Berk Race axle back (muffler delete)

[edavid_92]

Hello, stock 2009 135i vert.. Just want opinions on how a completely stock N54 will sound with just the Berk race axle back?
Idk if its gonna be super loud and annoying..its a daily driver..just want a louder than stock exhaust tone.

Thanks in advance

[c_ozanich]

Originally Posted by edavid_92

Hello, stock 2009 135i vert.. Just want opinions on how a completely stock N54 will sound with just the Berk race axle back?
Idk if its gonna be super loud and annoying..its a daily driver..just want a louder than stock exhaust tone.

Thanks in advance

short answer; yes

most people go through a race axle back phase and trade it for street due to cabin drone and being too loud. With a vert you won't necessarily have the cabin drone but on a daily driver, I don't think you'll be happy. Watch youtube videos or the exhaust thread on this forum and you'll figure out what you want.


honestly a good approach might be to get berk mid pipes and give it a more exotic sound and be done. or n55 mids are a popular upgrade as well.

[edavid_92]

Originally Posted by c_ozanich

short answer; yes

most people go through a race axle back phase and trade it for street due to cabin drone and being too loud. With a vert you won't necessarily have the cabin drone but on a daily driver, I don't think you'll be happy. Watch youtube videos or the exhaust thread on this forum and you'll figure out what you want.


honestly a good approach might be to get berk mid pipes and give it a more exotic sound and be done. or n55 mids are a popular upgrade as well.

Thanks for your opinion my second option, which im probably going with is the berk mids.

[c_ozanich]

Originally Posted by edavid_92

Thanks for your opinion my second option, which im probably going with is the berk mids.

no problem

[rhodesman]

Originally Posted by edavid_92

Thanks for your opinion my second option, which im probably going with is the berk mids.

I have Berk Mids and 3" DP's with the stock muffler, it's perfect! You get a bit of a throaty tone, gets loud at WOT but doesn't wake my neighbors if I'm coming home late at night. A friend of mine has an N55, 3" DPs, N55 mids with a catless axle-back. I can hear him from a mile away (literally), where with my car, you can hear it when it's in view, but that's it.

It does drone with the top up, in 6th, at 55mph but shifting to 5th has zero drone.

[sparkyblue]

Originally Posted by rhodesman

I have Berk Mids and 3" DP's with the stock muffler, it's perfect! You get a bit of a throaty tone, gets loud at WOT but doesn't wake my neighbors if I'm coming home late at night. A friend of mine has an N55, 3" DPs, N55 mids with a catless axle-back. I can hear him from a mile away (literally), where with my car, you can hear it when it's in view, but that's it.

It does drone with the top up, in 6th, at 55mph but shifting to 5th has zero drone.

+1 . I am running the exact setup as described above (3" DP's, Berk Resonated Mids, Stock Axleback).

I ran (3" DP, Berk Resonated Mids & Berk Street Axleback) for quite some time, and while I love the deep/loud notes; I opted to switch the axleback to stock which reduced the volume. It still sounds very throaty and has the burbles, but its at a much lower volume.

[zeeth2800]

Originally Posted by c_ozanich

most people go through a race axle back phase and trade it for street due to cabin drone and being too loud.

nailed it.

[Shotdog92]

I'm fully cat less with BERK race and I'm looking out for a new exhaust! Preferably the BMWP and BERK resonated mids
I've had this set up for 6 months now and even tho the car is just a weekend toy the mileage that I do is mostly motorway and the drones has become unbareable at any speed above 65! Around town the rasp from 1500-2000 I'm starting to find embrassing the looks I get when I'm just pottering along are terrible I thought it was funny at first but now I find myself altering my driving style just so I don't offend everyone! The rasp you hear sounds like a ricer would in full v tec mode but when you give it Full throttle absolutely nothing else compares it's the best sounding car I've ever heard haha

[BigRussia]

I must be in the minority of people who have the Berk Race and absolutely love it. I really don't think its that loud and I have 0 drone, I dont know why everyone complains of a drone. The rest of my exhaust is stock and the sound is intoxicating not ricey at all, the car still has a nice purr to it and absolutely screams at top end.

While cruising the volume is perfectly acceptable (sounds just like having a sport muffler to me) and plenty of times I've been driving with both windows down and able to have a conversation with a passenger just fine. Its not loud unless you get on it. I'm so glad I didn't get a muffled exhaust cause I find myself thinking the muffler delete is not alot louder than the stock muffler with golf tee/CAN flap open. I can only get it really loud when I set my wastegates to always open using the JB4's DWP setting to 500 or 0 RPMS thus bypassing the turbos (which muffle some of the exhaust under normal DWPs). Other than that its probably one of my favorite mods on the car and I couldn't be happier with it especially since I bought it brand new on sale.

[Enovoc]

Originally Posted by BigRussia

I must be in the minority of people who have the Berk Race and absolutely love it. I really don't think its that loud and I have 0 drone, I dont know what why everyone complains of a drone. The rest of my exhaust it stock and the sound is intoxicating not ricey at all, the car still has a nice purr to it and absolutely screams at top end.

While cruising the volume is perfectly acceptable (sounds just like having a sport muffler to me) and plenty of times I've been driving with both windows down and able to have a conversation with a passenger just fine. Its not loud unless you get on it. I'm so glad I didn't get a muffled exhaust cause I find myself thinking its not alot louder than the stock muffler with golf tee/CAN flap open. I can only get it really loud when I set my wastegates to always open using the JB4's DWP setting to 500 or 0 RPMS thus bypassing the turbos (which muffle some of the exhaust under normal DWPs). Other than that its probably one of my favorite mods on the car and I couldn't be happier with it especially since I bought it brand new on sale.

Agreed 100%

[lakefront]

Originally Posted by BigRussia

I must be in the minority of people who have the Berk Race and absolutely love it. I really don't think its that loud and I have 0 drone, I dont know why everyone complains of a drone. The rest of my exhaust is stock and the sound is intoxicating not ricey at all, the car still has a nice purr to it and absolutely screams at top end.

While cruising the volume is perfectly acceptable (sounds just like having a sport muffler to me) and plenty of times I've been driving with both windows down and able to have a conversation with a passenger just fine. Its not loud unless you get on it. I'm so glad I didn't get a muffled exhaust cause I find myself thinking the muffler delete is not alot louder than the stock muffler with golf tee/CAN flap open. I can only get it really loud when I set my wastegates to always open using the JB4's DWP setting to 500 or 0 RPMS thus bypassing the turbos (which muffle some of the exhaust under normal DWPs). Other than that its probably one of my favorite mods on the car and I couldn't be happier with it especially since I bought it brand new on sale.

Agree as well.

[Solo_M_Tech]

Get it. Install it, drive it for a few weeks, get annoyed, sell it and buy a street axleback. that's the cycle for most. Some people don't give a shit and want their car as loud as possible. Others want a more subtle, nice sounding exhaust. Gotta figure out which camp you're i, or just trial and error. I've had 6 different exhaust set ups on my car. I've been everywhere from stock to straight pipe.

[Shotdog92]

Originally Posted by BigRussia

I must be in the minority of people who have the Berk Race and absolutely love it. I really don't think its that loud and I have 0 drone, I dont know why everyone complains of a drone. The rest of my exhaust is stock and the sound is intoxicating not ricey at all, the car still has a nice purr to it and absolutely screams at top end.

While cruising the volume is perfectly acceptable (sounds just like having a sport muffler to me) and plenty of times I've been driving with both windows down and able to have a conversation with a passenger just fine. Its not loud unless you get on it. I'm so glad I didn't get a muffled exhaust cause I find myself thinking the muffler delete is not alot louder than the stock muffler with golf tee/CAN flap open. I can only get it really loud when I set my wastegates to always open using the JB4's DWP setting to 500 or 0 RPMS thus bypassing the turbos (which muffle some of the exhaust under normal DWPs). Other than that its probably one of my favorite mods on the car and I couldn't be happier with it especially since I bought it brand new on sale.

That's because you still have your cats in your downpipes and your secondary cats in your mid pipes, if you were to remove these like many of us have done then you would most certainly notice a difference in drone
That's what this exhaust is about getting the most performance with no compromise on noise, as quoted by Berk themselves this isn't reccomeneded for street use. Couple this exhaust to a system designed to for optimum power (I.e removing all restrictions like cats!) then it sounds like a full blown race car