Re: Exhaust Manifolds/Headers (archive)

I have Stahl headers on my car and they are great. They are loud when you get on the car, but what do you expect. If you put header wrap on them it will quite them down hugely. What I have found is that the basic E28 535i header fits on almost perfectly, you just have to extend the pipe after the collector and use a flange to bolt up to the rest of the exhaust. Any competent shop can do that for a couple of bucks. Manifolds are good if you really want lots of low end torque, but at the high end you get a restriction no matter how large the manifold which decreases hp. I would suggest that on the street, to get the best of both worlds, to use what are also known as stubby headers. They have shorter primaries than normal headers so they are not as noisy and they also maintain more of the low end torque while freeing up the high end a little more.

Rob
M535i SIG Chief Technical Advisor
www.m535i.org

If you want to use manifolds, the best ones are the Euro E28 manifolds from the 218bhp motor. Then are honed out to flow with the 2" downpipes of that car. Personally what I used for the exhaust on my 3500csi is E28 headers and then had a muffler shop lengthen the pipes after the collectors to meet up with the factory resonator from a 3.0csi. Hope this helps

Rob
M535i SIG Chief Technical Advisor
www.m535i.org

Speaking of headers does anybody have any ideas about specific makes,who makes the best quality headers for these cars. My experiences with headers are all poor.Bad fit,poor finish,noisy etc.I have not totally ruled headers out but a good free flowing cast manifold is hard to beat.

http://www.m535i.org

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