rootrider
Mr. TDI SportWagen
finally got the exhaust on the car. I bought the mid-pipe/cats and cat-back a year ago. The old exhaust was welded where it was supposed to be bolted together, and the muffler was rusting. The muffler produced a bit more drone and low end noise as a result, but certainly didn't sound like anything special. The engine and intake certainly sounded good though.. as good as (better), and as loud as, many M3 exhausts that I've heard.
So I finally did it.. pulled the old exhaust off at a shop.. on a lift. It came off in one piece, due to the aforementioned welding, and I promptly sold it to another shop tech for $50. The OBD2 mid-pipe went on nicely, with all new gaskets/seals between the headers and the cat-back. The Active Autowerke Gen 3 cat-back didn't go on as easily due to worn rubber exhaust hangers and not enough clearance to tighten bolts up, etc. I'll have to get new hangers soon.. and we'll fabricate some mounts up that hold things in a better way than they're held now.
The OBD2 mid-pipe should flow a lot better.. due to a change in design from having a small X-pipe pre-cat, to having two completely separate full-size pipes.
obd2 mid-pipe is at the top.. obd1 mid-pipe is on the bottom:
http://img638.imageshack.**/img638/1200/20110123151815.jpg
The Active Autowerke Gen 3 cat-back is about half the weight of the OEM cat-back, is obviously louder, but also produces more of a growl when you get on the throttle. It's very noticeable when wide open, and I think the sound it produces compliments the engine noise very nicely. This is one of the better videos I've found of an M3 with the same cat-back, though my car has a lot more noticeable engine noise as well:
Listening to that video again.. my car definitely sounds more aggressive than his. He has the S52b32us, and I have the S50b30us engine, and with my mods (cams, larger intake/AFM, larger fuel injectors, and chip) the engine revs a lot higher and sounds meaner. Pushing more air through the exhaust means more noise
The car definitely accelerates more smoothly too. I can feel that the car is a little faster as well (the cat-back is proven to add a few hp to a stock car.. who knows how much it's added with mine, especially with the better flowing mid-pipes).
nothing special... phone camera pics:
now I really need to install the springs I've had for over 6 months (should happen soon), and then align the wheels properly. Then I might actually be able to drive the car in a way that matches how it sounds.
So I finally did it.. pulled the old exhaust off at a shop.. on a lift. It came off in one piece, due to the aforementioned welding, and I promptly sold it to another shop tech for $50. The OBD2 mid-pipe went on nicely, with all new gaskets/seals between the headers and the cat-back. The Active Autowerke Gen 3 cat-back didn't go on as easily due to worn rubber exhaust hangers and not enough clearance to tighten bolts up, etc. I'll have to get new hangers soon.. and we'll fabricate some mounts up that hold things in a better way than they're held now.
The OBD2 mid-pipe should flow a lot better.. due to a change in design from having a small X-pipe pre-cat, to having two completely separate full-size pipes.
obd2 mid-pipe is at the top.. obd1 mid-pipe is on the bottom:
http://img638.imageshack.**/img638/1200/20110123151815.jpg
The Active Autowerke Gen 3 cat-back is about half the weight of the OEM cat-back, is obviously louder, but also produces more of a growl when you get on the throttle. It's very noticeable when wide open, and I think the sound it produces compliments the engine noise very nicely. This is one of the better videos I've found of an M3 with the same cat-back, though my car has a lot more noticeable engine noise as well:
Listening to that video again.. my car definitely sounds more aggressive than his. He has the S52b32us, and I have the S50b30us engine, and with my mods (cams, larger intake/AFM, larger fuel injectors, and chip) the engine revs a lot higher and sounds meaner. Pushing more air through the exhaust means more noise
The car definitely accelerates more smoothly too. I can feel that the car is a little faster as well (the cat-back is proven to add a few hp to a stock car.. who knows how much it's added with mine, especially with the better flowing mid-pipes).
nothing special... phone camera pics:
now I really need to install the springs I've had for over 6 months (should happen soon), and then align the wheels properly. Then I might actually be able to drive the car in a way that matches how it sounds.