Anyone had a muffler delete on 50i?

[BimmerTy]

Originally Posted by mikew2069

Teaser.... Now just waiting on the Xpipe to make it in. It's actually a little bigger than I thought it would be so hopefully it will tone it down just enough.

Untitled by mikew2069, on Flickr

Untitled by mikew2069, on Flickr

Untitled by mikew2069, on Flickr

Are you changing out the tips?

[mikew2069]

Originally Posted by BimmerTy

Are you changing out the tips?

Yes I just went with some basic chrome dual 3.5" offset tips.

[mikew2069]

Finally got it installed this morning and the jury is still out. Here's what I know for sure from my short ride home from the exhaust shop.

1) Slightly louder that stock. I'm actually surprised its not louder and I wish I would have listened to a muffler delete in person first. The note has definitely changed and is lower.

2) Absolutely zero drone in Sport mode. In fact, I'm not even sure you can hear it inside of the cabin while under normal driving conditions.

3) There's definitely some drone that creeps in the cabin in comfort mode in mid to high gears just after a shift when you're in the 1k-1500 rpm range and accelerating slowly. NOTE: I am SUPER sensitive to drone. I had a MF catback on my SRT which was supposed to be the quietest, least/zero drone option for that platform and the slight drone drove me insane.

4) The quad tips absolutely transform the look of the back end and I definitely love them.

These observations are from a very small driving sample and these little mufflers need to break in for a couple hundred miles. Not sure if the break in will make things better or worse.

Here are some pics I snapped and I'm also going to post before and after cold start/rev videos here in a couple of hours. I downloaded a db measurement app on my phone so we'll see if that gives us some scientific volume data. I'll update this post with the vids in a couple hours.

Untitled by mikew2069, on Flickr

Untitled by mikew2069, on Flickr

Untitled by mikew2069, on Flickr

Untitled by mikew2069, on Flickr

Untitled by mikew2069, on Flickr

Untitled by mikew2069, on Flickr

Edit: This isn't the video I wanted to post but it'll have to do for now. This morning I took a cold start video when the car was stock so I could read the dB and then take another video to compare afterwards. However after letting the vehicle sit for 2 hours, it didn't go through the cold start cycle so you can check this out and then I'll post what I originally wanted to do tomorrow morning. If you listen to it with headphones on, it sounds pretty true but not quite low enough.

Edit: Here's the video with Stock system cold start and the new system cold start. You really have to listen with headphones on or good speakers. Listening on a laptop doesn't capture much.

[hufington]

Originally Posted by mikew2069

Finally got it installed this morning

Looking good!

[BimmerTy]

Originally Posted by mikew2069

Finally got it installed this morning and the jury is still out. Here's what I know for sure from my short ride home from the exhaust shop.

Quad tips look great! How loud is the cold start and WOT? Any pop & burbles when slowing/down shifting? Can you post a video for us to hear it?

BTW, love the wheels!

[mikew2069]

Originally Posted by BimmerTy

Quad tips look great! How loud is the cold start and WOT? Any pop & burbles when slowing/down shifting? Can you post a video for us to hear it?

BTW, love the wheels!

Thanks. Edited the original post. Another video will come tomorrow morning. I honestly haven't gone WOT yet. Slight pops but nothing crazy. It did cold start at the shop and it wasn't crazy loud but I couldn't get it to cold start again just now so I couldn't get the dB measurement to compare to stock. I'll do that tomorrow.

[geedup35]

Originally Posted by mikew2069

Finally got it installed this morning and the jury is still out. Here's what I know for sure from my short ride home from the exhaust shop.

1) Slightly louder that stock. I'm actually surprised its not louder and I wish I would have listened to a muffler delete in person first. The note has definitely changed and is lower.

2) Absolutely zero drone in Sport mode. In fact, I'm not even sure you can hear it inside of the cabin while under normal driving conditions.

3) There's definitely some drone that creeps in the cabin in comfort mode in mid to high gears just after a shift when you're in the 1k-1500 rpm range and accelerating slowly. NOTE: I am SUPER sensitive to drone. I had a MF catback on my SRT which was supposed to be the quietest, least/zero drone option for that platform and the slight drone drove me insane.

4) The quad tips absolutely transform the look of the back end and I definitely love them.

These observations are from a very small driving sample and these little mufflers need to break in for a couple hundred miles. Not sure if the break in will make things better or worse.

Here are some pics I snapped and I'm also going to post before and after cold start/rev videos here in a couple of hours. I downloaded a db measurement app on my phone so we'll see if that gives us some scientific volume data. I'll update this post with the vids in a couple hours.

Untitled by mikew2069, on Flickr

Untitled by mikew2069, on Flickr

Untitled by mikew2069, on Flickr

Untitled by mikew2069, on Flickr

Untitled by mikew2069, on Flickr

Untitled by mikew2069, on Flickr

Edit: This isn't the video I wanted to post but it'll have to do for now. This morning I took a cold start video when the car was stock so I could read the dB and then take another video to compare afterwards. However after letting the vehicle sit for 2 hours, it didn't go through the cold start cycle so you can check this out and then I'll post what I originally wanted to do tomorrow morning. If you listen to it with headphones on, it sounds pretty true but not quite low enough.

Congrats Finally!
Now we definitely have to out together a Houston area Muffler delete meet!

[mikew2069]

Originally Posted by geedup35

Congrats Finally!
Now we definitely have to out together a Houston area Muffler delete meet!

Yup! .... man my tip placement is kind of annoying me and I was out there working hand in hand with the guy trying to make it perfect. Putting quad tips on this rear bumper is bad for people with ocd bc it’s about impossible to nail. At the shop I thought it was just right but now I think they need to be pushed in more and angled a bit.

[mikew2069]

Updated with a decent cold start comparison video.

[hufington]

Sounds great! Enjoy!

[BimmerTy]

Originally Posted by mikew2069

Yup! .... man my tip placement is kind of annoying me and I was out there working hand in hand with the guy trying to make it perfect. Putting quad tips on this rear bumper is bad for people with ocd bc it’s about impossible to nail. At the shop I thought it was just right but now I think they need to be pushed in more and angled a bit.

I agree- my right side tips are sticking out a bit more and angled slightly up more than the left side. Really isn't noticeable unless you're looking for it. The guy who welded them on asked if the bumper had been replaced or if the car had every been in a rear end collision because he couldn't line them up perfectly. To my knowledge it hasn't but I don't know what happened the 3 years prior to my ownership if it wasn't on the Carfax/Autocheck/service records.. He also may not have bent the pipes perfectly the same.. Oh well.

Your quads look awesome though! I plan on listening to the new video tonight.

[Speenybean]

Originally Posted by mikew2069

Updated with a decent cold start comparison video.

Originally Posted by mikew2069

Updated with a decent cold start comparison video.

Where's the cold start video ?

[mikew2069]

Originally Posted by Speenybean

Where's the cold start video ?

It’s at the very bottom of my original post with the warm start video.

[hufington]

I just received a quote for, wait for it, $800!!

I suppy all of the parts and the labor would be around $800 plus tax! This is just for the labor to weld the X-pipe and the two resonators in the back and adding the double tips! If I only had a lift and a small tig welder!

[BimmerTy]

Originally Posted by hufington

I just received a quote for, wait for it, $800!!

I suppy all of the parts and the labor would be around $800 plus tax! This is just for the labor to weld the X-pipe and the two resonators in the back and adding the double tips! If I only had a lift and a small tig welder!

[mikew2069]

Originally Posted by hufington

I just received a quote for, wait for it, $800!!

I suppy all of the parts and the labor would be around $800 plus tax! This is just for the labor to weld the X-pipe and the two resonators in the back and adding the double tips! If I only had a lift and a small tig welder!

Damn! Call some other shops. I was quoted between $150 - $250. Ended up paying $180 for the labor because I just got a good feeling from this dude and I'm super happy with it.

This reminds me of shopping around to get my brakes powder coated. i was getting prices in the $400 range and then I called this one shop and they quoted me a grand! WTF

[hufington]

Originally Posted by mikew2069

Damn! Call some other shops. I was quoted between $150 - $250. Ended up paying $180 for the labor because I just got a good feeling from this dude and I'm super happy with it.

This reminds me of shopping around to get my brakes powder coated. i was getting prices in the $400 range and then I called this one shop and they quoted me a grand! WTF

Wow, that's a really good price you paid for the exhaust install. 1K for powder coating would be accurate if they powder coat it with real gold!

I will have to look for other shops in NJ with "decent owners". This guy probably thought; "huh, a nearly 90K car so I'll charge him as much as I can!"
Also, he kinda knew the prices of the bolt on performance exhausts are all above 2K. Anyone who has "performance" or "custom' in front of their business name seems like they are out there to overcharge people.

[mikew2069]

Originally Posted by hufington

This guy probably thought; "huh, a nearly 90K car so I'll charge him as much as I can!"

Yea this happens all the time unfortunately.

[Maverik259]

Originally Posted by mikew2069

Yup! .... man my tip placement is kind of annoying me and I was out there working hand in hand with the guy trying to make it perfect. Putting quad tips on this rear bumper is bad for people with ocd bc it’s about impossible to nail. At the shop I thought it was just right but now I think they need to be pushed in more and angled a bit.

Haha I was literally thinking the same thing when I first saw the pics this morning. They're sticking out a bit too far. Sound is definitely better than stock. And seems to me perfect for what you were looking for. Less than wide open but more than stock. Couldn't see the dB reading on the cold start for the borla though. Bad glare. I think I saw low 90s for oem and mid to upper 90s for borla?

Mid 70s once warm and then mid 80s for borla when warmed?

[mikew2069]

Originally Posted by Maverik259

I think I saw low 90s for oem and mid to upper 90s for borla?

Mid 70s once warm and then mid 80s for borla when warmed?

I put the dB results at the end of each vid (on my phone now so I can’t go look) but I think you’re correct. I believe average stock Cold Start was 87dB and Borla was 96ish. And I think you’re correct on the warm idle.

After driving with it for a few days now I’m very happy with it minus the drone in comfort. I’m considering some helmholtz pipes but I’ll need to get under there and see what kind of room I have left.

[hufington]

Originally Posted by mikew2069

After driving with it for a few days now I’m very happy with it minus the drone in comfort. I’m considering some helmholtz pipes but I’ll need to get under there and see what kind of room I have left.

Or you can add 2 Vibrant 1792 Bottle Style Resonators - one on each side- after the x-pipe and before the resonators.

[geedup35]

Originally Posted by mikew2069

I put the dB results at the end of each vid (on my phone now so I can’t go look) but I think you’re correct. I believe average stock Cold Start was 87dB and Borla was 96ish. And I think you’re correct on the warm idle.

After driving with it for a few days now I’m very happy with it minus the drone in comfort. I’m considering some helmholtz pipes but I’ll need to get under there and see what kind of room I have left.

Glad you're liking it! The drone in comfort is annoying.

I do however see this as another positive because it's a reason to not drive in comfort.