is stromung exhaust good?

[barische]

my mom just promised me to buy me a exhaust system, and i m in hte process of searching for one. i was really leaning towards stromung i wanted to know what u guys think about stromung. i only have about 600 dolars for the exhaust and the installation. i know some mechanic guys so probably the installition will cost like 20-40 bucks. so i need a exhaust with price range down frrom $ 560. waiting for ur help. thank you guys

[Tyler]

You should check out www.understeer.com they have a Stromung Exhaust for a 318ti and it's $475. That's the exhaust i'm going to buy in a couple of months once i get some money put aside.

[bimmerboi318]

I recommend it. I have one and love it. It's all stainless, sounds great, and isnt overpriced. There are quite a few posts about exhausts here, so search those and they might help.

[barische]

ty guys. i m really leaning towards stromung now i just need to get the money

[bimmerboi318]

You wont regret it :)

[barische]

i have another question how long will the installation will take. is it gonna be easy, will i have to bend or weld any pieces. can u help me wiht the installation process
thank you guys so much.

[needle332rur]

two bolts that might brake because if rust and heat. when there off the only thing holding the exhaust on is three rubber hangers. sometimes hard to get off but put some greese or even WD-40 on em and they will slide off. if you do brake the bolts you'll have to drill em out and replace them (if your real lucky you can hammer them out. you can get bolts at any good auto store. (napa)

moral of the story- do everything you or your buddies can to not brake the bolts.

[barische]

thank you but i didnt understand this which bolts are u talkin about im nor familiar wiht the exhaust stuff. are u talkin about the ones that connects the exhaust pipes.

[bimmerboi318]

There are two bolts and two nuts that bolt the catback to the back of the cat. it's just a flange and if the bolts break (which they most likely will), they will just fall out. I dont think there's any need for drilling. Break the heads off and pull the old exhaust. The hangers fit a bit snug on the old exhaust, but a good prybar will make quick work in popping it free. The Stromung fits on the old hangers VERY easily because the ends of the brackets are bent instead of mushroomed to keep it in place. On a lift the exhaust took me about 25 minutes to replace. If you're on the ground, it will most likely take longer. Overall, it's worth tying on your own.

[barische]

are we talkin about the bolts that are already installed with the stock exhaust system.
thank u guys so much for clearing this out for me

[bimmerboi318]

Yes the bolts that are origionally on the stock system. You wont be able to reuse them. Get new ones. I forget the size...but whatever fits will work. I am using a couple not-so-great stove bolts (yes stove bolts) that are several sizes too small, with nice square shaped nuts. They were a temporary solution that became...permanent. They havent broken yet!

[barische]

ok man ty u so much. i would appreciate if u can tell me the size. and would i be able to get them from pep boys.

[motorsport]

http://rust.mine.nu/bmw/carselect.do this is a really good online parts manual with diagrams. It should show you the bolts that will be rusty as hell that bolt up to your catalytic converter. The hangers are just supports so your exhaust doesnt bounce up and down.

[barische]

ok guys today i took the car out and floored it little bit it was fun. but i have question. the only reason im gettin this stromung exhaust is for louder sound and increase performance. i looked under the car and i see that new system will be hooked behind the cat and te diameter of the exhaust seems to be big enough and i was thinkin that the new exhaust system wouldnt give me hp. can u guys tell me the results after putting in the stromung exhaust. all i care about is performance i dotn care much about the sound. the stock pipe and muffler seems to be pretty big. can u guys clear this out for me plz

[bimmerboi318]

I'm sure there is a performance difference with the Stomung installed, but it wasn't anything I was able to feel. It MIGHT feel a little quicker to rev in the higher rpms. It sounds 500 times better IMO. The stock exhaust was the same diameter pipe I think, but it also was crimped down in a couple spots to gain clearance around suspension components. The Stromung isn't crimped anywhere and the pipe diameter is consistent, but still fits fine under the car. The Stomung's muffler is also about half the size. The stock exhaust works pretty well, so if you're getting it for performance ONLY and dont care about the sound at all, you might be getting 5 or 6 hp for close to 500 bucks and might not be worth it. I'd go for something else like a chip. But if it's the sound you want, it's worth it IMO.

[barische]

OK MAN thanks alot i will be thinkin on this. there is not much many upg i could do wiht 600 dolars, i guess, i really dont feel like messin wiht the car chips and stuff. maybe i will get a new cd player and clear turn signals

[L84THSKY]

My Stromung exhaust came in last week. I haven't even opened the box yet. When I was doing the M3 shifter this last weekend, i took a look at the exhaust system. Someone said that a tool is needed to remove both oxygen sensors. Why is that, they look simple to remove? I bought from the dealer, all of the misc parts needed to replace the mufflers I.E. nuts, bolts and hangers.

Anyone want to see pics of the muffler before install, I will take pics of it in my garage tonight.











I'm sure there is a performance difference with the Stomung installed, but it wasn't anything I was able to feel. It MIGHT feel a little quicker to rev in the higher rpms. It sounds 500 times better IMO. The stock exhaust was the same diameter pipe I think, but it also was crimped down in a couple spots to gain clearance around suspension components. The Stromung isn't crimped anywhere and the pipe diameter is consistent, but still fits fine under the car. The Stomung's muffler is also about half the size. The stock exhaust works pretty well, so if you're getting it for performance ONLY and dont care about the sound at all, you might be getting 5 or 6 hp for close to 500 bucks and might not be worth it. I'd go for something else like a chip. But if it's the sound you want, it's worth it IMO.

[L84THSKY]

Just installed the Stromung exhaust today. On the way home from my brother's house, the only noticeable difference was I had to turn up the CD player's volume to hear it. Car sounds alot louder, and haven't noticed any performance gain. I guess I will have to wait and see.


I'm sure there is a performance difference with the Stomung installed, but it wasn't anything I was able to feel. It MIGHT feel a little quicker to rev in the higher rpms. It sounds 500 times better IMO. The stock exhaust was the same diameter pipe I think, but it also was crimped down in a couple spots to gain clearance around suspension components. The Stromung isn't crimped anywhere and the pipe diameter is consistent, but still fits fine under the car. The Stomung's muffler is also about half the size. The stock exhaust works pretty well, so if you're getting it for performance ONLY and dont care about the sound at all, you might be getting 5 or 6 hp for close to 500 bucks and might not be worth it. I'd go for something else like a chip. But if it's the sound you want, it's worth it IMO.

[bmw318tiChic]

I've been wanting to get new exhaust for my car too. Is the sound of the Stromung exhaust really deep? I don't want it to end up sounding like all of those Civics and Integras.. I want it deep.. not like a bumblebee in a can.

[swits]

Check out http://understeer.com. If you scroll to the bottom, they have a few videos of a ti driving around with a Stromung exhaust. =)

[L84THSKY]

I was gonna make a few MPG video files for people to listen to the exhaust. Like Swits said, you can hear the exhaust at understeer.com. To be honest, it sounds like someone took my stock exhaust, and punched a hole in it. Not sure if I like it yet, but will keep it on anyway.

I've been wanting to get new exhaust for my car too. Is the sound of the Stromung exhaust really deep? I don't want it to end up sounding like all of those Civics and Integras.. I want it deep.. not like a bumblebee in a can.

[L84THSKY]

This weekend, I will make a video of the sound.
Here are 2 pics of the muffler.
I'm starting to get used to the muffler. It's not too loud, and definitely doesn't sound like a ricer.

http://www.geocities.com/l84thsky/Exhaust.JPG

http://www.geocities.com/l84thsky/ExhaustTip.JPG



I've been wanting to get new exhaust for my car too. Is the sound of the Stromung exhaust really deep? I don't want it to end up sounding like all of those Civics and Integras.. I want it deep.. not like a bumblebee in a can.

[L84THSKY]

This is a link to 4 videos I made. Three are about the Stromung muffler, the other one shows the short shifter....ENJOY




I've been wanting to get new exhaust for my car too. Is the sound of the Stromung exhaust really deep? I don't want it to end up sounding like all of those Civics and Integras.. I want it deep.. not like a bumblebee in a can.
http://iris.nyit.edu/~egrodsky/BMW/318ti.html

[bimmerboi318]

L84THSKY: Notice any change in the tone yet? It should change noticably for the first few weeks of use. I think it took about a month or so for mine to break in fully.

[L84THSKY]

It sounded a little ricey last night when I was leaving school. I think in the end, it will be considered a purely non performance upgrade. It sounds cool at times, but I doubt the change in sound is worth $500.00 in itself.

Anyone interested in buying the stock muffler system? The car only has 35K miles on it, and the muffler looks great.


L84THSKY: Notice any change in the tone yet? It should change noticably for the first few weeks of use. I think it took about a month or so for mine to break in fully.

[Panzer_M]

did my on my own, within a week of getting my Ti.

The OEM exhaust was being a bitch so I cut the rubber gaskets with my dremel.

then had to buy new ones.

live and learn

[L84THSKY]

I had the same problem. The only difficult part of the Stroming install, was getting the old rubber donuts off the rear. I used a small hacksaw. I'm actually very happy with the sound now.


did my on my own, within a week of getting my Ti.

The OEM exhaust was being a bitch so I cut the rubber gaskets with my dremel.

then had to buy new ones.

live and learn