GROUP BUY BTB tubular manifold

Guys, if you have bought Total BMW this month you might be aware of
the prototype tubular manifold Nick has refered to...

... well after a brief discussion with BTB i have secured a possibility of a
group buy. Manifolds are available in mild steel or stainless and they
look the dogs.

Will mate to std system and has a Lambda probe fitting.
Has 50mm pipe diameter.

These arn't some fly by night operation, they produced exhaust systems
for DTM, BTCC as well as Prodrive back in the days (check the link)

http://www.racecar.com/bmwexhausts/bmwe30exhausts.htm

Prices are TBC dependant on numbers, but we are circa £350-£400 for
the stainless compared to £975 for a SINGLE manifold.

If anybody would be up for this please add your name to this post.

Now, at this point I am waiting on the best payment arrangement, but
suffice to say I WILL NOT BE PUTTING THE MONEY UP FRONT especially
after what happened with the Microcloth group buy.
However I will most likely arrange for all parties to supply a deposit to
secure.

Drool...





I'll keep everone updated as I am sure will Nick.

PLEASE this is a post for a GROUP BUY FOR THE BTB MANIFOLD can we
refrain from getting other manufactures involved, it will only confuse the
matter.

And without sounding like some tight ar** school teacher READ all the
post before asking the same questions...

Cheers
Dave

Edited by 215DMX

Hi There,

Potentially interested, but would these only mate up to an O/E exhaust system or would they be able to fit to an aftermarket system i.e. a Miltek, which is what I have fitted.......

Forgive my ignorance if the fittings are all the same, but thought I would check.....

Also, are we looking at any potential power gains here?......would a custom remap be required to optimise the manifold...or even essential just to get it running right after fitment?.....or is it expected to be a "plug and play" solution?

Sorry...lots of questions.......but would defo be interested depending on the answers..

Cheers,

dave.

I would be interested but what is timescale please.

 

karl

Hey no issue. I appreciate your concern. I know what they typically cost, and 950 is disgusting. the group buy price alone says what they must make normally.

having the name is great, and to alot of people this is worth paying extra for.

I agree quality must be top, and it also has to be backed up incase anything did go wrong i.e. on a manifold you really want a lifetime warranty. I just have a close friend who i respect alot for his skill, and also an interest that allows me to pass on what i know.

i'll let you know when i know.

I can't get a tubular from rus for the m30, and for the time the engine will be in, its not worth paying some of the "highly reputable" firms around £800 for the pleasure.

He could fab me one, but the work with the mandrels is alot, and by xmas the turbo should be on anyway.

Just to let you know, the feature on the BTB manifold will be out in the next issue (11th May) so you might want to check that out before you commit. That will tell you most of what you need to know but suffice to say, this is a racing-type exhaust so expect gains in the higher rpm and a little loss low down (which can probably be offset with some tuning work). It is obviously ideal for those of you tuning your engine with cams and bits though. Amazing quality which you can see in the welds alone - it simply doesn't compare to other stuff.

The manifold will bolt up to most off-the-shelf systems AFAIK - standard, Milltek, Supersprint, Scorpion etc, because it was developed using a Supersprint Race which uses the factory fitment points to the original manifold. The Race is probably most suited since it is a twin 50mm setup and flow isn't affected bya downward step in pipe diameter (as it would with the standard exhaust or a smaller aftermarket one (likely a Scorpion). Obviously Sport Evo owners will need to get the flange adjusted to suit the difference in bolt hole location (although it can be fudged on if you really want to)...

All I can say is, and I'm not just plugging BTB here, but if you can get it for the group buy price, you'd be mad not to!

Edited by Nick @ TBMW

Matt T wrote: Does anyone know if this is a direct swap with the original manifold then? Will it be suitable on a standard/mildly tuned s14?

Nick @ TBMW wrote: The manifold will bolt up to most off-the-shelf systems AFAIK - standard, Milltek, Supersprint, Scorpion etc, because it was developed using a Supersprint Race which uses the factory fitment points to the original manifold.

I am also very interested, but again depends on final price...

UweM3 wrote: Check it out! wrote: I can't comment for the s14, but the m20 2.5 i bolted it straight on, and just noticed it was more revvy from the lower end which helped me into the power band a tad quicker. i Think it was worth the price, but the standard design is not very good.  I had mine custommated to a full system by rus, but i have said to him to quote for bolt in replacements with the lambda sensor as mentioned above. If you system was custom fabbed they may have just used sleeve fit. bmw would at least us flange bolts. check your downpipe and compare to the pic above. he could get you a custom manifold, or adapt it for you if required. russellg@longlife.co.uk as mentined elsewhere i am not recommending longlife, i do not know the whole company and every person in it, but rus i do know and highly recomend. There is no need to upgrade the manifold on a mild tuned S14. You need 2.5 and some hot cams to see a benefit from fitting a larger manifold. Just a sidenote about longlife. I know an M3 owner with a longlife system. He needs every year a new centre section because of loose baffles. All in warranty of course, but the hassle and time. You can't beat the price of the BTB if you ask me.

 

hi, i know about this. Please note what i stated at the second post

"as mentined elsewhere i am not recommending longlife, i do not know the whole company and every person in it, but rus i do know and highly recomend." this i should clarify and extend to his materials the lot. the two welsh franchises are totally seperate (and rus isn't welsh lol).

He called me to say he is having difficulty sourcing the e30 m3 manifold but can't see an issue with that price, and obviously a fitting service if necessary.

at the same time he is running up a list for other parts, not sure what is in the pipe but as soon as i hear back i'll update here.

the btb price is excellent if indeed they supply at that price. I will not know the quality of the item rus can get until he knows himself. If it's bad it woudn't be supplied.

Longlife, just like powerflow, and most other companies down to scorpion all have bad names in areas, and well deserved most of the time.

I'm not promoting Longlife, i know the actual owner, and wouldn't but business his way one inch. but the franchise is seperate.

Anyway, i'll get what i can up here for you to decide rather than me waffling on here.

FYI - our manifold (the one pictured there) is a prototype. How much this will differ from the one they make for customers needs to be seen. Just thought I'd mention it!

John, as per Nick - plus

this is obviously a 'off the shelf' system so all the
steps and flanges won't be perfect.

My angle is that at the 11+ GB price its cheaper( or at least the same as) than a 320is 50mm maniflod and has better flow characteristics - tbc as per Nicks dyno numbers...

Do you have any other questions we can pass on to for answers?