Universal Mufflers

[NoahChamberlain]

Hello. I own a 96' with a 104,000 miles, in very very good condition. I haven't done a whole lot of performance mods... the biggest one would be a Bavarian Autosport Powerflow Intake. I'd love to do some Dinan upgrades but I don't have the money. So, with that in mind, I would upgrade the exhaust. I looked at a few systems, the cheapest being $600 for a Bav Autosport Bolt On Exhaust System. Brings me to my next question...

VOLT Stainless Steel Oval Muffler
Inlet 2 1/4"
Outlet 4.7" x 3.2" OVAL
Length 24"


Looking a performance universal fit muffler from Meineke... I could get everything installed for $200, so they say. My question is, is it a risk? I had a universal muffler with my old Sunfire... and yes I know this car is nothing like a Sunfire but just the same, my mechanic told me not to molest my car with anything universal. Has anyone had an experience with these mufflers?

[madfronter]

What ever you do don't go with a universal exhaust unless you want a fart mobile. If you can save up 200 then hold onto it and save another 300 and get a real exhaust. You can get a Supersprint exhaust for about 500.00. Thats a great price. That price is from BMP Design.

[96cali]

$600 is NOT the cheapest for a ti exhaust. Stromung is around $300 and is full stainless cat back available from understeer.com. Supersprint non-full stainless is around $500 like madfronter said. Lots of others in the $200-$300 range. Here is a little write up:

http://www.unofficialbmw.com/e36/performance/e36_ti_exhaust_test.html

Most seem to not be available here stateside but SS, Bosal, Stromung, Triflow and Dinan are all commonly used. Do a search for exhausts or cat back.

[L84THSKY]

Stromung is $500.00 from Understeer, I just bought one.


$600 is NOT the cheapest for a ti exhaust. Stromung is around $300 and is full stainless cat back available from understeer.com. Supersprint non-full stainless is around $500 like madfronter said. Lots of others in the $200-$300 range. Here is a little write up:

http://www.unofficialbmw.com/e36/performance/e36_ti_exhaust_test.html

Most seem to not be available here stateside but SS, Bosal, Stromung, Triflow and Dinan are all commonly used. Do a search for exhausts or cat back.

[gadgetphreak]

I love the SuperSprint on my ti, the sound is great under acceleration and not loud at freeway speeds... And it looks great too.

[NoahChamberlain]

where is the 300 exhaust on understeer? i went into the exhaust section and the cheapest one i saw was 475?... 300 would be right in my range...

[NoahChamberlain]

also, i read in the exhaust review that the superspring 2 will not fit the stock rear bumper exhaust pipe area... will the $475 one fit? (im guessing that might be a supersprint 1)

[lkwd318ti]

I'm going to get the Supersprint 1 (the rectangular tip one that's $475). I saw a ti with it and it looks like it fits perfectly with the stock rear bumper. Sounds really nice too.

[1996 328ti]

The dual tip will not fit the sport bumper. You need to cut a larger hole.
Or you can buy a 323ti rear valance. I don't know about the fit on a reguler bumber.

[aceyx]

again, owner of the most ghetto ti speaking:

i have a $34 "enforcer" generic model exhaust that i cut and welded into the pipes. it's not terribly loud, certainly less raspy than stock, but i very much doubt it (or any universal) adds any performance.

mine had rusted quite a bit (i ski a lot so the car sees quite a bit of salt) and i needed to pass inspection, thus the cob job.


do the installation yourself (easy as pie) and use that money towards getting something that will last longer and is made specifically for your vehicle. had i not done it myself, i don't hesitate to think that somebody would charge $150 to cut and weld just the muffler in. so if you go with the meineke, you're probably only getting $50 worth of muffler.

[L84THSKY]

The Stromung that is a direct fit for your car is $475.00 plus shipping. It is a no brainer getting it in, and it fits perfect.

I have videos of the sound of it on my car.

http://iris.nyit.edu/~egrodsky/BMW/318ti.html


where is the 300 exhaust on understeer? i went into the exhaust section and the cheapest one i saw was 475?... 300 would be right in my range...

[96cali]

where is the 300 exhaust on understeer? i went into the exhaust section and the cheapest one i saw was 475?... 300 would be right in my range...

Sorry, I am misinformed. Listen to L84thsky. Think they used to be considerably cheaper.:confused:

[mickd]

BMP design has a Hartge single oval tip replacement muffler for the ti on sale right now for $295, thought this was a good deal. http://www.bmpdesign.com/bimmer_bargains/

[gooten1]

The hartge is basically a stock muffler with an oval tip, right? Or am I misinformed?

[mickd]

Sorry for the late reply, I would think the Hartge was a free flow design, but I could be wrong. I do know that Hartge is a very reputable BMW aftermarket brand and very well known for their tuner cars, as you probably know. I thought since you only needed a muffler this might be an economical way to go rather than buying a complete cat-back.

[mickd]

Just checked the Hartge website, this must be a dicontinued item, it isn't listed. Only rear silencer they had was for a 316i and didn't have any description. Found this site, might help with your decision http://www.hmsmotorsport.com/store.php?method=cat&m=13&sub=1367&thisPage=1#1384. BMP design is good to work with, you should just call and get their comments on this muffler.