[Isaiah5411]

Now...I know MANY of you will immediately want to call me a choice piece of the female anatomy (CPFA) for starting this thread, but...............

I recently added the BMW performance exhaust to my convertible, having longed for the exhaust note of my old Dinan E46 (which was a coupe). My first impression with the top down was "Hmmm...louder than I thought." But once I was driving it for awhile, I really got into the sound. "I'm in love!", I thought. Then I started getting a bit weary of it cruising home one nite...til I drove the heck out of it this weekend after adding the 3 stage manifold, Eurobox and AA tune. I loved the sound as I did a few 0-60s and shifted down at high speeds.

But...when the day was done and, once again, I was cruising home, the exhaust was distracting/detracting a bit from my old cruising mode mood, which I love(d) so much about having a vert in the first place. I even had a friend of mine bring their e46 convertible over and I drove it, following my car and listening to make sure it wasn't as loud to others as it was to me while driving my car (which is wasn't). The exhaust sound seems to get sucked into the cabin with the top down, but is only "intrusive" while shifting. At cruising speeds, it is quiet as a mouse.

So...the jury is still very much out on this. Not gonna make any more rash decisions til this episode of modding schizophrenia passes. (Be honest...you've been here before!) I may end up loving the PE once I get back to my routine of listening to music instead of the exhaust.

In the meantime, I just want to get a little feedback from others who have been here (hear) with exhaust mods before:

1) Is it totally crazy to add back the OEM center resonator to the PE?
2) OR, is there such thing as an after market center resonator/silencer that would reduce the note/burbling some without completely destroying the sound and benefits of keeping the PE?
3) OR, should I just sell the PE and put back on the OEM exhaust (which is 8 years old and has 80k miles...and possibly do catted headers instead, now that I'm headed down the performance hiway?
4) OR, is there another option I haven't thought of?
5) Or, should I just keep it, at least for a while longer, and stop being such a CPFA?

Thanks for the input! I would love to hear from some E93 owners with the PE. "Just a phase??"

(The videos I've found on YouTube don't really capture the sound, many of which were taken from the passenger seat. It's definitely louder in the driver's seat.)

[rhombus]

I am planning to re-install the OEM resonator with the PE muffler when I install my AA headers. If your OEM exhaust is cut at the same place as the PE (where the muffler box connects to the midpipe) you can bolt the OEM resonator section up with no welding.

[mmmnot]

Originally Posted by rhombus

I am planning to re-install the OEM resonator with the PE muffler when I install my AA headers. If your OEM exhaust is cut at the same place as the PE (where the muffler box connects to the midpipe) you can bolt the OEM resonator section up with no welding.

Why is this? Just because loudness or any other issues you're experiencing? Not picking a fight, just curious actually.

Isaiah Rider - you know what I would say. HUSH and just keep the first cats and kill the rest :P

[jc5988]

Originally Posted by Isaiah5411

Now...I know MANY of you will immediately want to call me a choice piece of the female anatomy (CPFA) for starting this thread, but...............

I recently added the BMW performance exhaust to my convertible, having longed for the exhaust note of my old Dinan E46 (which was a coupe). My first impression with the top down was "Hmmm...louder than I thought." But once I was driving it for awhile, I really got into the sound. "I'm in love!", I thought. Then I started getting a bit weary of it cruising home one nite...til I drove the heck out of it this weekend after adding the 3 stage manifold, Eurobox and AA tune. I loved the sound as I did a few 0-60s and shifted down at high speeds.

But...when the day was done and, once again, I was cruising home, the exhaust was distracting/detracting a bit from my old cruising mode mood, which I love(d) so much about having a vert in the first place. I even had a friend of mine bring their e46 convertible over and I drove it, following my car and listening to make sure it wasn't as loud to others as it was to me while driving my car (which is wasn't). The exhaust sound seems to get sucked into the cabin with the top down, but is only "intrusive" while shifting. At cruising speeds, it is quiet as a mouse.

So...the jury is still very much out on this. Not gonna make any more rash decisions til this episode of modding schizophrenia passes. (Be honest...you've been here before!) I may end up loving the PE once I get back to my routine of listening to music instead of the exhaust.

In the meantime, I just want to get a little feedback from others who have been here (hear) with exhaust mods before:

1) Is it totally crazy to add back the OEM center resonator to the PE?
2) OR, is there such thing as an after market center resonator/silencer that would reduce the note/burbling some without completely destroying the sound and benefits of keeping the PE?
3) OR, should I just sell the PE and put back on the OEM exhaust (which is 8 years old and has 80k miles...and possibly do catted headers instead, now that I'm headed down the performance hiway?
4) OR, is there another option I haven't thought of?
5) Or, should I just keep it, at least for a while longer, and stop being such a CPFA?

Thanks for the input! I would love to hear from some E93 owners with the PE. "Just a phase??"

(The videos I've found on YouTube don't really capture the sound, many of which were taken from the passenger seat. It's definitely louder in the driver's seat.)

not sure how many mile u had it on, but PE should tone itself down after few hundred miles, really loud when i first put it on.

[justpete]

Originally Posted by Isaiah5411

1) Is it totally crazy to add back the OEM center resonator to the PE?

No

Originally Posted by Isaiah5411

2) OR, is there such thing as an after market center resonator/silencer that would reduce the note/burbling some without completely destroying the sound and benefits of keeping the PE?

Dunno

Originally Posted by Isaiah5411

3) OR, should I just sell the PE and put back on the OEM exhaust (which is 8 years old and has 80k miles...and possibly do catted headers instead, now that I'm headed down the performance hiway?

OEM exhaust and skip the headers entirely. If you think it's loud now...pretty sure catted headers are louder than stock too.

Originally Posted by Isaiah5411

4) OR, is there another option I haven't thought of?

Sounds like you need a quiet exhaust so you can listen to music. Not many options other than OEM there I think.

Originally Posted by Isaiah5411

5) Or, should I just keep it, at least for a while longer, and stop being such a CPFA?

It's not going to get quieter. With Supersprint headers and a PE music is nearly impossible to listen to. Which isn't a problem since I almost never do.

[rhombus]

Originally Posted by mmmnot

Why is this? Just because loudness or any other issues you're experiencing? Not picking a fight, just curious actually.

Isaiah Rider - you know what I would say. HUSH and just keep the first cats and kill the rest :P

The volume and tone are perfect now. Its bound to get louder when I put the headers on; I want to keep it the current volume with no added rasp.

[bimmerquick43321]

stock exhaust and delete secondary cats? I'm actually going to that to mine next month in theory

[mmmnot]

Originally Posted by rhombus

The volume and tone are perfect now. Its bound to get louder when I put the headers on; I want to keep it the current volume with no added rasp.

Yeah, headers will add a lot more tone, especially after around 4.5K RPM.

[Isaiah5411]

Thanks for the input. I'm really schizo about keeping the PE sound. But hey...it's nothing that can't be undone and there's no one pushing me to do anything about it except me.

Unfortunately, there's been a little complication that we're trying to work out. My car has stalled three times on me in the last 24 hours, each producing different fault codes (read by the BMWhat app/iPhone). Andrew said he hasn't had anything quite like this happen with the tune but has jumped right on it (thanks Andrew!), double-checking everything.

But, I don't think it's the tunes fault. My car did this (went into protection mode repeatedly) when I first got it. It was three years old and only had 5k miles on it...maybe this is why they sold it so cheaply. The dealer fixed it by replacing the battery and some switch in the transmission (???).

Anyway, when I got the BMWhat device and app, I ran the diagnostics right away, tried to clear all faults, and it left the same 5 faults that keep coming up time after time when clearing over the past few weeks.

One fault involves the CCC (Car Communication Computer CCC:- Fault: Line fault detection K-CAN- Code: 00E184) and another the transmission (Transmission / Getriebe GS 19:- Fault: :K-Can Bus off- Code: 00CF17). When I sent these reports to Parvis at iVini, he asked if my car was showing any problems. He was worried about the car's ability to communicate in general. I told him "no"...until this weekend.

Any of you guys proficient at coding? I was gonna post this in the Coding section of the forum. I've been trying to dig out the answers myself but they ain't forthcoming.

Anyway, another little bump in the road.

[Isaiah5411]

Originally Posted by Isaiah5411

1) Is it totally crazy to add back the OEM center resonator to the PE?

Wondering if anyone has ever heard a car done like this or can say with any degree of certainty what this setup would sound like?

There seems to be some question as to the basic difference in the muffler portion of the PE vs OEM in the E92/93 and whether the difference in sound from the OEM system comes purely/mainly from the resonator delete.

I've been reading on the 1 series forum and it looks like people with 128s have done both (PE with and without resonator), with most preferring the resonator to be in place. But, the PE for that car is the rear muffler only....no straight pipe extending from the cats back. The resonator is a bit further upstream and has to be cut out in order to be removed, not what was intended by BMW for the Performance Exhaust by on that car.

This is probably apples and oranges, but...I'm grabbing at straws here. I've searched the Net and haven't found anyone who has added the resonator back to the PE exhaust in the E9x.

[GTKrockeTT]

I can tell you from first hand experience, open headers with PE is LOUD. Having the OEM resonator will not quiet it down much. I'm currently running open headers with a custom mid-pipe (no resonator), and stock muffler. It is a bit raspy when the engine is cold, but has a nice tone once warmed up.

[Isaiah5411]

Originally Posted by jc5988

not sure how many mile u had it on, but PE should tone itself down after few hundred miles, really loud when i first put it on.

Was that your experience?? I was told by my mechanic that it may actually get louder.

[jc5988]

Originally Posted by Isaiah5411

Was that your experience?? I was told by my mechanic that it may actually get louder.

yes normally it gets louder, but some how my PE quiet down afterwards... after couple hundred miles.

so i think u should drive some more and see if it quiet down before
you attempt to messh with it. if you still think its too lound, probably try
put stock muffler back with PE mid, or stock mid + pe exhaust.

putting resornator on pe mid is kinda wasting money, u can still resell it with good price usually for PE if its original.

[Isaiah5411]

Originally Posted by jc5988

yes normally it gets louder, but some how my PE quiet down afterwards... after couple hundred miles.

so i think u should drive some more and see if it quiet down before
you attempt to messh with it. if you still think its too lound, probably try
put stock muffler back with PE mid, or stock mid + pe exhaust.

putting resornator on pe mid is kinda wasting money, u can still resell it with good price usually for PE if its original.

Thanks. All good suggestions.

I'm thinkin' it will probably "get quieter" as I become less anal about it. I haven't gone on this many test drives since I did the Dinan package on my E46.

[tawfeeqh]

Originally Posted by Isaiah5411

Thanks. All good suggestions.

I'm thinkin' it will probably "get quieter" as I become less anal about it. I haven't gone on this many test drives since I did the Dinan package on my E46.

If u dont mind me asking, what setup did you end up going with?

1. OEM mid + PE muffler
2. PE mid + OEM muffler
3. Return to stock

I am also having a similar issue and finding the PE setup a bit too loud/ dronie with* catless DP's. I would experiment with 1 and 2 but then concious im wasting money with labour costs. Car doesnt sound as refined (farting honda sound at low rpm)

Any suggestions would help. Sorry to bring up an old thread

P.S. my exhaust is used so had 5000 miles already on it

Cheers