[e92_bryan]

So first of all I can’t really justify spending $800 on aftermarket heades, because even tho the gains are nice, I could spend the money of other mods instead.
However I did manage to pick up an extra set of headers sort of...
These had the cats cut off so I really just have exhaust manifolds and then the 2nd portion of the headers that hold the rear O2 sensors
I could easily get a pipe welded in where the cats would go, but then I have to swap them for my catted headers, and I think we all know this is a doable but time consuming porject and I would need to do it plus buy new gaskets and seals every time I swap them for smog purposes ( I live in california)
But I also know a lof of people in the jdm scene simple cut out the cats and put in a “test pipe” with flanges on both sides for easy swaps
I’m wondering if this would be an easier route
Only part that wouldn’t be swapped would be the manifolds, I’m have the cats cut off right where they start and remove them with the 2nd portion of the headers, and just swap the rear O2 into the test pipe later. And the testpipe would start as a flange from the manifolds, all the way to where the 2nd cats start

Not sure if I’m not looking into it enough
But swapping out 2 test pipes for smog seems a lot easier than swapping complete headers
But will flanges fit in there?

[justrokkit]

The converters do create some bottleneck, but it's negligible if it's behind the OEM exhaust manifolds. If you want to gain some performance, you might be able to come out in between if you look for the equal(ish)-length 330i manifolds from Europe.

[e92_bryan]

Originally Posted by justrokkit

The converters do create some bottleneck, but it's negligible if it's behind the OEM exhaust manifolds. If you want to gain some performance, you might be able to come out in between if you look for the equal(ish)-length 330i manifolds from Europe.

Not quite sure what you mean by converters. Are you talking about when the 3 inlets turn into 1?
My plan is basically to run the oem exhaust manifold and then a straight pipe after that with an X pipe somewhere after where the primary cats should be
I’m alredy nkt running muffler, resonator or secondary cat, already aware backpressure is gonna be low, I’ll try to find a few ways to tweek it but I also want my car to be stupid loud haha

And the exhaust manifold I picked up used is from a 330 but i doubt its any different and I just want a wuick little project for the weekend
Not trying to spend 900+ or go hunting for parts

[e92_bryan]

Sorry I’m super tired and I just realized what you men by converters, I just call them cats lol.
But yeah that bottle neck effect will be gone, for now the only plan to add backpresure is an X pipe

[justrokkit]

For the purpose of clarifying, I was talking about something like this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Orig-BMW-E9...0AAOSw5ZBWPge1

It's the European 330i exhaust manifold.

But I doubt that'd matter to you if you just want your car to be really loud. But if you remove everything that dampens and smooths your exhaust, I'd expect the sound to be really unattractive since the OEM exhaust manifold design is both very unequal and very short in runner length.

[e92_bryan]

Originally Posted by justrokkit

For the purpose of clarifying, I was talking about something like this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Orig-BMW-E9...0AAOSw5ZBWPge1

It's the European 330i exhaust manifold.

But I doubt that'd matter to you if you just want your car to be really loud. But if you remove everything that dampens and smooths your exhaust, I'd expect the sound to be really unattractive since the OEM exhaust manifold design is both very unequal and very short in runner length.

Yeah I’m not trying to run any cats, so no euro 330i manifold
And uhm to each their own on the noise🤷🏻*♂️
So people like it screeming loud
And others think that a resonator delete is too extreme and are really bothered by drone

But I think playing around with the x pipe maybe switching part of the exhaust to a latger diameter would give it a nice tone
In my mind cars were never meant tho have exhaust systems, I’m just setting a caged animal free😂

[308win]

interesting, im in the same boat. Who want go spend like 1000 ? on headers????


Keep me updated, i may be doing something similar! how are you gonna go around the CEL?

[e92_bryan]

If I wasn’t a broke college student I’md probably👀 spend a grand😂 but thats if I was going all out

That being said, no local exauhst shop wants to even touch my car bc removing cats is super illegal in CA
So I’m going to a private welder, so i’m gonna have to take my cats off myself and take another car to him so be can mock up my chopped up headers to look like the oem ones. I heard its a long project, but I just picked up all the necesarry tools for the job, except the manifold gaskets and O rings that I can’t find anywhere😡
But once I find those, I’ll take the cats off myself
Hopefully next week since I don’t have school

As for the CEL light, its just a light lol, its gonna be a little annoying but I’m sure the noise and power wil make up for it

Curious if the headers will make a mor enoticeable difference than when i did a k&n drop in/charchoal delete/ intake silcencer delete in the same day
Those 3 mods alone made my car feel new