Muffler delete too loud?

[GabeMG]

So everyone says a muffler delete is the way to go…
I've never heard one in person, and would rather have a tame volume with a deep tone.
Anyone tried replacing the stock muffler with an aftermarket muffler (vibrant, maganflow, etc)?

[Majestic128i]

I replaced it with a Magnaflow exhaust a few years back. It's slightly louder not obnoxious and has a nice deep tone. Perfect for a daily driver.

[GabeMG]

Originally Posted by Majestic128i

I replaced it with a Magnaflow exhaust a few years back. It's slightly louder not obnoxious and has a nice deep tone. Perfect for a daily driver.

That's exactly what I'm looking for! Do you recall the stock pipe size? Can you post a vid? Thanks!

[Blau]

Also check out 128i Berk


That's what I went with. Not too loud at all.

[GabeMG]

Originally Posted by WeShallCallHerBlau

Also check out 128i Berk


That's what I went with. Not too loud at all.

Thanks for recommendation! I definitely have looking into that. I think I want some form of muffler in there.
I think I would want like 10-15% louder than stock (which is surprisingly loud of an oem exhaust)

[K9Leader]

I installed the MagnaFlow a few weeks ago. The car had a muffler delete when I bought it a few months ago. This exhaust is just about right for a "sports sedan" as opposed to a "muscle car" or an exotic "supercar."

[GabeMG]

Originally Posted by K9Leader

I installed the MagnaFlow a few weeks ago. The car had a muffler delete when I bought it a few months ago. This exhaust is just about right for a "sports sedan" as opposed to a "muscle car" or an exotic "supercar."

It sounds perfect! Is that the full magnaflow catback, or just a magnaflow muffler you had welded in?

[K9Leader]

Originally Posted by GabeMG

It sounds perfect! Is that the full magnaflow catback, or just a magnaflow muffler you had welded in?

It's the full catback, including resonator. Very happy with it.

[GabeMG]

Originally Posted by K9Leader

It's the full catback, including resonator. Very happy with it.

Looks really good!
I was looking more for universal mufflers welded in, just to save some $.
I definitely want to go with the magnaflow catback at some point.

[wootloops]

I had just a muffler delete on my 128 for a while and it was surprisingly quiet. Especially once the car was warmed up, it wasn't bad at all. I honestly don't even see how adding an aftermarket muffler would sound any different than the stock muffler considering how little of an increase there was with an entire muffler delete.

Then I did catless headers with muffler delete while retaining stock midpipe. This was a bit louder and may be too much for a daily driver. It was fine for me since my car is a weekend/track car.

After that I had a custom midpipe made that deleted the secondary cats and stock resonator, replaced with 3" piping + a vibrant resonator, paired with the muffler delete and HOLY CRAP that was loud. Possibly the loudest car I've ever driven. Way too loud even for a weekend car IMO.

After that I replaced the rear axleback section with a Berk street axleback (with muffler). With the straight midpipe it's still loud but for me it's perfect.

But yeah I really still think the muffler delete with everything else stock is a pretty mild setup.

[Papa Popov]

Been through several iterations of custom axle-backs. Started with a MD (very raw sound, some drone), then a Vibrant bottle res (best sound but awful drone), and finally a Vibrant Ultra Quiet (great sound, minimal drone). Here's a vid comparing the MD to the UQ

Doesn't really do the UQ justice tho.

Very happy with the setup. The res was ~$100, tips were ~$65, and labor was $40 so I was out the door for around $200. The UQ is a tad quieter than the MD, and has a perfectly smooth sound. Drone is minimal, just a tad in 2.2-2.4k range, and not nearly as bad as the MD.

[Olgeezer1]

For a nice, mellow sound increase and removing a big restriction I just removed the secondary cats . Sound increase is very subtle and a few h.p. gained.

[GabeMG]

Originally Posted by Papa Popov

Been through several iterations of custom axle-backs. Started with a MD (very raw sound, some drone), then a Vibrant bottle res (best sound but awful drone), and finally a Vibrant Ultra Quiet (great sound, minimal drone). Here's a vid comparing the MD to the UQ

Doesn't really do the UQ justice tho.

Very happy with the setup. The res was ~$100, tips were ~$65, and labor was $40 so I was out the door for around $200. The UQ is a tad quieter than the MD, and has a perfectly smooth sound. Drone is minimal, just a tad in 2.2-2.4k range, and not nearly as bad as the MD.

That sounds really good! This is more or less what I was thinking about doing.
Thanks!

[GabeMG]

Originally Posted by wootloops

I had just a muffler delete on my 128 for a while and it was surprisingly quiet. Especially once the car was warmed up, it wasn't bad at all. I honestly don't even see how adding an aftermarket muffler would sound any different than the stock muffler considering how little of an increase there was with an entire muffler delete.

Then I did catless headers with muffler delete while retaining stock midpipe. This was a bit louder and may be too much for a daily driver. It was fine for me since my car is a weekend/track car.

After that I had a custom midpipe made that deleted the secondary cats and stock resonator, replaced with 3" piping + a vibrant resonator, paired with the muffler delete and HOLY CRAP that was loud. Possibly the loudest car I've ever driven. Way too loud even for a weekend car IMO.

After that I replaced the rear axleback section with a Berk street axleback (with muffler). With the straight midpipe it's still loud but for me it's perfect.

But yeah I really still think the muffler delete with everything else stock is a pretty mild setup.

Thanks! Yeah, I agree that it's going to be pretty mild. I'm no stranger to loud cars. I picked this car up as a long distance commuter so I want it pretty tame, but stock ain't gonna cut it.

[Brimz]

I'm in the same boat. I'm conflicted about going for one of the performance mufflers you mentioned or doing a muffler delete. For me, I am more concerned about droning than loudness.

If someone can address this, especially for muffler deletes, it be most appreciated.

[Dru128m]

Muffler delete with all else stock is a pretty marginal sound increase. My wife wanted to hear her E93 (N51) a bit more, deleted hers, and it's not enough.

[Papa Popov]

Originally Posted by Brimz

I'm in the same boat. I'm conflicted about going for one of the performance mufflers you mentioned or doing a muffler delete. For me, I am more concerned about droning than loudness.

If someone can address this, especially for muffler deletes, it be most appreciated.

Originally Posted by Papa Popov

Been through 3 axle-back setups now. Here's the rundown.

-Muffler delete - Obviously the loudest. Very raw, throaty sound with a bit of rasp. Lots of burbles and pops. Minor drone while cruising at certain loads in the 2.5k-2.8k range

-Vibrant 1792 - Ever so slightly quieter than the MD. Incredibly smooth sound, and still had plenty of burbles. Drone was godawful though. This wasn't minor drone at certain RPMS under a specific amount of load, this was a horrid sound that was always present between 1.9k and 2.5k. Had to deal with it even during normal acceleration around town. Easily my favorite sound of the bunch, but it was awful to commute with.

-Vibrant Ultra Quiet (just installed, potentially subject to change as it breaks in) - About 20-30% quieter than than 1792. Sound is definitely more muffled and isn't as "open" as the other two. Really tamed cold starts. You still get a nice punch on startup, but it doesn't annoy my roomates like the other two. Tone seems to be even deeper than the 1792 while keeping the very smooth sound. Burbles are still there, but not as noticeable as they are with the other two. Drone is basically non-existent. Very happy with it so far, seems to be the best option for a daily. Will likely go with a secondary delete if the sound doesn't increase a bit as it breaks in though.

Originally Posted by Dru128m

Muffler delete with all else stock is a pretty marginal sound increase. My wife wanted to hear her E93 (N51) a bit more, deleted hers, and it's not enough.

I'd say it's a hell of a lot more than a marginal increase, but cool wife tho.

[marshall1]

Do you have a video comparing the Magnaflow with the full muffler delete it had previously?

[marshall1]

I've also heard that the loss of backpressure from a muffler delete causes you to lose power. Can anyone confirm that?

[Yvrbmw]

Watch motoIQ's take on backpressure on YouTube

I bought my 128 with stock everything except muffler delete. I thought it sounded great — both sound level and tone. Since it was located about 4.5 hours away from where I live , I got a chance to drive mostly highway speeds (speed limits varying around 100-130 km/hr (-ish hehe) on the trip home. Pleasantly surprised that there was no drone at any rpm.

Added an Active Autowerkes header (no primary cats, kept secondary) and idle was immediately and noticeably louder, as expected. Then I blipped the throttle (in neutral) and scared the crap out of myself. Suuuper loud — but my garages are 90* to each so I'm sure lots of sound reflection contributed. Ran an autocross event where noise threshold is 93 dB, measured at 50' at wide open throttle. Mine was over 97 dB, and (IMHO) very harsh sounding both in the car and out.

Added a Magnaflow cat back (replaces OEM resonator as well). Sound inside cabin is a significant notch up compared to my sons stock 135. Funny thing is: standing 10 feet behind the two cars, the 135 "sounds" louder. I'm guessing because it has a raspier sound, whereas the magnaflow is deeper with a more mellow tone. We see this phenomenon often at autocross: a car won't pass sound check but it is not annoying to listen to, whereas other cars are within the limit but have such an annoying tone they seem louder.