New to Forum: Exhaust Advice
 

Greetings,

I am new and but have been reading for the last month and would like some advice on exhaust.

Currently I have a 98 and am considering headders (already have sitting at home) and cat bypass pipes with a stock muffler.

My goals are to have a throater sound under power with more volume but not to drastically affect the sound at cruse. Slight changes dont bother me (other car is a completely strait piped 135i) but as this is one of my primary drivers, I want to keep it mild.

Also, any other advised modifications?

Tune wise I have been looking around and havent seen much for the 2.5L cars, just fabspeed and Pedro's tune. I am heavily leaning toward the latter unless someone car give me a reason why not to.

Finally, are there any forseeable issues with running my car catless with out a tune (other than the cel being illuminated on the dash)?

Thanks for all the help and reading!

PPW

Depends on where you live. If you run on the street in Commiefornia your car can be impounded for running without working cats. :eek:

The best sounding exhaust is the Pedro bypass. It is also the least expensive.

Headers will make the car sound truly mean at high rpm, the heads however are notorious for snapping bolts and the connectors for the tubes are hardened splined rivets. Break any or both and what appears simple becomes a journey. You best google timesert just to know the possible perils.

Emissions aren't a concern.

I probably won't do the install for this reason.

Assuming it goes to plan how many hours should I expect?

Assuming it doesn't, how much of a journey is it to get a broken bolt out?

Also are there any ill effects of running carless with a tune?

If I was going to do the headers again, I'd wait till the off season and literally soak the bolts for ten or eleven days straight with penetrating oil. I'd then try to break the bolts free using the minimum force necessary. As for how hard are the repairs? Well if you break a bolt clean to the head now you have to drill it out and sleeve it, a tall task on your back; not to mention do it wrong and an exhaust leak is likely or worse. There is this system Maurice from LI knows of that literally freezes the bolts for easy removal, I'd get a price from a shop that had one and save my expertise for another repair. Carless with tune? lost me, if you run top up a lot be prepared for significantly higher exhaust volume than stock.

Catless with a tune.

Damn auto correct