e46 330ci - quest for noise

[clarkson22]

hi this is actually my pals 330ci, he hated the fact it made no nice exhaust note when driving , especially when foot down , so we took the standard manifolds off with the catalic oonverters on, and replaced them with e36 manifolds and made to fit the rest of the system, this sounded ok , we then cut the secondary cats out the resonator and took the wadiing out of the backbox it sounds raspy it sounds very good when giving it some hes happy , just adding some pics and videos
standard cats, very heavy


standard manifold on left , e36 right


manifolds made, welds ground down after



cutting secondary cats out and using my standard cats off my m3 for the bend




resonator gone


wading removed out of backbox



next to my m3


video with just the primary cats in manifold gone


video with both cats gone and resonator and no wadding in backbox


thanks for reading it was well worth 2 days messing about , it sounds great now and does the odd few pops on overun

[McSam]

I don't think I've ever seen that approach before, interesting. Have you done anything to the intake system? By far the best feature of these engines' soundtrack is the induction noise when properly released, and as an added bonus it goes away when you're not flat out.

[StuTheGrouch]

Good work. I'm sure you did this, but there is a valve in the exhaust pipes which opens above a certain RPM (4k I think). You can change this (google the golf tee modification). This valve can get rusted shut and so you only ever have one pipe open- this happened to mine and so I removed the flap completely.

[clarkson22]

Yeh he has no intake just standard airbox and panel filter and yes heard the golf tee mod but we just totally cut the flap out of the exhaust

[TheAngryDog]

It might just be my speakers but i am afraid I think it sounds awful. Sorry.

[willmagrath]

Yeah, I definitely think that that just sounds broken. Reminds me of my friends old 206 with a holey exhaust!! Louder doesn't always mean better!

[willmagrath]

willmagrath said:

Yeah, I definitely think that that just sounds broken. Reminds me of my friends old 206 with a holey exhaust!! Louder doesn't always mean better!

Actually just listened to the first vid, sounds better like that still a tad rattley though

[LankyLegoHead]

When I had one of these I found the "Golf Tee" mod was enough for a good soundtrack without doing your nut in.

[mickymellon1]

TheAngryDog said:

It might just be my speakers but i am afraid I think it sounds awful. Sorry.

+1

[clarkson22]

dont be sorry lol , everyone can have there opinion to be fair the phone cam doesnt do well but it does sound good accelerating and in person , still dosnt sound like my m3 ;P

[kooky guy]

Wow. If my 330ci sounded like that I'd be getting rid sharpish.

[ManFromDelmonte]

I was interested to hear what this sounded like but I have to concur, it sounds broken. Will it pass the MOT now (I'm thinking emissions rather than sound)?

[McSam]

McSam said:

I don't think I've ever seen that approach before, interesting. Have you done anything to the intake system? By far the best feature of these engines' soundtrack is the induction noise when properly released, and as an added bonus it goes away when you're not flat out.

Posted this from my phone without having watched the videos, with just a mental idea of what it'd sound like.. turns out it's far, far too raspy and metallic in reality. I stand by the above about focusing on the induction side, and leaving the exhaust well alone..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTnvietA1RQ

[mwstewart]

Interesting approach and I can imagine how much messing around that took.

Does it feel any quicker now?

[rb5er]

That sounds terrible. Horrid broken sound like e46 m3's have but even more broken.

[Simmo6pot]

I can't be the only one to not get photobucket to play on an iPhone? Every time.

Interested to hear what it sounds like as a 330 owner with Milltek.

[rb5er]

Get an android phone. And to save you looking and listening it sounds absolutely shocking and yes broken.

[RB Will]

never been a big fan of the BMW rasp but that one sound much better in the 1st vid, 2nd vid sounds like it not bolted up tight