Experimenting with Mufflers and Not-So-Shocking insides of TopSpeed Exhaust

BrianMN · 04-21-2010, 08:47 PM

About a month ago I decided I'd give the TopSpeed Exhaust a try..I, like many thought, "For 5-6-700 bucks, what've I got to lose?" I got it and was very impressed with the worksmanship of the tubing and the perfect fitment. I could tell right away that the welds on the pipes/flanges were double layered (Another layer around the penetrated weld, just for the nice look), but it all seemed sound. It sounded great for a couple days, and then the ricey rasp started flowing. After a couple weeks, the rasp was so unbearable that I was literally embarrassed to go past 1/2 throttle or rev above 2k rpms. It was disgusting.
I should not that I do have catless downpipes, so that probably made the rasp worse, but I see videos of cars with OEM DPs and they still have quite a bit.

After tearing this exhaust apart, it makes perfect sense why this system sounds like a cracked-out Iroc-Z Camaro

I figured this exhaust was a perfect system to 'experiment' with. Like many of my projects, it resulted out of boredom and wanting to try something different.

My objectives for the custom exhaust setup was to have an exhaust that :
- had the least resistance as possible
- was as quiet or barely louder than stock
- I wouldn't be embarrassed to rev past 2k or 1/2 throttle
- was Maintenance Free (No Packing to replace)

So, onto cutting apart the TopSpeed Exhaust.

I started out by eliminating the H-Pipe that came on the system.
Once cutting out the connecting pipe, it revealed the half-assed holes in each of the pipes... (Picture 1) I can't believe they didn't spend another 5 minutes and cut the holes large enough to fill up the connecting pipe.

I assumed this would take out a bit of the rasp, but I put it on and it didn't help at all.
It gets better though...

Onto the Mufflers:
Cutting the top off of these mufflers revealed the reason for the rasp. The design is simple…a straight through, perforated pipe surrounded by fiberglass-style packing. This is the same design you find in all of the Civics, Integra’s, and every ricer with a fart can on the back of it. It is great for reducing restriction, but when the packing closest to the pipe gets hardened with carbon/exhaust, it sure does sound horrible. Another thing that I do not understand is why TopSpeed only perforated ½ of the pipe through the muffler. This would have allowed for more packing to muffle the sound, but not much.

So now onto the re-design of the mufflers. I am by no means an expert about muffler technology; I simply got ideas from the designs of other mufflers and made my own version. In the process, I learned it is all about deflecting the sound waves and pulses into the packing and back into each other (cancelling the sound). With that in mind, I tried to make the design as ‘complicated’ as I could within the space of the TopSpeed Mufflers. For the baffles/chambers, I used 16g sheet metal and welded it to the inside bottom/sides, and the packing I used was FMF 4-stroke packing for motocross bikes…miles better than the stuff that came in the mufflers.

The Results: I didn’t know what to expect by doing this, and I was prepared to think of it as an experiment and not be disappointed if it didn’t work. That said, I could not be any happier with the way it turned out. The new mufflers are incredibly quiet--with very similar sound to the OEM exhaust…the same note, same tone, same volume, same everything…except without all the restriction.
This project is going to make my car exponentially more enjoyable to drive…Especially with the summer months coming up. I suggest it to all who want to quiet down their exhaust without breaking the bank!

Before Video can be found here:

After video can be found here:

cn555ic · 04-21-2010, 08:53 PM

WOW...thats alot of work! Great job!

onefastman · 04-21-2010, 09:03 PM

Very very cool but I am willing to bet that that is pretty restrictive

BrianMN · 04-21-2010, 09:37 PM

Thanks for the kind replies! It was a lot of work! As far as restrictions - I'm sure its not as free as possible, but the openings for all the chambers are rather large..the air is by no means choked, it just has to go around the maze to get through. Yes this creates turbulence. This also 'muffles'
Brian

klipseracer · 04-21-2010, 09:50 PM

Vids or....

GreenPlease · 04-21-2010, 10:54 PM

Got to give you props for effort but I'm afraid that design will produce a lot of turbulence and therefore be very restrictive.

Sniz · 04-22-2010, 09:14 AM

so thats where my white long underwear went to....been looking for those.

Funkmob · 04-22-2010, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sniz

so thats where my white long underwear went to....been looking for those.

Whats your underwear doing in his garage ?

Aridk · 04-22-2010, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Funkmob

Whats your underwear doing in his garage ?

Lol I dont´t want´t to know

Tiago@VRSF · 04-22-2010, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenPlease

Got to give you props for effort but I'm afraid that design will produce a lot of turbulence and therefore be very restrictive.

This.

Can't say Top speed has the best muffler design but yours is 10x worse. You are creating a ton of back pressure by creating all those baffles which is what you don't want in a turbo'd car.

The stock cats are less restrictive than those mufflers....

ar design · 04-22-2010, 12:00 PM

As others have stated, you're creating a lot of back pressure and turbulence. At the end of the day, you get what you pay for.

You'd be better off with the OEM exhaust.

BrianMN · 04-22-2010, 12:27 PM

as stated in the original post...this was an experiment and nothing more. I am not portraying this as anything other than a cheap exhaust that I hacked apart to see what would happen. That said, these were the results.

this design DOES produce a lot of turbulence in the mufflers....whether or not it reaches or affects the turbos, in my opinion is tough to determine because there so much open pipe between the turbos and the mufflers.

This baffle/chamber design is found in many aftermarket mufflers as well as almost every production vehicle. Take a peek around Flowmaster.com and other muffler companies' sites...

Simply put: I wanted to see if I could make my car quiet without any cats or resonators, and this design accomplished that.

cu_north · 04-22-2010, 12:49 PM

Do you have before and after vids/sound clips?

Qmax03 · 04-22-2010, 02:48 PM

the first design is actually good for a turbo car, less restrictive, i see where your coming from to make it a BETTER design in terms of sound, but as far as performance its good.

BrianMN · 04-22-2010, 03:43 PM

I only have an after video...for a before sound, I imagine it as a Hyundai Elantra GT with the headers taken off. I don't mean to seem so hateful of the TopSpeed system....it just sounds THAT bad

*low quality* Video of this can be found at:

QMax and other TopSpeed Owners- I'm curious to hear your thoughts of your TopSpeed exhaust set up. Do you like it? How about with catless DPs? Please post up videos for comparisons!

Sniz · 04-22-2010, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Funkmob

Whats your underwear doing in his garage ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aridk

Lol I dont´t want´t to know

wsybert · 04-22-2010, 09:42 PM

OP, you may want to read this post. May give you what you are looking for.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...rant+resonator

Car Enthusiast · 04-22-2010, 11:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ar design

As others have stated, you're creating a lot of back pressure and turbulence. At the end of the day, you get what you pay for.

You'd be better off with the OEM exhaust.

Not true. With these cars you don't always get what you pay for when it comes to aftermarket parts. There's way too many companies trying to rip off BMW owners with $1300+ exhausts that just make absolutely no sense. I really DO NOT care if our parts are handmade in a laboratory by scientists in NYC with the rarest metals in the world.

More companies need to make an effort to offer us solid, reliable, good quality parts at fair prices. Those that do will deservedly make serious bank. I applaud Top Speed for at least trying to offer our community a very decently priced product that has received mostly positive reviews.

BrianMN · 04-23-2010, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Car Enthusiast

Not true. With these cars you don't always get what you pay for when it comes to aftermarket parts. There's way too many companies trying to rip off BMW owners with $1300+ exhausts that just make absolutely no sense. I really DO NOT care if our parts are handmade in a laboratory by scientists in NYC with the rarest metals in the world.

More companies need to make an effort to offer us solid, reliable, good quality parts at fair prices. Those that do will deservedly make serious bank. I applaud Top Speed for at least trying to offer our community a very decently priced product that has received mostly positive reviews.

Well said.

I too applaud Topspeed (and now M2 and other companies selling the identical thing) for selling a 'reasonable' exhaust....and with OEM DPs, this exhaust system probably does sound great.

In my case, with catless DPs, I simply do not prefer the volume and note produced by this exhaust system.

BrianMN · 04-23-2010, 10:48 AM

And here is a video of the exhaust before:

Qmax03 · 04-23-2010, 11:41 AM

To be honest, everywhere i go i get compliments on my exhaust, YES it loud but what do you expect from a completly cattless system ? i went to a euro meet a couple night ago and alot of ppl wanted to know where the exhasut was from... i have barely any drone as well.. i really think it sounds nice. i meet a couple e90post guys and also got compliments on the exhaust tone. For $500- to me its one of the best exhaust for the $$$ ..

Then again im 26Years old , i might be in a diffrent ago catagory and like this sound lol.

04-21-2010, 08:47 PM	#1
BrianMN Banned 114 Rep 2,428 Posts Drives: 4 Door Family Sedan Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Minneapolis iTrader: (7)	Experimenting with Mufflers and Not-So-Shocking insides of TopSpeed Exhaust About a month ago I decided I'd give the TopSpeed Exhaust a try..I, like many thought, "For 5-6-700 bucks, what've I got to lose?" I got it and was very impressed with the worksmanship of the tubing and the perfect fitment. I could tell right away that the welds on the pipes/flanges were double layered (Another layer around the penetrated weld, just for the nice look), but it all seemed sound. It sounded great for a couple days, and then the ricey rasp started flowing. After a couple weeks, the rasp was so unbearable that I was literally embarrassed to go past 1/2 throttle or rev above 2k rpms. It was disgusting. I should not that I do have catless downpipes, so that probably made the rasp worse, but I see videos of cars with OEM DPs and they still have quite a bit. After tearing this exhaust apart, it makes perfect sense why this system sounds like a cracked-out Iroc-Z Camaro I figured this exhaust was a perfect system to 'experiment' with. Like many of my projects, it resulted out of boredom and wanting to try something different. My objectives for the custom exhaust setup was to have an exhaust that : - had the least resistance as possible - was as quiet or barely louder than stock - I wouldn't be embarrassed to rev past 2k or 1/2 throttle - was Maintenance Free (No Packing to replace) So, onto cutting apart the TopSpeed Exhaust. I started out by eliminating the H-Pipe that came on the system. Once cutting out the connecting pipe, it revealed the half-assed holes in each of the pipes... (Picture 1) I can't believe they didn't spend another 5 minutes and cut the holes large enough to fill up the connecting pipe. I assumed this would take out a bit of the rasp, but I put it on and it didn't help at all. It gets better though... Onto the Mufflers: Cutting the top off of these mufflers revealed the reason for the rasp. The design is simple…a straight through, perforated pipe surrounded by fiberglass-style packing. This is the same design you find in all of the Civics, Integra’s, and every ricer with a fart can on the back of it. It is great for reducing restriction, but when the packing closest to the pipe gets hardened with carbon/exhaust, it sure does sound horrible. Another thing that I do not understand is why TopSpeed only perforated ½ of the pipe through the muffler. This would have allowed for more packing to muffle the sound, but not much. So now onto the re-design of the mufflers. I am by no means an expert about muffler technology; I simply got ideas from the designs of other mufflers and made my own version. In the process, I learned it is all about deflecting the sound waves and pulses into the packing and back into each other (cancelling the sound). With that in mind, I tried to make the design as ‘complicated’ as I could within the space of the TopSpeed Mufflers. For the baffles/chambers, I used 16g sheet metal and welded it to the inside bottom/sides, and the packing I used was FMF 4-stroke packing for motocross bikes…miles better than the stuff that came in the mufflers. The Results: I didn’t know what to expect by doing this, and I was prepared to think of it as an experiment and not be disappointed if it didn’t work. That said, I could not be any happier with the way it turned out. The new mufflers are incredibly quiet--with very similar sound to the OEM exhaust…the same note, same tone, same volume, same everything…except without all the restriction. This project is going to make my car exponentially more enjoyable to drive…Especially with the summer months coming up. I suggest it to all who want to quiet down their exhaust without breaking the bank! Before Video can be found here: After video can be found here: Attached Images Last edited by BrianMN; 04-23-2010 at 10:51 AM..
	Appreciate 0 Tweet Quote

04-21-2010, 08:53 PM	#2
cn555ic 442 Rep 18,331 Posts Drives: 335i Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: US iTrader: (6)	WOW...thats alot of work! Great job!
	Appreciate 0 Quote

04-21-2010, 09:03 PM	#3
onefastman Major General 159 Rep 5,689 Posts Drives: 2009 135i 2011 e92m dct Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Earth iTrader: (15)	Very very cool but I am willing to bet that that is pretty restrictive __________________ Legal Disclaimer: Anything I or anyone else says about my vehicle on this website(1addicts.com or any affiliated or nonaffiliated sites), pertaining to modifications, is only to gain acceptance from my/our peers, and does not actually represent anything actually existing on my car, and thus, cannot be held against me in any issues, i.e. warranty claims, that may arise.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

04-21-2010, 09:37 PM	#4
BrianMN Banned 114 Rep 2,428 Posts Drives: 4 Door Family Sedan Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Minneapolis iTrader: (7)	Thanks for the kind replies! It was a lot of work! As far as restrictions - I'm sure its not as free as possible, but the openings for all the chambers are rather large..the air is by no means choked, it just has to go around the maze to get through. Yes this creates turbulence. This also 'muffles' Brian Last edited by BrianMN; 04-22-2010 at 03:48 PM..
	Appreciate 0 Quote

04-21-2010, 09:50 PM	#5
klipseracer Banned 219 Rep 3,012 Posts Drives: 2007 E90 335i, 05 E46 330i Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Arizona iTrader: (27) Garage List 2007 335i [0.00] 2005 330i [0.00]	Vids or....
	Appreciate 0 Quote

04-21-2010, 10:54 PM	#6
GreenPlease Lieutenant Colonel 131 Rep 1,629 Posts Drives: BMW 335i e92 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Orlando Florida iTrader: (2)	Got to give you props for effort but I'm afraid that design will produce a lot of turbulence and therefore be very restrictive. __________________ Cars>Women
	Appreciate 0 Quote

04-22-2010, 09:14 AM	#7
Sniz Lieutenant General 661 Rep 10,587 Posts Drives: e92 335 - gone // e36 M3 turbo Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Ellicott City, MD iTrader: (1)	so thats where my white long underwear went to....been looking for those. __________________
	Appreciate 0 Quote

04-22-2010, 12:00 PM	#11
ar design 297 Rep 4,408 Posts Drives: 04 M3 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Denver, CO iTrader: (9)	As others have stated, you're creating a lot of back pressure and turbulence. At the end of the day, you get what you pay for. You'd be better off with the OEM exhaust. __________________ -Critter
	Appreciate 0 Quote

04-22-2010, 12:27 PM	#12
BrianMN Banned 114 Rep 2,428 Posts Drives: 4 Door Family Sedan Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Minneapolis iTrader: (7)	as stated in the original post...this was an experiment and nothing more. I am not portraying this as anything other than a cheap exhaust that I hacked apart to see what would happen. That said, these were the results. this design DOES produce a lot of turbulence in the mufflers....whether or not it reaches or affects the turbos, in my opinion is tough to determine because there so much open pipe between the turbos and the mufflers. This baffle/chamber design is found in many aftermarket mufflers as well as almost every production vehicle. Take a peek around Flowmaster.com and other muffler companies' sites... Simply put: I wanted to see if I could make my car quiet without any cats or resonators, and this design accomplished that.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

04-22-2010, 12:49 PM	#13
cu_north Seasoned Lurker 4 Rep 160 Posts Drives: 2007 E90 335i Black/Black Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: AZ iTrader: (0)	Do you have before and after vids/sound clips?
	Appreciate 0 Quote

04-22-2010, 02:48 PM	#14
Qmax03 LINEITUP 58 Rep 725 Posts Drives: 2010 335i MT AW Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: New York City iTrader: (2)	the first design is actually good for a turbo car, less restrictive, i see where your coming from to make it a BETTER design in terms of sound, but as far as performance its good.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

04-22-2010, 03:43 PM	#15
BrianMN Banned 114 Rep 2,428 Posts Drives: 4 Door Family Sedan Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Minneapolis iTrader: (7)	I only have an after video...for a before sound, I imagine it as a Hyundai Elantra GT with the headers taken off. I don't mean to seem so hateful of the TopSpeed system....it just sounds THAT bad low quality Video of this can be found at: QMax and other TopSpeed Owners- I'm curious to hear your thoughts of your TopSpeed exhaust set up. Do you like it? How about with catless DPs? Please post up videos for comparisons!
	Appreciate 0 Quote

04-22-2010, 09:42 PM	#17
wsybert First Lieutenant 34 Rep 367 Posts Drives: 2009 BMW M3 Vert Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Pittsburgh iTrader: (14)	OP, you may want to read this post. May give you what you are looking for. http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...rant+resonator __________________ 2019 Ram 1500. (Toy hauler) 2009 M3 Vert (Fun in the sun) 2006 330i 6sp manual. (Commuter) 1999 528iT 5sp manual (new addition)
	Appreciate 0 Quote

04-23-2010, 10:48 AM	#20
BrianMN Banned 114 Rep 2,428 Posts Drives: 4 Door Family Sedan Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Minneapolis iTrader: (7)	And here is a video of the exhaust before:
	Appreciate 0 Quote

04-23-2010, 11:41 AM	#21
Qmax03 LINEITUP 58 Rep 725 Posts Drives: 2010 335i MT AW Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: New York City iTrader: (2)	To be honest, everywhere i go i get compliments on my exhaust, YES it loud but what do you expect from a completly cattless system ? i went to a euro meet a couple night ago and alot of ppl wanted to know where the exhasut was from... i have barely any drone as well.. i really think it sounds nice. i meet a couple e90post guys and also got compliments on the exhaust tone. For $500- to me its one of the best exhaust for the $$$ .. Then again im 26Years old , i might be in a diffrent ago catagory and like this sound lol.
	Appreciate 0 Quote