[Jacobi]

On a 325/328i which of the 2 following options sound better and louder?

- Option 1: PE with 2nd cat delete and resonator delete
- Option 2: Muffler delete with 2nd cat delete and resonator delete

[justpete]

Originally Posted by Jacobi

On a 325/328i which of the 2 following options sound better and louder?

- Option 1: PE with 2nd cat delete and resonator delete
- Option 2: Muffler delete with 2nd cat delete and resonator delete

PE deletes the resonator.

[n55jb4]

Originally Posted by Jacobi

Which of the 2 following options sound better and louder?

- Option 1: PE with 2nd cat delete and resonator delete
- Option 2: Muffler delete with 2nd cat delete and resonator delete

I have Option 1 (tho for North America we get resonator delete by default with PE unlike you guys in Europe where PE for you is just muffler - without accompanied PE Y-pipe)

Option 1 is as loud as you want to get without becoming a straight pipe ricer, and more importantly no drone. Option 2 is a bit too loud and will introduce drone and sound is not as refined as in Option 1

[Jacobi]

Originally Posted by justpete

PE deletes the resonator.

Not on the N53 and on the N52 it depends if you instalate it or not

[justpete]

Originally Posted by Jacobi

Not on the N53 and on the N52 it depends if you instalate it or not

Thanks, didn't know that. Are you looking for power or just sound?

[Chrispy650]

Option 2 will definitely be louder but Option 1 (my current setup) will sound a lot better. It's about as loud as just a muffler delete I would say.

[Jacobi]

Originally Posted by justpete

Thanks, didn't know that. Are you looking for power or just sound?

I have currently the PE at mine 325i N53. I just want more sound, so I am thinking about deleting the 2nd cats and resonator.

[n55jb4]

Originally Posted by Jacobi

I have currently the PE at mine 325i N53. I just want more sound, so I am thinking about deleting the 2nd cats and resonator.

Oh man, you should have told us that in the first place. Then go ahead and delete resonator and sec.cats - I can guarantee you will get a substantial sound increase - to the point that you will not want any louder than that. This is exactly what I have and my setup on cold starts already sounds like I have a V8 under the hood

[colin_e90]

I used to have a muffler and res delete and actually found it to not be much loud at all. My glasspack setup with the red delet is much louder then before on my 330i

[n55jb4]

Originally Posted by colin_e90

I used to have a muffler and res delete and actually found it to not be much loud at all. My glasspack setup with the red delet is much louder then before on my 330i

Yes that is the case. I had PE before - which for us in North America is resonator delete by default. It was very nice sweet sound, but I wanted a bit more volume. Deleting sec.cats gave me just that. Ideal combo, not too loud, but louder than just PE. Sec.cats on my n51 are restrictive enough so I can not only hear sound increase but I can feel it with my hand if you put it behind exhaust tips that pressure is higher after sec.cats delete. Now if I will delete PE muffler - it will become too loud for streets even with restrictive stock headers on - I know that, because I started the car in garage after sec.cats were taken off and before mid pipes and PE was attached back. It was way too loud. Not quite straight pipe sound deafening, but way too loud to be driven on streets

[hassmaschine]

Muffler delete = ricer mod.

Sorrynotsorry.

[Blueeyesredpanda]

Originally Posted by hassmaschine

Muffler delete = ricer mod.

Sorrynotsorry.

[Jacobi]

Originally Posted by n55jb4

Oh man, you should have told us that in the first place. Then go ahead and delete resonator and sec.cats - I can guarantee you will get a substantial sound increase - to the point that you will not want any louder than that. This is exactly what I have and my setup on cold starts already sounds like I have a V8 under the hood

Thanks for answering. And between the following 2 options, which sounds better and louder on a 325/328i?

- Option A: PE + resonator delete + 2nd cat delete
- Option B: 335i OEM exhaust + resonator delete + 2nd cat delete

[n55jb4]

Originally Posted by Jacobi

Thanks for answering. And between the following 2 options, which sounds better and louder on a 325/328i?

- Option A: PE + resonator delete + 2nd cat delete
- Option B: 335i OEM exhaust + resonator delete + 2nd cat delete

These are different exhausts and different engines, so it's a bit comparing apples and oranges. However, imho 335i sounds very good in the first place compared to stock 328i, but still option A will sound better as I've listened to both setups (Why better? Because sound of NA engine n51/n52 is better than sound of forced air induction 335s engine - it is apparent on higher revs - NA sounds better, not sure exactly why, maybe turbos ruin the sound a bit, I'm not sure), but I can't say which one will be louder in that case, because I've only driven my car option A - and you have to really drive it to listen to it in different scenarios to say for sure - under load, during acceleration hard/mild etc. I would say they would be roughly equal in loudness, but I'm not 100% sure

I'm not sure why you are asking this - as you can't use 335i exhaust setup on 328i without extensive modifications

[Taskmaster]

Get a universal muffler that flows better than OEM and put that in place of stock - then do a resonator/ Secondary delete.

[Jacobi]

Originally Posted by n55jb4

These are different exhausts and different engines, so it's a bit comparing apples and oranges. However, imho 335i sounds very good in the first place compared to stock 328i, but still option A will sound better as I've listened to both setups (Why better? Because sound of NA engine n51/n52 is better than sound of forced air induction 335s engine - it is apparent on higher revs - NA sounds better, not sure exactly why, maybe turbos ruin the sound a bit, I'm not sure), but I can't say which one will be louder in that case, because I've only driven my car option A - and you have to really drive it to listen to it in different scenarios to say for sure - under load, during acceleration hard/mild etc. I would say they would be roughly equal in loudness, but I'm not 100% sure

I'm not sure why you are asking this - as you can't use 335i exhaust setup on 328i without extensive modifications

In European BMW forums there are people who install 335i OEM exhaust on a 325i with resonator and 2nd cat delete. Thats why I am asking which sounds better, option A or B.

[STR8-6IX]

which would sound better? PE muffler

would would sound like certified asshole? muffler and res delete

whatever you do, I recommend you keep your res intact.

[Jacobi]

Originally Posted by 6IX-F10-N52

which would sound better? PE muffler

would would sound like certified asshole? muffler and res delete

whatever you do, I recommend you keep your res intact.

Several users of this forum (in this thread and in other threads) recommends PE + resonator delete + 2nd cat delete. i have read several anwers of you recommending not deleting the resonator (although PE in the US has got the Y pipe which deletes the resonator).

As for as I know you have the OEM muffler with 2nd cat delete. Not having a PE, why do you always recommend not to delete the resonator?

[STR8-6IX]

Originally Posted by Jacobi

Several users of this forum (in this thread and in other threads) recommends PE + resonator delete + 2nd cat delete. i have read several anwers of you recommending not deleting the resonator (although PE in the US has got the Y pipe which deletes the resonator).

As for as I know you have the OEM muffler with 2nd cat delete. Not having a PE, why do you always recommend not to delete the resonator?

because the resonator is designed specifically around your engine to reduce unwanted drone and frequencies. you lose torque from deleting your resonator unless you fit an x-pipe (e92's, which do not have a resonator feature a factory x-pipe)

the drone is just terrible at highway rpm's. also, on another thread here someone said that if you delete both secondaries and resonator that it sounds like shit and to keep either one or the other. since you gain a couple horsepower from deleting secondaries, why not delete that and keep your res?

I will also be upgrading my muffler soon for more sound - the OEM muffler is too quiet but a great pairing with headers because it helps with backpressure at low RPM and keeps the car quiet unless you step on the gas.

[Jacobi]

Originally Posted by 6IX-F10-N52

because the resonator is designed specifically around your engine to reduce unwanted drone and frequencies. you lose torque from deleting your resonator unless you fit an x-pipe (e92's, which do not have a resonator feature a factory x-pipe)

the drone is just terrible at highway rpm's. also, on another thread here someone said that if you delete both secondaries and resonator that it sounds like shit and to keep either one or the other. since you gain a couple horsepower from deleting secondaries, why not delete that and keep your res?

I will also be upgrading my muffler soon for more sound - the OEM muffler is too quiet but a great pairing with headers because it helps with backpressure at low RPM and keeps the car quiet unless you step on the gas.

The PE is designed by BMW and it includes an Y pipe which eliminates the resonator. Why should BMW design a performance exhaust which includes a resonator delete if it produces drone and lose of torque?

The truth is that the PE with the Y pipe (resonator delete) doesn't drone and there is no lose of torque.

[colin_e90]

Originally Posted by n55jb4

Yes that is the case. I had PE before - which for us in North America is resonator delete by default. It was very nice sweet sound, but I wanted a bit more volume. Deleting sec.cats gave me just that. Ideal combo, not too loud, but louder than just PE. Sec.cats on my n51 are restrictive enough so I can not only hear sound increase but I can feel it with my hand if you put it behind exhaust tips that pressure is higher after sec.cats delete. Now if I will delete PE muffler - it will become too loud for streets even with restrictive stock headers on - I know that, because I started the car in garage after sec.cats were taken off and before mid pipes and PE was attached back. It was way too loud. Not quite straight pipe sound deafening, but way too loud to be driven on streets

I think you misunderstood what I meant haha. Muffler delete and res delete was not really loud enough for my taste. Adding a glasspack afterwards has made it much more louder and felt much better on the foot. I personally wouldn't recommend doing a muffler delete as it sounds pretty weak and you lose that low end feel when your driving.

[dancing__narwhal]

Originally Posted by TheAxiom

Get a universal muffler that flows better than OEM and put that in place of stock - then do a resonator/ Secondary delete.

What's a universal muffler?