[George Hill]

Exciting!

If the US spec e36 m3 muffler option could keep the e46 M3 section 2 resonator (as in, have the e36 M3 muffler weld in after that), that would be most interesting to me!

I believe that eliminates the portion of the e36 muffler that's a smaller diameter.
Smaller up front by the flange, so best to cut off that portion before welding:

http://www.uucmotorwerks.com/rsc36/RSC36_BIMMERFEST_files/uuchp05.jpg

Hopefully this thread doesn't result in my buying yet another supersprint product!

As of right now I am mocking up the E36 M3 muffler. It is closer than I would like to the tire on a 18x8.5 et50 (it could use a 5-10mm spacer I think for looks which would help the proximity). I tried to find your pics to see if you had a similar issue, but they are photobucketed. Can you post up pictures of how yours is set up?

 

[Obioban]

As of right now I am mocking up the E36 M3 muffler. It is closer than I would like to the tire on a 18x8.5 et50 (it could use a 5-10mm spacer I think for looks which would help the proximity). I tried to find your pics to see if you had a similar issue, but they are photobucketed. Can you post up pictures of how yours is set up?

****ing photobucket.

The e36 M3 muffler does get pretty close to the tire, even on the actual e36 M3:

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Jd6oRxdXp88/maxresdefault.jpg

 

[George Hill]

Started updating the main post.

 

[Onizukachan]

Sorry for asking but what is special about the zhp muffler compared the regular 330/ 325SULEV muffler?

 

[Hansie]

My touring came with a Remus system but the muffler touched in inner side of the tire using stock wheels and 255-35-18 tires.
It has a drone at 2000-2500 rpm too.

Solved it by 8x18 BBS with 245-40-18 square set and rev it

 

[Notaligned]

Sorry for asking but what is special about the zhp muffler compared the regular 330/ 325SULEV muffler?

I was not able to find anyone that chopped up ZHP muffler and 330 muffler to show the comparison (from the outside they all look the same general shape). There is a long standing belief/myth that ZHP muffler is different internally and that is sounds better/louder.

 

[George Hill]

Sorry for asking but what is special about the zhp muffler compared the regular 330/ 325SULEV muffler?

I was not able to find anyone that chopped up ZHP muffler and 330 muffler to show the comparison (from the outside they all look the same general shape). There is a long standing belief/myth that ZHP muffler is different internally and that is sounds better/louder.

Internally I do not know. I just know there is a different part number for each:
325: 18107504171
330: 18107504172
ZHP: 18107919236

The main reason for testing each one is to find out if there is a real difference. If there is a small delta between their power output, then it makes reusing the 325 muffler a good and cost effective solution for these swaps.

 

[Hansie]

Very interested in te results!
A previous car of me had a similar test done by a German car magazine , a E30 318iS.
Results was shocking : best results had 1 pk more than the stock exhaust. Other 8 (of known names) had upto 8 pk losses.
A tuner told me : power is in the manifold, sound in the last silencer.

 

[George Hill]

A few years ago I tested the exhaust on my E46 M3 that was stock. The car had a Scorpion muffler and I was going back to stock because the Scorpion was to loud. I tested them on the chassis dyno, the Scorpion made 284whp, no muffler made 296whp and stock made 300whp.

 

[UncleDon]

Internally I do not know. I just know there is a different part number for each:
325: 18107504171
330: 18107504172
ZHP: 18107919236

The main reason for testing each one is to find out if there is a real difference. If there is a small delta between their power output, then it makes reusing the 325 muffler a good and cost effective solution for these swaps.

For what it's worth, I replaced my Stock rear 325 muffler with a new ZHP rear muffler years ago. I cut the old 325 one off just behind the rear axle and connected the ZHP one with BMW exhaust clamps.

The ZHP muffler is not loud, but it is louder than the Stock 325 muffler. With the Stock 325 muffler I would hear more sound coming from the engine in the front of the car. With the ZHP muffler I hear more sound coming from the rear of the car, as it should be.
Of course, there is no exhaust drone ever.

 

[Obioban]

Excellent update!

Hopefully the extension you added for the e36 setup was the same ID as everything that followed? Hard to tell in the pic.

 

[George Hill]

For what it's worth, I replaced my Stock rear 325 muffler with a new ZHP rear muffler years ago. I cut the old 325 one off just behind the rear axle and connected the ZHP one with BMW exhaust clamps.

The ZHP muffler is not loud, but it is louder than the Stock 325 muffler. With the Stock 325 muffler I would hear more sound coming from the engine in the front of the car. With the ZHP muffler I hear more sound coming from the rear of the car, as it should be.
Of course, there is no exhaust drone ever.

Yes, the location of this splice point is after were I joined the the Non-M to M exhaust. And because of this I'll be able to test more muffler combinations without having to make a complete Muffler/S2 assembly per muffler.

Excellent update!

Hopefully the extension you added for the e36 setup was the same ID as everything that followed? Hard to tell in the pic.

Sorry, I did not articulate that well. The gap was about 3/16" and I bridged it by building up a weld across. But since I posted that I stuck my borescope in it and there is some internal decrease in the ID. I'm going to cut it straight apart about an 1" behind the weld and grind out the inside welds, then finally clamp it back together.

**** ALSO NOTE, I did not join this right at the resonator, but about 1" behind it so I had to go from the D shaped pipe to the O pipe of the E36 exhaust, it's not very pretty, but should function just the same.

 

[markseven]

For what it's worth, I replaced my Stock rear 325 muffler with a new ZHP rear muffler years ago. I cut the old 325 one off just behind the rear axle and connected the ZHP one with BMW exhaust clamps.

The ZHP muffler is not loud, but it is louder than the Stock 325 muffler. With the Stock 325 muffler I would hear more sound coming from the engine in the front of the car. With the ZHP muffler I hear more sound coming from the rear of the car, as it should be.
Of course, there is no exhaust drone ever.

Interestingly, I like the ZHP muffler because it does not drown out the mechanical and induction sounds coming from the engine bay (S54 lives there now).

 

[George Hill]

Muffler test is this morning, any guesses on the outcome?

We have:
Super Sprint S2/3 Full replacement
Stromung S3 with stock S2
E36 M3 modified S2/S3
ZHP modified S2/S3
Dinan Modified S2 to fit
BMW Performance Modified S2 to fit
325 Modified S2 to fit
330 Modified S2 to fit
No Muffler

 

[markseven]

My guesses:

Power

1. Dinan
2. Super Sprint
3. Stromung
4. BMW Performance
5. E36 M3
6. ZHP
7. 330
8. 325
9. No Muffler

Sound Quality

1. E36 M3
2. ZHP
3. BMW Performance
4. Dinan
5. Super Sprint
6. Stromung
7. 330
8. 325
9. No Muffler

 

[George Hill]

It was a very long day, i was busy doing the mechanical work and I didn***8217;t physically note the numbers for each, so going off memory right now.

Dyno files are supposed to be emailed to me today, but it's sunday so may not see them until tomorrow.

The spread from highest to lowest was less than 20whp. Stromung, Dinan and BMW Perf tied for the winner. Everyone else tied 10whp less and the 325 was a wild card doing similar to the bottom pack and then falling off.

The top of the pack made 324whp +/-

 

[ArtifactsinMotion]

Anyone know the best place to get the BMW Performance exhaust? George (when you have a minute to breathe) would you provide the respective part number for the Performance exhaust? Thanks for keeping us posted, as well as sharing some news prior to the full write up!

 

[mjweimer]

Anyone know the best place to get the BMW Performance exhaust? George (when you have a minute to breathe) would you provide the respective part number for the Performance exhaust? Thanks for keeping us posted, as well as sharing some news prior to the full write up!

BMW Part number for the Performance exhaust is: 18 10 0 429 614

Unfortunately it is NLA.

These were released in 2007 along with other E46 specific Performance parts. Given other cheaper aftermarket alternatives all of these parts did not sell well. In about 2010 BMW decided to stop selling the parts and had a huge sale where remaining parts were less than 50% of typical prices.

A .pdf of the available parts can be found here:

http://alex.zheng-dynasty.com/uploads/BMW-Performance-Accessories-BMW-E46.pdf



MJ

 

[George Hill]

As Matt stated the BMW Performance is NLA, there is a second part number though:
18100429614 - BMW E46 Performance Muffler
18100432742 - BMW E46 Performance Muffler (not sure the difference between this one and the 614)
82120432743 - Replacement muffler tip (x2)

All of them are NLA. After our results I did a quick search on all the main areas for them and I couldn't find one.

 

[mjweimer]

As Matt stated the BMW Performance is NLA, there is a second part number though:
18100429614 - BMW E46 Performance Muffler
18100432742 - BMW E46 Performance Muffler (not sure the difference between this one and the 614)
82120432743 - Replacement muffler tip (x2)

All of them are NLA. After our results I did a quick search on all the main areas for them and I couldn't find one.

FWIW - I think the 742 part number is the replacement silencer without the tips and clamps (the 614 would be the retrofit kit).

Thanks for all the work you put into this test and let anyone else involved know as well. Pretty amazing how this all came together = legendary (or more period appropriate #legendary).


MJ