes are generally considered to be an ideal street setup for a hot-rodded Small-Block Chevy 350 – do you REALLY think your stock E28 engine is so hot that it needs larger (relative) pipes than that?

So I probably need a single 2.5 inch pipe?

Is 2.25 not big enough for a m30b34 running motronic 1.3?

My downpipe is 2.25, so for simplicity I thought 2.25 all the way--but I'm learning the CFM may not be sufficient.

So vote anyone? 2.25 or 2.5?

I always act too fast, went out--bought 2.25 inch pipe, now I'm saying screw that and tomorrow morning I'm getting the 2.5 inch. Even if it's temporary--2.25 single pipe is too small for a m30 motor from the calculations I've been doing.