Why so raspy?
 

Why are dohc BMW's so raspy? I've read a few threads here recommending not to remove the resonator because it will make the sound way too raspy. I had a '92 525it 5-speed M50 and I removed the resonator, it made it raspy as hell so I put it back in. Why do these cars sound like this!? My 318ti sounds just as raspy and I don't get it!

I recall reading about a UUC exhaust designed to eliminate raspiness. I think they blamed the sound on VANOS. I wasn't aware that it was an issue with the non-VANOS DOHC motors. My first BMW was a '72 Bavaria. . .SOHC M30 with minimal exhaust. . .no cat. . .twin downpipes into a common resonator then single pipe to a muffler. Sounded pretty sweet! My DOHC M42 with a BroSpeed cat-back(no resonator) sounds about as raspy as that M30 did. Not bad for a 4-banger, IMO, but not as sweet as the six. The M30 in my E28 was quiet, but that had a full-length twin exhaust with cat + resonator. What kind of exhaust is on your Ti?

I think four cyl. engines are inherantly raspy sounding due to the unbalanced nature of the engine. I'm not sure how much better inline 6's are. The more pistins the better I'd think. Many four's have balance shafts in them to make them run smoother. Seems like larger diameter pipes make more hp but increase the raspy sound. I wondered about putting a motorcycle muffler on a car once, one with tunable baffles, never did it but wondered.

My ti has stock exhaust. It's an M Sport, not sure if that is any different. I kinda like it, but its soo similar to the m50 in the e34 525it 5-speed I had. I used to joke about that car sounding like it had square pistons. The sohc m20 in my e30 has a nice smooth tone. The e30 sounded pretty good stock but it's even better with the Abarth muffler I put on it.

I'd like to put a different muffler on the ti, since I paid so little for the car I just want to have fun with it. I'm considering a cheap ebay DTM muffler, there are several options under $100.

Anyone have a favorite in that category?

I just put a Magnaflow on mine and it was right at the $100 mark. I like the sound, but my wife thinks it is too loud.

I have a Magnaflow on my other M42 and while I like the tone, my wife thinks it is too loud. I look forward to hearing yours to compare when we meet this weekend. :cool: