X5 4.8is Exhausts on 4.4i

[Naz24]

Can i get those chrome exhaust tips from your old exhaust? Pm me

[b1x]

Wow, looks great, thanks for all the pics and info.
Does it sound the same as a 4.8is now??

Nice work!

Originally Posted by silkster

Well to my fellow BMW enthusiasts i would like to say that for the past 6 months since I purchased my 2001 X5 4.4i I have spent countless hours acquiring info on mods and tips off this board so now I would like to contribute a little.

I wanted to change the factory exhaust on my X5 4.4i but wanted the huge Oval tips factory look, and after lookin around at the aftermarket brands like Supersprint and Eisenman I felt that I could get by with the 4.8is OEM exhaust and save some money in the process..

Now after constanly harrasing my dealer techs and the good folks at pacific BMW (Edward) no one had a definite answer (they were like well oh..., you see..., we really can't.... what had happen was...YADA ..YADA ..YADA..)
I decided what the hell I took a chance and purchased the 4.8is exhaust and decided to do the upgrade.

well as you will see on the pictures the 4.8is exhaust is shaped a little different from the previous M62 engine cars, the curving is a litlle different also.. the muffler shop I took it to only had to cut a small portion of the pipe because the 4.8 was thicker at the end and repalce with another piping to fit my car .. otherwise pretty easy install took less than 1 hour to do job.

As for the response it took a couple of days to kick in but at startup and when its in idle you get a deper growl,

theres no other feeling like having it park in front of Starbucks backed in and remote start from the inside on my way out hearing the start up growl and hearing it Purr and seeing people staring ..

Well one of the reason that I chose the 4.8is exhaust instead of the 4.6is exhaust believe or not it that the 4.8 exhaust is about $300 cheaper than the 4.6 and yes the tips are included. so I paid $900 for the exhaust including the rubber mounts from pacific BMW

Overall I love the look and the sound and some and people coudn't understand why I spent the money on an exhaust when you really don't get much HP gains, but the joys its brings me is priceless

[nra0707]

Since I hadn't seen it done yet on an N62 engine on Xoutpost, here's some info for you all. So after a year of debating on whether this was worth doing, the mod bug bit me and I decided to pony up the cash and do it. I didn't do it for any performance reasons; I did it because I love the sound and look. First, you need the exhaust pipes:

18107529454 - Passenger side exhaust (Right)
18107529453 - Driver side exhaust (Left)



After picking up the parts and looking at it, there are a couple things you'll notice. First, the pipes are wider than stock 4.4i pipes. I measured the new pipes to be 2.25 inches in diameter. I know a few on the forum who have installed X-pipes have said their 4.4i pipes are also 2.25 inches, but I measured them to be only 2 inches. Second, the pipe flanges that bolt up to the resonator are also slightly bigger due to the increased pipe size. Third, and most importantly, the exhaust flange alignment to the resonator is also different. See RED reference lines.





What does this all mean? Sorry guys, not a straight plug-n-play mod here. This mod requires cutting and welding.

Also, when lined up side-by-side, both pipes share the same pipe bends as the 4.4i and fit directly on the existing rubber hangers. After a test fit, I noticed a problem where the driver side pipe was short by 1.75 inches.



So in the end, I decided this was much more work than I could do myself and went to a local exhaust shop.



Here are the 4.4i pipes are being removed - Two x 13mm nut and 14mm spring loaded bolts hold the flanges of the resonator and exhaust together. An pneumatic wrench + a torch to heat up the bolts made quick work of loosening them.



You'll clearly notice here how the flanges line up on the 4.4 resonator/pipes.



Once removed, the next step was to cut off the 4.4i flanges



Then the 4.8is flanges were cut off



Test fitting the passenger side since it has to be installed first



The previously cut off 4.4i exhaust flange is re-bolted onto the resonator and then tacked onto the pipe



Unbolted the flange and pipe again to complete welding all around



Then reinstalled. Here's how the passenger side looked underneath fully welded and installed



For the driver side, they cut a 1.5 - 2 inch length of steel pipe to use as an extension since it was short by 1.75" in my measurement. Then they test fitted, aligned and bolted in the flange, tacked into place, and welded it completely.



Here's how it looked when the welding was complete



After fully installing the flanges, they made sure the exhaust tips were correctly aligned using a level and feeling the gaps around the tips and bumper. To fine tune the alignment, they broke out a big wrench and made some slight bends in the exhaust hanger arms.



All done. Excellent job in only 1 hour.







So for the most important part...what does it sound like? On startup at the exhaust shop, it growled deep and loud like a bear waking up from hibernation. The idle hummed with a bassy gurgle found on the 4.8is. No adverse change in interior sound but a nice, slightly deeper rumble in the background. I would put the sound somewhere between the stock 4.4i and 4.8is exhaust sounds. As the weather's warmed up, the sound has gotten deeper. So far, I'm really happy with it. I have before and after videos, but I'll post them later.

[Nik]

good look good job guys. i will do it also if i don't get the 4.6

[Clockwork]

I KNEW I should have bought that 4.8is exhaust system for $400 from my mech friend. Oh I'm mad at myself now. I'd LOVE to have a sound like a 4.8is. I do like the 4.4i, but something deeper would be more to my liking
Great pics!!!!

[X5V8RULES]

Good job. i would do it only if there is something hiding the quad tube coming from the mufflers. ( and i find the stock quad exhaust beautiful on the 4.4)

[X5V8RULES]

Originally Posted by nra0707

Since I hadn't seen it done yet on an N62 engine on Xoutpost, here's some info for you all. So after a year of debating on whether this was worth doing, the mod bug bit me and I decided to pony up the cash and do it. I didn't do it for any performance reasons; I did it because I love the sound and look. First, you need the exhaust pipes:

18107529454 - Passenger side exhaust (Right)
18107529453 - Driver side exhaust (Left)



After picking up the parts and looking at it, there are a couple things you'll notice. First, the pipes are wider than stock 4.4i pipes. I measured the new pipes to be 2.25 inches in diameter. I know a few on the forum who have installed X-pipes have said their 4.4i pipes are also 2.25 inches, but I measured them to be only 2 inches. Second, the pipe flanges that bolt up to the resonator are also slightly bigger due to the increased pipe size. Third, and most importantly, the exhaust flange alignment to the resonator is also different. See RED reference lines.





What does this all mean? Sorry guys, not a straight plug-n-play mod here. This mod requires cutting and welding.

Also, when lined up side-by-side, both pipes share the same pipe bends as the 4.4i and fit directly on the existing rubber hangers. After a test fit, I noticed a problem where the driver side pipe was short by 1.75 inches.



So in the end, I decided this was much more work than I could do myself and went to a local exhaust shop.



Here are the 4.4i pipes are being removed - Two x 13mm nut and 14mm spring loaded bolts hold the flanges of the resonator and exhaust together. An pneumatic wrench + a torch to heat up the bolts made quick work of loosening them.



You'll clearly notice here how the flanges line up on the 4.4 resonator/pipes.



Once removed, the next step was to cut off the 4.4i flanges



Then the 4.8is flanges were cut off



Test fitting the passenger side since it has to be installed first



The previously cut off 4.4i exhaust flange is re-bolted onto the resonator and then tacked onto the pipe



Unbolted the flange and pipe again to complete welding all around



Then reinstalled. Here's how the passenger side looked underneath fully welded and installed



For the driver side, they cut a 1.5 - 2 inch length of steel pipe to use as an extension since it was short by 1.75" in my measurement. Then they test fitted, aligned and bolted in the flange, tacked into place, and welded it completely.



Here's how it looked when the welding was complete



After fully installing the flanges, they made sure the exhaust tips were correctly aligned using a level and feeling the gaps around the tips and bumper. To fine tune the alignment, they broke out a big wrench and made some slight bends in the exhaust hanger arms.



All done. Excellent job in only 1 hour.







So for the most important part...what does it sound like? On startup at the exhaust shop, it growled deep and loud like a bear waking up from hibernation. The idle hummed with a bassy gurgle found on the 4.8is. No adverse change in interior sound but a nice, slightly deeper rumble in the background. I would put the sound somewhere between the stock 4.4i and 4.8is exhaust sounds. As the weather's warmed up, the sound has gotten deeper. So far, I'm really happy with it. I have before and after videos, but I'll post them later.

Best rims ever seen !

[Turbo_Bimmer]

Originally Posted by X5V8RULES

Good job. i would do it only if there is something hiding the quad tube coming from the mufflers. ( and i find the stock quad exhaust beautiful on the 4.4)

After a while, the inside of the oval tips will be black of carbon, so they won't be as noticable.

[AlecX5]

I did this mod too. it was worth every penny. an old write up but still amazing!

[Phr3d]

ez for the 3.0 as well..