Installed Agency Power Ti Tip Axle-Back on N55

[tjswarbrick]

Got this in the mail the other day:





A little shinier. A little smaller. A lot lighter!



Oh. I guess this is where it goes:



Success!



Pretty blue tips match the pretty blue car...



Thanks to some wonderful previous postings on here, I only fought with the isolators/mounts for about an hour total - in and out. Not too bad, really.

Ceramic "doughnut" gasket wouldn't come off the midpipe. So I left it on, and stored the new one away with the OEM muffler.

Only big hangup was Agency supplied new spring-bolts with 10mm fine (1.25) thread. Weld-Nuts and original BMW parts are 10mm Coarse (1.50).

So, trying to get it in there, I kinda chewed the first couple threads on the nut. Which then honked up the threads on the bolts. Bought a tap and die to clean 'em out. Die was great. Didn't use the tap - just ran shorter coarse bolts through the nuts from the other end a couple times.

But working under the car for that long, my arms and shoulders gave out. I just couldn't align the flanges to install the funky bolts. So I put one 50mm bolt in, and used another as a stud on the other side to secure with a flange nut. At least it was good enough to drive to a muffler shop for final installation. Except the guy was at a wedding, so I used a generic repair shop in the same strip mall. Guy was kind of a gorilla, but with my guidance (and wincing) got the job done in about 20 minutes for $50.

Considering my stealer wants $32 for each bolt (+13 per spring!) I got off pretty easy.

This must have been patterned off the BMW PE.
Just loud enough to hear over the road noise up to low freeway speeds (65-70), no drone, silent at 2k rpm. Adds a nice blatt to the sound, fitting for my E88 "roadster." Unobtrusive but growly at low throttle. Nice exotic rasp as I open it up. A few extra pops and burbles. But, even with the new intake and open cowl, not appreciably louder than stock.
Keep in mind I used the stock N55 midpipe, so still have the resonator in there.
I can understand people going to the Berk Race for more volume and intensity, but this is exactly what I was looking for. (I wanted a PE, but keep the resonator. This was cheaper, lighter, I didn't have to sell anything, and the tips are more distinctive.) Really digging it!

[Gangplank]

Looks great. Concern w/ adding drone is why I've kept the stock exhaust. Do you have a 6mt or DCT?

[tjswarbrick]

6MT.
With the stock resonator, I can't imagine it would pose a problem with DCT, though.

[cmacclel]

I was going to go with the Agency as well but read it was not much louder than the stock system so I went with the AF-E which is definitely louder but not overbearing and has no drone. Thanks for the write up.

[tjswarbrick]

That's exactly what I heard.
Maybe I'm getting old - not much louder than stock appealed to me, and suits me just fine!

In my young days, threw an HKS axle back and CAI on a Sentra SE-R (1st gen). Loved it at speed - sounded so sweet spinning past 6 grand!
But grew to hate it everywhere else. A little drone, but mostly just too noisey.
Not that I expect the Afe setup on a resonated turbo 6 to even approach that...

[tjswarbrick]

Silent at 70mph on the highway.
Cruising at 75-80 I can just make out a burble.

Top down alone or with one fun-loving passenger, I hear it and say "what sounds so awesome? Oh yeah. It's me!"

Roof closed, shuttling kids and seniors about, it's plenty loud enough. Though nobody has mentioned it yet. (2 days.)

[GoodMoodley]

Originally Posted by tjswarbrick

Silent at 70mph on the highway.
Cruising at 75-80 I can just make out a burble.

Top down alone or with one fun-loving passenger, I hear it and say "what sounds so awesome? Oh yeah. It's me!"

Roof closed, shuttling kids and seniors about, it's plenty loud enough. Though nobody has mentioned it yet. (2 days.)

Considering this myself. Any updates. Have you found anything you don't like?

[tjswarbrick]

Nope.
Like it top up commuting.
Love it top down driving!

Got the car back from shop today (hydraulic line). When they fired it up, I was thinking "what's that? Sounds beefy"

It's me!

Sounds deeper and louder from outside than from the driver's seat.

[instroke]

awesome review - thinking of getting one as well, how is it on cold start up?

[tjswarbrick]

I did the golf tee mod long before getting this exhaust, and now have an MHD 91oct Stage1 tune.
I think cold start is quieter than stock. Just a little deeper. Just loud enough to let you know it's happening, and settles down quickly.