[beo420]

Hi bimmers,

So i got 330i e90 and was thinking about some exhaust modding to make it sound louder but i would like to avoid something extreme and police triggering.

Do you have any advice or experience with any exhaust mod that sounds really loud and nice under $1000 ?

any tip is appreciated, many thanks

[Lifelike]

I have a 328i, I went the cheap route and got a Magnaflow cat-back exhaust. I heard it could give "more horsepower", but I mainly did it for the free-flow aspect of it, and I wanted to do something to my exhaust without just changing the muffler and tips. For only ~$230, my exhaust sounds pretty good for the type of car I have, backfire when shifting gears but all in all in nothing crazy. It sounds like an enhanced version of the stock exhaust.

But if $1k is your budget you could do some better things. Resonator/muffler delete, cat delete, etc. If you got a cat-back it would probably sound better than a 328i! lol

[beo420]

Originally Posted by Lifelike

I have a 328i, I went the cheap route and got a Magnaflow cat-back exhaust. I heard it could give "more horsepower", but I mainly did it for the free-flow aspect of it, and I wanted to do something to my exhaust without just changing the muffler and tips. For only ~$230, my exhaust sounds pretty good for the type of car I have, backfire when shifting gears but all in all in nothing crazy. It sounds like an enhanced version of the stock exhaust.

But if $1k is your budget you could do some better things. Resonator/muffler delete, cat delete, etc. If you got a cat-back it would probably sound better than a 328i! lol

thanks lifelike for the tips, i am quite new to the game in this so i dont know my options but as i say, i dont plan to invest more than 1k USD, if I did i would go for eisenmann sport 4 tail pipes but its over the budget. Can you share any links to products/videos with sound examples of what you are reffering to? :P

[Lifelike]

Originally Posted by beo420

thanks lifelike for the tips, i am quite new to the game in this so i dont know my options but as i say, i dont plan to invest more than 1k USD, if I did i would go for eisenmann sport 4 tail pipes but its over the budget. Can you share any links to products/videos with sound examples of what you are reffering to? :P

I personally don't have any videos of my own exhaust, but I checked youtube and found a couple decent ones. One with a Magnaflow cat-back (my setup) and one with an Eisenmann sport exhaust. I'm sure you probably already looked up videos on what different setups sound like though, sorry I can't be of more help.

The main things that helped me decide my setup were performance gains (if any), but also just going to the shop where I was getting the work done and talking to the owners about previous jobs they had done for my make/model, as well as just scouring Youtube for different setups. Best of luck to you man, let's see it when it's done.

Eisenmann sport -

Secondary cat delete + muffler delete -

Magnaflow catback -

[akf30]

Muffler delete, cyba tips. Save yourself $800.

[Lifelike]

I think secondary cat-delete + muffler delete sounds awesome.

[beo420]

Thanks for tips guys, much appreciated, will talk to my mechanic about that, u might have saved me some hard earned cash :P

[Lifelike]

Originally Posted by beo420

Thanks for tips guys, much appreciated, will talk to my mechanic about that, u might have saved me some hard earned cash :P

Yeah man no worries. Like I said sorry I don't have any more information. I'll let you know anything else I find out. Post your exhaust mod when you get it done!

[jt335i]

Met a neighbor in my condo complex who had a E90 330i. When I talked to him one day and asked about his exhaust, he said he just removed the muffler. I could hear his ride coming into and out of the complex whenever he'd drive by, but it wasn't really ricer loud compared to other BMWs, Euros, imports, and domestics I have heard. One thing you also have to think about is the interior drone especially at low rpm. With the right combo, you can get it louder and still avoid that loud drone.
10+ years ago, I had a 1995 Pontiac Grad Prix and replaced the OEM mufflers with Flowmaster 40s. The car sounded great outside, but boy was the inside drone really loud. Learned my lesson after that.

For my 335, I replaced the OEM mufflers with the BMW PE and I can hear the difference over the OEMs. My ride now has a meaner louder sound and there is absolutely no drone.
Not advertising for the BMW PE, but that’s the route I went with when I did my research and I am happy with this setup. It is available for the 328s and 330s for about $1000, or less, depending on your budget and which vendor you buy it (new or used).

Good luck to you.

[BimmerNugget]

Rogue Ikon Exhaust is often overlooked. Loud enough, not too loud. Absolutely zero droning after break in (500 miles). Nice low/deep rumble sound.

I've had mine for 3,000 miles now, it's been great!

[beo420]

Originally Posted by jt335i

Met a neighbor in my condo complex who had a E90 330i. When I talked to him one day and asked about his exhaust, he said he just removed the muffler. I could hear his ride coming into and out of the complex whenever he'd drive by, but it wasn't really ricer loud compared to other BMWs, Euros, imports, and domestics I have heard. One thing you also have to think about is the interior drone especially at low rpm. With the right combo, you can get it louder and still avoid that loud drone.
10+ years ago, I had a 1995 Pontiac Grad Prix and replaced the OEM mufflers with Flowmaster 40s. The car sounded great outside, but boy was the inside drone really loud. Learned my lesson after that.

For my 335, I replaced the OEM mufflers with the BMW PE and I can hear the difference over the OEMs. My ride now has a meaner louder sound and there is absolutely no drone.
Not advertising for the BMW PE, but that’s the route I went with when I did my research and I am happy with this setup. It is available for the 328s and 330s for about $1000, or less, depending on your budget and which vendor you buy it (new or used).

Good luck to you.

Thanks for the input, as much as i love loud exhausts and rumbling sound the interior noise is important as well, that crossed my mind initially. If you daily drive the car it cant be annoying, its a bit off topic but my friend has a nissan GT-R and gave me a lifr for like 25 minutes. i heard buzzing in my head for next hour. i cannot imagine driving like that 4 hours a day on a business trip or any trip actuially. So yeah, u are right, it needs to be balanced with the muffler/cat delete that is cheap and probably awesome sounding but i heard that its illegal in my country due to emissions and environment-friendly reasons so maybe i need something different

[Meeni]

Note that cat and muffler delete are illegal. I don't know about Czech republic exactly, but in most of europe you have yearly legal inspection and that will fail it for sure, and random noise checks on the road can lead to impounding the car if found to have a non compliant muffler.

[beo420]

Originally Posted by Meeni

Note that cat and muffler delete are illegal. I don't know about Czech republic exactly, but in most of europe you have yearly legal inspection and that will fail it for sure, and random noise checks on the road can lead to impounding the car if found to have a non compliant muffler.

exactly what i have written above, its not eco friendly and louder noise can raise police attention and i could get fined so i need to do some research as of what the possibilities around here are :P

[Meeni]

Originally Posted by beo420

exactly what i have written above, its not eco friendly and louder noise can raise police attention and i could get fined so i need to do some research as of what the possibilities around here are :P

Yeah but most of the people advising to remove the Cat / muffler delete are US based and leave I presume in counties without yearly inspection. In the US it is easy to get away with it, if one does not care about the nuisance imposed on others. Not quite so in Europe.

[sleepysnake]

I looked at the options for my 330i and ended up going for the BMW Performance Exhaust at around 600 euros. Sounds great from the outside but you can't really hear it with the windows closed.