ucsbwsr

I sent my blown V3 back to KW for the rebuild service, since I was NOT the original owner I had to pay for the service, if I was then the repair likely would have been covered under warranty. Are you the original owner?

When my front blew the noise was more of a metal-on-metal groaning noise. The clunking or banging noise I describe comes from the rear when hitting abrupt ledges/expansion joints on the freeway which seemingly forces the strut to blow through it's travel and bottom out aggressively. Another member has brought up the possibility of the oem airbags getting worn and loose since there is no physical spring in the bag and causing this issue.

Evan

ucsbwsr

I was able to get on the dyno yesterday at FFTEC. Wagon put down 408awhp/440awtq which is pretty impressive considering my turbos are on the way out, so much so that FFTEC stopped after 2 pulls as they were concerned. FFTEC uses a Mustang Dyno which reads low compared to a Dynojet so once these numbers are translated, they are right around the xi N54 stock turbo record.


Got my tablet mounted


I was searching for some black rear seat belts which is very challenging as they are specific to the E61 and there are not many salvaged/parted E61s out there. I did find a pair on eBay but the seller was asking $75/ea which is straight murder. I tried to negotiate with him to no avail. I ended up buying a pair from a German seller, shipping took 3 weeks but I only paid $50 shipped for both. SUCK IT eBay seller!


Upgraded my Home Depot lip to the "legit" EZ-Lip Pro! The material seems to have more rubber and less foam in contrast to my original lip, it is also 1" taller. I mounted it in the same location and am happy with the looks, still subtle and effective. There is no way I could run a fiberglass or CF lip, I would rip it off in a heartbeat.

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stormhammer

I've been meaning to ask you since seeing the vids on your youtube channel - how loud/drone like is the exhaust you've done? 3" exhaust?

ucsbwsr

I have not completed my 3" exhaust yet, I have aspirations to do it myself and a few tools and skills need to be acquired before embarking on the journey.

Recently I had both pairs of Vibrant resonators removed so my system has the Magnaflow resonated x-pipe and nothing else. Considering it is almost straight piped it isn't too loud, drone is louder than before (it's pretty bad) and the 6AT loves to shift and hover right around where the system makes the most resonance but you can drive in a manner to limit and avoid drone. On the highway I drop it down to 5th and it is nice and quiet.

With removing the bottle resonators the drone range has shifted slightly up the rev range. It is annoying and I am excited to revamp the system, from what I gather drone shouldn't be much of an issue once I build a single 3" system. Worst case scenario I will try to leave room on the middle of the system to build a branch resonator to eliminate any lingering drone.

Here is a pic of my system before the bottle resonator were removed.

Evan

stormhammer

Nice! Is that the entire exhaust there from the downpipes back?

Do you think that running a single 3" would cause some backpressure issues from the twin turbos? Or is there just not room for 3.5"-4"?

Looking up drone elimination, I came across Synapse engineering at SEMA


NoDrone: Official Synapse Store | Buy our DV, BOV, and Wastegate with Synchronic Technology and more | Synapse Engineering


If I recall right, going from the dual 3" downpipes to a single, volume wise you'll want a 3.5" single exhaust.

ucsbwsr

It is odd that so many modern mechanics and European-brand based enthusiasts are unfamiliar with branch resonators and helmholtz chambers. They are everywhere in the JDM market and also around the muscle car scene.

These resonators are scientifically proven to reduce drone yet people spend tons of money fumbling around with other options with no success. If you know what you're doing then slapping on a $30 piece of pipe will fix all.

I am far from an expert but that in the video they called that resonator a helmholtz resonator and my understanding is it's a branch resonator, helmholtz chambers are more like small canisters with some volume (as opposed to a pipe with consistent diameter).

My understanding is that the branch resonator is better at targeting and canceling a specific rnage of drone. The Helmholtz with its larger volume allows sound waves to bounce around and cancel out a wider range of resonance.

Conceptually a branch resonator is simple add on but the trick is measuring and calculating the formula so you know the diameter, length, and placement of your resonator. IIRC you collect the number of cylinders, firing order, exhaust diameter, and EGTs at the location where you will connect the resonator. Put all of it into a blender and a functional branch resonator comes out.

There is tons of info on this out there but it seldomly makes into the BMW scene.

From what I have gathered a 3" exhaust (properly built, mandrel bent) will be able to flow more than enough to support horsepower levels far beyond my level. I am not sure of the specifics regarding flow from the DPs. AR says they are 3" and most of the DP is but the flanges are 2.5" so that is a bottleneck right there.

hmmmmmm, I wonder if I cut my DPs and welded on 3" flanges if it would flow better...

Evan

stormhammer

You're right, they are branch resonators. I think the humholtz like you're talking about is watch say, ARK puts on theirs.



I was actually reading up on the formula earlier today

That's a little surprising about the flangers on the AR's. I wonder if COBB's and N54Tuning's are as well.

On another note, when you changed the intake around, did you notice any actual gains? It'd have been cool to see a before/after dyno. Based on the vids, slight spool increase/induction sound gain?

ucsbwsr

Correct about the resonators. Although my current exhaust system sounds simple on paper: straight piped with a resonated x-pipe, under closer inspection you have 3"-2.5" reducing DPs, oem metric pipes (~2.3") into the X-pipe, then 2.5" pipes with crush bends to tips. Kind of a mess. Having a clean 2-1 merge collector off the DPs and a consistent single pipe running the length of the car would make calculating the branch resonator much easier.

A boost leak, an unexpected repair, and poor timing kept me from getting a before/after dyno with only the inlets. By the time I got back on the dyno post-inlet I had also installed my throttle body injection. In hindsight I am not sure how telling the dyno comparison would have been since my initial baseline was done in the conservative Map 5, inlets really shine when you demand more from them.

The inlets have a substantial impact on the N54's performance: improved torque, throttle response, and top-end flow are some of the most noticeable improvements ...in addition to all the hissing and sucking noises coming from the engine bay.

Reorganizing the engine bay, removing oem inlet pipes, and installing inlets is a time and energy consuming process but really worth it.

Evan

ucsbwsr

My beige seats belts were looking a bit grungy and ugly. The front belts were replaced a while ago, sourcing them was easy as they are shared with the E60. Rear belts were much more challenging as they were E61 specific, I learned this the hard way.

On eBay I found the R/L rear E61 belts but the seller wanted $75 a piece! lol
I tried negotiating with the seller to no avail and ended up finding some from an eBay seller in Germany, I purchased 2 rear belts for $50 shipped. Shipping took 3 weeks but I was happy not giving that eBay crook my money.

The center E61 belt is mounted inside the seat and finding a way to disassemble and access the belt wasn't worth the effort at this time. I also snagged a black female center receiver.

Evan

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Comparison


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E60wagon

Love the black belts !