BMW muffler question

J

JOhnH

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Right Seater
My wife has a 2011 BMW 328i. She would like to make it "sound" better, ie' louder and throatier. The stock muffler just seems too tame for her. I told her I would consider it when it comes out of warranty, which it just did. We bought it as a BMW executive's car in 2013, so the warranty period didn't start till it was titled to us.

I would like to find something that will give her the sound she wants, and if possible, maybe a little performance boost too, but I don't want to spend thousands on it. After all, it can't even leave the pavement for more than a few feet.

Any suggestions on a reasonable solution to her request?
 
You will never get any performance boost from a muffler.

You will get very little from a complete exhaust system, especially on a high performance vehicle. And that will cost you thousands.

BMW variable valve timing already gets pretty good acceleration, if you mash it hard. You'll have a tough time beating that. If it doesn't, you would do better to fix it. Sometimes the Vanos units stick or leak. Repairing that means disassembling it and replacing a bunch of O rings. Not a difficult job.

The noise can in principle be adjusted with an aftermarket muffler. But your neighbors may or may not appreciate a redneck Beemer.
 
We order from ecstuning.com all the time, dig around there. Any muffler on that car will not sound all that much louder than stock, Just a little more rumble. I own a 08 335i, i love these things.
 
Like MAKG1 said, you'll never get any noticeable performance benefit from putting on a muffler unless the stock design was absurdly restricted (not likely on a Bimmer). Doesn't the 328 has a 2.8L 4-banger? If so, there isn't anything that's going to make it sound "better", imo. If it were a 335i, maybe. You can always add a new muffler to make it louder, but if you go too far, you end up with a loud, raspy, droning exhaust note. Your wife will probably hate it after a few weeks, your neighbors may hate it after a few hours.

I'm sure there are some performance tuners that can give it a little bit more giddy-up without breaking the bank, even on the 2.8L. Sell it for a 335, or M3 and then you'll have more fun.
 
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I like my cars quiet, the drone of a loud muffler is satisfying for about 2 minutes, after that it just gives me a headache.
 
Try turnermotorsport.com. I've got a Borla stainless steel cat-back system for my '02 325i, and love it. A little throatier, but not obnoxious at all....stock system was too quiet and characterless. Might free up a couple of rwhp, but the primary attraction is the sportier sound. Saving my pennies for a new M240i. :)

328i is an inline-6, as are the majority of newer 3-Series cars (for the U.S. market at least). Newer F30 cars have a pretty decent 2.0-liter turbo inline-4, in addition to the turbo inline-6 versions.
 
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Magna Flo

The pricey special built exhaust systems are primarily designed to add money to the sellers pocket.

A performance muffler won't add horsepower, but it will allow the available horsepower to turn on quicker.
 
Have you priced a MagnaFlow system recently? Not far off the Borla. I've got experience with both and I liked the Borla's construction better (weld quality, thicker flange, etc.). Not "drone-y" at all, which was a big concern...just more powerful-sounding and authoritative. I bought a system once for a 944 and it had a terrible resonance right at where I cruised at...3500 rpm/80 mph. Took it off and resold it, then put the stock system back on.

Having the right sound can really add fun/satisfaction to the driving experience. Easier to match revs on downshifts too with better aural feedback.
 
BMW Performance Exhaust. Nothing else is close.
 
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PaulS said:
One of my buddies put a glass pack on a 70 era little Fiat. That car could barely hit 65, but it sounded cool. I never laughed so hard the first time he picked me up in it and let me drive it.
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I took my '81 Fiat Spider down to the local muffler shop and told him what I wanted it to sound like and he made it happen. I have no idea what the brand or model was, but it has a nice throaty sound to it.
 
PaulS said:
One of my buddies put a glass pack on a 70 era little Fiat. That car could barely hit 65, but it sounded cool. I never laughed so hard the first time he picked me up in it and let me drive it.
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Yeah I did that on a '69 Austin Healy Sprite. Dad was following me w/ my brother and told him, "that dam things makes a lot of noise but it don't go".
 
PaulS said:
I like my cars quiet, the drone of a loud muffler is satisfying for about 2 minutes, after that it just gives me a headache.
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In my younger days I liked the sound of a loud exhaust, but these days one big criteria on new vehicles is that they're both powerful AND quiet.

PaulS said:
One of my buddies put a glass pack on a 70 era little Fiat. That car could barely hit 65, but it sounded cool. I never laughed so hard the first time he picked me up in it and let me drive it.
Click to expand...

I had an old Mk.1 Jetta that I put a Techtonics cat back system on, it sounded fantastic. Other drivers with more powerful cars never challenged that Jetta at red lights based on sound alone. (Although that Jetta only had 72 mighty horsepower)
 
I've got a MagnaFlow on the F-150, but it's mild (18" muffler) and sounds good. No drone at any speed, medium volume at cold idle, will scream under heavy throttle, but you don't notice it unless you're listening for it when rolling along at cruising speeds. Flowmaster always sounds to "hollow/raspy" to me, and really only sound okay on old American muscle. I like Borla, but they are pretty spendy, as is B&B. Cherry Bombs/Glass packs . . . just don't, might as well run nothing lol.
 
Marky_24 said:
Close to what? Sounding like every other "tuner" car in the world?
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What "sounds good" is so incredibly subjective. ktup-flyer's setup is far too aggressive for my tastes...Borla's just a touch throatier and lower-pitched than stock. To each his own.
 
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