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Re: E30 M3 mufflers

Russell,

I have an '89 M3 and just recently replaced my muffler. I put a Borla
Stainless Steel muffler in place of the OEM. The reason I did this is
because I got the muffler slightly used for (hhmmm) $475. This was about
+$75 over the best OEM price I had found. You may be able to find a
better price on OEM, or the Borla of whatever. Let me tell you a little
about the Pros and Cons of the Borla and some other stuff I found in my
investigation.

Pro's:
Sounds good, pretty loud
SS lasts "forever"
Several pounds lighter than the OEM.
Well constructed.
Easy to put on (you'll need a shop to weld the tubes onto the existing
pipes)

Cons:
LOUD, LOUD, LOUD (Personally I love it, but the different girls I've
taken out on dates don't really like it, and people get tired of it on
long trips. It's my car, so Pppbbbbttttt! :-)
Muffler tips are really big (will probably rub a little on the spoiler
cut out, no major problems though)
New they are fairly expensive.

It is hard to say if there was any HP improvement. It DOES flow more
freely at high RPMs, therefore might give you a little more top end
(ever wondered why race cars don't have mufflers?) I track my car so it
probably helps. It you mainly drive around quite neighborhoods I would
reccomend against. BMW's stock design on this car was VERY good. Since
you live in CA, rust is probably not a major issue (it wasn't for me in
NC). You will want to stay away from ANSA, they have a bad reputation.
SuperSprint is cool cause of the turned up tips, but ~$800 is crazy
money for an E30 muffler. 

To summarize; Given your location, unless you can get a "good" deal on a
SS, or you just have money to burn, I would say get an OEM.

Paul
'89 M3 99K Alpine White (JC chip, Borla, K&N, Redline)

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