When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Installed FJCW mufflers on my 2012 Clubman S! *long read*
Hello All,
Long time lurker, first time poster. I have owned my 2012 Clubman S 6spd since 2014 and kept it completely stock. I just put on a set of OZ Superleggera's, which are literally made of putty. DMV roads have destroyed these wheels. It was my DD for a while, super fun to drive, awesome MPG, comfy, lots of creature comforts, but I hated the stock exhaust note. It was too quiet for my taste, but perfect for our new born daughter. Now she is 2! Time flies! Now the clubmanS is my wife's DD w/ 59k on it. I also have a loud Techno Violet 1998 M3 and a X5D *Pic added below*.
Recently, I was able to get my hands on a pair of FJCW mufflers and had them welded on by a shop 2 days ago. I left the 2nd cat and resonator on. Shop guy said he could remove the 2nd cat and res for $40. Super tempting, but its the wife's car, I didn't want to die. lol.
Right after the install I was pretty disappointed the fjcw mufflers w/ 2cat+ res had 0 growl. I thought the fjcw mufflers would atleast give it a little bit of grunt. Now the car has a nice clean deep tone I can hear when cruising around and at WOT and the pops are way more noticeable. I enjoy the sound, but I need the growl in my life. I rode in my friends 2012 JCW Clubman (the mufflers are from his JCW btw) and I loved the way it sounded. Lots of growl and pops with no drone at all. I've been reading a ton about exhaust setups, dp w/ cat, dp catless, 2nd cat and res deletes, etc and I know the factory JCW's have no 2nd cat and a long resonator stock. I know I probably wont go the dp route.
Also when someone says fjcw exhaust, do they mean the entire front and rear section?
Wifey has driven the car and she doesn't mind the new exhaust at all, but I finally convinced her to let me make the exhaust sound better lol. I am trying to figure out if I want to do either just a 2nd cat delete, resonator delete, or both, while keeping it tame enough for my 2yr old daughter to enjoy also while in the back occasionally. X5 is the main family mobile.
Any advice is appreciated. Sorry for the long post. Thanks!
Cliff Notes:
Installed FJCW mufflers on stock S exhaust. Stock dp, 2nd cat + res intact.
Sad. No growl.
Need baby safe growl w/ no drone
Last edited by tEckniks; Oct 23, 2018 at 11:35 PM.
I thought the factory 2012 JCW Ckubman had a different resonator in the exhaust, which would change the sound. Different engine and tune would also change the sound.
The JCW tuning kit came with a resonator delete pipe, so you could try to remove just the factory S resonator. Would be easy enough the replace if you didn’t like they way that sounds.
I also have a 2014 Clubman S in Green. Though I do not have any experience with the exhaust I wanted to say "nice car!"
Cheers.
G
Thanks!
Originally Posted by njaremka
I thought the factory 2012 JCW Ckubman had a different resonator in the exhaust, which would change the sound. Different engine and tune would also change the sound.
The JCW tuning kit came with a resonator delete pipe, so you could try to remove just the factory S resonator. Would be easy enough the replace if you didn’t like they way that sounds.
True, I forgot my friends JCW has a N14 engine. . I just came back from the exhaust shop after deleting the resonator. I like the sound so far, had to heat up the exhaust before the grunt came out. Not much louder, but I haven't hit highway speeds yet. Too much traffic right now. Has just a little tiny bit of drone @ 2-3k rpm or it just could be more bass from the exhaust in the interior. It's basically silent at idle.
Yeah Clubman exhaust are pretty quiet even after you remove it all. I'm on my second Clubman which is now a JCW. I've used our catless DP with straight pipe all the way to rear milltek mufflers and it was still totally liveable. With the stock DP it was still not very loud. Then I went to the same Milltek on the JCW and it was still quiet, then to an Akrapovic DP and it has some growl but not bad at all. And now I have a quicksilver with the Akrapovic. So I'm basically saying it's going to take something with no restriction to get loud IMO.
Yeah Clubman exhaust are pretty quiet even after you remove it all. I'm on my second Clubman which is now a JCW. I've used our catless DP with straight pipe all the way to rear milltek mufflers and it was still totally liveable. With the stock DP it was still not very loud. Then I went to the same Milltek on the JCW and it was still quiet, then to an Akrapovic DP and it has some growl but not bad at all. And now I have a quicksilver with the Akrapovic. So I'm basically saying it's going to take something with no restriction to get loud IMO.
Thanks for the info! That is good to know. I'm guessing its due to the longer wheel and possibly the 2.25in Y split to the 1.75in pipe dual exhaust.
Might replace the 2nd cat with hi-flow cats and see if it gives more grunt... only if the wife does murder me first. So far she doesn't mind the sound, says its loud. pffftt The neighbors hate my m3.
. I just came back from the exhaust shop after deleting the resonator. I like the sound so far, had to heat up the exhaust before the grunt came out. Not much louder, but I haven't hit highway speeds yet. Too much traffic right now. Has just a little tiny bit of drone @ 2-3k rpm or it just could be more bass from the exhaust in the interior. It's basically silent at idle.
