05-06-2013, 03:03 PM | #1 |
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BMW x5m to x5 50i muffler conversion story..
prelude:
the e70 50i is a great car; there is no doubt about it; on the other hand, when it comes to finding the aftermarket exhaust , it seems that this is one of the few cars, where manufacturer did everything they could to place stop on all the mods [the exhaust including]; I have been puzzled for a few weeks; obviously getting the only "reasonable" option [dinan's free flow system] for $4k installed was not a tempting alternative.. I have been scoping the forum; there have been plenty of discussions regarding similarities and differences between the x5m and 50i;in this particular situation the bumper was the biggest obstacle; the 50i has two oval/irregularly shaped holes that have the ugly stock tips in them.. luckily for the x5m crowd there is a plenty of exhaust options that could be easily installed as it goes underneath the bumper should i swap a bumper? but then i have to with fender flares and other mods to make it match; besides it was supposed to be on the budget project.. I was puzzled for quite a few days after hours of constant research I finally reached the conclusion; I'll get the x5M muffler and just make it happen; as i sure found out afterwards the phrase "make it happen" is not that common among technician working on the exhaust :P inspired by the megan racing exhaust thread i went for the titanium blue tips muffler; yes it is similar to what "honda fart-can" used to had.. but on the bimmer it would look awesome; 3" tips in the staggered quad? sounds sweet doesn't it? here is a pic of megan racing muffler: i have received the megan racing muffler as promised, and this is where the issue started: 3 different shops have told me that trying to "make it happen" is impossible lol and then MikeX5 aka PnoyBmw2 recommended the AMS Autowerks... i was skeptical at first, but as you scroll down to the end of this post you will understand why I'm totally sold to these guys now it is passion over the business .. the main act: I have arrived at the AMS HQ in NJ: and rite from the beginning Diogo and he crew start to "chop off my car into pieces; lol cutting out the stock exhaust was painful to watch, here is the stock 50i muffler along with the megan's: since the piping system is totally different, the Megan muffler went on the chopping block first: and this is how the piping looks like on 5.0i without the muffler can: assembling the muffler can was a piece of cake - it is a direct fit.. then here is the portion which scarred me the most; Diogo and a crew had a "we have to get it done" attitude, which kind of kept me wanting to do this.. we begun trimming the weight of the x5 by cutting holes... putting these custom angled pipes was a headache.. and making it match with the angle on the other side it was a challenge: the epilogue: the final product looks and sound was just what i expected;
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Last edited by chrisnyc; 05-06-2013 at 03:32 PM.. |
05-06-2013, 06:14 PM | #2 |
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Looks and sounds good. Looks like they did have to do some proper chopping when you look at the pipes under the X5.
Only thing left is for you is to remove the fake ///M badge and you're in good shape. |
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05-06-2013, 06:45 PM | #3 |
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Glad it worked out in the end man. Any vids of it revving or take off?
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05-06-2013, 08:53 PM | #4 | |
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Yeah they had to trim half an inch of bumper support and remove the thermocoating.. It always makes the truck lighter.. And yeah the m badge is coming off lol
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05-06-2013, 08:57 PM | #5 | |
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Thanks a lot; it's been a project.. Lol i've tried to figure out why is it so complicated to bend and weld pipes... Yeah a vid is here; it sounds like a harley thou i guess it depends how far the mic is from the exhaust..
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Last edited by chrisnyc; 05-07-2013 at 08:10 AM.. |
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05-06-2013, 09:32 PM | #6 | ||
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05-07-2013, 08:11 AM | #8 |
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hmm the overall cost parts+labor was less than $900 where the part was $450ish
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05-07-2013, 08:13 AM | #9 |
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Why did you put a M badge on it? I don't understand that.
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05-07-2013, 09:03 AM | #10 |
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05-07-2013, 12:43 PM | #13 | |
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It sounds muscular thou That was one of the reasons i decided to go with Megan over the entirely custom build system.. Coz you have no idea how it will end up sounding i use the car 4 out of 7 days a week and cannot afford a lot of drone
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05-07-2013, 09:51 PM | #14 |
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dude sounds beast, nice job. and thanks for the other vid pnoybmw2.
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10-29-2015, 02:09 PM | #16 | |
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10-29-2015, 03:50 PM | #17 |
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I opted to go with flowmaster mufflers and had an exhaust shop make custom dual tips... it sounds about the same, it sounds normal during regular driving but really aggressive during WOT.
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10-30-2015, 08:25 PM | #18 |
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I did the same. I had my local custom shop cut out the stock muffler and save the stock tips and put in two 14 inch bodied Magnaflows. Looks stock from the rear but sounds much better. Nice growl at ideal, quiet when cruising on the highway and sounds like the Megan in the video when nailing it.
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11-02-2015, 10:05 AM | #19 | |
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11-02-2015, 10:29 AM | #20 |
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11-02-2015, 11:11 AM | #21 | |
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11-05-2015, 01:07 AM | #22 |
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Did mine few months ago
Sound great and more oomph
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